Scarcely another band among the German-speaking Alternative /(Dark)Wave-scene has polarized media and audience within the last fifteen years as much as ILLUMINATE. Either praised up to the skies or torn apart as "Schlager" (a German derogatory term for bad pop songs) – be that as it may, for the last decade, Johannes Berthold and his band have left their mark on the Dark scene...
ILLUMINATE manage to combine classical elements, dance rhythms, electronic sound collages, romantic piano parts and heavy guitars without being unfaithful to their typical, unmistakable sound. After seventeen years of band history, 12 studio albums, world-wide life-performances, and having an enormous fan-base, ILLUMINATE are one of the most successful acts of the Alternative / Dark Wave-segment.
Members
* Johannes Berthold - Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Programming, Bass Guitar
* Manja Wagner - Vocals
* Sylvia Berthold - Vocals
* Jörn Langenfeld - Guitar, Bass Guitar
* Johannes Knees - Keyboards
* Stefan Dittrich - Drums, Programming
Discography
1993 Poesie (MC)
1994 Es atmet (Maxi-MC)
1996 Verfall
1997 Erinnerungen
1998 Erwachen
1999 Nur für Dich (Promo-Maxi-CD & Special-Promo-Maxi-CD)
1999 Letzter Blick zurück
2000 Dunkellicht (Maxi-CD)
2000 Ein neuer Tag
2001 Bittersüßes Gift (Maxi-CD)
2002 Kaltes Licht
2003 10x10 Schwarz (Best-Of)
2003 10x10 Weiß (Best-Of)
2004 AugenBlicke
2006 Zwei Seelen (+Bonus-Live-Album "In Metal")
2008 Zeit der Wölfe
2009 CD Splitter (Best-Of)
2009 CD Ohne Worte (Best-Of)
2011 GemEinsam (Download-Single)
2011 Grenzgang
2012 Zwischenwelten
2. DJ Illuminate, a House, Electro, Dubstep music producer hailing from United States. His works incorporate headbanging elements of Hard Bass Music with Melodic Trance Synths into Modern Electronic Dance Music. Although highly underrated, DJ Illuminate is known for his free EP, "Legacy", released at August of 2013.
Tote Gärten
Illuminate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mit der Jahre grünem Moose
Es verliert im Busch der Weg sich längst
Es verwilderte die Rose
Rost stürzt durch die Tür der Grüfte
Wo die Gräser fröhlich sprießen
Schloss und Riegel bröckeln nieder
Was ist hier noch zu verschließen?
Nutzlos sind die Lebenslettern
Denen, die so tief hier schlafen
Namen lösen sich und Zahlen
Von den alten Epitaphen
An den Steinen, die zerfallen
Und an den Kreuzen, die sich neigen
Merkst Du, dass die Totenklagen
Längste geheilt sind durch das Schweigen
Denn es löst die Zeit die Schmerzen
Die uns bleiben als Vermächtnis
Länger währt das Reich der Toten
Als der Lebenden Gedächtnis!
In Tote Gärten, Illuminate paints a picture of a forgotten burial ground where the graves have been overgrown with moss and roses are no longer tended. The urns and jugs fill up with green moss as time passes by, and the paths are lost in the thicket. The doors of the tombs are rusting, and the locks and hinges crumble away. The inscriptions on the gravestones are fading, and even the names and numbers of the dead are being forgotten.
Despite the sadness of the decaying graves, the song also hints at the healing power of time and silence. As the dead have been silent for so long, their pains and sorrows have been replaced by nature's growth and the quiet of the graveyard. The reign of the dead, who have been there for so much longer than the living, continues even as the memories of the living fade away.
The song highlights the different views on life and death and the question of how much our lives really matter in the greater scheme of things. Tote Gärten urges us to embrace life and cherish the time we have, as our memories will eventually fade away, and decay will take over.
Line by Line Meaning
Urnen füllen sich und Krügen
The urns and jugs fill up over time,
Mit der Jahre grünem Moose
Covered in green moss over the years,
Es verliert im Busch der Weg sich längst
The path is long lost in the bush,
Es verwilderte die Rose
The rose has withered away,
Rost stürzt durch die Tür der Grüfte
Rust penetrates the doors of the tombs,
Wo die Gräser fröhlich sprießen
Where the grass happily grows,
Schloss und Riegel bröckeln nieder
Locks and bolts crumble down,
Was ist hier noch zu verschließen?
What's left to lock away here?
Nutzlos sind die Lebenslettern
The life letters are useless now,
Denen, die so tief hier schlafen
For those who sleep deep here,
Namen lösen sich und Zahlen
Names and numbers dissolve,
Von den alten Epitaphen
From the ancient epitaphs,
An den Steinen, die zerfallen
On the stones that crumble,
Und an den Kreuzen, die sich neigen
And on the crosses that lean over,
Merkst Du, dass die Totenklagen
Do you notice that the mournful cries,
Längste geheilt sind durch das Schweigen
Are healed longest by silence,
Denn es löst die Zeit die Schmerzen
For time dissolves the pain,
Die uns bleiben als Vermächtnis
That remains as our legacy,
Länger währt das Reich der Toten
The realm of the dead lasts longer,
Als der Lebenden Gedächtnis!
Than the memory of the living!
Contributed by Chase W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.