What started in 1998 as a side project after the band 'Seelenkrank' broke up is now, almost 25 years later, celebrating huge success and giving fans countless goosebumps moments: the Berlin dark pop band BLUTENGEL. Although the band's 25th anniversary isn't until next year, together with Blutengel, Out Of Line Music is already starting the celebrations with a very special campaign. Since most of the early albums have been completely sold out for a long time, Out Of Line embarked on a journey through the band's history with Blutengel and had the first albums remastered. So, if you're still missing one or the other album in your collection, this is your last chance to secure one of these musical gems.
Every month until the anniversary in 2023, Blutengel will release one remastered part of their musical past: as Digipak double CD, these remasters are only available in a very small number and will for sure make the hearts of the Blutengel Family beat faster. The 2nd CD of each album makes these new releases the ultimate highlight for all Chris & Ulrike fans, as they contain rare compilation tracks as well as songs from maxi and bonus CDs from the respective era, that have been sold out for a long time. For all passionate fans and collectors, this 2CD is again available as a super limited box set, with the album on cassette, packed in a beautiful wooden box, and of course with a hand-numbered certificate, which confirms the uniqueness of your box (199 units).
Blutengel online:
https://www.facebook.com/BlutengelOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/blutengel_official_chrispohl
http://www.blutengel.de
Tracklist:
CD1
1 Angels Of The Dark
2 Forever
3 Silent Tears (For You)
4 In The Distance
5 Solitary Angel
6 Love Killer
7 Sensless Life
8 Navigator
9 Stay
10 Ice Angel
11 Go To Hell ?
12 Resurrection
13 Frozen Heart
14 In My Dreams
15 Verzweiflung
CD2:
1 Demon Kiss (Instrumental)
2 Second Chance
3 Falscher Stolz
4 Ohne Dich
5 Kingdom
6 Intro (Konzertintro 2003)
7 Mistress Of The Club
8 Forever (Schizophrenia Remix)
9 Die With You (Akustik)
10 Falling
11 Leaving You
12 No Eternity (Angel's Dance Mix)
Review:
It feels a bit weird reviewing their very first album. One thing is good: it’s a remastered version. One track already featured on the reworked album and showed us that reworking them was a very good idea as according to me that got a lot of people hooked on the new and modern sound! I consider the reworked album as a milestone for them: the beginning of the breakthrough!
Angels of The Dark is the very first track brings us already the first touch of a typical Blutengel song old school with Chris and Ulrike on the vocals and mixing English with German. It’s a very melodic and almost catchy track. The lyrics are also typical for Blutengel: talking about eternal life, angels, demons, human feelings … Forever has potential, has the typical sound from back then and could become a new hit in a reworked version (add a bit more catchiness and pump up the beats)! Yet I like it! Silent Tears (For You) starts on a very fragile note and keeps Ulrike on the lead. The sound is a tiny bit outdated but that is just a minor thing. Here we hear for the first time why so many fans love Ulrike on the lead! In The Distance has clearly a higher tempo and marches into the dancefloor direction with Ulrike and Chris joining forces. The song could have sounded a bit warmer and more filled, but it was off course recorded and released ages ago.
Solitary Angel sounds a bit melancholic and has the right tempo and a good sound! Love Killer is a nice duet, however Chris’ vocals sound a bit harder/harsher as usual and is not my most loved kind of vocals. Ulrike does although a great job, next to the excellent beats and dito tempo.
Sensless Life is lead by Ulrike’s vocals and sounds really good with a delicious sound! This song shows her potential here from the very beginning! Navigator sounds good in this remastered version but also show from where Blutengel is coming if you compare it with more actual songs. Stay is a beautiful and fragile song, but somehow you hope Chris doesn’t sing too much as Ulrike does really a great job and make it feel as if it was written by/for her! Ice Angel is a mix between an up-tempo song and a slow with a vocal duet. The music sounds a tiny bit dated, but that is pretty normal. I feel like this song deserves a remake anno 2022!
Go To Hell? Sounds faster and harsher with now and then a more melodic passage. I like it, even with the sound from ages ago! Resurrection could sound better anno 2022. Some parts are still great but I feel it really needs an update (some of the vocals/sound and melodic approach). Frozen Heart is entirely sung by Ulrike and is not bad at all. I’m pretty sure this is also one of the songs where she can gain some fans. Looking back at it gives it off course a lower score as in knowing how great Blutengel sounds now and exactly this makes reviewing this album so hard without being a bit hard. In My Dreams s a nice slow with Chris on main vocals and a classic approach. Last song is called Verzweiflung it's a slow song with a piano and some electronic effects with Chris on main vocals. To me it feels like a filler, but that might be because I don’t understand much of the German language.
It’s nice to hear it all as if it’s all fresh, but off course you can’t deny the sound from the first record is not the sound anno 2022. Yet it’s good to hear it back in a remastered version as we have been spoiled with the reworked album that started the new fame and launch of Blutengel in the modern era. Some songs still stand up after all those years, some demand for a sound anno 2022 and knowing Chris he might rework some of them to perform them on stage again! The fans are getting spoiled and for sure the newer ones! I’m looking forward to get the next album in line!
