Eisheilig

Eisheilig is German dark metal band, that was founded in 1998 and they play something that can be described as an atmospheric gothic metal with the elements of dark rock with German-language lyrics. Their exciting sound is combined by modern synths and hard guitars with great voice of vocalist Dennis Mikus. Initially the band included vocalist Dennis Mikus, guitarists Till Maiwald, Hardy Zenero, bassist Niklas Peternek and drummer Dominik Sapia. All group members previously were members of other groups, such as The Idiots, Die falschen Präsidenten and others. By 2006, Peternek and Zenero left the band; bassist Marcus Vogler replaced them.
Eisheilig have attracted the attention of German media even before the deal with Napalm Records. And they were presented as “Newcomer sans Record Deal” at the Ninth Annual Wave-Gothic Festival in Leipzig (Germany) and at the Euro-Rock Festival in the capital of Belgium. In 1999, the band released a seven-track doom metal demo. In late November 2000, after an impressive press reviews and festival performances, Napalm Records have taken the band under their wing. In January 2001, they and recorded their first album for Napalm records. The self-titled album Eisheilig was released on June 5, 2001. Fans of German Gothic such as Type O Negative will find their release very interesting. The album immediately became the album of the month of the Napalm Records label. The band became successful after the next two albums Die Gärten des Herrn and Elysium were released. By 2007, the band performed at rock festivals Wave Gotik, Bochum Total and Battle Of Metal. In September 2009, Eisheilig released a new album Imperium. The band chose a tougher sound, similar to the album Elysium. In 2010, the band on its myspace page left a message, that they take a temporary vacation.

Their early style is usually known as gothic metal or darkrock. Their debut album was often compared to the American band Type O Negative due to the deep voice of singer Dennis Mikus, the heaviness and other stylistic similarities taken from doom metal. The second album The Gardens of the Lord was stylistically different from the predecessor, the guitar became more prominent, the singing became more multifaceted, more independent. On their third album Elysium, Eisheilig also changed they style. The tendency to a more complex, more guitar-like sound, already apparent in the predecessor album, continued here. The sound was no longer dominated by quiet and heavy songs, but also by faster and more powerful song structures. The lyrics changed little. The metaphorical texts have always played with religious elements, without neglecting the relation to current events.