THANATEROS

track-list:
Anrufung
The Horned One
Everything Decays
Shapeshifter
I Hold You
Raise Your Voices
Hagazussa
The Banshees Of Kealkil
Feel The Fire (Goddess 24)
I Am All
Runir
By The Wind

THANATEROS are:
Ben Richter – vocals
Chris Lang – guitar
MarT Møller – bass
Christof Uhlmann – violin
Simon Rippin – drums on ‘Tranceforming‘

discography:
2001 The First Rite
2003 Circle Of Life
2005 Into The Otherworld
2009 Liber Lux
2019 INSOMNIA
2021 INSOMNIA
2022 Coven Of The Drowned
2022 Fading
2022 On Fragile Wings
2023 Burn
2024 Best Of 25 Years
2024 We Are The Ravens
2024 I Am All
2024 The Horned One
2024 I Hold You
2024 Tranceforming

In 2001, THANATEROS released their debut album, ‘The First Rite’ – a work about magic, the worship of nature, old gods and shamanism.
Even though this theme has always accompanied the five dark rockers, THANATEROS’ new work, ‘Tranceforming’, is a more impressive continuation of their first album than ever before.
As if there were less than 23 years between the two releases.
The title ‘Tranceforming’ is fitting.
A play on words that, on the one hand, stands for bringing about a shamanic trance in which the practitioner goes on a dream journey, leaves his body and gets in touch with the spirit world.
And, on the other hand, it includes transition, change, transformation.
Aspects to which everything and everyone is subjected to, on both the small and large scales.
Musically, THANATEROS return to folky, Irish-Celtic sounds.
While this element was only marginally present on the last releases, ‘Tranceforming’ is bursting with Irish melodies, the typical interplay of violin and whistle and yearning Celtic-Nordic tunes.
Using frame drums, shakers and bone rattles, the turning towards shamanic, ritual rhythms ties in with earlier releases.
However, on ‘Tranceforming’ it receives much more attention and runs like a common thread through the entire album.
As usual, the instrumental framework is formed by hard, heavy guitars, a driving bass, mighty powerful drums and varied virtuoso violin playing.
The song selection is also varying.
Whether it is hard metal numbers, rocky, driving songs or emotional, intense ballads – on ‘Tranceforming’ THANATEROS show a remarkably wide musical range without straying from their typical style.
The whole album is crowned by Ben Richter’s diverse, melodic voice, which brilliantly conveys the diverse emotions and content of the twelve songs.
Since ‘Tranceforming’ also impresses with a powerful, balanced and harmonious production, the new THANATEROS work certainly represents a milestone in the band’s long-standing work and should also provide a lot of joy live on stage.
The name THANATEROS is a combination of the names of the Greek gods of death (Thanatos) and love/sexuality (Eros).
Though it refers to the chaos-magical order of the ‘Illuminates of Thanateros’ (IOT), THANATEROS is not bound to the IOT but an independent and separate band.
Nevertheless, sometimes THANATEROS draws on magical and pagan motives including Celtic mythology and shamanism.
THANATEROS was started in 1999 by Ben Richter as a solo-project.
After he left the German goth-metal band EVEREVE he concentrated solely on THANATEROS and assembled a first line-up in 2000.
After the release of the first album ‘The First Rite’ in 2001 a several weeks lasting support-tour with IN EXTREMO followed as well as a large number of concerts and festival-shows in 2002.
And so THANATEROS established itself as a strong part of the German metal-and goth-scene.
With the second album ‘Circle of Life’, which was released in 2003, the band focused more on an irish-celtic-folk part within its music by involving traditional instruments.
The CD achieved best reviews by the press.
After the release THANATEROS made its first headliner-tour through Germany and Austria.
In summer and autumn, a large number of festival-concerts followed where THANATEROS played along with bands like SUBWAY TO SALLY, LETZTE INSTANZ, TANZWUT, L’AME IMMORTELLE and SCHANDMAUL.
2005 the third album ‘Into the Otherworld’ was released.
It includes the single ‘Dirty Old Town’ – the classic that became known by THE POGUES.
For the production of the video-clip Dietrich Brüggemann (OOMPH!, RAMMSTEIN) was recruited.
Tours with UMBRA ET IMAGO and the FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM successor-band NFD followed just like lots of festival-shows (along with bands like SALTATIO MORTIS, SUBWAY TO SALLY, ASP, CLAN OF XYMOX and many more) and headliner-concerts.
In 2006 a personnel change took place and a creative break followed.
Then in 2008 THANATEROS produced the long-awaited fourth album ‘Liber Lux’ which was released on April the 3rd in 2009, followed by fetival concerts along with bands like FIDDLER’S GREEN, TRISTANIA, POTHEAD and FINNTROLL.
Musically it is the heaviest and darkest CD of the band and although it received best critics by the press again, Ben Richter terminated THANATEROS at the beginning of 2010 for several reasons.
In 2015 Ben Richter started the German-metal band PHOSPHOR which released two successful CDs (‘Raum/Zeit’ and ‘Weltenbrand’).
During the work on a third album Ben heard the call of his musically roots and decided to pause PHOSPHOR and revive THANATEROS instead – following the words of H. P. LOVECRAFT:
“That is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange æons, even death may die.”
And so – together with Chris Lang, the guitar-player of PHOSPHOR – he brought THANATEROS back to life!
In September 2019 the album ‘Insomnia’ was released, which impressively proves that THANATEROS have lost none of their earlier energy and joy in playing after their resurrection;
and the press also celebrated the album and the turn to darker sounds that emphasize the atmosphere.
Due to insurmountable differences, the band split from drummer Marcus H. at the end of 2019 and Markus Felber took over the position behind the drums.
In mid-2020 the band signed a record deal with ECHOZONE and in November of that year together they released ‘Insomnia’ as a special edition.
In addition to the full album, ‘Insomnia S.E.’ selected songs as a pure instrumental version.
At the end of 2020 THANATEROS was supposed to go into the studio to record the new album ‘On Fragile Wings’ together with producer Simon Rippin.
But due to the Corona epidemic and the resulting restrictions, entry bans and lock-downs, the production had to be postponed again and again, which tugged at everyone’s nerves…
In September 2021, however, the time had come and the 12 new tracks could finally be produced.
On February 11, 2022 the first single ‘Coven of the Drowned’ was released and on March 11 the second single ‘Fading’, the album then on March 24, which again received top marks from the press.
In summer THANATEROS finally went on stage again and played on a lot of smaller and bigger festivals with bands like LORD OF THE LOST, CREMATORY or FIDDLER’S GREEN.
At the beginning of 2023 Ben began working on new material – and in October the time had come:
a new album was written.
In December the production started and they were very happy to have Simon Rippin back as producer.
As they had to part ways with drummer Markus Felber at short notice, Simon stepped in as drummer and recorded the songs.
Guitars, violins, vocals and much more were then recorded in January.
In the meantime, bassist Chrys Ryll unfortunately had to leave the band for personal reasons, but a first-class bassist joined the band in MarT Møller.