Wisborg launches brand new album ‘Phantomschmerz’ on LP and CD
Wisborg launches brand new album 'Phantomschmerz' on LP and CD
German goth rock band Wisborg’s “Phantomschmerz” is out now on limited edition black vinyl and CD via Danse Macabre Records. The album is the band’s fifth full-length, following their self-titled 2024 studio album.
Both physical formats include two exclusive bonus tracks not present on the standard digital edition: a cover of “The Bitter End” by Placebo and a live version of “Im freien Fall” recorded at Amphi Festival 2025 with guest vocals from Chris Harms of Lord Of The Lost. The LP comes as a black vinyl edition with a full-colour illustrated lyric sheet, while the CD is issued in a jewel case with a thick 16-page booklet.
Wisborg says this about the thematically approach of the album: “While our self-titled predecessor often focused on inner pain, ‘Phantomschmerz’ also looks outward, addressing the pain of the world and humanity’s role in its own downfall. Central themes of the album are apocalyptic moods, hopelessness, and guilt – but also the comfort we humans are capable of offering each other in this hopeless situation.”
Two advance singles “Kreatur der Nacht” and “Totentanz” were released digitally ahead of the new Wisborg album.
“Phantomschmerz” was produced by Chris Harms at Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, with mixing and mastering handled by Benjamin Lawrenz and recording and editing duties by Benjamin Mundigler and Gerrit Heinemann. The live recording of “Im freien Fall” was engineered and mixed by Bengt Jaeschke, while Lawrenz again took care of mastering.
About Wisborg and the road to “Phantomschmerz”
Wisborg formed in early 2017 in Hanover as a goth rock / darkwave duo built around vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Konstantin Michaely and guitarist / synth player Nikolas Eckstein. Over time the project evolved into a full live band, with drummer Luc Lacroix joining their stage line-up from 2019 and an additional live guitarist, Peter Thiele, added in 2023; the group is now based in Berlin.
The band’s debut album “The Tragedy Of Seconds Gone” appeared in 2018 via Danse Macabre and introduced their mix of classic gothic rock, darkwave and alternative rock. Their second album “From The Cradle To The Coffin” followed in March 2019.
In March 2021, Wisborg released “Into The Void”, as the third part of an opening trilogy of albums. They expanded this catalogue with the remix collection “Seconds To The Void – The Remixes” in January 2023 and the album “Wisborg” in January 2024, both again via Danse Macabre. A further remix compilation, “Wisborg Remixed”, appeared in October 2024. The new studio album “Phantomschmerz” came out in February 2026.
Front man Konstantin Michaely is also active with the dark folk project Morgue Poetry. We interviewed Morgue Poetry when “In The Absence Of Light” was released.
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.
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.
