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Call of the Wild – Hit Parader

By Ralph Henderson
Hit Parader – July 2001

Rammstein are the kind of band that make no apologies for hitting you right in the gut. They do it with their look. They do it with their approach. Everything about this highly unusual German heavy metal attraction is designed to deliver a heavy metallic body blow that knocks the wind right out of you. Whether the fact that the unit comprised of vocalist Till Lindemann, keyboardist Flake, guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Reidel and drummer Christoph Schneider dress like warriors from a distant world (or at least like rejects from a bondage/fashion magazine), or the notion that their music seamlessly blends bells, whistles and ear-blasting guitar riffs with equal ease, there’s no denying that over the last few years Rammstein have blossomed into a major force on the contemporary music scene.

With the success of their initial Stateside release, Sehnsucht, back in 1998, and the immediate attention focused on their latest disc, Mutter, this pointedly strange Teutonic unit has helped to redefine both the direction and the dimension of the hard rock form. But despite all of their world-wide acclaim, much has happened in the heavy metal world since the group’s last studio album raised their public profile from virtual unknowns to international superstars; a new generation of heard rock practitioners have emerged who have once again helped to change course and attitude of the entire rock and roll form. How will Rammstein react to such changes? Do they even know they exist? Do they care? All these questions, and more, promise to be emphatically answered in the weeks and months to come. “If you ask us whether or not we are aware of every new band that releases an album, the answer is no,” Flake said. “We tend to live apart from most of that. We aren’t following the radio and television shows to know what is doing well at any given time. We are only interested in our own music. If it fits in with what is being accepted, then that is good. If it is not, we don’t really care”.

Whether you agree or disagree with the band’s somewhat laid-back attitude towards commercial acceptance, you must applaud their highly individualistic stance towards their chosen profession. Indeed, those who have been fortunate enough to experience Rammstein first-hand know just how insular this unit’s musical attack can be. Sometimes it seems as if this Berlin-based group exists in a creative world all of their own, a world where outside pop influences and current musical trends do not even exist. It is an approach that serves to have an almost hypnotic effect on those who choose to venture in this band’s often bizarre hard rock universe.

Often there is a dazed look locked deep in the eyes of those who attend a Rammstein performance – the kind of wide-eyed stare you might see at a particularly nasty car-wreck, the kind of vacuous glance you get when you catch a deer in the headlights at night. The primary reaction drawn by the group’s on-stage activities, (which include sundry bizarre activities, not the least of which is lighting themselves on fire) is one of confusion mixed with awe, a response brought on by a wicked combination of mind numbing volume, unexpectedly perverse beeps and whistles, and a bone-chilling Teutonic beat. It is the way tens-of-thousands around the globe have acted while attending a performance that at times resembles nothing more than a quixotic blend of heavy metal concert and Bund rally. Many in the crowd have clearly never heard anything like it before – a lethal mix of guitar-driven riffs and lyrics sang only in German. But that is the magic of the moment…the magic of Rammstein.

For those who may be relatively new to the heavy metal scene, let us remind you that back in 1998 this decidedly different outfit had done what so-called industry “experts” had long deemed impossible. Rammstein had not only successfully invaded American shores with their uniquely pulsating style, but they had sacrificed none of their tribal roots in the process. They sang in German, they talked in German, they even acted in German. And American rock fans ate it up like it was a well-prepared serving of wiener schnitzel. As Rammstein toured the nation, it was clear to anyone with eyes and ears that this was a band destined to make a major impact on the rock and roll scene. Quite simply, in the minds of many Stateside fans, on the strength of their breakthrough single Du Hast, Rammstein had quickly become as American as apple strudel. Now with the appearance of Mutter, it’s time for these Teutonic Terrors to do it all over again.
“The reaction that Rammstein received on their last tour was really surprising,” one mid-western promoter noted. “You know that a band like Slipknot is going to get a great response, and a well-known band like Limp Bizkit is going to have their following. But Rammstein came out of nowhere to really emerge as an important rock and roll force. There’s something about the way they perform, the attitude they project, that the fans really respond to. You can tell that they’ve been doing this for a while. They’ve got their act down cold!”

There’s no question that Rammstein (which English translates to the appropriately descriptive “ramming stone”) delivers a style of music that’s heavy on drama and heavy in sound. On the band’s latest disc, especially with Lindemann drawing a wide-ranging emotional response from listeners with his uniquely “trilled r’s” and theatrical vocal presence, Rammstein have once again showcased the more metallic side of their musical arsenal. But as anyone even remotely familiar with the group’s style already knows, the often overwhelming power of their sound hasn’t detracted on iota from the myriad subtleties and techno-babble that helps make Rammstein’s style so special. “We have not changed anything for American audiences,” Flake explained through an interpreter. “This is who and what we are. People will either accept it or they won’t. We see no reason to change.”

© 2005 Sue Lindemann