Finnish rock cello quartet
APOCALYPTICA has released a statement clarifying a report that was originally published on the German web site
Anwalt24.de which indicated that the band was forced to pay 45,000 euros (approximately $59,000) in damages to German industrial rockers
RAMMSTEIN. According to the site, the legal action arose in connection with a German advertising campaign for
APOCALYPTICA's 2007 album,
"Worlds Collide", which featured guest vocals from
RAMMSTEIN singer
Til Lindemann. The record was reportedly sold in Germany with a sticker across the cover that said, "featuring
RAMMSTEIN." The Regional Court of Berlin ruled against
APOCALYPTICA in the case for trademark infringement.
APOCALYPTICA's official statement regarding this matter reads as follows:
"The [
Anwalt24.de] article's headline [which suggested that
APOCALYPTICA was forced to pay damages to
RAMMSTEIN] is substantially wrong: neither the band
APOCALYPTICA nor their management are or were involved in the described lawsuit. However, the parties involved are the band
RAMMSTEIN and
Sony Music Entertainment GmbH, as the successor of the by now-defunct affiliated label
GUN Records.
"
APOCALYPTICA and
Halbe Miete Management regret the events, but neither had any influence on a violation of trademark and naming rights, nor any part in whatsoever resulting agreements.
"It is correct that
GUN Records published advertisements with the stated endorsement disregarding existing agreements, and the band
RAMMSTEIN subsequently filed a lawsuit against
Sony Music Entertainment GmbH as the parent company. It is furthermore correct that
Sony Music Entertainment GmbH and
RAMMSTEIN have agreed on a settlement, the details of which, however, are unknown to
APOCALYPTICA and
Halbe Miete Management. We ask that further articles on the topic correctly reproduce the facts."
This incident adds to a recent stretch of bad news about
APOCALYPTICA. As previously reported, the band has been forced to pull the vocals of
SHINEDOWN frontman
Brent Smith off the group's new single,
"Not Strong Enough", after the band failed to secure the right to release the song to radio with
Smith's voice on it from
SHINEDOWN's label,
Atlantic Records.
APOCALYPTICA member
Eicca Toppinen told
The Pulse Of Radio that making records which feature multiple guest vocalists, like the band's last two efforts, is often a logistical nightmare. "It's really a big, complex process, because it's so much company policies and so much schedule problems and people can't come to
APOCALYPTICA record and release a single with us if they have own release coming at the same time," he said. "So it's a lot of this kind of thing."
Smith's vocal track remains on the version found on the group's latest album,
"7th Symphony", while the radio version will feature vocals from
HOOBASTANK's
Doug Robb.
Finally, health issues on the part of member
Perttu Kivilaaskso forced
APOCALYPTICA to postpone a U.S. tour and a number of European dates, all of which have been rescheduled.
The German music stars, who are coming to South Africa in February, and Big Concerts decided together that, because of the limited time available to them to set up the Rammstein stage, lighting, audio and pyrotechnics, there would be no supporting act.
The band has influences of industrial hard rock, heavy metal and electronic music, peppered with punk rock and gothic sounds. They have sold more than 15 million records around the world, and have had multiple Gold albums and DVD releases in SA.
They are one of the most successful German-language bands ever, and have performed at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues throughout their career.