Atrocity is a German

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

band from

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a Cities of Germany, city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg (district), Lu ...

that formed in 1985.

History

First started in 1985 as Instigators and playing

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...

, Atrocity arose as a

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band with their debut EP, ''Blue Blood'', in 1989, followed soon by ''

Hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

'', a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

about drug use. Their second album, '' Todessehnsucht'' ("longing for death"), ventured into death metal classics with a cover of "Archangel" by the band

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. Their musical scope broadened over the years, incorporating medieval and horror influences on their 1994

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

-based concept album ''Atrocity's Blut'', (styled after the successful film '' Bram Stoker's Dracula''). ''Atrocity's Blut'' was followed by ''Calling the Rain'', an MCD with female vocals by guest singer Yasmin Krull and acoustic music. The 1996 release ''Willenskraft'' introduced industrial elements, with the special bonus CD of the album's special edition (''Kraft und Wille'') including electronic remixes of the songs. The later releases were less and less metallic; '' Werk 80'' featured versions of 1980s disco hits and the band had no apparent direction for the following few years. Unusual MCD releases and experimental songs like " Lili Marlene" covers (featured on ''Gemini'') estranged many of their original metal fans. After 2000, nothing had been heard from Atrocity and seemed to have disbanded. However, they returned after four years with a new concept album, ''Atlantis'', centered on the

myths Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

of the sunken continent of Atlantis. The album also features the vocals of Alexander's wife, Liv-Kristine Espanaes Krull (formerly in

Theatre of Tragedy Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which influenced the gothic metal genre. History Formation (1993) Theatre of Tragedy was founded on 2 October 199 ...

). The band members also formed the atmospheric metal band

Leaves' Eyes Leaves' Eyes is a symphonic metal band from Germany and Norway. Formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, formerly the lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy, along with the entire line-up of Atrocity (band), Atrocity, the band has since released eight studio a ...

, which features Liv Kristine as lead singer. The release of the eleventh album ''After the Storm'' in 2010 started a new era for the band in the ethno metal genre. Yasmin Krull returned a second time as guest singer and instrumentalist for the project. On 11 November 2007, Atrocity announced that bassist Chris Lukhaup was leaving the band for personal reasons and that drummer Moritz Neuner was taking another turn in his working career. Seven Antonopolous was named as the new drummer in late October 2008.

Members

Current members * Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards, samples (1985–present) *Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocals (2012–present) *Micki Richter – guitar (2019–present) *Andre Nasso – bass (2021–present) *Luc Gebhardt – guitar (2022–present)

Discography

Studio albums

* 1990: ''

'' * 1992: '' Todessehnsucht'' * 1994: ''Blut'' * 1996: ''Willenskraft'' * 1997: '' Werk 80'' (cover album) * 2000: ''Gemini'' * 2004: ''Atlantis'' * 2008: '' Werk 80 II'' (cover album) * 2013: '' Okkult'' * 2018: ''Okkult II'' * 2023: ''Okkult III''

Collaborations

* 1995: ''Calling the Rain'' (EP, feat. Yasmin Krull) * 1995: ''Die Liebe'' (feat. Das Ich) * 2010: ''After the Storm'' (feat. Yasmin Krull)

Compilations

* 1996: ''Kraft & Wille'' (video collection & ''The Hunt'' EP) * 1999: '' Non Plus Ultra: 1989–1999'' (best-of)

DVD

*2012: ''Die Gottlosen Jahre''

Demos

* 1988: ''Instigators'' * 1993: ''Promo '93''

EPs

* 1996: ''The Hunt'' * 1996: ''The Definition of Kraft and Wille'' * 2017: ''Masters of Darkness'' * 2019: ''Spell of Blood''

Music videos

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atrocity 1985 establishments in West Germany German death metal musical groups German gothic metal musical groups Massacre Records artists Musical groups established in 1985 Napalm Records artists Nuclear Blast artists Roadrunner Records artists