Max Gruber, known by his stage name Drangsal, was born on August 4, 1993 in Kandel and grew up in Herxheim in the Palatinate. He taught himself drums as a child and later guitar, bass and keyboard. Drangsal's music moves between synth-pop, post-punk and indie rock. His songs are characterized by melancholic lyrics, catchy melodies and echoes of the new wave aesthetic of the 1980s. In 2016, he released his debut album Harieschaim, which reached number 29 in the German album charts. The second studio album Zores followed two years later, reaching number 12 in the German charts. In 2021, the third album Exit Strategy is released, which climbs to number 6 in the German charts and number 65 in the Austrian charts. The best-known songs include "Allan Align", "Turmbau zu Babel", "Urlaub von mir" and the joint single "Keine Angst" with rapper Casper, which reaches number 66 in the German charts. In 2016, Drangsal receives the Pop Culture Award in the "Most Hopeful Newcomer" category. In 2017, he is nominated for the Echo in the national critics' award category. In addition to his music, Max Gruber publishes his literary debut Doch, a collection of poems and text fragments, in 2022. In 2023, he founds the supergroup Die Benjamins together with Annette Benjamin, Thomas Götz, Charlotte Brandi and Julian Knoth. The first EP Die Benjamins is released in June 2023. Drangsal has been officially performing as a band since 2025. The members are Max Gruber (vocals, guitar), Lukas Korn (guitar) and Marvin Holley (bass). On June 13, 2025, the fourth studio album Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen.
