Slime (band)

Slime is a German punk rock band, founded in 1979 and disbanded in 1994. The pre-Slime band was called Screamer, and the post-Slime band is – contrary to the occasional rumors – not Emils (Slime backwards), but Rubberslime, with the member Elf. In 2010, the band reformed to play some concerts for their 30th anniversary without key member Stephan Mahler, who had written most of the lyrics of the last albums. He is substituted by Alex Schwers. Nici took over bass duties from original member Sven "Eddie" Räther. The new incarnation has since brought out an album "Sich Fügen Heißt Lügen" ("submitting means lying") and tours occasionally.

Contents

• Discography
• Live and Compilations
• Singles
• Tribute Sampler
• DVDs
• Songs
• References

The band was founded by Michael "Elf" Mayer (guitar), Eddi Räther (bass) and Ball (Peter Wodok – drums). Some months later, Dirk "Dicken" Jora joined as vocalist. Christian Mevs joined the band in 1980 as second guitarist, and Ball left in 1981 and was replaced by Stephan Mahler.

While their songs in the beginning featured simple riffing and rather stereotypic anarchist sloganeering, music and lyrics became darker and more complex by the third album "Alle Gegen Alle".

Notable songs are "Deutschland Muss Sterben (...Damit Wir Leben Können)" (Germany must die (... so we can live)) (an allusion to "Deutschland muß leben, auch wenn wir sterben müssen" (Germany must live, even if we have to die), the inscription on the Kriegerdenkmal in Hamburg-Dammtor which is a line of the Soldatenlied by the German poet Heinrich Lersch), "Bullenschweine" (literally cop swines), "Polizei SA/SS" (police SA/SS), comparing police to the SA and SS and "A.C.A.B." ("All Cops Are Bastards").

They sang song against war (e.g. "We Don't Need the Army"), and they made a punk anthem with the song "Hey Punk". They even produced songs against their government ("They Don't Give a Fuck"), their justice ("Gerechtigkeit" - means fairness), their police and their politicians ("Sand im Getriebe"). The song "Yankees Raus" (Yankees out) is against imperialism.

The following years, neo-fascism in Germany was rising more and more, so they felt dutybound to sing against them. While their 1992 comeback album "Viva La Muerte" was a rather sketchy affair, their 1994 album "Schweineherbst" (Autumn Of Swines) is by many seen as their masterpiece, musically as well as lyrically. The title song is a raging attack against rightwing mobs, who burned down homes for asylum seekers as well as those who just talk against it but do not act.

The chilling song "Der Tod Ist Ein Meister aus Deutschland" (Death is a master from Germany) was inspired by the poem Todesfuge (lit. "Death Fugue") by Paul Celan, who was a prisoner in different concentration camps during the Third reich which describes the horrors he had experienced there.