Biography
Switzerland-based duo Lacrimosa derive their name from the Latin term for weeping and craft a frigid fusion of darkwave, gothic rock, and symphonic metal that recalls Tristania, Lacuna Coil, Theater of Tragedy, Sisters of Mercy, and Epica. German multi-instrumentalist and composer Tilo Wolff launched the project in the early 1990s with Finnish vocalist, keyboard player, and composer Anne Marjanna Nurmi, although the endeavor remained centered on Wolff until her 1994 arrival, which first appeared on the fourth album Inferno. The 1997 release Stille achieved German chart success through the single "Stolzes Herz," whereas the ambitious 1999 effort Elodia presented the group’s inaugural rock opera in three acts featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, Rosenberg Ensemble, and Hamburg State Opera. Earlier heavy goth-metal leanings receded further across 2001’s Fassade and 2003’s Echoes, yet 2005’s symphonic metal-driven Lichtgestalt restored equilibrium between those poles. Tenth studio album Sehnsucht reached listeners in 2009 with a varied, non-conceptual collection that invited comparisons to Rammstein and Nightwish, a pattern repeated on Revolution (2012), Hoffnung (2015), and Testimonium (2017).