Stories Behind
The story behind the debut album and the beginnings of Riven Earth
The Beginnings
“Project One”, released on December 14, 2018, was the first album by Riven Earth. The title was chosen quite deliberately. At the time, nobody knew where this musical journey would lead.
It was simply the first joint project of three musicians who wanted to make music together again.
From this idea, something much greater than a single project eventually emerged.
Riven Earth was born.
Chapter 01
From the very beginning, Riven Earth was about more than music alone. The songs on “Project One” deal with war, violence, abuse, displacement and the question of whether humanity truly learns from its own past.
The song is about fear, abuse, manipulation, and power. It centers on a young woman who finds herself in a seemingly hopeless situation. The person she’s dealing with tries to control her fear with lies, false promises, and a false sense of closeness.
Its origins go back to the days of SINS. For Riven Earth, however, the song was extensively reworked and rearranged.
Written by Uli Krücken, the song was inspired by the war in Syria.
It asks the disturbing question of why humanity, despite everything it has experienced, continues to repeat the same mistakes.
This song was also written by Uli Krücken. It focuses on the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.
The song tells the story of people who are forced to leave their homeland and place everything they have in an uncertain future.
Alongside its socially critical themes, the album also contains more personal and atmospheric moments.
“Mad Man Moon” explores the mysterious influence the moon has always had on people and their emotional state.
Earlier Roots
Three songs on the album originally date back to the SINS years. For Riven Earth, however, they were extensively reworked and given a new musical identity.
Chapter 03
The cover of “Project One” was created by the late photographic artist Thomas Buchta †.
It shows a stylized Earth from which some of humanity’s best-known buildings rise far above the surface of the planet.
Among them are the burning Twin Towers – a symbol of the events of September 11 and of the conflicts that continue to shape our world.
In this way, the artwork reflects the central themes of the album: a world of progress and remarkable achievements that is also marked by war, violence and human tragedy.
Chapter 04
Looking back, “Project One” was far more than just a debut album. It marked the beginning of a new musical chapter for Wolfgang Beckers, Günter Schlünkes and Uli Krücken.
None of them had planned to form a new band.
Nobody expected this first project to lead to several albums.
What united all three musicians was simply their love of making music.
That same joy continues to shape Riven Earth to this day.
It was simply the rediscovery of the joy of making music together.