Many of L'âme Immortelle's songs feature melancholy or lovelorn lyrics in German or English, and juxtaposed harsh male and emotional female vocals. Current work has moved away from the band's electronic roots into the neue deutsche härte (New German hardness) genre.
L'âme Immortelle was formed in 1996 in Vienna, Austria by friends Thomas Rainer and Hannes Medwenitsch. Soon vocalist Sonja Kraushofer, a former classmate of Rainer, joined and the band sought a record contract. They released their first album, "Lieder die wie Wunden bluten" in 1997 on MOS Records in Lichtenstein, which became popular in the underground German Goth subculture. In 1999, L'âme Immortelle switched to Trisol Records. From 1998 through 2001, L'âme Immortelle released another LP yearly, each bringing the band greater popularity. In 2002, Medwenitsch left the band. Kraushofer and Rainer recruited Ashley Dayour as a guitarist and the re-formed L'âme Immortelle released a new single, "Tiefster Winter" in November 2002. In 2003, L'âme Immortelle released "Als die Liebe starb", as well as "Seelensturm", a collection of re-issued and re-mixed early material.
In 2004, the band switched labels again, this time to major label Supersonic, a subsidiary of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The first issue following the switch was a collaboration with OOMPH! on the non-album single "Brennende Liebe" (released as OOMPH! feat. L'âme Immortelle); they also appeared in the video. Following that, L'âme Immortelle released a new album, "Gezeiten", which includes some of their most popular songs like "5 Jahre", "Stumme Schreie" and "Fallen Angel". A significant change in L'âme Immortelle's style is evident now that the band is on a major label; notably the electronic instrumentation of earlier work was less prominent in "Gezeiten".
Their latest album "Auf deinen Schwingen" has been released on August 2006 along with "Phönix" single. The record also includes songs like "Wohin" which contains text from another famous LAI song called "Aus den Ruinen", and "Nur Du" — a song which totally differs from older L'âme Immortelle work. The music video for this song is a cartoon, an unusual thing for the band.
official site
Gezeiten
L'Âme Immortelle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Der Zeit die niemals hält
Im Strome der Gezeiten
Ziehen weiter um die Welt
Der Stahl der unsere Städte baut
Reflektiert den Geist der Zeit
In einem Leben, das bestimmt
Zwei Gesichter einer Zeit
Die nicht immer grausam war
Doch nun bin ich bereit
Zu vergessen was mir wichtig war
Ein Schritt, ein Stoß, ein Atemzug
Mein Weg in eine neue Welt
Bereit zum Sieg über das Leben
Wenn sich Freud' zum Schmerz gesellt
Soll ich es halten dieses Leben
Es umarmen, darin untergehen
Oder mich der Nacht hingeben
Um endlich auch das Licht zu sehen?
The lyrics of L'Âme Immortelle's song "Gezeiten" describe the singer's journey through time and the metaphorical tides of life. The first verse speaks of drifting on the waves of time, which never stand still, while being carried around the world by the currents of the tides. The second verse describes the steel used to build cities, reflecting the spirit of the times, which is characterized by hatred, death, and bitterness. There are two faces to this era, one that was not always cruel, but the singer is now ready to forget everything that was once important to them. The final verse poses the existential question of whether to embrace life or to surrender to the night and see the light.
The repeated theme of time and the sea in the lyrics evoke a sense of being carried along by forces outside of one's control. The reference to steel suggests a modern, industrialized world consumed by corruption and negativity, which contrasts with the idea that this time was not always cruel. The singer's willingness to forget what was important to them suggests a sense of detachment, perhaps reflecting a feeling of being overwhelmed by the chaos of the times. The final question is a common human struggle: whether to embrace life and all its joys and sorrows or to give in to the darkness in the hope of finding some kind of enlightenment.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich treibe auf den Wogen
I am adrift on the waves of life
Der Zeit die niemals hält
Time that never stops
Im Strome der Gezeiten
In the flow of the tides
Ziehen weiter um die Welt
Continuing to travel around the world
Der Stahl der unsere Städte baut
The steel that builds our cities
Reflektiert den Geist der Zeit
Reflects the spirit of the time
In einem Leben, das bestimmt
In a life that is determined
Von Hass, Tod und Bitterkeit
By hate, death, and bitterness
Zwei Gesichter einer Zeit
Two faces of a time
Die nicht immer grausam war
That was not always cruel
Doch nun bin ich bereit
But now I am ready
Zu vergessen was mir wichtig war
To forget what was important to me
Ein Schritt, ein Stoß, ein Atemzug
One step, one push, one breath
Mein Weg in eine neue Welt
My path to a new world
Bereit zum Sieg über das Leben
Ready to win over life
Wenn sich Freud' zum Schmerz gesellt
When joy is accompanied by pain
Soll ich es halten dieses Leben
Should I hold on to this life
Es umarmen, darin untergehen
Embrace it, drown in it
Oder mich der Nacht hingeben
Or surrender to the night
Um endlich auch das Licht zu sehen?
To finally see the light?
Contributed by Nicholas G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.