The return of legendary ’90s German act Silke Bischoff is one of the nicest surprises of 2026. On Friday, they released a collection of songs that have been largely unavailable for years. Tears – A Collection Of Silke Bischoff Songs contains 14 tracks that have been carefully restored and remastered, making the band’s long-neglected catalog available once more.
The Tears collection offers longtime fans a chance to revisit some of Silke Bischoff’s most popular songs, including “On the Other Side” and “Under Your Skin.” For newcomers like me, it feels more like discovering a lost band. Silke Bischoff never made much impact in the United States, so nearly every track on Tears feels new to me. What’s remarkable is how little of it sounds dated.
The collection covers an enormous amount of ground, from darkwave and synthpop to pounding club tracks and sweeping ballads. The music thrills with intricate production that sounds fresh and modern despite being recorded decades ago. Producer Olaf Wollschläger, known for his work with Mesh and Beborn Beton, gave the original recordings a new master that breathes fresh life into the material without sanding away its character.
Tears also includes one genuine discovery from the archives. The title track was built from a previously unreleased recording featuring vocals by late singer Felix Flaucher. It rides a bouncy beat with a mysterious, energetic aura, while unexpected blips and bleeps unspool in avant-garde fashion. Its real power resides in a rhythmic hook: “I’ve never been thinking that I would fall in love again.”
Who is SILKE BISCHOFF?
Silke Bischoff is a German darkwave and gothic project formed in 1990 by musician Axel Kretschmann and singer Felix Flaucher. They emerged alongside other German acts like Wolfsheim, Girls Under Glass, and Deine Lakaien.
The band’s unusual name generated some controversy. Silke Bischoff was an 18-year-old woman killed during Germany’s infamous Gladbeck hostage crisis in 1988, and some critics accused the band of using her name for shock value. The duo intended the name as a memorial to the young victim.
Over the next ten years, they released four albums: their self-titled debut, The Man on the Wooden Cross, To Protect and to Serve, and Northern Lights. Their song “On the Other Side (I’ll See You Again)” became a darkwave anthem, while “Under Your Skin” broke through as a club hit and attracted the attention of mainstream media.
Following their fourth album, Kretschmann left the band due to internal differences. A legal dispute erupted over the band name, so Flaucher and guitarist Frank Schwer continued briefly under the new name 18 SUMMERS.
The estranged members eventually reconciled. In 2017, they reunited for an intimate private performance for close friends. Flaucher died later that year at age 59 following a long illness.
Silke Bischoff’s story could have ended there. In 2025, Kretschmann revived the project at the famous German music festival Wave-Gotik-Treffen, performing with guest vocalists Alexander Veljanov of Deine Lakaien and Sven Friedrich of Solar Fake.
Now that revival extends beyond the stage. More Silke Bischoff performances are planned, and Tears is intended as the first step in restoring and reissuing more of the band’s catalog in physical and digital formats.
Tears – A Collection Of Silke Bischoff Songs is available on CD with a limited edition 60-page, numbered artbook. You can also find it digitally on Bandcamp and Spotify.
Tears – A Collection Of Silke Bischoff Songs tracklisting
- Tears
- I Don’t Love You Anymore
- Under Your Skin
- No Paradise
- Northern Lights
- The Union
- The Man on the Wooden Cross
- The Letter
- On the Other Side
- AJ:NA
- Benetton Girl
- Waste of Time
- Sometimes
- To Protect and to Serve
