"Wolfsheim" is a German band from Hamburg. Their musical style takes cues f… Read Full Bio ↴"Wolfsheim" is a German band from Hamburg. Their musical style takes cues from the New Romantics, New Wave and Synthpop; the lyrics tend to be melancholic, but at the same time modernist. They were inspired by the name of a fictional character from Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Formation
The band was founded in 1987 by Markus Reinhardt and Pompejo Ricciardi. Reinhardt's brother Oliver Reinhardt joined the band sometime afterward. After producing a demo tape, co-founder Ricciardi left the band and was replaced by Peter Heppner. Heppner had known the band from mutual friends and from growing up in the same neighborhood in Hamburg. Oliver Reinhardt departed the band, leaving the current lineup as Peter Heppner (vocals) and Markus Reinhardt (electronics).

After producing two new demo tapes, Wolfsheim applied at various labels, until they caught the attention of Strange Ways Records, which has since published all their records.

No Happy View & Popkiller
In 1991, the single "The Sparrows and the Nightingales" was released, followed by the single "It's Not Too Late (Don't Sorrow)" and their first album "No Happy View" in 1992. While No Happy View was recorded in two weeks, the sophomore "Popkiller" (1993) was given more time to be produced. This allowed Wolfsheim to incorporate more classical elements.

In 1995, Wolfsheim released a compilation, "55578", which stayed on the German Media Control Charts for five weeks. Its name is the postal code for Wolfsheim, Germany.

Dreaming Apes
The third album "Dreaming Apes" was released in February 1996, followed by Wolfsheim's first tour. On this tour the live album "Hamburg Rom Wolfsheim" was recorded and published in October 1997.

It was in 1998 when Wolfsheim received public attention, after Heppner had recorded a duet "Die Flut" (The Surge) with Joachim Witt. This song was a major hit, reaching number two on the German Single Charts.

Spectators
"Spectators", the fourth album, was released in February 1999 and went to number two on the German album charts. That summer, Wolfsheim played at many of the major German festivals and also played their first show outside of Germany, at Belgium's Eurorock Festival.

In 2001, Heppner recorded more songs as a guest artist. His collaboration with "Schiller", "Dream of You", received heavy rotation on MTV Germany. He also collaborated on "Glasgarten" with "Goethes Erben". These collaborations brought Wolfsheim still more attention. Also in 2001, Metropolis Records brought Wolfsheim to American audiences, releasing Spectators in the United States. Recordings from the Spectators tour were released as a DVD Kompendium in April 2002.

Casting Shadows
"Casting Shadows", their fifth studio album, was released in March 2003. The single "Kein Zurück" debuted at number five on the Media Control Charts, later reaching number four, and staying in the top ten for 10 weeks. Casting Shadows itself reached the top position on the album charts. In March and April 2004, Wolfsheim went on their first tour in the USA.

On January 17th, 2008, it was announced on the band's official website that the collaboration between Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner is reaching its end. According to the press release, the reasons for this are attributed to ongoing disputes concerning the future of Wolfsheim. Heppner's ambitions to launch a solo career meant that any plans for the production of a new Wolfsheim album would be suspended for 2009.

The disputes peaked when Peter Heppner signed a multi-album solo record deal in late 2005 and Markus Reinhardt, considering this a breach of contract and a disregard for the basic interests of Wolfsheim, filed a lawsuit to exclude Heppner from the Wolfsheim partnership so that Wolfsheim could continue without him. In spring 2008, Reinhardt's lawsuit was rejected.

Underneath the Veil
Wolfsheim Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sand to sand, dust to dust
Do I know whom to trust?
Do I know what life could be?
I know what I've seen!

Promises almost kept
Everything that you once said
Seems to be just a lie,

But might is right!
Underneath the veil, I saw a stirring, underneath the veil

It may come out of the blue
Unbelievable but true
All and more than you could fear
Has happened here

I'll show you what it's like
Standing on the other side
But on the way to the end
I'll hold your hand

Underneath the veil, I saw a stirring, underneath the veil

Look at yourself and the comfort you live in
You know what you've got when you know what you've given
To the silence, when there's nowhere else to go but

Underneath the veil, I saw a stirring, underneath the veil

Overall Meaning

In "Underneath the Veil," Wolfsheim reflects on issues of trust and disillusionment. The opening lines of the song, "Sand to sand, dust to dust/Do I know whom to trust?/Do I know what life could be?/I know what I've seen!" suggest a sense of weariness and cynicism on the part of the singer. He has seen much, but wonders if he can truly trust those around him, or whether life has anything more to offer him.

The middle section of the song seems to speak to a sense of betrayal or disillusionment with someone in whom the singer had placed his faith. "Promises almost kept/Everything that you once said/Seems to be just a lie/But might is right!" suggest a scenario in which someone has proven to be untrustworthy, and the singer is left feeling deceived and powerless.

But despite this, there is an undercurrent of hope in the song, which becomes clearer in the final lines: "Look at yourself and the comfort you live in/You know what you've got when you know what you've given/To the silence, when there's nowhere else to go but/Underneath the veil, I saw a stirring, underneath the veil." The singer suggests that true understanding and growth can come from facing the darkness within ourselves, the "stirring" that lies underneath the facade we erect to protect ourselves.

Line by Line Meaning

Sand to sand, dust to dust
The cycle of life and death

Do I know whom to trust?
Questioning trust in others

Do I know what life could be?
Questioning the possibilities of life

I know what I've seen!
Having confidence in one's own experiences

Promises almost kept
Promises that were close to being fulfilled

Everything that you once said
Remembrance of past statements

Seems to be just a lie,
Realization that the promises were false

But might is right!
Powerful individuals control the outcome

Underneath the veil, I saw a stirring, underneath the veil
An upheaval happening in secret

It may come out of the blue
Unexpected events

Unbelievable but true
Events that seem too strange to be real