Biography
Embracing a ferocious pace and explosive force, the German metal group Burden of Grief commits to an all-out aggressive approach. Observers have occasionally labeled their intense output “melodic death metal,” a tag also linked to Nordic acts such as At the Gates, In Flames, and Age of Ruin. Yet the band’s sound diverges from those Scandinavian ensembles typically associated with melodic death metal or symphonic black metal. Their recorded work instead fuses death metal and thrash metal while incorporating power metal elements, drawing primary influence from U.S. and U.K. acts ranging from Slayer and Megadeth to Iron Maiden, though with a consistently harsher and quicker delivery than Maiden or comparable classic power metal groups.
The ensemble originated in Kassel, Germany, in the summer of 1994 when vocalist Mike Huhmann joined drummer Christoph Schellöh along with guitarists Oliver Eikenberg, who remained through 2001, and Philipp Hanfland. The initial months passed without a bassist until Ulrich Busch joined in late 2004; the resulting five-piece configuration then produced the debut demo cassette A Duet of Thoughts in 1996. Additional demos followed, among them Above Twilight Wings in 1997 and Eternal Solar Eclipse in 1999. That same year the band secured a deal with the independent Grind Syndicate Media imprint, which remastered the 1997 and 1999 demo and promotional recordings—including a version of the Iron Maiden track “Prowler”—and issued them as the full-length Haunting Requiems in 2000. Later releases comprised On Darker Trails on Massacre Records in 2001 and the third studio album Fields of Salvation, tracked in 2003 and issued by Remedy Records across Europe in 2004, coinciding with the group’s tenth anniversary, before appearing on Magick/Cleopatra in the United States in 2005.
Throughout the first eleven years the roster proved more consistent than those of many death metal or black metal outfits that have cycled through numerous bassists or drummers within short spans. Nevertheless, adjustments occurred periodically. The lineup held steady until 1999, when Schellöh departed and Christian Nürnberg took over on drums; Nürnberg’s subsequent exit for military obligations led to the arrival of Carsten Schmerer, who had earlier produced the Eternal Solar Eclipse demo. By 2005 the five members consisted of founders Huhmann and Hanfland together with Schmerer, Ulrich Busch—who had moved from bass to guitar in 2001—and bassist Dirk Bulmahn, who joined in 2001.
The ensemble originated in Kassel, Germany, in the summer of 1994 when vocalist Mike Huhmann joined drummer Christoph Schellöh along with guitarists Oliver Eikenberg, who remained through 2001, and Philipp Hanfland. The initial months passed without a bassist until Ulrich Busch joined in late 2004; the resulting five-piece configuration then produced the debut demo cassette A Duet of Thoughts in 1996. Additional demos followed, among them Above Twilight Wings in 1997 and Eternal Solar Eclipse in 1999. That same year the band secured a deal with the independent Grind Syndicate Media imprint, which remastered the 1997 and 1999 demo and promotional recordings—including a version of the Iron Maiden track “Prowler”—and issued them as the full-length Haunting Requiems in 2000. Later releases comprised On Darker Trails on Massacre Records in 2001 and the third studio album Fields of Salvation, tracked in 2003 and issued by Remedy Records across Europe in 2004, coinciding with the group’s tenth anniversary, before appearing on Magick/Cleopatra in the United States in 2005.
Throughout the first eleven years the roster proved more consistent than those of many death metal or black metal outfits that have cycled through numerous bassists or drummers within short spans. Nevertheless, adjustments occurred periodically. The lineup held steady until 1999, when Schellöh departed and Christian Nürnberg took over on drums; Nürnberg’s subsequent exit for military obligations led to the arrival of Carsten Schmerer, who had earlier produced the Eternal Solar Eclipse demo. By 2005 the five members consisted of founders Huhmann and Hanfland together with Schmerer, Ulrich Busch—who had moved from bass to guitar in 2001—and bassist Dirk Bulmahn, who joined in 2001.
Albums
