Element of Crime was founded 1985 in West-Berlin, Germany by Sven Regener, Jakob Ilja Friderichs, Paul Lukas, Jürgen Fabritius and Uwe Bauer. After 4 recordings in English, Sven Regener decided to write all his lyrics in German. Their first German song Der Mann vom Gericht however appeared on their album The Ballad of Jimmy & Johnny (1989). After Damals Hinterm Mond was released in 1991, the band has gotten more and more known, but still remained underground.