Zimmer mit Blick Revolverheld

A product of Germany's Neue Deutsche Welle punk revival, Revolverheld (German for "gunslinger") began their career opening for Deutschland heavyweights like Donots and Silbermond, but they eventually blazed their own path of success via chart-topping singles like "Halt Dich an Mir Fest" and "Lass uns Gehen." Between 2005 and 2013 they saw two LPs go gold and one turn platinum, before taking a four-year studio hiatus ahead of the release of their fifth long-player, Zimmer mit Blick, in 2018.

Formed in Hamburg in the summer of 2003 and originally dubbed Manga, the band initially comprised frontman Johannes Strate, guitarists Kristoffer Hünecke and Niels Grötsch, bassist Florian Speer, and drummer Jakob Sinn. After adopting the name Tsunamikiller in 2004, the band quickly abandoned the moniker after a tsunami claimed thousands of lives in Thailand at year's end. As Revolverheld, the quintet toured in support of bigger acts before signing to Sony BMG in early 2005, issuing its self-titled debut LP that autumn. The second single, "Die Welt Steht Still," proved a Top 20 hit, and the third, "Freunde Bleiben," was selected to represent Germany in the annual Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2006 they released their second studio album, Chaostheorie. A success for the band, it spawned three singles, "Ich Werd die Weld Verandern," "Du Explodierst," and "Unzertrennlich." Their third studio album, In Farbe, was released in 2010 and saw a collaboration with Die Happy singer Marta Jandova on the track "Halt Dich an Mir Fest." In 2012, Florian Speer left Revolverheld, and Chris Rodriguez signed on as the group's new bassist; the band's new lineup made its recording debut with the 2013 album Immer in Bewegung. In April 2015, the band put on a career-spanning live show at Friedrich-Ebert-Halle in Hamburg, Germany for MTV Unplugged; it included guests ranging from Annett Louisan and Rea Garvey to Das Bo. MTV Unplugged in Drei Akten was released that fall. In 2018 the group issued its fifth full-length outing, Zimmer mit Blick, which peaked at number two on the German albums chart. ~ Jason Ankeny