In Extremo (abbreviated InEx, or just IE) began as two projects: a nameless, purely medieval band, and a rock band. They became known at that time through frequent appearances at medieval market meetings, at which they performed their acoustic pieces and sold CDs of their renditions of traditional songs. On April 11, 1995, during the recording for that year's season, Michael Rhein (alias Das letzte Einhorn, engl. "The Last Unicorn") found the project name "In Extremo, "Latin for "At The Edge".
Most of the band members perform under stage names. The initial members of the medieval band were Das letzte Einhorn (engl. "The Last Unicorn," vocals), Flex der Biegsame (engl. "Flex the Flexible," bagpipes), Dr. Pymonte (bagpipes), Conny Fuchs (who left the band before the official release date, due to her pregnancy, and was replaced by Dr. Pymonte) and Sen Pusterbalg (replaced shortly after the official release by Yellow Pfeiffer, engl. "Yellow Piper," bagpipes). The rock band originally consisted of Thomas der Münzer (engl. "Thomas the Coiner," guitar), Der Morgenstern (engl. "The Morning Star," drums), and Die Lutter (engl. "The Lutter," bass guitar). Der Münzer subsequently left the band and, as of 2000, the band's guitarist is Van Lange (engl. "The Long One"). As noted below, almost all of the band members play multiple instruments.
The increasing number of visitors, success of their CDs, and the popular interest, as well as cross-pollination from groups such as Corvus Corax and Bathory, encouraged In Extremo in 1995 to attempt to start a band combining bagpipes and other traditional instruments with rock guitars. The result was the current incarnation of In Extremo, a rock group that integrates modern instruments like the drum set, electric bass and guitar with the acoustic elements previously used for the medieval songs, and which plays both types of music as well as a hybrid of the two.[1]
In August 1996, they began work on the first In Extremo album, which already contained two tracks of the new rock project. Because the album had no official name, it became known as Gold because of the golden cover. In February 1997, like the single Der Galgen (engl. "The Gallows"), it quickly sold out in Medieval markets.
In Extremo played separately as a medieval and a rock band, until on March 29, 1997, when they played their first live rock concert. Since that time, they have given this date as their date of establishment. The two projects were officially merged on January 11, 1998. April 1998 saw the first "high occupancy" In Extremo concert in the Rabenstein castle in Brandenburg.
Over the years, their music became more heavy metal based, while at the same time becoming increasingly commercially successful. The classical instruments, however – bagpipes, shawms, and lutes – still play a large role. The band is likewise noted for their conspicuous stage costumes and known for using pyrotechnics in their concerts, including Der Morgenstern playing cymbals which have been set on fire.
On 26 February 2010 In Extremo announced that Der Morgenstern left the band because of musical differences via their homepage. On June 11, Florian "Specki T.D." Speckardt was announced as his replacement on drums. Since then, they have proceeded to release 3 albums: Sterneneisen, Kunstraub, and Quid Pro Quo, all of which have reached the top 10 in the German charts, with Sterneneisen and Quid Pro Quo both having number 1 positions for a time. Their 13th album, Kompass zur Sonne was released in May 2020.[2], but it was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 30th, 2020, they played an online livestream concert for Wacken World Wide.
Requiem
In Extremo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et les dames print la vollée
C'est le droit loyer qu'amours
Toute Joy y est viollée
David le roy, sage prophetes
Crainte de Dieu en oublia
Voyant laver cuisses bien faites
Quelque doulx baiser n'acollée
De chiens d'oyseaulx, d'armes, d'amours
Chascun le dit à la vollée
Pour ung plaisir mille doulours
David le roy, sage prophetes
Crainte de Dieu en oublia
Voyant laver cuisses bien faites
Bien est eureux qui riens n'ya
The lyrics of In Extremo's song, Requiem, contain medieval French and Latin phrases that convey a deep sense of melancholy and longing. The first stanza, "Or out les Jaulx amans le bout / Et les dames print la vollée / C'est le droit loyer qu'amours / Toute Joy y est viollée," can be translated as "Now the amorous jay is out of reach / And the ladies take flight / It's the rightful reward of love / All joy is foiled." This stanza speaks of the fleeting nature of love and how joy is always followed by disappointment.
The second stanza, "David le roy, sage prophetes / Crainte de Dieu en oublia / Voyant laver cuisses bien faites / Bien est heureux qui rien n'ya," can be translated as "David the king, wise prophet / Forgot the fear of God / Seeing well-formed thighs washing / Happy is he who has nothing." This stanza speaks of the human obsession with physical beauty and how it can distract us from our spiritual path.
The repetition of the second stanza emphasizes the theme of forgetfulness and how easy it is to be swayed by our base desires. The overall message of the song seems to be a cautionary one about the dangers of attachment and the fleeting nature of joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Or out les Jaulx amans le bout
The end has come for the lovers of the Jaulx
Et les dames print la vollée
And the ladies take flight
C'est le droit loyer qu'amours
Love's rightful wage
Toute Joy y est viollée
All joy is violated
David le roy, sage prophetes
David, the wise prophet and king
Crainte de Dieu en oublia
Forgot the fear of God
Voyant laver cuisses bien faites
Seeing a well-formed thigh washed
Bien est eureux qui riens n'ya
Happy is the one who has nothing
Quelque doulx baiser n'acollée
Some sweet kiss that is not embraced
De chiens d'oyseaulx, d'armes, d'amours
Of dogs, birds, weapons, and love
Chascun le dit à la vollée
Everyone says it at once
Pour ung plaisir mille doulours
For one pleasure, a thousand pains
Contributed by Lily M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.