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Kerrang! 19-Feb-05 : Where to start with Rammstein

The Lowdown:
Germans took in the world armed with a flotilla of performing sex toys, explosive devices and superweight anthems (sung exclusively in their native tongue), it was clear that the humble rock gig would never be the same again. Ten million album sales later and Rammstein have taken the previously stake industrial genre to ridiculously theatrical, arena-filling heights. Somewhere among the dildos and dinghies are some classic songs, too...

Essential purchase – Mutter (Universal 2001)
Intense, elegant and heavy as fuck, this is a tour de force of twisted rock theatre. Dark desires abound, as Lindemann’s odes to incest, S&M and hermaphrodites find a gloriously epic and tuneful backdrop of guitars, synths and thunderous beats.

Follow-up purchase – Sehnsucht (Motor Music 1997)
A fetishist’s dream, featuring steroidal riffs, hump-o-matic rhythms and sexual deviance from start to finish. Boats ultimate Rammstein anthem ‘Du Hast’ and whiplash thrash fest ‘Büch Dich’ (Bend Over).

Wild Card – Herzeleid (Motor Music 1995)
The six oiled beefcakes on the cover might look like an advert for some gay Euro-disco atrocity, but this debut provides a surprisingly diverse and current-sounding introduction to Rammstein’s world.

Avoid – Live aus Berlin (Motor Music 1999)
Contains a storming rendition of ‘Du Hast’ but as a document of their staggering two-night live offensive in Berlin, a mere audio report just doesn’t suffice. Rammstein shows need to be seen, not just heard.

Download:
‘Mein Teil’ : A tribute to internet cannibal Armin Miewes. Rammstein at their blackest and most fun. ‘Du Hast’ : Relentlessly infectious slice of pumped-up metallic dancefloor brilliance. ‘Rammstein’ : A slow-grind slab of seething industrial menace.

© 2005 Sue Lindemann