Frei.Wild

A hard-hitting, politically charged Deutsch rock outfit drawn from the German-speaking population of Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy, Frei.Wild surfaced in 2001 with a sonic approach that mirrored the heavy Euro-rock thrust of peers such as Böhse Onkelz and Rammstein. Mainstream breakthrough arrived in 2009 via their sixth long-player, Hart am Wind, after which the band maintained an independent course across further gold- and platinum-certified releases including Still (2013), Opposition (2015), and Rivalen und Rebellen (2018).

September 2001 marked the formation of Frei.Wild when Philipp Burger (vocals, guitar) and Jonas Notdurfter (guitar) recruited bassist Jochen Gargitter and drummer Christian Fohrer. Guided by German rock veterans Böhse Onkelz, the quartet issued its debut album, Eines Tages, in 2002, then followed with Wo Die Sonne Lacht in 2003, Mensch Oder Gott in 2004, Mitten ins Herz in 2006, and Gegen Alles, Gegen Nichts in 2008. Their sixth album, 2009’s Hart am Wind, became the first to register on the German album charts, where it climbed to number 15; the 2010 successor, Gegengift, improved on that showing by reaching number two. The eighth album, 2012’s Feinde Deiner Feinde, also charted successfully and received a brief ECHO-award nomination that was later rescinded amid criticism of the band’s right-wing political reputation. Frei.Wild resurfaced in 2013 with Still, then delivered the rousing Opposition in 2015 and the strident Rivalen und Rebellen in 2018, the latter spawning the concert album Rivalen und Rebellen: Live & More. In 2019 the group released Still II, a sequel to its earlier ECHO-nominated LP, before issuing Corona Quarantäne Tape in 2020 and Corona Tape II in 2021.