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
Shame
Blutengel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you went out of the door
Seems that you ran away
From the fear inside your heart
You closed your fragile eyes
You cannot see the tears I cry for you
I never realized that everything has got to end
You hurt me deep inside
I cannot see the truth you hide from me
Shame within your eyes reminds me why I'm here
Your words can't bring me down 'cause you will never feel what I feel
Pain inside my soul reminds me what you've done
The world is standing still 'cause you will never see what I see
'Cause you will never feel (what I feel)
'Cause you will never see (what I see)
I should be strong enough, but I'm weaker than before
I will be free one day when you let go my heart of glass
I hope that it won't break 'cause it's not yet the time for me to die
I leave the past behind, I don't look back on all my dreams
And now I understand what went wrong inside your heart
The pain is blown away and now I see the truth you hide from me
I see disloyalty in you
Can smell the perfume of betrayal
I'm feeling bad, my soul is bruised
I feel dishonesty in you
I never thought that this is true but now I know what love can do
These lyrics by Blutengel in the song "Shame" tell a story of heartbreak and betrayal. The singer is reminiscing about the past, when their loved one left them with a broken heart. They express confusion and pain, trying to understand what went wrong and why their loved one hurt them so deeply. The "shame within your eyes" that the singer sees reminds them of the pain that still lingers, but they also acknowledge that their loved one will never truly understand what they're feeling. The chorus is particularly powerful, as the singer repeats that their loved one will never feel or see what they do.
As the song progresses, the singer starts to come to terms with what happened. They admit that they should be stronger, but still feel weak and broken. They hope to be free one day, but fear that their heart might still break. They're ready to let go of the past and their dreams, and finally see the truth of their loved one's disloyalty and betrayal.
Overall, "Shame" is a deeply emotional and introspective song. It touches on themes of heartbreak, betrayal, and the difficulty of moving on. It's a relatable and powerful song that reminds listeners that sometimes, the only way to heal is to let go and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Seems like it was yesterday
The singer reflects on the past, feeling like it all happened just the other day.
When you went out of the door
The singer reminisces about the moment the subject walked out and left their life.
Seems that you ran away
The singer intuits that the subject left to escape something.
From the fear inside your heart
The artist imagines that the subject left because they were afraid of something within themselves.
You closed your fragile eyes
The artist describes how the subject shut themselves off from the world and the pain they were causing.
You cannot see the tears I cry for you
The singer laments that the subject is unable to fully comprehend the depth of their feelings and the pain they're causing.
I never realized that everything has got to end
The singer admits that they never fully grasped the truth that all good things come to an end.
I try to understand what went wrong inside your heart
The artist struggles to comprehend the reasons why the subject could have caused them harm.
You hurt me deep inside
The artist acknowledges the pain that the subject inflicted upon them.
I cannot see the truth you hide from me
The artist suspects that the subject is concealing something important from them.
Shame within your eyes reminds me why I'm here
The singer recognizes the remorse in the subject's eyes, which reaffirms why they're still in this painful situation.
Your words can't bring me down 'cause you will never feel what I feel
The artist asserts that the subject's words cannot hurt them as deeply because they can never know the full extent of their emotions and pain.
Pain inside my soul reminds me what you've done
The singer feels the agony caused by the subject's actions and is constantly reminded of it.
The world is standing still 'cause you will never see what I see
The singer realizes that other people cannot fully appreciate the situation because they cannot see it from their perspective.
'Cause you will never feel (what I feel)
The singer reiterates that the subject will never be able to fully understand their pain.
'Cause you will never see (what I see)
The artist repeats that the subject will never be able to fully comprehend the situation from their point of view.
I should be strong enough, but I'm weaker than before
The artist admits that they feel weaker and more vulnerable than they used to be.
I will be free one day when you let go my heart of glass
The singer hopes to be released from their pain when the subject no longer has the power to hurt them.
I hope that it won't break 'cause it's not yet the time for me to die
The singer fears that their heart will not be able to withstand more pain and is hopeful that it won't break beyond repair.
I leave the past behind, I don't look back on all my dreams
The artist resolves to move on from the past and abandon their hopes and dreams associated with it.
And now I understand what went wrong inside your heart
The artist gains insight into what led the subject to hurt them in the first place.
The pain is blown away and now I see the truth you hide from me
The artist finally gets past their agony and pain to see the reality of the situation and what the subject was hiding from them.
I see disloyalty in you
The singer sees the subject as unfaithful, disloyal and dishonest.
Can smell the perfume of betrayal
The artist senses the deception that the subject has been perpetrating.
I'm feeling bad, my soul is bruised
The singer confesses that they feel hurt and wounded at a soul-deep level.
I feel dishonesty in you
The singer believes that the subject is betraying them and is being dishonest to their face.
I never thought that this is true but now I know what love can do
The singer is disillusioned with the concept of love because of the hurt and pain that the subject has caused them.
Contributed by Jonathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steve
on In alle Ewigkeit
The reason i listen to Blutengel is to hear Ulricke.