Coppelius
Victorian chamber music played with the aggression of heavy metal. Clarinet, cello, and double bass replace guitars in this high-energy, theatrical steampunk riot.
Victorian chamber music played with the aggression of heavy metal. Clarinet, cello, and double bass replace guitars in this high-energy, theatrical steampunk riot.
Imagine a 19th-century salon that has been hijacked by a heavy metal band. The air is thick with the smell of old paper and ozone, but the energy is pure mosh pit. Instead of the screech of electric guitars, you get the woody, resonant bite of clarinets and cellos played with punishing intensity. It is sophisticated yet rowdy, blending the precision of classical training with the raw, driving pulse of rock and roll.
What makes this truly distinctive is the commitment to the bit. The band members perform in full Victorian regalia, maintaining fictitious identities that bridge the gap between E.T.A. Hoffmann’s dark Romanticism and modern industrial aesthetics. The harpsichord and upright bass provide a rhythmic foundation that feels both ancient and urgent, creating a 'kammercore' sound that no one else has quite replicated.
Start with 'Hertzmaschine' to hear their sound at its most refined and powerful. It perfectly captures the tension between their acoustic instrumentation and their high-voltage songwriting. If you want to hear how they transform familiar sounds, their covers of metal classics prove that a cello can be just as heavy as a Gibson Flying V.
Coppelius is a German band from Berlin that plays metal on drums, double bass, cello, and clarinet. The band's name is taken from E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story "Der Sandmann". Their logo consists of a top hat with the word "Coppelius" underneath. The band is made up of Max Coppella (clarinet and vocals), Comte Caspar (clarinet, vocals, harpsichord), Graf Lindorf (cello, vocals), Sissy Voss (double bass), Herr Linus von Doppelschlag (drums, joined 2019), and Bastille (Butler, vocals). Former band members include Nobusama (drums, left 2018). Additionally, they are often accompanied by Prof. Mosch Terpin (technician and harpsichord). On stage the members of the band wear formal, old-fashioned clothes, inspired mainly by the Victorian era. This era is also an inspiration for a lot of the themes in Copellius' music. For this reason, they are often referred to as a Steampunk band.
Shares rebellious, energetic, playful (moods); harmonized, intense, baritone (vocal style)
Shares rebellious, mysterious, energetic (moods); live recording, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares rebellious, energetic, playful (moods); live recording, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares analog warmth, live recording, orchestral arrangement (production style); rebellious, mysterious, playful (moods)
Shares rebellious, energetic, playful (moods); analog warmth, live recording, studio polished (production style)
Shares playful, rebellious, energetic (moods); basement show, festival, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares mysterious, energetic, playful (moods); progressive rock, art rock (subgenres)
Shares rebellious, energetic, playful (moods); studio polished, analog warmth, orchestral arrangement (production style)
Shares playful, mysterious, rebellious (moods); studio polished, analog warmth, orchestral arrangement (production style)
Shares symphonic metal, operatic, darkwave, cathedral (subgenre)
Shares symphonic metal, operatic, progressive rock, library (subgenre)
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