German duo Nebelhaus explore the grotesque, the shocking and the unusual with a sense of humour in an industrial metal sound that they describe as “authentic, uncensored and bittersweet.”
The band started out with long-time Rammstein fan Tim Rebmann creating instrumentals in a similar style to his favourite band – known as Neue Deutsche Härte (NDH, New German Hardness) or simply dance metal – and uploading them to YouTube in 2021. Vocalist Stefan Griese discovered the videos and left a comment, asking if he could potentially lend his vocals to Tim’s music. His voice fitted the instrumentals perfectly and Nebelhaus was founded but, as the duo is split by a four-hour drive, they collaborate over the Internet.
Describing the sound they’ve crafted since, Tim told us: “The simple answer would be: Rammstein, Lindemann, Eisbrecher, Megaherz, Oomph – in that order. The longer answer: Since our idols and influences are Rammstein and Lindemann and, since Stefan’s voice is rather similar to Till Lindemann’s (lead vocalist of Rammstein), we won’t argue that we will sound similar, but we still try to be unique. Chasing a modern sound, a professional production, but still keeping it raw.”
Our latest taste of this is their new single NDH, which was released at the start of last month. It opens up with an assault of atmospheric synths, which drop into chugging guitars and distant vocals. Stefan’s engaging vocals take over, supported by a pulsing synth, before the synths explode back into life in a powerful chorus “NDH, Das Herz zur Faust geballt, NDH, Wir werden mit euch alt” (“NDH, Heart clenched into a fist, NDH, We grow old with you”) followed by the lines “Wir werden weitersingen, Von all den schönen Dingen, Und von den schlechten Sachen, Die uns erst zu Menschen machen” (“We will continue singing, Of all the beautiful things, And of the bad things, That make us human.”
Drawn-out synths come in and drop into a laid-back verse with a building synth sound, and flow into another chorus. The track goes out in style with driving guitars and lively synths under repeats of “NDH, Die uns erst zu Menschen machen.”
On the track, Tim told us: “We got overwhelmed by positive feedback. It’s quite challenging to choose a song after almost two years of musical hiatus, which should also give a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming album, but the song was the right choice. People who have not listened to it can expect a heavy and melodic German Industrial Metal Hymn.”
As Tim mentioned, it’s been two years since the duo released their debut album Manifest. But the album is packed with dark theatrical metal goodness, including a personal favourite Texas, the moody Alle Jahre wieder, the very Rammstein-sounding Karussel, the intriguing and slightly unusual Ding Dong Song and Lovedoll, and the extremely dark Dornen und Disteln.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Nebelhaus name their biggest influences as Rammstein, Till Lindemann and Lindemann (a German/Swedish duo led by the Rammstein vocalist). And on what inspires them to write music, Tim explained: “It’s mostly about topics that are interesting, grotesque or shocking, preferably that haven’t been used for songs a hundred times already.
“Somehow, a lot is about love, but the unconventional and dark side of it. Like, for example, a lack of emotion, the tuberculosis-chic of the 18th/19th century, depression and self-harm, vampires, narcissism and other similar topics. But it’s not like everything is just serious, we always try to lighten it up with some humor and don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
There’s plenty more to come from this exciting duo, with Tim boldly predicting “2025 will be the year of Nebelhaus.” The band will be releasing at least two more singles and videos before the release of their debut album NDH.
Tim explained: “Since we produce everything ourselves and also founded a record label, it was quite a task to aim for the high standards of our idols, but I am relieved we pulled it off. Gigs are not planned yet, but we are already writing new music and are open to collaborations.
“If you want to support an independent act, from songwriting to distribution, then give Nebelhaus a listen. We do what we want to do and represent anyone who can identify with our music. Music can help people in hard times, we have had and still have them, and we try to support anyone with our music.”
You can follow Nebelhaus on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and YouTube.
Listen to Nebelhaus on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Electro and GigRadar Metal
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