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Terrorizer - March 2005 : Brixton Review- Issue 129

Rammstein
London Brixton Academy

In a world where the financial rewards of package tours and product endorsement have seen integrity sacrificed for musical conformity, the idea of a bunch of east German mentalists setting themselves on fire sounds very appealing. With the Academy sold out three nights in a row, it’s a triumphant night for anyone who’s looking for a bit of excitement.

That Rammstein are one of the greatest live bands on the planet is beyond question. Between the lasers, the flamethrowers and the spunk shooting prosthetic dicks, it’s hard to resist their horror romanticist blend of theatre and music. What’s more surprising is that the Rammstein live experience keeps getting better.

As spotlights hit the OTT stage props, they appear to a thunderous reception before suddenly and expectedly, the audience is being thrown headlong into a musical world that breaks every rule in the book. Kicking straight in with the gargantuan ‘Reise, Reise’, it’s quite clear Rammstein have morphed into something of a rock monster and that their appeal is far more wide-ranging than their nationality might have led you to expect. It’s hard to pick highlights from a set so consistently stunning, but ‘Links 2-3-4’ sees Rammstein guitar duo Richard Z Kruspe-Bernstein and Paul Landers spouting huge flames in each other’s direction as it hits you like an iron fist to the gut. Clad in a chef’s outfit for ‘Mein Teil’, Till Lindemann plunges Flake Lorenz in to an extra large cooking pot before setting fire to the bespectacled keyboardist. For the next two hours, Rammstein shoot flaming arrows, ignite mic stands and surf above the crowd on an inflatable raft, but make no mistake, their songs aren’t just effective backdrops for the band’s deviant stage antics. The militaristic metal of ‘Ich Will’ and the melodic reverence of ‘Sonne’ are stunning examples of industrial metal, a genre that Rammstein have successfully twisted into a far more challenging beast. Their music is as compelling as their live show: mighty, life-defining sounds that reach through your chest and wrench you inside. Tonight, Rammstein scream with power, passion and force, leaving us flat on the floor and gasping for air.

Nelly Liger.

© 2005 Sue Lindemann