Hardholz: Thuringian metal band celebrates for 40 years in the shade of big stars

Hardholz: Thuringian metal band celebrates for 40 years in the shade of big stars

Tambach-Dietharz, Deutschland - Hardholz, a metal band from Tambach-Dietharz in Thuringia, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1984, the band under the Brill brothers, Frank and Michael, developed a permanent place in the Thuringian music scene. Hardholz is known for their German texts and a mixture of thrash and folk metal, although it has always positioned itself as a hobby band, in contrast to other regional bands such as Heaven Shall Burn or the apocalyptic riders, which were able to build larger fan base. In comparison, Hardholz shares the fate of the Canadian band Anvil, which is also in the shadow of larger acts, as mdr .

The band has had an active career with up to 120 appearances per year in the past. Between 1984 and 1990 she played hundreds of concerts at home and abroad and achieved the special level, the highest category for amateur bands through a state classification in the GDR. It was regulated by law that a maximum of 40% of the repertoire could consist of foreign songs, which is why Hardholz developed many of their own songs. During this time, the band rely on original GDR production technology, which was often not sufficient for Heavy Metal because western musical instruments were extremely expensive.

celebrations for the band anniversary

• 07.09.2024: Altenberger Rocknacht
• 05.10.2024: Eisenacher slaughterhouse
• 26.10.2024: Erfurt Club from Hell

In the course of the anniversary, the band went through an interesting development: the former singer Kelle left the band at the end of 2023, and guitarist Trudhelm now takes over the vocal part. The set for the concert in Altenbergen will include a mixture of well -known, old and new songs, including premieres of new songs to delight the audience with earwigs of the metal.

The heavy metal scene in the GDR

The history of hardholz and its music is closely interwoven with the heavy metal scene of the GDR, which formed one of the country's largest sub- and youth cultures. Historian Nikolai Okunew describes that heavy metal fans included a group of 1151 in 15 cities, including in Thuringia. The band Hardholz enjoyed radio performances that were broadcast during the "heavy hour" and later in the youth radio DT64. These programs were of crucial importance for the fans, since they had the opportunity to listen to western music, which could often only be recorded Clandestin, as . .

In a political climate in which public appearances and texts were often monitored, heavy metal concerts were often perceived as a form of collective rebellion and symbolic republic flight. Musicians in the GDR, who often needed additional professional skills to support their musical hobby, reflected the challenges with which many bands were confronted. The Brill brothers from Hardholz also had to deal with these conditions to pursue their musical passion.

With their planned anniversary and the eventful history, hardholz exemplifies for the dynamics and the will to survive of the heavy metal scene in the GDR, which still reverberates.