Einstürzende Neubauten co-founder FM Einheit returns with all new album in March: ‘Radal Angel’ – and there is a Depeche Mode link

(Photo by Thomas Rabsch) Out on March 3rd via Rustblade is the all new album by FM Einheit. Released in a limited edition of 499 copies on grey marbled vinyl, it shows the co-founder and ex-percussionist of Einstürzende Neubauten mixing experimentation and metal percussions with art rock. You can expect a dissonant guitars mix with pianos, trumpets, and tightly wrapped rhythms with vocals by F.M. Einheit and Rica Blunk.
Rica Blunk is a German choreographer, dancer, singer and voice actress, and also the sister of that other musician Timo Blunk. And for the Depeche Mode fans, Blunk was the bassplayer in Palais Schaumburg, a new wave and post-punk band that gained some popularity in Germany in the early 80s. In 1981 the band signed with Daniel Miller’s Mute Records, after which they played support for Depeche Mode.
FM Einheit (real name Frank Martin Strauss) is a German musician and composer. He is best known as the former percussionist and “industrial” drummer for the influential German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten. Einheit joined the band in 1981 and was a member for over a decade, during which time he played on some of their albums, including “Halber Mensch” and “Tabula Rasa.”
In addition to his work with Einstürzende Neubauten, Einheit has also collaborated with a number of other musicians and artists, including Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, the German electronic musician Alva Noto, and the experimental filmmaker Heinz Emigholz. Einheit’s work often incorporates unconventional percussion instruments and found objects, and his music has been described as “industrial,” “experimental,” and “avant-garde.”
Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘s ’.
About FM Einheit
FM Einheit, born Frank-Martin Strauß on 18 December 1958 in Dortmund, Germany, is a self-taught percussionist who began his career in the punk scene, joining the Hamburg band Abwärts in 1979. In the early 1980s he joined Einstürzende Neubauten as percussionist, becoming central to the band’s sound through custom-built metal instruments and its confrontational live shows. He left Einstürzende Neubauten in the mid-1990s during the recording of “Ende Neu.”
After Neubauten, Einheit formed the band Gry with Danish vocalist Gry Bagøien, releasing “The Touch of E!” (1998) and “Public Recording” (2000), and has collaborated with KMFDM, Goethes Erben, Diamanda Galás and Mona Mur. His new solo album features vocals from Einheit and Rica Blunk, who was bassist in Palais Schaumburg, a German post-punk band signed to Daniel Miller’s Mute Records that supported Depeche Mode on tour. Rica Blunk’s earlier band, Palais Schaumburg, supported Depeche Mode on tour after signing to Daniel Miller’s Mute Records – the Depeche Mode link referenced alongside the new album.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.

