Tell us what's right in the home of the wrong.
Die Kammer is the musical project of musicians Marcus Testory and Matthias Ambré.
The ensemble performs in various formations. As a duo, in a four-piece formation with cello and bass, as well as in a larger line-up with viola, violin, cello, tuba, bass and drums.
Their songs, mainly in English, tell bizarre and morbid stories that are characterized by melancholy, transience and death, but also by unwavering joy and lust for life. The narratives often contain subtle sarcasm and social criticism, as well as autobiographical experiences and personal adventures.
They divide their creative periods into so-called "seasons", each of which has a specific motto. We are currently in Season V, which started on April 5, 2024 under the name "Maybe forgotten. Maybe glorious".
Nach fünfeinhalb Jahren veröffentlicht die Kammer ein neues, ihr fünftes Album.
Ein Lebenszeichen und erster Vorbote für die Veränderungen, die Season V mit sich bringen wird.
Batschkapp Open Air, strenge Corona-Bedinugnen
On the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Die Kammer releases its video clip for the song "Second Man on the Moon".
On tour through Germany and Austria with the new songs, Support: Romie.
The fourth Album of Die Kammer appears, including 13 fully orchestrated tracks, Artworks based on Italian madhouses, photos taken by Seven Fennema.
For the first time Ambré/Testory releasing an EP with the label "minimized". Musically completely reduecd to two guitars and vocals. Only guest is Tabea Rotter on Cello.
With real praying mantises.
5.2.16 Leipzig, Moritzbastei, 6.2.16 Berlin, K17, 18.2.16 Hamburg, Logo, 19.2.16 Frankfurt/M., Das Bett, 20.2.16 Köln, Luxor, 4.3.16 Nürnberg, Kon71, 5.3.16 Dresden, Puschkin, 11.3.16 Tübingen, Sudhaus, 12.3.16 AT-Wien, Chelsea
With overall nine shows Die KAMMER ist playing their tour for the new album. First time with 8-person orchestra, introducing Ingo Römling as bass player. Guest cello for some of the shows is Benni Cellini, who also played the very first debut concert years ago.
Tour support is the german folk band »DELVA«. Singer Johanna Krins, who also sung on the new KAMMER album, has every night a guest duet with the song »The Way You Are«.
A new milestone in the history of Die KAMMER: »Season III – Solace in Insanity« erscheint.
First time with bass, first time with a lot of guest musicians and experimental insturments like Drehorgel and Spieluhr.
Cover artwork was realized by photographer Annie Bertram and CGI expert Thomas Klieber.
As the same time as the third album is released, the video for »Love for Life« is publihsed, too. Making-of scenes of the work on the new album, filmed in documentary style.
Location are the Gutleut Studios in Frankfurt / Germany, place of activity of the Kammer violinist Matthias Raue.
In spring of 2014 die KAMMER return to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival and livens up the sold-out renowned theatre.
At the Hexentanz Festival they prove that they can definitely also rock and party.
At the Blackfield Festival in Gelsenkirchen Marcus and Matthias appear spontaneously on a side stage as unannounced an entre'acte.
At the Midnight Special at the Feuertanz Festival they appear in a lineup with only strings.
Die KAMMER go on their first tour as the headliner through several German cities: 21/11 Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal; 22/11. Munich, Strom; 28/11. Leipzig, Moritzbastei; 29/11. Hamburg, Indra; 12/12. Wuppertal, Live Club Barmen.
The mascot and gimmick of the tour is the silhouette of the supposedly wicked »Sinister Sister«.
Die KAMMER release the video for their gruesome but beautiful murder ballad »Sinister Sister«. Illustrator Ingo Römling realises the story lovingly in hand-drawn cut-out animation.
Max, Matze, Aline and Matthias busk in the Leipzig city centre on Pentecost weekend.
In spring 2014 die KAMMER accompanies the band Schandmaul as a support act. Die KAMMER present the best of seasons I and II in a total of seven shows. Thus they enjoy the opportunity to appear in renowned large halls such as the Gasometer in Vienna, the Liederhalle in Stuttgart and the Circus Krone in Munich.
An important milestone in the history of die KAMMER: »Season II – Views from the Inside« is released.
60 minutes of die Kammer music in all its colourful facets. Some of the new songs perfect die Kammer's characteristic style of storytelling in song form.
The cover is decorated by a diorama of a cosy little room. Illustrated by Ingo Römling.
At the beginning of 2014, as a teaser for the coming second album, die KAMMER release the video for the song "Be Careful". In a cosy home environment, sitting in a circle, the entire band can be seen in one video for the first time.
The video was shot in the room that was also the model for the cover art of »Season II«.
The ladies and gentlemen of die Kammer appear for the first time by daylight before a broader audience. These appearances include the Blackfield Festival in Gelsenkirchen and the gigantic 20 Years of Schandmaul anniversary festival at the Cologne Tanzbrunnen.
With the slogan "Beyond Seasons" – thus outside of the usual "seasons" – the first, original version of the video series »Hither and Thither« begins. In the following season, die Kammer release a variation of the video and song with different lineups.
The setting is always the same: before a tree on the idyllic bank of a brook in the »KAMMERgarten« (chamber garden).
Die Kammer's first album containing 12 songs appears as a Digipak CD and for download. The overarching concept of the album and the season is "The Seeming and the Real"; many of the songs deal with conflict and an autobiographical treatment of the theme of "false and true friends".
The cover illustration, a kind of optical illusion of the images of Testory and Ambré, was created by illustrator Ingo Römling. The underlying photographic imagery is from photographer Sven Fennema.
The trailer for the album was produced in 3D by CGI expert Sebastian Schminke based on the existing artwork. The voice is that of well-known speaker Luise Lunow.
Die KAMMER release their first single "The Orphanage" for download only. The video for the song is released on YouTube at the same time.
The video was produced in the style of a historical silhouette animation by illustrator Ingo Römling.
Die KAMMER play their debut concert on Pentecost Sunday 2012 as part of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in Leipzig. The venue is the visually and acoustically impressive interior of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, which is completely full for the concert.
Fellow musicians Benni Gerlach (cello), Rico Schwibs (violin), Aline Deinert (violin), Dirk Klinkhammer (tuba) and Oliver Himmighoffen (drums) appear as well. Matthias Keller narrates the premier of the eighth episode of »Sophie’s Quest« live on-site.
Die KAMMER decide to divide their creative periods into so-called »seasons«. »Season 0 – Early Adoptions« tells the origin story of die Kammer in the form of a fairy tale. The protagonist is little Sophie, who was no longer welcome in her homeland after the death of her grandfather and now travels the world with old and new friends in search of her own »Kammer« (chamber).
The fairy tale was released in eight video episodes under the name »Sophie’s Quest«. The narrator Matthias Keller reads the episodes, interspersed with interview excerpts and statements from the two founder of the band, Testory and Ambré. The mininalistically staged videos were shot in the recording rooms of Ashborn Sound Studios.
Matthias Ambré and Marcus Testory found die KAMMER on 22 December 2011
05.04.2024
Return with a new sound.
19 October 2018
Where wrong is right.
13 songs - more rough, more dirty, more true.
16 March 2018
Die Kammer reduced to guitar and vocals:
3 old songs, 3 cover songs, 3 new songs
05 February 2016
New sounds, new instruments, new experiments
15 tracks, 60 minutes.
14 February 2014
The second long player. Incl. »Sinister Sister« and »Mirror«
15 tracks, 60 minutes.
15 October 2012
The very first album of Die Kammer.
12 tracks, 56 minutes of passion
18 June 2012
The debut single. Only available as download version.
08.03.2024
About red lines
22.12.2021
A song about unconditional love.
20 July 2019
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
15.09.2018
Lyric video by Olga Bokareva, St. Petersburg
16.04.2018
Minimized cover version of the Depeche Mode song.
18.03.2018
New version of an old song by Marcus Testory and his former band 'Chamber'.
29.03.2018
Minimized cover version of a song by Matthias’ former band ASP.
03.01.2017
A tribute to the 80ties gothic scene and their festival in Leipzig.
28.1.2016
some atmospheric impression of the stio works on »Solace in Insanity«.
15.9.2014
A little eerie, spooky animation movie about the moritat of »Sinister Sister«
21.1.2014
First single of season II. A cozy session in the orignal room which was the template for the cover artwork.
16.6.2012
The debut. Visualisation of the fairy tale »Sophie’s Quest« as a heart warming paper cut animation.
From Middle High German kamer, from Old High German chamara, from Latin camera (“chamber”).
The band's name "Die Kammer" is primarily an allusion to the terms "chamber music" and "chamber orchestra".
The term "Die Kammer" is also a reminiscence to Testory's former band "Chamber", which tradition of pure acoustic arrangment is continued in the Ambré/Testory project.
Finally "Die Kammer" is meant as synonym for the hideway, where the musicians finding peace for working creative and writing their songs and lyrics.
bass
viola
cello
tubax
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