The band Thanateros was started in 1999 by Ben Richter as a solo-project. The name is a combination of the names of the Greek gods of death (Thanatos) and love/sexuality (Eros). He assembled a first line-up in 2000. After the release of the first album ‘The First Rite’ in 2001 Thanateros established itself as a strong part of the German metal- and goth-scene. With the second album ‘Circle Of Life’ (2003) the band focused more on an irish-celtic-folk part within its music by involving traditional instruments. In 2005 the third album ‘Into The Otherworld’ was released, featuring a cover version of The Pogues’ ‘Dirty Old Town’. After a break of two years, the fourth album ‘Liber Lux’ (2009) was released. Musically it was the heaviest and darkest CD of the band. Ben Richter terminated Thanateros at the beginning of 2010 for several reasons.
After working with the band Phosphor for two albums, Richter revived Thanateros together with Phosphor’s guitarist Chris Lang. The album ‘Insomnia’ (2019) was a success and so another album was on the cards. The Covid-19 pandemic caused several delays, but in 2022 the new album ‘On Fragile Wings’ was finally released. This album featured their cover version of Running Up That Hill as a bonus track.
