Hanzel und Gretyl are an American
industrial metal
Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...
band founded in New York City by Kaizer von Loopy and Vas Kallas in February 1993.
History
''Machines Good People Bad'' (1995–1999)
Hanzel und Gretyl formed in early 1993. In April 1994, they completed a demo entitled ''Kindermusik''. Of the 200 cassette tapes manufactured, most were sent to record labels and fanzines and some were sold on consignment at a local music store called Bleeker Bob's.
In January 1995, after refusing offers from at least one major label to resubmit their demo with only English lyrics, they signed with Energy Records, an independent record label based in New York City. HuG recorded and released their first album, ''
Ausgeflippt'', in October 1995.
The single "Shine 2001" topped the
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to:
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* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...
dance chart at No. 1 shortly after its release.
Performing only several local shows on Manhattan's lower east side, they were recruited to provide support on two US tours in 1995 and 1996 with
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
.
In 1997, they released their second full-length album, ''
Transmissions From Uranus'', that featured a video game in which the object was to transform Loopy and Vas into alien-like insectoid space creatures. The enhanced CD was again cited for its progressive-minded musical stylings and groundbreaking technological advances. This led the band to tour the US extensively with
Tommy Victor
Thomas Michael Victor (born 1961/1962) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for heavy metal band Prong, which he founded in New York City in 1986, as well as the guitaris ...
's
Prong
Prong or Prongs may refer to:
* Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects
* Prong (band), an American metal band
* Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City
* Prongs, British ...
, giving them even broader exposure nationally. In between shows on Prong's Cold Fusion tour, Hanzel und Gretyl headlined a Halloween show in Des Moines, Iowa with hometown band
Slipknot
The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...
in direct support. During the same year, Hanzel und Gretyl's song "9D Galactik Center" appeared in
New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
's ''
Mortal Kombat Annihilation
''Mortal Kombat Annihilation'' is a 1997 American Martial arts film, martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Based on the ''Mortal Kombat'' video game franchise, it is the sec ...
'' and was also played at the 1997
MTV Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
. Furthermore, the song "Robot Logik" from the same album was used in radio commercials for the ''
Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...
''.
In 1998, clad in custom-made lederhosen, Hanzel und Gretyl toured the US in direct support of Germany's
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
on the band's first ever headlining tour of the states after meeting and playing with the band at a
CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
show in New York City. HuG also supported
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Perform ...
's
2wo
''2WO'' is the second studio album by Canadian new wave band Strange Advance released in February, 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You". Along with their first album, this was a Canadian gold r ...
in Los Angeles during the Rammstein tour.
In 1999, Hanzel und Gretyl completed a full-length CD entitled ''Oz Faktor'' that is currently unreleased by Energy Records. The CD depicts a displaced Hanzel und Gretyl lost in a quasi-"
Wizard of Oz" type setting.
''Fukken Über'' (2003–2013)
After a long hiatus due to the dissolving of their label, Energy Records, the band signed to
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a record label that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania ...
in 2002 and immediately began recording for their long anticipated third album, ''
Über alles
The "", officially titled "", is a Germany, German poem written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben . A popular song which was made for the cause of creating a unified German state, it was adopted in its entirety in 1922 by the Weima ...
''. Described by Kaizer von Loopy as a "futuristic Wagnerian rock opera" and released in 2003, it marked a distinct stylistic change for the band favoring heavy guitar riffs and Germanic themes over the more genre expanding electro-metal style for which they had become known in the 1990s.
The CD was met with a fair amount of controversy over its parodic cross-referencing of both German and American stereotypes set against a surreal and spaced-out WWII backdrop but nevertheless attained a four out of five star review in
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
magazine and equally high praise from New York City's prestigious ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''. Following the release of the album, the band toured the US as a headliner on their aptly named "Fukken Uber Tour" and later in direct support of The
Genitorturers
The Genitorturers are an American industrial metal band with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band".
History
Originating in Orlando, Florida, the ...
in the states and Canada after which they returned to the studio to record a new album.
In September 2004, the band released their fourth album, ''
Scheissmessiah''.
The album was immediately hailed as required listening for fans of industrial metal alongside
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
,
KMFDM
KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial rock band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art proje ...
and Ministry by
Revolver Magazine
''Revolver'' is an American heavy metal music and hard rock magazine, published by Project M Group. It was originally launched under Harris Publications in the spring of 2000 by Tom Beaujour and Brad Tolinski, who envisioned it as an American ...
.
The band continued to grow harder and heavier touring the states in support of
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (often shortened to Thrill Kill Kult or TKK) is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based in Chicago and founded by Groovie Mann (born Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (born Marston Daley). ...
and
Ministry for a three-month stint on their "Evil Doer Tour" throughout the US and Canada.
Hanzel und Gretyl co-headlined, along with
Slick Idiot
Slick Idiot is a German electronic and industrial band.
History
Slick Idiot was formed by former KMFDM members Günter Schulz and En Esch, following the 1999 breakup of KMFDM. Before taking on the name Slick Idiot, Esch and Schulz contribu ...
, the first Gothicfest at the
Odeum Expo Center
The Odeum Expo Center was a convention center located in Villa Park, Illinois. It featured of exhibit space at the North Hall and of exhibit space at the South Hall.
Both halls had pitched roofs as high as . The South Hall was also used as ...
in Illinois.
In 2006, the band toured North America for the release of their four-song EP ''Oktotenfest 2006'' with label mates
Bella Morte
Bella Morte is a gothic rock band formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. They incorporate elements of metal, dark wave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The band's name means "Beautiful Death" in Italian language. Acc ...
as direct support. Also in 2006, they provided direct support on
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...
's UK tour.
February 2007 saw the release of ''
2012: Zwanzig Zwölf''. Drawing more and more from
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 ...
and
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
sentiments, ''2012'' is HuG's heaviest offering thus far leading to HuG's first-ever headlining shows overseas beginning in Moscow, Russia in September 2008.
In January 2009, Hanzel und Gretyl kicked off their extensive headlining "World Fukken Tour 2009" including shows throughout the US, Europe, UK, Scandinavia, Russia, Ukraine, New Zealand and Australia ending with a final show in New York City on December 19, 2009.
On August 8, 2010, with the number 87 as the numerical representation of the band and the words "More German Than German" found on their backdrop and T-shirts Hanzel und Gretyl performed to a capacity crowd on the main stage at
M'era Luna Festival
The M'era Luna is a gothic festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and EBM. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, ...
in Hildesheim, Germany.
''
Born to Be Heiled'', Hanzel und Gretyl's sixth full-length CD release on November 27, 2012 was launched as a debut release for the newly formed Metropolis Metal Records, a subdivision of Metropolis Records that focusses on their more metal based electronic and industrial bands.
Beginning in June 2012, Hanzel und Gretyl followed up the completion of ''Born to Be Heiled'' with multiple extensive headlining tours including Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada, Russia, and Europe.
''
Hanzel und Gretyl für immer'', an album composed entirely of remixes of their previous CD, ''Born to Be Heiled'', was completed by Kaizer von Loopy in July 2013 and slated for worldwide release by
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a record label that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania ...
on October 8, 2013.
''Grimm Shiza'' (2014–2017)
October 2014 saw the release of HuG's 7th album, Black Forest Metal and the beginning of a new era for the band. Perhaps their darkest and most metal sounding release to date, BFM employs satanic themes cross-referenced with forest motifs from the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale. U.S. and European tours followed the release.
2015 found Hanzel und Gretyl playing select dates in the US and returning in October to Europe, UK, Russia and also Greece for the first time in the band's history.
September 25, 2015, Hanzel und Gretyl appears in the DVD / Blu-ray release ''
Rammstein in Amerika'', being interviewed amongst the likes of artists
Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...
,
Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
,
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
,
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
,
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...
,
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash th ...
and others discussing
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
's first shows in America with Hanzel und Gretyl in 1997 and 1998 and eventual ascent which led to Rammstein's sold out show at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
on December 11, 2010.
2017–present
On July 26, 2017, Loopy released the solo album ''Reichstar'' under the name 'KyzrWölf', also stating a new HuG album coming in 2018. On February 24, 2018, a new album titled ''Satanik Germanik'' was available for pre-order,
with another album titled ''Hexennacht'' being released in 2019.
Members
* Kaizer von Loopy / KyzrWölf – guitars, programming, vocals
* Vas Kallas – vocals, bass
Discography
;''Machines Good People Bad''
*''Kindermusik'', (200 cassette tapes) independent release, 1994
*''
Ausgeflippt'', Energy Records, 1995
*''
Transmissions from Uranus'', Energy Records, 1997
*''Oz Faktor'', Energy Records, *unreleased* 1999
;''Fukken Über''
*''
Über alles
The "", officially titled "", is a Germany, German poem written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben . A popular song which was made for the cause of creating a unified German state, it was adopted in its entirety in 1922 by the Weima ...
'',
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a record label that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania ...
, 2003
*''
Scheissmessiah!'', Metropolis Records, 2004
*''Oktötenfest 2006 EP'', Metropolis Records, 2006
*''
2012: Zwanzig Zwölf'', Metropolis Records, 2008
*''
Born to Be Heiled'', Metropolis Records, 2012
;''Grimm Shiza''
*''
Black Forest Metal'', Metropolis Records, 2014
*''
Satanik Germanik'', Metropolis Records, 2018
*''
Hexennacht'', Metropolis Records, 2019
;''KyzrWölf''
*''
Hanzel und Gretyl für immer'', Metropolis Records, 2013
*''Reichstar'', Self Release, 2017
Filmography
*''
Mortal Kombat Annihilation
''Mortal Kombat Annihilation'' is a 1997 American Martial arts film, martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Based on the ''Mortal Kombat'' video game franchise, it is the sec ...
'' –
New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
– soundtrack – 1997
*''
Rammstein in Amerika'' –
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...
– live concert video and documentary – 2015
References
External links
Official website(archived)
*
*
{{Authority control
American industrial metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1995
Heavy metal duos
Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state)
Metropolis Records artists
Male–female musical duos