Blutengel

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Blutengel

Blutengel's Chris Pohl performing in 2004
Background information
Origin Germany
Genres Futurepop, Darkwave
Years active 1999–present
Labels Out Of Line Records
Associated acts Seelenkrank
Tristesse de la Lune
Terminal Choice
Miss Construction
Tumor
Cinderella Effect
Say Y
Waldgeist (project)
Members
Chris Pohl
Ulrike Goldmann
Steffi Weingarten
Anja Milow
Jenny
Maria Rehfeld
Past members
Nina Bendigkeit
Kati Roloff
Gini Martin
Eva Pölzing
Sonja Semmler
Constance Rudert

Blutengel (German: Blood Angel) is a German Darkwave musical group. It was formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups Terminal Choice, Tumor, and Miss Construction and the owner of the Fear Section label) after he had to leave Seelenkrank due to contractual and legal problems. The lyrics are written primarily in German and English and are presented with male and female vocals.

Contents

[edit] History

Blutengel was formed in 1998 after Chris Pohl had decided to give up the preceding project, Seelenkrank due to contractual problems. Just as its predecessor, Blutengel uses melodious electronic tunes in combination with both male and female voices. The lyrics are primarily in German and/or English and mixed between male and female vocals paired with electronic sounds and with songs often focusing on all aspects of love, from the tragedy of hopeless romance of vampires (all the way to the more animal aspects of desire) and aspects of death and the beyond travel.

The first album Child of Glass, released in early 1999 and soon conquered the clubs and the hearts of the already existing fan community but also attracted a huge number of new fans with songs like "Weg Zu mir" and "Beauty of Suffering". Kati Roloff and Nina Bendigkeit were responsible for the female vocals at that time. However, although the album was still present in the minds of the people, things became quiet for the project itself for quite a long time.

Finally, in 2001, the second anxiously anticipated album Seelenschmerz was released and initiated a new era in Blutengel's short band history. The band formation changed as Nina had managed to cut her own successful path in the last two years, and Gini Martin joined the band as the second female voice alongside Kati. Catchy songs such as "Seelenschmerz", "Soul of Ice", " Children of the Night", and "Der Spiegel" turned the album into a blockbuster, just missing the German Top 100 Album Charts, forcing Blutengel to appear live in front of fans. The first Blutengel gig ever (two years after the band was actually formed) took place at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen on June 1, 2001, in Leipzig, in front of 10,000 fans and a venue that was bursting at the seams. At the end of 2001, the single Black Roses appeared with Constance Rudert as a session singer and the band performed at the Dark Storm Festival in which Constance also appeared in the stage at side of Kati and Gini. However, this was the last time the band would play with its original line-up. Kati and Gini left the band days later for personal and also unknown reasons and founded their own project, Tristesse de la Lune. Constance who had only been recruited to add some spirit to the single "Black Roses", soon became an inherent part of Blutengel replacing Kati, then Chris Pohl managed to find a second equal female voice in Eva Pölzing who was found soon afterwards to replace Gini.

Later 2002, due to the vocal scope they now had, and the removal to a studio with new technical opportunities, the band managed to produce a high-quality album, Angel Dust, receiving a huge feedback placing 58th on the Top 100 albums in its first week because of hits like "Angel of the Night" and "Vampire Romance" making Blutengel become much more popular. The Angel Dust promotional photoshoot and booklet was made by Nina Bendigkeit.

In 2004 their 4th album, Demon Kiss was released, followed by the DVD Live Lines which appeared later in 2005, but bad news came out when in early October Eva Pölzing decided to leave Blutengel due to problems with time and projects in her personal life. Eva has been replaced by Ulrike Goldmann (ex-Say-Y) making Blutengel's sound take a completely different musical direction, which some people liked, while older fans weren't so pleased at all. Meanwhile Chris Pohl was busy touring with Terminal Choice and only released the EP The Oxidising Angel to introduce Ulrike. For the next two years the band would keep releasing singles with a more "pop-driven" sound until their long-awaited 5th album, Labyrinth, came out in September 2007 followed by a small tour.

[edit] Gothic meets Klassik (2012)

In November 2012, Blutengel and VNV Nation will perform for 2 days at Gothic meets Klassik in Leipzig. On the 10th, they will play a regular set as usual, and on the 11th, they will both play an exclusive set accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. It will be the first time Blutengel have done a set like this.

[edit] Line-up

[edit] Current members

  • 1998–now: Chris Pohl – Male voice, programming, and lyrics
  • 2005–now: Ulrike Goldmann – Female voice and lyrics
  • 2010-now: Anja Milow – Female voice and visual concept
  • 2010-now: Jenny - Live visual concept and Performance
  • 2010-now: Maria Rehfeld - Live visual concept and Performance

[edit] Former members

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Seelenschmerz, Angel Dust, Demon Kiss, Labyrinth and Tränenherz come with a hard-box limited edition including a bonus CD and exclusive booklet, sticker and post cards.

[edit] EPS

  • 2005: The Oxidising Angel EP - (Germany #62)
  • 2009: Soultaker EP
  • 2010: Promised Land EP
  • 2011: Nachtbringer EP - (Germany #51)

[edit] DVDs

  • 2005: Live Lines - (Germany #85)
  • 2008: Moments Of Our Lives - (Germany #57)
  • 2011: Tränenherz Tour Live

[edit] Singles

  • 2001: Bloody Pleasures
  • 2001: Black Roses
  • 2002: Vampire Romance
  • 2003: Forever
  • 2004: Mein Babylon (Stendal Blast & Blutengel)
  • 2004: No Eternity - (Germany #77)
  • 2006: My Saviour - (Germany #95)
  • 2007: Lucifer (Purgatory) - (Germany #100)
  • 2007: Lucifer (Blaze) - (Germany #58)
  • 2008: Winter Of My Life (Download Single)
  • 2008: Dancing In The Light (Forsaken) - (Germany #81)
  • 2008: Dancing In The Light (Solitary)
  • 2010: Reich Mir Die Hand - (Germany #81)
  • 2011: Uber Den Horizont

[edit] Exclusive tracks appearing on compilations (not including remixes)

  • 1998: Awake the Machines Vol. 2 – Love
  • 2000: Machineries of Joy – Fairyland (Female Version)
  • 2001: Orkus Collection 2 – Hold Me (Just For This Night)
  • 2002: Fear Section Vol. 1 – Weg Zu Mir (Shicksals-Version 2002)
  • 2002: Machineries of Joy Vol. 2 – Waiting For You
  • 2003: Machineries of Joy Vol. 3 – Falling
  • 2005: Forever – Leaving You
  • 2006: Machineries of Joy Vol. 4 – Misery

[edit] External links

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