Eisbrecher ("Icebreaker") is a splinter group of Megaherz, the greats of the Neue Deutsche Härte ("new German hardness") that was formed in 2003, when vocalist/songwriter Alexx Wesselsky quit due to creative differences and proceeded to make electronic trip-rock, a slightly altered, more synth-reliant version of his previous band's sound, along with Noel Pix, who had played keys on two of Megaherz's albums. They debuted in 2003 with the singles "Mein Blut" and "Fanatica," followed in 2004 by the self-titled full-length. The record did not chart, but its follow-up, Antikörper, climbed to number 85 in Germany. In 2009, Eisbrecher signed to the U.S. Metropolis Records, and Wesselsky even expressed hopes of being the next big German stateside sensation after Rammstein. ~ Alexey Eremenko