Blutengel
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| Blutengel | |
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 Blutengel's Chris Pohl performing in 2004
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Germany |
| Genre(s) | futurepop, eurodance |
| Years active | 1999-present |
| Label(s) | Out Of Line Records |
| Associated acts | Seelenkrank Tristesse de la Lune Terminal Choice |
| Members | |
| Chris Pohl Constance Rudert Ulrike Goldmann Sonja Semmler |
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| Former members | |
| Nina Bendigkeit Katie Roloff Gini Martin Eva Pölzing |
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Blutengel (German: Blood Angel) is a German futurepop and eurodance musical group with a gothic aesthetic. It was formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups Terminal Choice, Tumor, and Pain of Progress 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.
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[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 it's 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 all the way to the more animal aspects of desire.
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 1st, 2001 in Leipzig, in front of 10,000 fans and a venue that was literally as bursting as it seems. 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. An interesting fact is that 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 latter 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 complety different musical direction, which some people liked, while older fans weren't so pleased at all. Meanwhile Chris Pohl was completly busy touring with Terminal Choice and it was 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 waited 5th album, Labyrinth, came out in September 2007 followed by a small tour.
[edit] Line-up
[edit] Current members
- Chris Pohl - Male voice, programming, and lyrics
- Constance Rudert - Female voice, lyrics, and visual concept
- Ulrike Goldmann - Female voice and lyrics
- Sonja Semmler - Live performance
[edit] Former members
- 1998-2000: Nina Bendigkeit (Now in Formalin - Also female voices on Seelenkrank albums)
- 1998-2002: Katie Roloff (was in Tristesse de la Lune with Gini but left in early 2007)
- 2000-2002: Gini Martin (now in Tristesse de la Lune)
- 2002-2005: Eva Pölzing (now in F.O.D)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1999: Child of Glass
- 2001: Seelenschmerz
- 2002: Angel Dust
- 2004: Demon Kiss
- 2007: Labyrinth
Seelenschmerz, Angel Dust, Demon Kiss and Labyrinth comes with a hard-box limited edition including a bonus CD and exclusive booklet, sticker and post cards.
[edit] EPS
- 2005: The Oxidising Angel EP
Limited edition comes with different cover art and exclusive booklet.
[edit] DVDs
- 2005: Live Lines
[edit] Singles
- 2001: Bloody Pleasures
- 2001: Black Roses
- 2002: Vampire Romance
- 2003: Forever
- 2004: Mein Babylon (Stendal Blast & Blutengel)
- 2004: No Eternity
- 2006: My Saviour
- 2007: Lucifer (Purgatory)
- 2007: Lucifer (Blaze)
[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
- 2006: Machineries of Joy Vol. 4 – Misery
[edit] External links
- Official website (in German)
- Blutengel discography at MusicBrainz
- Unofficial Blutengel Fansite (in English)
- Blutengel lyrics at Industrial Lyrics
- Blutengel @ Gothics-Nature
- Blutengel on MySpace
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| Blutengel | Terminal Choice | Tumor | Pain Of Progress | Seelenkrank | Miss Construction |
| Collaborators' Side Projects |
| Staubkind | Cinderella Effect | Tristesse de la Lune |
