Heavy Metal / German-Language

9 MP3 Songs
METAL/PUNK: Heavy Metal, ROCK: 80's Rock



Details:
Formed in Erfurt, Thuringia, in 1985, MACBETH was one of the first Heavy Metal bands in the former East Germany (GDR). As the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal swashed through the Iron Curtain, the band had been at the right place at the right time. Starting as a quartet, the band added a second guitarist to the lineup at the end of the year. They took a risk and played their first shows without the notorious license, issued by the communist government, permitting a stage appearance. Right after the band were granted permission, the vocalist was replaced by the charismatic singer Wittenburg, leading the band on their way to success.

With their extensive touring activities and a mass audience of loyal fans, the band aroused suspicion among the authorities.

Finally, in late 1986, the legendary Erfurt "Stadtgarten" show happend. Though the venue was crowded, hundreds were still waiting outside, trying to get in. Dozens of National Security Agents were hiding on the balcony, watching the whole scence. The party was almost out of control.

At the end of the show, the police entered the backstage area, prohibiting any encore. It was the last straw! Now the riot of angry fans spilled out in to the city's streets, sealing the fate of MACBETH.

The band lost their license for an indefinite time, but this was only the beginning of the anti-MACBETH campaign. The band also lost their truck license and rehearsal room by order of the Chief Burgomaster (aka "Red Rosi"). Facing a massive burden of debt (25,000 Mark), it was hard to find optimism. So the drummer departed to join BLITZZ, the bass player tried to leave the country and one of the guitarists was drafted.

With a new lineup and renamed as CAIMAN, the band continued in early 1987. Twelve months later vocalist Wittenburg was found guilty of a summary offence, but sentenced to more than one year in jail.

In spite of underdoing some more lineup changes, the band was about to break up. Soon after Wittenburg joined the band for a last stage appearance, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the woods in December 1989. This was the end of an era!

1993 would likely have been viewed in a small way as the MACBETH comeback, but after a successful reunion tour and working on new song material, the death of the drummer, who committed suicide by jumping off a tall building, showed that the band's career had come to a tragic end again.

Almost a decade later, in 2002, the founding members came to the conclusion, that the time is right to thrill the fans with the rebirth of MACBETH...