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Mutter ist die beste – WOM Journal 4/2001

Hated, condemned, idolised - Rammstein is one of the most controversial German bands. With their current album “Mutter” little will change. The signs are favourable with the fans because they keep away from change.

For the evening meal, Rammstein, appetising in Aspic. Add mixed pickles to the musicians and as such the six Rammsteiners present themselves in the booklet for their new CD and as marinated Metal-Poppers they want to whet the appetite of their fans for the new songs. The old successful combination of Pop: small, well thought-out fibs, probably some calculated provocation and the whole thing embedded in music - and the show concept, in which freedom and rigidness are paired and its as if KMFDM and AIDS never happened.

“Rammstein, ein Mensch brennt” – a smooth lie, it’s only that way in heavy duty protective clothing and towards the end of a Rammstein concert, its after an hour and a half of all sorts of antics that the singer ignites himself - it is inevitable. With their Wagnerian Teutonic production-values, it was inevitable that Rammstein would become the most successful German Rock Band after the Scorpions in the USA. That “marvellously aggressive pre-War Cabaret" (H. R. Kunze) revealed itself as a worldwide music export hit. The Americans, always ready to amuse themselves with death took Rammstein’s Goofy-German-ness to heart faster than some of the more hesitant good folk in Germany. Even the Texan Sheriff who had enforced the strict adherence to law at the Rammstein concert in Houston admitted after the final curtain: “Good show, No penetration".

After “Herzeleid” and “Sehnsucht“, “Mutter” is the third single-word titled album from the East Berlin and Schwerin band and unites the musical virtues of the first two albums. It is also a genuine stillbirth. Only optically of course, “We saw a photo in a magazine of preserved animals” recalls Rammstein guitarist Paul Landers on the origins of the current provocative cover “and the photographers were contacted immediately. A good rapport developed and we came up with the idea to be photographed in the same way. The photographers were glad to get some living objects in front of the camera for once. The purpose of the work of these photographers is to discover the beauty in death - which in our culture is not usually seen. In our culture, death is always connected to something terrible. In these photos however it has become something peaceful, forgiving."

At the same time Rammstein commands the highest movement in their current chart attack. Though not necessarily in their music - the pounding guitar cascades further command absolute authority, however, the lyrics of singer Till Lindemann take unprecedented liberties, in part almost forgiving the uncouth world view. Provocation - the six were exceptionally fast to unite together on this, “With the lyrics, our task is not to deter as many people as possible", explains Landers on the lyric development process. “In the long term, I believe it’s hard to shock people again and again. It can easily become embarrassing - which is always a danger with us anyway. We try to produce good lyrics and address topics, which we haven’t done before. Naturally there are some overlaps because in the range of the obscene and the provocative the spectrum of the topic is already quite close." Rammstein classic topics - applied Paedophilia, fanciful methods to cause a rift between people, all manner of punishments from the abysses of family life, necrophilia and little tales from the world of leather and rubber – the band say everything they want to say. “I find our new lyrics just as beautiful as the earlier ones", defends Landers the suspicious softie “You are perhaps more harmless but also more beautiful.” Nonetheless, apart from Clone rebellion, children buried alive, hermaphrodites and deadly doses of heroin there’s also none too brief basic copulation. “By all means use the established programme, I say, ” grins the guitarist “After all, with ‘Scream 3’ everyone knows roughly when to scream at the cinema”.
Peter Wagner

Paul Landers interview

Rammstein guitarist Paul Landers on Gay Metal and pounding machines.

On the cover photo – are you in formaldehyde?
No, it’s water.

So why do none of you have your eyes open except drummer Schneider?
Because we are dead.

Okay, why are you dead?
Because we are in formaldehyde. Not much fun.

However, album isn’t called “Tod” (Death) but “Mutter”.
I would have preferred “Mein Herz brennt”, but we wanted to keep true to our tradition of the one word title. “Mutter” is a bit soft but that was the incentive for us.

Just a tradition: always eleven songs on the albums. Are you an eleven-song band?
I would have loved only ten songs on the album. This time we had 30 songs to select from. From the remainder, ten were thrown into the bin, the others are either waiting for lyrics or will be on the next album.

Rammstein was not always so industrious.
So we changed it. But now there is almost too much material already. If you have 14 children, you can’t wipe each of their noses individually.

You also prefer a rather formal way of production.
You are completely right there. From the outset the machines are there for us. In the rehearsal room, the computer always plays a part too and for each alteration Flake or Schneider must click the software. It’s time consuming.

And kills the spontaneity.
Not necessarily. In preparation for this album we also composed a few songs in the traditional way, without computers, composed, and can be heard on the album too actually. Generally however we are fated to co-operate with machines. That’s how we started and what we know.

And what’s more now you’re known as a stadium rock band: “Ich will” is almost the perfect audience rouser.
For some time we wanted to create a song that only works properly with audience participation. I am sorry to say that it was not always so successful particularly all the singing interaction. The song was discussed amongst the band a little too. Some thought it too abrasive. I didn’t. I listened to the people who found abrasive good.

Sounds like there are factions, and that could spoil things sometimes.
Clearly there are those, I won’t mention any names, but there is a soul faction, a rather regular more musical faction, an established show faction. We try as band to work through it.

And in such a way also develop a few experiments with Dance rhythms too?
Yes, we tried to bring in some Jungle elements. That only succeeded to a certain extent for us; therefore hardly any of it can be heard on the album. Jungle is for a more ponderous, pounding band and too uncouth for such as Rammstein though.

After all you finally openly admit now where your heart beats: “Links” (left). Beneath the wallet.
Exactly. A splendid answer to this annoying issue. We really can’t express ourselves any more clearly than with this song. Whoever doesn’t understand that now doesn’t want to understand, we can't help them anymore.

Will you play at the “Rock against Rock against the Right” Festival?
What? Rock against what? Sure I would take part in Rock against Rock immediately. We would also take part in Rock against the Right, if we had the time. Udo Lindenburg is a personal friend of Till. Naturally he asked but unfortunately we were in Australia at the time on tour.

New York, Rio, Tokyo – its absolutely amazing for a band, who in 1993, actually only had one dream - to take this music there.
That was only one of our dreams. My personal dream was to get up and play somewhere every day with a guitar case in hand on the plane, somewhere you can only reach by plane.

And its with music, which does not necessarily fit anywhere between Phil Collins and No Angels.
On the one hand that is surely amazing. On the other hand one can also say that there is always need for extremes in the world. It will always give people to annoy their parents.

Do you have metal in your heart and Mickey Mouse in your brain...
We are not a Metal band. We use guitars and metal riffs, but otherwise we have nothing to do with it. We have at times played at Metal Festivals in front of all the tattooed headbangers. When we walked out in our little plastic coats, most thought: What do these Queens want on our stage?

Unfortunately the sell-by date on my “Mutter” has passed. How long can Rammstein remain enjoyable?
That is always the danger: If one knits modern elements into their music, the expiry date is shorter. More timeless means longer durability. We have both - to that extent we must simply wait and see.

Info Rammstein Richard Kruspe (guitar), Flake Lorenz, (keyboard), Till Lindemann (vocals), Oliver Riedel (bass), Christoph Schneider (drums) and Paul Landers (guitar) formed 1993 the first Industrial Metal Band to have ambiguous German lyrics. David Lynch heard the debut album ‘Herzeleid’ and used two songs in ‘Lost Highway’ (1997). ‘Engel’ from the album ‘Sehnsucht’ became Rammstein’s first Top Ten hit, sado-masochist outfit, Riefenstahl videos, Flame throwers - the band played just as well with fire as with success: platinum-discs rained on them and Rammstein was the first German-language band nominated for a Grammy.
Current CD: “Mutter” (Motor)

© 2005 Sue Lindemann