Schandmaul (translates to "foulmouth") are a German band that helped to create and popularise the genre of Medieval Rock, and brought it to mainstream attention. They tend to play songs meant to evoke the style of a court jester's tunes, or popular medieval folk songs, using a combination of modern instruments along with older ones such as bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, and so on. Their name refers the tendency to sing about things that some might consider to be offensive, and the frequent Take Thats inherent within. They're made up of six people, each with their own specialty in instruments, but all of them will switch between different ones during concerts.
In keeping with the "jester" background of their name and music, the lyrical content is usually funny, semi-political, and almost always tells a story of some kind.
Tropes exemplified by Schandmaul:
- An Aesop: One of their songs, Die letzte Tröte ("The Last Whistle") is about a ruler who wants to ban all music, and how this in turn incites all the people to rise up against him.
- Audience Participation Song: Most of their work is this. Special mention goes to Trinklied - literally, "Drinking Song".
- Fanservice: The two women sometimes dress in such a way as to best show off their looks...
- Knight in Shining Armor: The Hero in their song Drachentöter ("Dragonslayer") is a classical example.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Way on the idealistic side. Sometimes at least.
