Laibach



"Laibach were and still are just about the biggest IRL trolls on the music scene, if not anywhere in the world."

- Encyclopedia Dramatica on Laibach

"Purpose: to provoke maximum collective emotions and release the automatic response of masses.."

- Laibach on Laibach

Laibach is a Slovenian Industrial music group, formed June 1, 1980 in Slovenia (then Yugoslavia), built upon provoking thought via offensive and often Self Parodic aesthetics and are known for never breaking Kayfabe.

They started off their campaign with their name, which was the medieval German name that the Nazis reimposed on the Slovenian capital during WWII, from there, eventually leading to them being banned from Yugoslavia after a interview on state TV where they appeared in full Nazi regalia spewing nonsensical fascist rhetoric.

Of course they kept right on going, using a black cross as opposed to their now banned name, until the Yugoslavian government collapsed.

Between then and now they’ve covered almost every artist you can think of, gone through a whole roster of members, worn some unusual headgear, and founded their own state.

The current lineups are:

Volk

 * Milan Fras - vocals
 * Ivan Novak - lights and projection
 * Mina Špiler - vocals, synthesizer
 * Janez Gabrič - drums
 * Luka Jamnik - synthesizer
 * Sašo Vollmaier - synthesizer
 * Eva Breznikar - vocals, percussion
 * Nataša Regovec - vocals, percussion
 * Damjan Bizilj - synthesizer

KunstDerFuge

 * Luka Jamnik - electronics
 * Iztok Turk - electronics
 * Janez Gabrič - drums
 * Sašo Vollmaier - electronics
 * Ivan Novak - electronics and voice

Laibach 'music soirée'

 * Dejan Knez - electronics and voice
 * Srečko Bajda - electronics
 * Marko Košnik - electronics
 * Andrej Lupinc - electronics and bass guitar

Releases (Not including cassette & Vinyl exclusives):

 * Laibach
 * Opus Dei
 * Rekapitulacija
 * Let It Be
 * Nova Akropola
 * Macbeth
 * Sympathy for the Devil (EP)
 * Kapital
 * Ljubljana-Zagreb-Beograd
 * NATO
 * Slovenska Akropola
 * Jesus Christ Superstars
 * M.B. December 21, 1984
 * WAT (Mute Rec., 2003, London)
 * Anthems
 * Volk
 * Laibachkunstderfuge (Only on CD in Slovenia & Croatia)

This band exhibits the following tropes:

 * Author Appeal: Laibach seem to like stags. Stags (in various forms) show up in many of their videos, and a mounted stag's head was one of the stage props at their show in London 2012.
 * Bilingual Bonus: One of Laibach's best known songs is "One Vision" by Queen, sung in German. It has been re-titled "Geburt Einer Nation," which translates as Birth of a Nation.
 * Cover Version: This band is most famous for these, having covered (among others) Prince, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, DAF, Europe and even Paul Revere And The Raiders. Also their cover of Opus's "Life Is Life" inspired the Juno Reactor song "God Is God", which they covered in turn.
 * Concept Album: NATO is about the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, written as it was occurring.
 * The Cover Changes the Meaning: All their covers are re-arranged in their trademark deadpan comic Industrial style.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: "God is God" and "Life is Life"
 * Genre Shift: Far from their current Wagnerian EBM, their early work was a No Wave inspired mass of ominous clattering percussion, guttural growls and Free Jazz influenced brass.
 * Nice Hat: Singer Milan Fras always wears a distinctive cap with long skirts at the back and sides.
 * Putting On the Reich: They originally wore Yugoslavian army uniforms, but later got some personalized black uniforms that hit this trope right on the head.
 * Refuge in Audacity: Almost all of the time.
 * Rock Me Amadeus: They performed a surprisingly straightforward interpretation of Die Kunst Der Fuge on synthesizers, and reworked Richard Wagner's "Overture To The Tannhäuser And The Singers' Contest At The Wartburg", "Sigfried-Idyll" and "The Ride Of The Walkyries".
 * Troll: See the Encyclopedia Dramatica quote above.