Atrocity are a German heavy metal band from Ludwigsburg. Formed in 1985, the group originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Alexander Krull, guitarists Mathias Röderer and Frank Knodel, bassist René Tometschek, and drummer Gernot Winkler. The band's current lineup includes Krull, the sole constant member, alongside drummer Joris Nijenhuis (since 2012), guitarist Micki Richter (since 2019), bassist Andre Nasso (since 2021) and guitarist Luc Gebhardt (since 2022).

History Atrocity formed in 1985, with the original lineup consisting of Alexander Krull on vocals, Mathias Röderer and Frank Knodel on guitars, René Tometschek on bass, and Gernot Winkler on drums. After releasing their first demo Instigators in 1988, the group replaced Winkler with Michael Schwarz, signed with Nuclear Blast, and released "Blue Blood" in 1989. Shortly thereafter, the group recruited guitarist Richard Scharf and bassist Oliver Klasen to replace Knodel and Tometschek, respectively, and the new lineup released the band's full-length debut Hallucinations in 1990. Todessehnsucht followed in 1992, before Klasen was replaced by Markus Knapp for the recording of 1994's Blut. Before a European tour at the end of the year, Thorsten Bauer joined Atrocity as a third guitarist.

During 1995, both Scharf and Knapp left the band, with the latter replaced by new bassist Chris Lukhaup. The lineup of Krull, Röderer, Bauer, Lukhaup and Schwarz released Willenskraft in 1996 and Werk 80 in 1997, before Martin Schmidt took over on drums from May 1999. Gemini and Atlantis followed in 2000 and 2004, respectively, before Schmidt was replaced by Moritz Neuner in January 2005. Neuner played on just one album, Werk 80 II, before leaving Atrocity and spin-off Leaves' Eyes alongside Lukhaup in November 2007 – Lukhaup for "personal reasons" and Neuner for "another turn in his working career". In January 2008, Alla Fedynitch and Nick Barker were announced as both bands' new bassist and drummer, respectively. By October, Barker had been replaced by Seven Antonopoulos.

In January 2010, Krull became the sole original member of Atrocity when guitarist Mathias Röderer left the group for "family reasons". He was replaced by Sander van der Meer. Two more lineup changes occurred later in the year – in the summer, Antonopoulos was replaced by Roland Navratil, and in October, Fedynitch made way for JB van der Wal (who became an official member in May 2011). Navratil remained until February 2012, when he left for "private reasons" and was replaced by Joris Nijenhuis. By the end of the year, the group had become a four-piece after the departure of van der Wal. Guitarist Bauer performed all bass on the 2013 release Okkult. Bauer continued to cover bass duties during Atrocity and Leaves' Eyes live shows following the release of Okkult.

Pete Streit replaced van der Meer in September 2015, after several months filling in for the former guitarist. He performed on 2018's Okkult II, before leaving for "private reasons" in November 2019 to be replaced by Micki Richter. In June 2021, the band returned to a five-member setup for the first time since 2013 with the addition of Andre Nasso on bass. At the end of the year, Atrocity announced that Bauer would be leaving the band after more than 25 years in the lineup, with the guitarist and bassist writing in a statement that "I feel that now is the right time for me to ... look forward to and embrace new things and challenges in my life." Bauer was not replaced until September 2022, when Luc Gebhardt took his place.

Members Current ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsAlexander Krull1985–presentall Atrocity releasesJoris Nijenhuis2012–presentall Atrocity releases from Die Gottlosen Jahre: Live in Wacken (2012) onwards, except Unspoken Names (Demo 1991) (2022)Micki Richter2019–presentguitarOkkult III (2023)Andre Nasso2021–presentbassLuc Gebhardt2022–presentguitar

Former ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsMathias Röderer1985–2010guitarall Atrocity releases from Instigators (1988) to Werk 80 II (2008)Frank Knodel1985–1989René TometschekbassGernot Winkler1985–1988drumsInstigators (1988)Michael Schwarz1988–1999Richard Scharf1989–1995guitarOliver Klasen1989–1994bassMarkus Knapp1994–1995Thorsten Bauer1994–2021all Atrocity releases from Calling the Rain (1995) to Okkult II (2018)Chris Lukhaup1995–2007bassall Atrocity releases from Die Liebe (1995) to Werk 80 II (2008)Martin Schmidt1999–2005drumsMoritz Neuner2005–2007Werk 80 II (2008)Alla Fedynitch2008–2010bassnoneNick Barker2008drumsSeven Antonopoulos2008–2010After the Storm (2010)Sander van der Meer2010–2015guitarRoland Navratil2010–2012Die Gottlosen Jahre (2012)JB van der Wal2010–2012bassPete Streit2015–2019guitarOkkult II (2018)

Timeline

Lineups PeriodMembersReleases1985–1988Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Frank Knodel – guitar René Tometschek – bass Gernot Winkler – drumsInstigators demo (1988)1988–1989Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Frank Knodel – guitar René Tometschek – bass Michael Schwarz – drums, percussion"Blue Blood" (1989)Late 1989 – early 1994Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Richard Scharf – guitar Oliver Klasen – bass Michael Schwarz – drums, percussionHallucinations (1990) Todessehnsucht (1992) Unspoken Names (Demo 1991) (2022)Early – late 1994Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Richard Scharf – guitar Markus Knapp – bass Michael Schwarz – drums, percussionBlut (1994)Late 1994 – early 1995Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Richard Scharf – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Markus Knapp – bass Michael Schwarz – drums, percussionCalling the Rain (1995)Early – late 1995Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Richard Scharf – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Chris Lukhaup – bass Michael Schwarz – drums, percussionDie Liebe (1995)Late 1995 – May 1999Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Chris Lukhaup – bass Michael Schwarz – drums, percussionWillenskraft (1996) Werk 80 (1997)May 1999 – January 2005Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Chris Lukhaup – bass Martin Schmidt – drumsGemini (2000) Atlantis (2004)January 2005 – November 2007Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Chris Lukhaup – bass Moritz Neuner – drumsWerk 80 II (2008)January – October 2008Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Alla Fedynitch – bass Nick Barker – drumsrowspan="2" October 2008 – January 2010Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Mathias Röderer – guitar Thorsten Bauer – guitar Alla Fedynitch – bass Seven Antonopoulos – drums, percussionJanuary – summer 2010Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Thorsten Bauer – guitar Sander van der Meer – guitar Alla Fedynitch – bass Seven Antonopoulos – drums, percussionAfter the Storm (2010)Summer – October 2010Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Thorsten Bauer – guitar Sander van der Meer – guitar Alla Fedynitch – bass Roland Navratil – drums, percussionOctober 2010 – February 2012Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards Thorsten Bauer – guitar Sander van der Meer – guitar JB van der Wal – bass Roland Navratil – drums, percussionDie Gottlosen Jahre (2012)February – late 2012Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Thorsten Bauer – guitar Sander van der Meer – guitar JB van der Wal – bass Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsLate 2012 – early 2015Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Sander van der Meer – guitar Thorsten Bauer – bass, guitar Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsOkkult (2013)September 2015 – November 2019Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Pete Streit – guitar Thorsten Bauer – bass, guitar Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsOkkult II (2018)November 2019 – June 2021Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Micki Richter – guitar Thorsten Bauer – bass, guitar Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsrowspan="3" June – December 2021Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Thorsten Bauer – guitar Micki Richter – guitar Andre Nasso – bass Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsJanuary – September 2022Alexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Micki Richter – guitar Andre Nasso – bass Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsSeptember 2022 – presentAlexander Krull – lead vocals, keyboards Micki Richter – guitar Luc Gebhardt – guitar Andre Nasso – bass Joris Nijenhuis – drums, backing vocalsOkkult III (2023)

References

External links Atrocity official website