Blutengel (german: Blood Angel) (stylized as BlutEngel) is a German

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

group formed by singer

Chris Pohl Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

(also of the groups

Terminal Choice Terminal Choice was a German industrial rock band. It was formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of Blutengel, Tumor, Pain of Progress and owner of the Fear Section label) in 1993. History Their lyrics are sung in German and English. The sound wa ...

, 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. The themes of the songs usually centre around themes common in

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

such as love,

vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

, sexual fetishism, death, and

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...

. The band calls their musical style ''dark pop''.

History

Formation and early years (1998–2001)

Blutengel was formed in 1998 after Chris Pohl had decided to give up the preceding project, Seelenkrank (which had released two albums), 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 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 afterlife. The first album ''

Child of Glass A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

'' was released in early 1999 with Kati Roloff and

Nina Bendigkeit Nina Bendigkeit was the first female singer of Blutengel together with Kati Roloff known for her spoken vocals. Career She only sang on their debut album, ''Child Of Glass''. As she left the band she started doing photography. She also contribu ...

as the original female vocalists. In 2001, the second album ''

Seelenschmerz ''Seelenschmerz'' ''(Soulache)'' is the second album by Blutengel. It was re-released in 2011 remastered as a 2 disc release, the original remastered album and a bonus disc of tracks from the original bonus disc, the Bloody Pleasures single, and ...

'' was released. Nina left to concentrate on photography and eventually form the band Formalin. Gini Martin joined the band as the second female voice alongside Kati. The first Blutengel gig ever took place at the

Wave-Gotik-Treffen The Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT; ) is an annual world festival for "dark" music and "dark culture" in Leipzig, Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds (gothic rock, gothic metal, EBM, industrial, noise, darkwave, neo-folk, neo-cl ...

on June 1, 2001, in Leipzig, in front of 10,000 fans. At the end of 2001, the single ''Black Roses'' was released with

Constance Rudert Constance may refer to: Places *Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English *Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada * Constance, Kentucky * Constance, Minnesota * Constance (Portugal) * Mount Constance, Washington State People * Consta ...

as a session singer. The band performed at the Dark Storm Festival where Constance appeared on stage with Kati and Gini. This was the last time the band would play with its original line-up. Kati and Gini left the band days later for personal reasons and founded their own project together,

Tristesse de la Lune Tristesse de la Lune ( French: "Sadness of the Moon") was an electropop group founded by German musicians Kati Roloff and Gini Martin after they left Blutengel in 2002. Their songs typically have romantic lyrics and draw inspiration from their ...

. Constance, who had originally only been recruited for the single "Black Roses", became a full time member of Blutengel.

Eva Pölzing Eva Pölzing or Poelzing is a German singer who is best known as the former female vocalist for Blutengel. Music career Pölzing joined that band early 2002 to replace Gini Martin and stayed the better part of 3 almost 4 years. Her first rele ...

joined soon after as a second vocalist.

Rise in popularity (2002–2008)

'' Angel Dust'' was released in 2002, placing 58th on the German Charts. The ''Angel Dust'' promotional photo-shoot and booklet was made by Nina Bendigkeit. In 2004 their fourth album, ''

Demon Kiss ''Demon Kiss'' is the fourth studio album of Blutengel. Track listing Info * All tracks written and produced by Christian "Chris" Pohl * Male vocals by Chris Pohl * Female vocals on "Angels Of The Dark", "Silent Tears(For You)", "In The D ...

'', was released, featuring the single "Forever". A DVD release '' Live Lines'' and the album-length EP ''

The Oxidising Angel ''The Oxidising Angel'' is the first EP from German futurepop band Blutengel. It was released as a single CD. It featured a cover of ''Cry Little Sister'' the theme from the film ''The Lost Boys'' originally by Gerard McMann Gerard Thomas Mc ...

'' appeared in 2005, the latter of which contained new material as well as a cover of "

Cry Little Sister "Cry Little Sister" is a song written by English singer-songwriter Gerard McMahon (under the pseudonym Gerard McMann) and Michael Mainieri, and performed by McMahon for the soundtrack to the 1987 film ''The Lost Boys'', which peaked at number 15 ...

" from ''The Lost Boys'' soundtrack. In early October Eva Pölzing decided to leave the band due to other projects. Eva was replaced by

Ulrike Goldmann Ulrike Goldmann (born 17 June 1980) is a German singer and vocalist of the German electro-gothic band Blutengel since October 2005. Music career Ulrike Goldmann has a trained voice and has been singing her entire life. Her first band was an elec ...

(ex- Say-Y). For the following two years, the band released a couple of singles with a slightly more "pop-driven" sound until their fifth album, ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

'' was released in September 2007. It reached 36th in the German charts, and featured the single "Lucifer", and the live favourite "Engelsblut".

Extended albums (2009–2012)

In 2009 Blutengel released the album '' Schwarzes Eis'', which featured the single "Dancing in the Light" and accompanying music video to promote the album. An extended edition of this album contained three full CDs, each with its own subtitle (''Schwarzes Eis'', the instrumental ''Behind the Mirror'' and ''Redemption''). The EP ''

Soultaker is an anime series that focuses on seventeen-year-old Kyosuke Date who was killed by his mother Mio Date, and afterward gained the ability to turn into an incredibly powerful winged mutant known as "The SoulTaker" and that he has a long-los ...

'' was released later that year. In 2010, they performed at the Amphi Festival featuring Anja Milow, Maria Rehfeld and Jenny Haufe who had been hired in 2009 as a dancers for the Schwarzes Eis Tour. Days later, it was announced on the official website that Constance had been replaced by two new singers, Anja Milow and Steffi Weingarten. Both featured on the seventh album ''

Tränenherz ''Tränenherz'' ''(Teardrop heart)'' is the seventh studio album from German electronic band Blutengel Blutengel (german: Blood Angel) (stylized as BlutEngel) is a German electronic music group formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups ...

'', released in 2011 and placed in the German charts at number 12. Two singles "Über den Horizont" & "Reich Mir Die Hand" were released to promote the album, with accompanying music videos the latter featuring Pohl's new girlfriend Viki Scarlet as the "Bloody Girl" in Reich Mir Die Hand who would later become a permanent dancer. The EP ''

Nachtbringer ''Nachtbringer'' is the third EP from German futurepop band Blutengel Blutengel (german: Blood Angel) (stylized as BlutEngel) is a German electronic music group formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups Terminal Choice, Tumor, and Miss C ...

'' followed that same year. a music video was released for the title track featuring the complete lineup excluding Jenny for this video. Steffi was fired from the band before they began touring and on her official Facebook page, she wrote a statement claiming that she was not allowed to tour due to legal issues with Constance. Jenny left in 2012, followed by Anja to focus on her job as a model for the clothing label AMF Korsets, continue college studies and work as an independent designer with her label Madone Noire.

''Monument'' and ''Black Symphonies'' (2012–2014)

From May 12 to May 20, 2012 Blutengel toured North America for the first time. Playing in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

for the

Kinetik Festival ''Kinetik'' is the second and final album by industrial metal band Omega Lithium Omega Lithium was a Croatian industrial metal/ gothic metal band. It was formed in 2007 and is signed to Drakkar Entertainment, a part of Sony BMG. The band ...

. After the tour Maria Rehfeld left the band. The first single from the album ''

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

'', "Save Our Souls", was released in November 2012 while the second single, "You Walk Away", was released in January 2013. The album ''Monument'' was released in February 2013 and placed #4 & #96 on the German and Switzerland music charts respectively. "''Kinder dieser Stadt'' was released on July 19, 2013, as the third single from ''Monument''. Blutengel released an orchestral compilation album, ''

Black Symphonies (An Orchestral Journey) ''Black Symphonies (An Orchestral Journey)'' is an orchestral compilation album from German futurepop band Blutengel. It was promoted as a classical 'best of'. Background After performing at the first Gothic Meets Klassik festival 2012 at Neues G ...

'', on February 28, 2014. A single and music video for "Krieger" were released to promote the album.

Omen & Nemesis: The Best of & Reworked (2014–2016)

The first single "Asche Zu Asche", from their upcoming album was released on November 14, 2014. The second single, "Sing", was released on January 23, 2015. ''

Omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

'' was released on February 12, 2015. The band then embarked on the first leg of the ''Omen'' tour in April and spanning through to August. Festival appearances include

, Mera Luna Festival, and

Summer Breeze Open Air Summer Breeze Open Air is an annual German heavy metal music festival. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. The festival draws around 40,00 ...

. A new EP, ''

In Alle Ewigkeit ''In Alle Ewigkeit'' ''(In All Eternity)'' is the fourth EP from the German futurepop band Blutengel. ''Weg Zu Mir'' is a reworking of a track from their first album Child of Glass, and was released as a preview for ''Nemesis'', their 2016 best o ...

'', was announced via the band's website in early August as well as the tour dates for the second leg of the Omen tour, which began in November and ended in early December. The new EP was released 23 October 2015, and featured a reworking of 'Weg Zu Mir' originally from 'Child of Glass' which served as a preview for the upcoming 'Best of' album. Chris Pohl recorded guest vocals on Italian industrial group Helalyn Flowers' "Beware of Light" single which was released by Belgian label Alfa Matrix Records in October 2015. On 26 February 2016, their 'best of' album '' Nemesis: The Best of & Reworked'' was released with re-recorded versions of BlutEngel classics. To support this release, they will be playing 'Nemesis - Open Air Festival' in July. Due to legal issues, ''Omen'' was re-released under the title ''Save Us''.

Leitbild & Un:Gott (2016–present)

In early 2016, BlutEngel entered the studio to record a new album, set for a release in February 2017. "Complete", the first single from the upcoming 10th album, '' Leitbild'', was released on December 2, 2016. it featured two B-sides and a remix by British darkwave act

Massive Ego Massive Ego was a British Darkwave musical group formed in 1996 by singer and ex-model, Marc Massive (also the owner of the Public Disordar label) and Andy J Thirwall. The band has changed its sound and image since its formation. The original r ...

. The second single "Lebe Deinen Traum" was released as a digital single on February 3, 2017. '' Leitbild'' was released on 17 February. The album would be the band's third straight album to chart in the top 5 of the

Media Control Charts Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

at number 4. The album would also chart

Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 7 ...

at #49. BlutEngel went on Tour starting in April and ended in May to promote ''Leitbild'', with Massive Ego as their support. On 12 May, they performed an acoustic set which was recorded for release on DVD as, A Special Night Out: Live & Acoustic in Berlin. After the ''Leitbild'' tour ended, Chris teased that he began work on a new Mini Album or EP to be released towards the end of the year. The new Mini Album was later confirmed and entitled ''Black''. The 2nd leg of the ''Leitbild'' tour was also announced for October through December, 2017. Live im Wasserschloss Klaffenbach will be released April 2018, with footage from their 'Nemesis - Open Air Festival' from July 2016. In May, 2018 BlutEngel were back in the studio working on their next album, Un:Gott, which was released 15 February 2019 and was promoted with a tour, that began in February. The tour was once again supported by

. A new Mini Album "Damokles" was released on November 1, 2019. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

three singles were released. The first ''Wir Sind Unsterblich'' on 27 March. The second, ''Obscured'', a collaboration with

Hocico Hocico () is a Mexican electro-industrial duo that was formed in 1993 in Mexico City. History Hocico was officially formed in 1993 by cousins Erik Garcia (aka Erk Aicrag) and Oscar Mayorga (aka Racso Agroyam), with Erik writing lyrics and perfo ...

on 3 April. The third, ''Nothing But A Void'', a collaboration with Massive Ego will be released Friday 13 November.

Line-up

Current members

– vocals, lyrics, programming (1998–present) *

– vocals and lyrics (2005–present)

Current dancers

* Viki Scarlet – Main Visual Concept (2011–present)

Former members

* 1998–2000:

(now in Formalin; also female voices on Seelenkrank and

albums) – Vocals and lyrics * 1998–2002: Kati Roloff (was in

with Gini but left in late 2006) – Vocals * 2000–2002: Gini Martin (now in

) – Vocals and Lyrics * 2002–2005:

(now in F.O.D) – Vocals * 2002–2010:

(now in Cinderella Effect)– session singer then Vocals and Visual Concept * 2010–2011: Steffi Weingarten – Vocals * 2009–2012: Anja Milow – Vocals and Visual Concept

Former dancers

* 2001–2009: Sonja Semmler (now in Masters of ComedyMasters of Comedy
) – Live performance, visual concept (their first official dancer/performance artist to be part of the band) * 2009-2012: Jenny Haufe- Visual Concept * 2009-2012: Maria Rehfeld- Visual Concept

Discography

Studio albums

* 1999: ''

'' * 2001: ''

'' * 2002: '' Angel Dust'' * 2004: ''

'' * 2007: ''

'' * 2009: '' Schwarzes Eis'' * 2011: ''

'' * 2013: ''

'' * 2015: '' Omen/Save Us'' * 2017: '' Leitbild'' * 2019: ''Un:Gött'' * 2021: ''Erlösung - The Victory Of Light

References

External links

* *
Blutengel lyrics
at Industrial Lyrics {{DEFAULTSORT:Blutengel German dark wave musical groups German electronic music groups Metropolis Records artists Musical groups established in 1998 1998 establishments in Germany