4LYN

4Lyn is a nu-metal/crossover band based in Hamburg, Germany, signed to Universal when nu-metal was at the height of its popularity and groups all over the world followed the American bands' template sound. Despite unenthusiastic reviews, they managed to find continuing success and secure a substantial fan base.

4Lyn formed as Headtrip in 1995 in Hamburg, Germany, while its members were still attending high school. Despite several lineup changes in its early stages, the band continued to record several demos and played numerous gigs, until a show at the Ohrenschmaus Festival in Hamburg's Club Logo caught the attention of several talent scouts in 2000. Since the name "Headtrip" was too common, the group changed its moniker to 4Lyn — four being the number of its members, and the letters LYN standing for "loud, young, nobodies."

The band's lineup at this stage included vocalist Braz (born Ron Cazzato), guitarist Kane Wikked (born Bennie Eckebrecht), drummer Chino (born Sascha Carrilho), and bassist Bigg Deee (born Björn Düßler) — the latter having served as the producer of the early demos before joining the band. 2001 saw the release of 4Lyn's self-titled debut album on Universal, which met with mixed reviews — while some lauded the group's energy and tight musicianship, many saw them as a clichéd second-rate act in the mold of America's then-successful nu-metal scene.

Despite these criticisms, 4Lyn went on an extensive tour, opening for Papa Roach, Thumb, and Therapy?, but not before Kane Wikked left the group and was replaced by new guitarist Russo (born René Knupper), a longtime friend of Chino's. In 2002, the band played more festivals and also went on tour with Dredg and Cosmotron, and recorded their sophomore album, Neon, in Denmark. Again, reviews were mixed, but the group's popularity was not affected by the media's unwillingness to embrace the band.

After an extensive tour through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the band left Universal and was signed to Edel. They released their third album, Take It as a Compliment, in 2004, recorded in Germany with producer Chris Wolff, continuing in the direction of the first two albums. The same year, 4Lyn played several big festivals — Berlinova, Rock im Park, Rock am Ring — and continued to tour. In 2005, the band wrote a theme song for the American Football team Hamburg Sea Devils — "Go, Sea Devils" — and released their fourth album, the self-produced Compadres. Hello, the fifth album, followed in late 2007.