Eisblume

Eisblume formed as a German goth pop quintet in Berlin during 2007, separate from the unrelated act sharing that name and fronted by vocalist Christine Westphal. Ria supplies the lead vocals, with Christoph Hessler on guitar, Philipp Schardt on bass, Philipp Schadebrodt behind the drums, and Golo Schultz handling keyboards. The Valicon production collective—Ingo Politz, Bernd Wendlandt, Frank Kretschmer, and Tommy Remm—oversaw the band’s first output, the 2008 four-track EP Unter dem Eis, which coincided with a summer tour supporting Ich + Ich.

Early the next year Eisblume issued the single “Eisblumen.” Originally written by Michael Boden, aka Bodenski, of Subway to Sally and included on that group’s 2005 album Nord Nord Ost, the goth pop cover climbed to a Top Five position on the German singles chart and a Top 30 slot in Austria, helped by an ECHO-nominated video that employed manga-style animation. Capitalizing on this breakthrough, the band delivered its debut full-length album, Unter dem Eis (2009), through B1 Recordings in conjunction with Universal Music. The same Valicon team of hitmakers, whose earlier credits include work with Silbermond, produced and wrote the record.