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With one foot in the realm of death


Action: CEMETERY
Title: Thoughts On Life... And Death
Base: Schongau • Germany
Style: Old School Death Metal
Genre: Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal
FFO: Death, Pestilence, early Opeth
Type: Full-length
Format: CD + Digital
Label: Independent
Distro: RecordJet
Release: Aug. 08, 2025


Bulletpoints:
🔘 Great album by the 1990 founded band
🔘 Tragic abysmal, brute charismatic songs
🔘 A timeless old school gem of the genre



A majestic revelation of the downfall:
"Thoughts On Life... And Death" by German OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL grailkeepers CEMETERY is a 50-minute concept album about the rise of a totalitarian regime and the downfall of the individual.

The thrilling story is told from the point of view of a protagonist. Let’s just call him "Jim" and as is usual for a concept album, some musical elements are repeated in different variations.



[ Music video for "Grief, Anger And Despair" ]


Front man Dani Zizek reveals:
"'Grief, Anger And Despair' is probably the most aggressive track on the album. I wrote it during a time when I was reflecting on state power, injustice, and the loss of control. What happens when justice no longer serves the truth, but political interests? When people who resist simply disappear? I wanted to put that helplessness into sound. Musically, it's four and a half minutes of pure rage – frantic drumming, razor-sharp riffs, no breathing space. The video, created by Matthias Heilmeier, captures that exact atmosphere. He managed to translate the bleak and oppressive mood of the song into raw and powerful images – intense, dark, and absolutely uncompromising."



[ Music video for "Thoughts On Life" ]


The band says:
"We have put everything we have into it. Our whole heart, our experience, our knowledge and our skills. But it's not just about us. From the stunning artwork by Silvio Fiorese (acrylic on canvas... no AI!) to the lush, heavy but transparent production created by Sergej Dukart at Walzwerk recording studio. This is our 'opus magnum'! The biggest and best of CEMETERY you've ever heard!"




It begins with "Thoughts On Life". A no-frills, short and fast opener in which Jim briefly shares his thoughts and fears with us.

"Among The Dead", a classic old school Death Metal tune in which Jim perceives a creeping change in society.

"Grief, Anger and Despair": The judicial system judges according to political guidelines. Despair spreads. Accompanied by crazy drumming and string work at the highest level. In the band’s opinion, the most aggressive song on the album.

"Physical Fear". Do you know the feeling of feeling fear as "materialized"? Jim finds out when he is arrested with many others in a deadly street revolt. Musically packed in a sluggish stomper at the beginning, with a sprawling instrumental part in the middle.

"Nothingness" introduces the second part of the album as a short, classically tinged intermezzo. From here it becomes "different". More willing to experiment.

"Lock The Doors To Your Mind": Jim, now imprisoned, doubts his sanity and what has happened. This song contains all the styles that distinguish CEMETERY and is considered the band’s new calling card, so to speak.

It continues with "Believe". Here, Jim is kindly but firmly told in an interrogation that it is time for him to give up his individualism and subordinate himself to the official "truth". Musically ultra fast at the beginning, the piece transitions into a very quiet part to take a breath for what follows.

This is followed by "Truth A". The official, only valid truth. Jim sits alone in a bare, cold interrogation room. A voice from a croaking loudspeaker mounted to the wall announces the verdict on him. The later court hearing is to take place only as a show trial. The number is mainly an instrumental which becomes more and more oppressive towards the end, leaving the paths of classic Death Metal far behind.

Now we reach the "grande finale" of the album. You have maybe 11 minutes to give yourself oppressive, psyche-gnawing Doom Death? The song never gets fast and explodes in desperate beauty in the second part. Jim has now undergone several brutal torture interrogations and is left to die in a dark, windowless dungeon. He escapes into his thoughts and longs for a little human warmth, but knows that he will die alone. What remains for him is his dignity, which he desperately clings to until his last breath. The song is called "Thoughts On Death".





FLASHBACK:
CEMETERY was founded in 1990 by singer/guitarist/songwriter Dani Zizek and drummer Michael Bolz in Schongau/Bavaria and was initially active throughout Germany until 1994. In 1991 a demo was produced, which was very positively received by the scene and the band quickly achieved certain cult status far beyond the borders of Germany. Concerts with bands like Fleshcrawl, Dark Millennium, Pyogenesis etc. followed.

At the end of 1994, shortly after the completion of the debut album "Enter The Gate", produced by Falk Gruber (Atrocity, Sinister), the band came to an abrupt end. At that time, CEMETERY were under contract with a German label, which filed for bankruptcy and could no longer fulfill its obligations to the bands. In order to avoid the threat of legal disputes, Dani Zizek decided to end the project without further ado.

In 2017, after a break of more than 20 years, CEMETERY was reactivated and was a transatlantic project with members in Los Angeles and Bavaria until 2020. The second album "The Last Day on Earth" was recorded with this line-up by Grammy-nominated producer Paul Fig in Los Angeles. Fig worked with well-known acts as Alice In Chains, The Mars Volta, Trivium, Slipknot, Ghost, Rush, Deftones etc. and is a buddy of the former CEMETERY drummer Dave Ferrara and so the collaboration begun quite easy.

Since 2021, after several line-up changes, a constant line-up has solidified, consisting of band founder Dani Zizek (voc, git), Markus Heilmeier (git), Stefan Hendel (bass) and Tobias Kasper (drums).

Over the years, CEMETERY has developed a very independent and concise style, which could be described as a mix of old school Death, Black and Progressive Metal. (In order not to dilute CEMETERY's style, songwriter Dani Zizek deliberately listens to little to no Death Metal in his private life …)

Although the band likes to be on stage and is always able to implement the high musical level, CEMETERY performances are rare. The simple reason: You don’t let yourself be sold off. For good gig offers at reasonable conditions, however, the band likes to exchange rehearsal room and studio for a stage.



ONLINE

"Thoughts On Life... And Death" ➭ Streaming Pre-save

Landing Page

EMAIL

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TRACKS
01. Thoughts On Life 02:54
02. Among The Dead 04:24
03. Grief, Anger And Despair 04:23
04. Physical Fear 06:01
05. Nothingness 02:16
06. Lock The Doors To Your Mind 06:00
07. Believe 05:56
08. Truth "A" 06:34
09. Thoughts On Death 11:13

total: 49:41 min.

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LINE-UP
Dani Zizek • Guitars, Vocals
Markus Heilmeier • Guitars
Stefan Hendel • Bass
Tobias Kasper • Drums

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DISCOGRAPHY
1991 • Cemetery • Demo
1993 • Enter The Gate • Recordings unreleased
2014 • Enter The Gate • Full-length
2019 • The Last Day On Earth • Full-length
2019 • Enter The Gate (Re-release) • Full-length
2025 • Thoughts On Life... And Death • Full-length

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VISUAL CREDITS
Band: Matthias Heilmeier
Artwork: Silvio Fiorese
Logo: Cemetery

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INTERVIEWS ➭ CEMETERY are available via phone, Zoom & email