The history of FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA dates back to 1988. On October 7, 1988, on the holiday "Day of the Republic," the band played their first concert at the "Club Südstadt" in Cottbus. The concert took place illegally, as the band did not have a state performance permit at that time, which was mandatory in the GDR to perform legally.
Shortly thereafter, the band received an engagement at the State Theater Dresden.
Just before the fall of the Wall, there were the first lineup changes. New to the band was Roger Baptist (now known as "Rummelsnuff").
I do not wish to recount the more than entertaining and eventful history of the band in all its details, which can be read among other places on Wikipedia, just this much. There have always been overlaps between film, art, opera, and music.
The band even had the audacity to decline a request from Die Toten Hosen when they asked the band to support them.
In 1992, the band came to an end.
It wasn't until 2009 that FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA reemerged. Since then, they have been active with a consistently stable lineup, except for a change on guitar. The lineup is as follows:
Ray van Zeschau Vocals
Joey A. Vaising Guitar (also the band's producer)
Tex Morton Guitar (among others, Ex Mad Sin, Sunny Domestosz, Nitro17)
Rajko Gohlke Bass (Knorkator, Ex Think About Mutation, Mikrowelle)
Boris I. Fernandez Drums
As diverse as the musical backgrounds of the band members are, so diverse is the music of FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA.
"Angelus Luminis" is the current album, which was released on October 3, 2026, and contains thirteen songs.
The concerts of FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA are always moving productions. So is the album "Angelus Luminis."
The songs are carried by the extraordinary voice of Ray van Zeschau. Extraordinary because he can do everything with his voice.
Sometimes it sounds like opera, sometimes like a narrator, sometimes like a punk rock singer, and often everything in between, yet all together. It is a voice that never ceases to amaze me, even after multiple listens to "Angelus Luminis."
In addition, there is a sound that rarely sounds like punk rock, but often resembles dark rock, even dark or cold wave, and gothic, and is also well-placed in the industrial sound.
The string section achieves extraordinary results. There is a whole battery of effect devices being played with such perfection that it sometimes sounds almost artificial.
The lyrics are sometimes yearning, like in "Der kleine Prinz," sometimes just an everyday observation or everyday longing like in "Wir schaffen das," sometimes a bit fragmentary and contradictory like in "Hoffnung," but also sometimes punkishly forward-moving with "Hey ho let's go."
Each song is a large, heavy piece in itself. Each song is, in the best sense, staged and produced so appropriately that all the songs together are almost an overdose. In fact, for me, the many changes in mood on the album become somewhat exhausting over time.
FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA do not make easily accessible music. The band plays a unique style. A style that sits between chairs yet is a style that has many fans. Not only among people who like subcultural rock music in the broadest sense but also among people from the art and film scene. The early connections to opera and film still exist, and so on October 3, 2026, there was a more than impressive production by the band at the Festspielhaus Hellerau.
It was more than a performance!
On May 25, 2026, they performed at the "Wave Gothic Meeting" in Leipzig.
FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA are strikingly extraordinary.
A mix of industrial, dark, gothic, and avant-garde.
Unique!
