Dornenreich

Dornenreich are a symphonic black metal band from Tyrol, Austria. The name means realm of thorns (noun) or full of thorns (adjective) in German. Founded in 1995, the band has progressed in style from raw black metal on their first album, Nicht um zu sterben to what the band describes as "a vision beyond (black) metal, neofolk and ambient" on their most recent album Durch Den Traum. There have, however, been some hints of folk music as well as a gentle use of keyboards present in all of their releases. Dornenreich's lyrics are generally about dreams and life. Notably absent from their poetry and interviews are allusions to controversial spiritual and ideological issues common with many other bands of similar musical genres.

The music on their follow-up album, Bitter ist's dem Tod zu dienen, released in 1997, can be described as symphonic black metal with some folk and some gothic influences. With their most modern-sounding 2001 album Her von welken Nächten they reached a point where deep sentiment and contemplation of life and death induces a very own style of music that was critically acclaimed by all metal magazines. After that album, drummer Moritz Neuner (also in Leaves' Eyes, Darkwell, Atrocity) left the band due to some differences with the two remaining members. Shortly after, an upcoming album with the name Hexenwind was announced and planned to return to a more pure black metal style, but during the track-writing period the band's progression then took a new direction towards a more calm and mature approach, and the band's next release did not appear before 2005, when the long-awaited Hexenwind album was finally released. In 2006, Valñes left Dornenreich to start a new project called Eyas and Evíga found a new Dornenreich member in 2006 as Inve, who had already contributed as a violinist on Her von welken Nächten, joined him in the band. By the end of the same year, the fifth album Durch Den Traum was released. The band used a session drummer after Moritz left.

First listens to the new album "In Luft geritzt" ("Carved in air") shows a complete departure from previous styles, instead of being an extreme metal record, Dornenreich have chosen to play completly unplugged, with only acoustic guitars and violin as main instruments, and bells as percussion.

Current line-up:
Evíga (Jochen Stock) – Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Inve (Thomas Riesner) – Violin

Former members:
Valñes / Dunkelkind (Thomas Stock) – Keyboards, Vocals
Dragomir / Gilván (Moritz Neuner) – Drums

Discography:
Mein Flügelschlag (Demotape), 1997
Nicht um zu sterben, 1997
Bitter ist's dem Tod zu dienen, 1999
Her von welken Nächten, 2001
Hexenwind, 2005
Durch Den Traum, 2006
In Luft Geritzt, 2008