German rock band Karat formed in what was then East Germany in 1975 from the ashes of another group called Panta Rhei. The initial lineup consisted of singer Hans-Joachim &Neumi& Neumann, keyboardist Ulrich &Ed& Swillms, bassist Henning Protzmann, drummer Konrad Burkert, and guitarists Herbert Dreilich and Utlrich Pexa. Burkert and Pexa were replaced the following year by Michael Schwandt and Bernd Römer, and Neumann left the group 1977 to fulfill military duties, leaving Dreilich to take over lead vocals. They released their debut in 1978, which featured the hit &König der Welt.& The group's penchant for progressive rock continued on 1979's Über Sieben Brücken, which featured their biggest hit, &Über Sieben Brücken Mußt du Geh'n,& as well as the epic &Albatros,& the latter of which boldly criticized the Berlin Wall. Schwanenkönig arrived in 1980 followed by the platinum Der Blaue Planet in 1982 and Die Sieben Wunder der Welt in 1984.