Landser (band)
Encyclopedia
Landser was a neo-Nazi
rock band from Germany
. Landser is an old-fashioned German
colloquialism
for a low-ranking soldier. The band, which is outlawed in Germany, was previously called Endlösung (Final Solution
), and was founded by members of the neo-Nazi group Die Vandalen - Ariogermanische Kampfgemeinschaft (The Vandals - Aryan Germanic Combat Association), which was founded in 1982.
They performed only one concert that was open to the public, and did so wearing masks. However, they held several private concerts in restaurants in Berlin
, Germany. Landser recorded its music in Germany, but had the CDs manufactured abroad, mainly in the United States
, Canada
and Eastern Europe
. The music is distributed online, by underground dealers through peer to peer networks or purchased from music labels in the United States and in some European countries where their music is legal (mostly in Eastern Europe
and the United Kingdom
).
. Another song glorifies Nazi Rudolf Hess
as a martyr and, in "Opa war Sturmführer" ("Grandpa was a Sturmführer
"), Michael Regener, the band's leader, pays tribute to his grandfather, who was a Waffen Schutzstaffel
(SS) officer.
Most of their songs espouse an aggressively nationalist
perspective of the world and are highly critical of the Federal Republic of Germany, its surveillance and censorship agencies (i.e. the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz), liberalism
and the Left
. A number of songs speak against communists, pedophiles and homosexuals, as well as ethnic minorities in Germany, such as the Jews, Turks and Poles. Some of their songs are non-political and inspired by German drinking song
s. Others praise German icons such as Frederick the Great or take an anti-drug stance.
, or are found to incite race hatred. Two members received nearly two years probation, while the band's leader, Michael Regener was sentenced to more than three years in prison
, making it the first time a band has been declared illegal in Germany and its members incarcerated. On March 10, 2005, the German Federal Court of Justice, Germany's highest court, rejected Regener's appeal of his sentence.
Regener was still producing CDs while waiting for his appeal. After the forced breakup of Landser, Regener founded a new band in 2004, Die Lunikoff Verschwörung (The Lunikoff conspiracy). They have made several CDs, including 2004's Die Rückkehr des Unbegreiflichen, Amalek
Vol. 1 & 2, and 2005's Niemals auf Knien. The lyrics of these CDs were vetted by lawyers to make them not actionable according to German law. On October 21, 2006, approximately 750 neo-Nazis launched a protest outside the jail where Regener was being held, demanding his release.
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
rock band from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Landser is an old-fashioned German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
for a low-ranking soldier. The band, which is outlawed in Germany, was previously called Endlösung (Final Solution
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
), and was founded by members of the neo-Nazi group Die Vandalen - Ariogermanische Kampfgemeinschaft (The Vandals - Aryan Germanic Combat Association), which was founded in 1982.
They performed only one concert that was open to the public, and did so wearing masks. However, they held several private concerts in restaurants in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany. Landser recorded its music in Germany, but had the CDs manufactured abroad, mainly in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. The music is distributed online, by underground dealers through peer to peer networks or purchased from music labels in the United States and in some European countries where their music is legal (mostly in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
).
Music
Landser's first major release was Das Reich kommt wieder (The Reich Will Rise Again). Their other albums include Republik der Strolche (Republic of Rascals) and Ran an den Feind, (Engage the Enemy), which includes a remake of the 1940 German military march "Bomben auf England", with new lyrics that call for the bombing of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Another song glorifies Nazi Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
as a martyr and, in "Opa war Sturmführer" ("Grandpa was a Sturmführer
Sturmführer
Sturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party which began as a title used by the Sturmabteilung in 1925 and became an actual SA rank in 1928...
"), Michael Regener, the band's leader, pays tribute to his grandfather, who was a Waffen Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS) officer.
Most of their songs espouse an aggressively nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
perspective of the world and are highly critical of the Federal Republic of Germany, its surveillance and censorship agencies (i.e. the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz), liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and the Left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
. A number of songs speak against communists, pedophiles and homosexuals, as well as ethnic minorities in Germany, such as the Jews, Turks and Poles. Some of their songs are non-political and inspired by German drinking song
Drinking song
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
s. Others praise German icons such as Frederick the Great or take an anti-drug stance.
Legal action
In Germany, the band has been deemed a criminal organization. Three members of Landser were convicted of "forming a criminal gang organization" in December 2003, under laws that forbid publishing materials that defame the deaths of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, or are found to incite race hatred. Two members received nearly two years probation, while the band's leader, Michael Regener was sentenced to more than three years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, making it the first time a band has been declared illegal in Germany and its members incarcerated. On March 10, 2005, the German Federal Court of Justice, Germany's highest court, rejected Regener's appeal of his sentence.
Regener was still producing CDs while waiting for his appeal. After the forced breakup of Landser, Regener founded a new band in 2004, Die Lunikoff Verschwörung (The Lunikoff conspiracy). They have made several CDs, including 2004's Die Rückkehr des Unbegreiflichen, Amalek
Amalek
The Amalekites are a people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an ancestor Amalek....
Vol. 1 & 2, and 2005's Niemals auf Knien. The lyrics of these CDs were vetted by lawyers to make them not actionable according to German law. On October 21, 2006, approximately 750 neo-Nazis launched a protest outside the jail where Regener was being held, demanding his release.
Discography
- Landser: Lunikoff Demo '92, ~1992, MC/later CD.
- Landser: Das Reich kommt wieder, 1992, MC/later CD - banned in Germany.
- Landser: Republik der Strolche, 1995, MC/CD - banned in Germany.
- Landser: Berlin bleibt deutsch, 1996, CD (identical with "Das Reich kommt wieder", Bootleg) - banned in Germany.
- Landser: Deutsche Wut, 1997, CD (called "Rock gegen oben") - banned in Germany.
- Landser: Best of..., 2001, CD. forbidden since October 2005.
- Landser, Stahlgewitter, Hauptkampflinie (HKL): Amalek - illegal in Germany.
- Landser: Ran an den Feind, 2001, CD - banned in Germany.
- Landser: Sampler, 2001, CD - banned in Germany.
- Landser: Endlösung - Final Solution: The Early Years, 2002, CD - banned in Germany.
- Tanzorchester Immervoll, 2002, CD.
- Rock gegen ZOG - hepp, hepp..., 2003, CD.
- Tribute to Landser, 2003, CD.