Formed in October 2002 in the Bavarian town of Dillingen an der Donau, Killerpilze is a German pop/rock act that scored a number of hit singles throughout central Europe during the mid- and late-2000s. The band's name translates to "killer mushrooms," a term that bandmates Johannes "Jo" Halbig, Fabian "Fabi" Halbig, Maximilian "Mäx" Schlichter, and Andreas "Schlagi" Schlagenhaft conceived while eating pizza. After releasing their independent debut, Von vorne durch die Punkalle, in 2004, the group signed with Universal Music and released their first major-label album, Invasion der Killerpilze, in 2005. Invasion der Killerpilze charted at Number 2 in Austria, Number 7 in Germany, Number 47 in Switzerland, and Number 62 in France, while three of its singles — "Richtig Scheiße (auf 'ne schöne Art und Weise)," "Springt hoch," and "Ich kann auch ohne dich" — all becoming Top 40 hits in both Germany and Austria. 2007's Mit Pauken und Raketen continued the band's success, charting at Number 14 in Germany and Number 15 in Austria on the strength of another Top 40 single, "Liebmichhassmich." One year later, their song "Verrockt" appeared in the German soundtrack of Camp Rock. Killerpilze formed their own label, KillerpilzeRecords, in 2010, and released Lautonom that same year. Although the band's glory days of mainstream success waned as the decade progressed, Killerpilze remained active in the studio throughout the 2010s, releasing records like 2011's Ein bisschen Zeitgeist, 2013's Grell, 2014's Postkarten, and 2016's HIGH.
