In dark times of war and climate crisis, the band Fury in the Slaughterhouse wants to give courage. “Hope” is the name of the 14th studio album by the six musicians from Hanover. The fans can expect twelve new songs between rock, pop and indie – typically Fury guitar-heavy and with emotional songwriting.
“Hope” opens with the anthem “Don’t Give Up!”, which takes the listener back to the 1990s, when the guys from Hanover gained a nationwide fan community at rousing concerts and in 1993 with the album “Mono ” even landed a success in the USA. For many, Fury’s big hits like “Won’t Forget These Days” or “Time To Wonder” are part of the soundtrack of their own lives and are still played at parties today – from the graduation party to the 60th birthday.
Stand up for other people
But how can hope be drawn in the face of the depressing world situation? “People who are willing to use their energy for other people give us hope,” says Fury guitarist Christof Stein-Schneider (61). During their tour, which started in Aurich on July 1st, the band supports various aid organizations.
Under the slogan
After almost ten years the reconciliation came
The musicians can also draw hope from their own path. In the dispute, the band broke up in 2008 after selling more than four million albums, but reconciliation came in 2017. The following concerts were mostly completely sold out, the first studio album after a long time with the title “Now” entered the German charts at number 2 in spring 2021.
“If the album had flopped, then this album might not have existed,” says lead singer Kai Wingenfelder about “Hope”. As with the predecessor, they worked together with producer Vincent Sorg (Broilers, Die Toten Hosen). And in contrast to the past, there was no trouble, but “great fun” in the studio, as the 63-year-old emphasizes: “During the break, we learned to appreciate what we have in each other. It certainly has something to do with age to do. You eventually focus on the good things.”
After the tour, the musicians want to dedicate themselves to solo projects again, as they did during the interim dissolution of the band with the bizarre name. Kai and his brother Thorsten Wingenfelder then appear again as a duo.
Toured with the Pogues in the 90’s
The Rolling Stones and Irish group U2 inspired Fury in the early days. In the 1990s, the group from Hanover also toured with the Irish folk-punk band “The Pogues”. The song “Far Cry From Home” on the new album celebrates Irish pub music.
“When we opened for the Pogues in Hamburg back then, we learned how to avoid 0.3-liter beer mugs on stage,” says Kai Wingenfelder. “And that after just one chord, an audience can look like dancing basketballs.” The live band, which has been trained for more than 35 years, is hoping for such an atmosphere at their own concerts this summer – Hanover and Gelsenkirchen are already sold out.
The six Furys have been living their dream for decades, but what is Kai Wingenfelder’s advice for young musicians? “Become a plumber. You can earn a lot of money with that,” says the singer dryly. “Once you turn on a heater, you’ve earned more than most musicians do in two months.” Now that’s the sarcastic tip. “But seriously, you should never stop dreaming, but you shouldn’t just dream either. If you don’t have a passion for something, you can’t light a fire.”
