An entire songbook of praising anthems is necessary to do proper justice to a group like
. Founded in 1989, the early nineties saw the project evolve to become a figurehead of the juvenile German Gothic movement that would eventually mould the scene like very few projects before.
From the very first nebulous
Goethes Erben live performance on April 25th 1990 in a youth centre somewhere in Germany over the passionately revered debut "Das Sterben ist ästhetisch bunt" up to the dramatic music theatre of the young 21st century,
Oswald Henke defined German Gothic with his characteristically poetic lyrics, gave a whole scene its identity by means of his soulful musical expression.
The essential double album "Zeitlupe" pays long overdue tribute to this outstanding band. A monument of German Gothic culture, it assembles not only the most popular tracks but also unavailable rarities, sought-after gems and alternate versions aplenty. Neither "Das Ende" nor cult classics like "Zinnsoldaten", "Marionetten" or "Der Eissturm" are left out on this 29-track-strong retrospective of the groups' extraordinary career.
True worshippers of the "Neue Deutsche Todeskunst" alongside
Lacrimosa in the first chapters of their artistic legacy,
Goethes Erben were deeply rooted within a musical sphere of bizarre suicidal philosophy, depressive melodies and morbid lyrics. In the years to come,
Oswald Henke constantly reinvented his expression, interweaved alien influences as well as ever more elaborate visual transcriptions of his tunes. Inseparably connected to
Goethes Erben until their hiatus in 2007 was the highest artistic standard imaginable paired with an unmistakably theatrical attitude - both pillars of a career encompassing more than two decades.
"Zeitlupe" - a memorial of German Gothic music.
