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 was released in early 1999 with Kati Roloff and Nina Bendigkeit as the original female vocalists.
In 2001, the second album Seelenschmerz 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 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 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. Constance, who had originally only been recruited for the single "Black Roses", became a full time member of Blutengel. Eva Pölzing joined soon after as a second vocalist.
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, was released, featuring the single "Forever". A DVD release Live Lines and the album-length EP The Oxidising Angel appeared in 2005, the latter of which contained new material as well as a cover of "Cry Little Sister" 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 (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 was released in September 2007. It reached 36th in the German charts, and featured the single "Lucifer", and the live favourite "Engelsblut".
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 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, 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 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) Edit
From May 12 to May 20, 2012 Blutengel toured North America for the first time. Playing in Mexico City, New York, San Antonio, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in Montreal for the Kinetik Festival. After the tour Maria Rehfeld left the band.[citation needed]
The first single from the album Monument, "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), 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 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 Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Mera Luna Festival, and Summer Breeze Open Air.
A new EP, In Alle Ewigkeit, 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) Edit
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. 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 at number 4. The album would also chart Swiss Music Charts 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 15th February 2019 and was promoted with a tour, that began in February. The tour was once again supported by Massive Ego.
A new Mini Album "Damokles" was released on November 1st, 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic three singles were released. The first Wir Sind Unsterblich on 27th March. The second, Obscured, a collaboration with Hocico on 3rd April. The third, Nothing But A Void, a collaboration with Massive Ego was released Friday 13th of November.
Line-up
Current members
Chris Pohl – vocals, lyrics, programming (1998–present)
Ulrike Goldmann – vocals and lyrics (2005–present)
Current dancers
Viki Scarlet – Main Visual Concept (2011–present)
Former members
1998–2000: Nina Bendigkeit (now in Formalin;also female voices on Seelenkrank and Terminal Choice albums) – Vocals and lyrics
1998–2002: Kati Roloff (was in Tristesse de la Lune with Gini but left in late 2006) – Vocals
2000–2002: Gini Martin (now in Tristesse de la Lune) – Vocals and Lyrics
2002–2005: Eva Pölzing – Vocals
2002–2010: Constance Rudert (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 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
Albums Edit
1999: Child of Glass
2001: Seelenschmerz
2002: Angel Dust
2004: Demon Kiss
2007: Labyrinth
2009: Schwarzes Eis
2011: Tränenherz
2013: Monument
2015: Omen/Save Us
2017: Leitbild
2019: Un:Gött
Senseless Life
Blutengel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can get your life through
All your sins come back to your mind
And you feel oppressed violence
You can't find no way out
Of this misery inside
And you realise this night
You're lying in your bed alone
And you think of what you have done
But you're still running from your past
While you hold the light in your hand
The black god speaks in your flesh
Blood runs out of your heart
And you realise this night
You will never ever come back
Your life seems senseless, all your dreams are gone
So you are thinking of giving up
You want to leave this poisoned world
'cos you can't stand this endless pain
The song "Senseless Life" by Blutengel is a melancholic and introspective piece that delves into the feelings of despair and hopelessness. The opening lines "Your heart is full of emotion, You can get your life through" suggest that the singer of the song is a highly emotional person, who may be holding onto hope for their life.
However, the morale of the song quickly takes a dark turn as the singer is overwhelmed by past sins and feels trapped in their own misery. The lyrics "All your sins come back to your mind, And you feel oppressed violence, You can't find no way out of this misery inside" depict how the guilt and shame of past actions can become all-consuming.
As the song progresses, the singer is haunted by the reminder of their past mistakes, and they feel unable to escape from them. The lines "You're lying in your bed alone, And you think of what you have done, But you're still running from your past" paint a picture of a person who is stuck in their own head, unable to move past their transgressions.
The song ends with the singer contemplating giving up on life and leaving the world of pain behind. The lyrics "Your life seems senseless, all your dreams are gone, So you are thinking of giving up, You want to leave this poisoned world, 'cos you can't stand this endless pain" indicate that the singer is considering suicide as a way out of the agony they're experiencing.
Overall, "Senseless Life" is a highly emotional and thought-provoking song that speaks to the human experience of guilt, despair, and the search for hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Your heart is full of emotion
Your heart is overwhelmed with emotions, feelings that you can't ignore or escape.
You can get your life through
You have the ability to continue living, even though it may seem difficult at times.
All your sins come back to your mind
You are haunted by past mistakes, and they constantly resurface in your thoughts.
And you feel oppressed violence
You feel suffocated and trapped by a violent force that seems to control you.
You can't find no way out
You feel stuck, unable to find a solution or a path that leads to happiness.
Of this misery inside
You are haunted by internal suffering that feels never-ending.
And you realise this night
You come to the realization that you can no longer ignore your problems or continue living the way you have been.
You can't go back
You cannot return to the person you used to be or undo the mistakes you have made.
You're lying in your bed alone
You are isolated, feeling overwhelmed and without support.
And you think of what you have done
You contemplate past mistakes, and the weight of your actions feels heavy on your conscience.
But you're still running from your past
You are avoiding confronting your past mistakes, and instead trying to escape from them.
While you hold the light in your hand
You are holding on to hope, but it feels fragile and uncertain.
The black god speaks in your flesh
You feel like you are being controlled by a darker force that you cannot escape.
Blood runs out of your heart
You feel a sense of loss and pain that goes beyond physical suffering.
And you realise this night
You come to the realization that you cannot continue living without confronting your problems.
You will never ever come back
You recognize that things will never be the same again, and that some things are beyond repair.
Your life seems senseless, all your dreams are gone
You feel like your life has lost all meaning and purpose, and that your hopes and aspirations no longer exist.
So you are thinking of giving up
You contemplate giving up on life, as you cannot continue living with the pain and suffering.
You want to leave this poisoned world
You wish to escape from the negative and harmful aspects of this world that you feel are too overwhelming.
'cos you can't stand this endless pain
You cannot continue living with the constant pain and suffering that feels like it will never end.
Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steve
on In alle Ewigkeit
The reason i listen to Blutengel is to hear Ulricke.