Ingo "Mr. Smile" Schwichtenberg (18 May 1965 – 8 March 1995) was a German drummer and one of the founding members of the

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weik ...

Biography

Helloween guitarist

Roland Grapow Roland Grapow (born 30 August 1959 in Hamburg) is a German professional guitarist and music producer. Grapow is best known for his time in the power metal band Helloween, with which he played for 12 years after replacing founding member Kai Hans ...

said about Schwichtenberg in an interview 1999: The song " Step Out of Hell" from the Helloween album ''

Chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

'' is written by

about Schwichtenberg's problems with drug abuse. After a six-hour telephone call with

Michael Weikath Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath (born 7 August 1962) is a German musician, best known as a founding member and one of the guitarists of pioneering power metal band Helloween. Biography Weikath was born in Hamburg and was musical from a ...

, in which he explained why they had made that hard and painful decision, Ingo was asked to leave Helloween after the album ''

''. Schwichtenberg was apparently somewhat dissatisfied with the direction of the band as well, even going as far as to refer to their song from the ''

'' album "

Windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

", as "Shitmill".

Michael Kiske Michael Kiske (born January 24, 1968) is a German singer and lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween. Kiske has released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock ...

said about the recording: "Ingo was very sick, that was the last thing he did, after he did the drumming he had a breakdown." Drummer Ritchie Abdel Nabi covered immediate commitments and played on the ''Chameleon'' Tour. After Helloween, Schwichtenberg's father had died in February 1995, and he slid further and further into his

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

episodes, culminating in his suicide on 8 March 1995 by jumping in front of an

S-train The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...

in his native hometown

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. He was 29 years old. Schwichtenberg's replacement in the band was

Uli Kusch Ulrich Kusch (born 11 March 1967) is a heavy metal drummer. He is best known for playing with Helloween, Gamma Ray, Masterplan and Holy Moses, among others. He is known for his technical style of playing, fast-paced speed metal-like rhythm, an ...

. Helloween dedicated the album ''

The Time of the Oath ''The Time of the Oath'' is the seventh studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1996. This is the first album following the death of the original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who was fired from the band after ''Chameleon'' ...

'' to him. His friend

Kai Hansen Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of metal band Helloween, which he rejoined in 2016. He is a prominent ...

had dedicated the song "Afterlife" from

Gamma Ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

's '' Land of the Free'' to him.

also made a tribute to Schwichtenberg with the track "Always" from his first solo album ''

Instant Clarity '' Instant Clarity'' is the first solo album of vocalist Michael Kiske, formerly of Helloween. The album was released 1996 and features guest appearances by Kai Hansen, formerly of Helloween, Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, and compositions with ...

''.

Discography

With Helloween *''

'' (1985) *'' Walls of Jericho'' (1985) *'' Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1'' (1987) *''

Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 ''Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II'' is the third studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1988. The album sold well, and success bloomed all over Europe, Asia, and even the United States. The album went gold in Germany and ...

'' (1988) *''

Pink Bubbles Go Ape ''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' is the fourth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1991. It marked the departure of guitarist Kai Hansen, with Roland Grapow replacing him. It was also the first album released on EMI Records. Ba ...

'' (1991) *''

'' (1993) With Doc Eisenhauer *Alles Im Lack (1992) – drums on "Pharao"

References

External links

Official Helloween band website

A tribute to Ingo Schwichtenberg
on kingofdrums.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwichtenberg, Ingo 1965 births 1995 suicides German heavy metal drummers Male drummers Suicides in Germany Suicides by train People with schizophrenia 20th-century German musicians 20th-century drummers 20th-century German male musicians 1995 deaths