Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

Germany`s most spectacular band on an almost biblical level: DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER.

They have been roaming the land since 1995 with their unique brand of melody and heaviness, intense lyrics and live performances second to none. The Riders don´t stick to any rules, they are innovative and couraegous…and very successful with this approach.

A stroll through the history of the Riders: in 1997 they release their debut "Soft & Stronger" which immediately sells 8.000 copies.

Number two, "Allegro Barbaro", sees drummer Skelleton passing on his duties to Sir G.
He starts off with his his first Riders show at legendary Wacken open air!

"All you need is love", released 2000, marks their big breakthrough: the record wins several "album of the month" titles and national and international press is going crazy!
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER head off to a lengthy European tour. The highlight of this season is their second Wacken show which sees the band play in front of 20.000 people.
2002 starts with a major letdown: drummer Sir G. is suffering from a forearm injury and has to take several breaks from playing, and singer / guitarist Fuchs also has problems with his forearm and elbow. This turns out to be so serious that he has to refrain from playing guitar forever (at least on stage). New guitar player Pitrone joins the community.

"Have A Nice Trip" storms the German album charts in 2003 – a sensation! This immense success is followed by big European tours with the likes of Death Angel and Subway to Sally, and the first headliner tour (entitled "Powernights") in 2004.

In summer the Riders make Denmark their new temporary home, where acclaimed producer Tue Madsen takes care of new album "Samurai".

After a headliner tour in 2005 (with Turisas) and various open air shows the band records album number seven, "Riders on the storm". The album hits the German album charts at position 31, and the following tour with support act Tyr is a truly victorious march through Europe!
There even is a Russian leg of the tour in 2007.

Also, the Party.san and Wacken open air shows are recorded for a big fat live package: "Tobsucht" enters the German album charts in 2008.

In March 2008 the Riders head back to the Principal studios: mission "Licht"! Enforced by new guitarist Lady Cat-Man (replacing Pitrone), the quintet shows its love for a vast variety of styles once more. Heavy riffs, moving ballads, singalong hymns, epic parts, even Black Metal – and above all the brilliant voice of Fuchs who proves he is one of Germany`s most variable singers.

The album "Licht" finally made in into the top 30 and paved the way for the brand new masterpiece "Moral & Wahnsinn" („Morality & Insanity“) in 2011!
It was recorded at the Principal Studios in Münster / Germany, and the production comes from DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER themselves plus Vincent Sorg who also took care of the previous „Licht“ und „Riders On The Storm“. He also handled mixing and mastering.

„We have left the studio with the feeling to have created something unique, something no one has ever done before and preserved it for eternity. Insanity is fantasy, morality a barren womb“, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER describe their new album.

In November 2011, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter saw the time to release a best of album entitled "The Greatest Of The Best"!

To record the successor of »Moral & Wahnsinn« (2011) the band gave itself more than 1000 days. It wouldn’t be long till it came clear that the variety of ideas were not to be put on a usual record. “It was pure magic. Unbelievable and almost unreal. Though we’ve been making music together for so long, we still manage to amaze and surprise ourselves. Our wealth is joy.”

Where the band would be kissed by the muses, in this case did matter to them.
„This time we have been composing far from home. We went to Ural mountains in Russia and the Florida Keys, hiked through The Giant Mountains, found solitude at Uckermark, the most sparsely populated area in Germany . And our rehearsal room was built out of a houseboat.”

The creative process peaked during the weeklong intense studio live session. „Nothing was safe from us. Not even our own songs. We’ve learnt to seize the magic of a moment, just as well as the persistent transformation of a fleeting thought in a great song”

»Tief.Tiefer.« is demanding. Identical twins. Only seemingly equal. Fundamentally different. Not convenient and easy. But exciting and new.  Numerous tours, including the Heidenfest, are played. With "Flieg, mein Herz" the band captures the hearts of their fans with their first acoustic tour.

"Wie der Weltuntergang Teil meines Lebens wurde" is the name of the biography that the band gives to themselves and their fans for the 20th anniversary. Singer Fuchs and bassist Volk-Man look back on a life as street mutts, which should lead the kids from the former GDR to the most remote corners of the earth thanks to their music. Numerous readings are given, the premiere took place in the 3-day festival "Das letzte Abendmahl", with which DIE REITER celebrate their 20th birthday before retiring from the stages of this world indefinitely.

After two years the release of their new album "Der rote Reiter" is now imminent. The band says: "The break was the best thing that could happen to us. We feel fresh, free and untroubled." The world is going crazy again. DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER are back.