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Terrorizer - Going Deutsch:Schneider interview

Terrorizer – November 2004 – Issue 125
Hugely popular in the UK, deeply controversial in their homeland, are the industrial powerhouse known as Rammstein toying with totalitarian imagery, or are they searching for an ‘authentic’ German culture? And if so, where does their kitsch aesthetic come into it? Avi Pitchon put the questions and tracked the change of musical direction on their latest album, ‘Reise, Reise’.


It’s only entertainment" goes Rammstein’s credo. Indeed it is hard to thin of any other band that has distilled the live presentation of perfectly chosen, digitally precise industrial metal riffs to such a focused, overwhelming, equally primal and futuristic stage circus. However, the above statement sounds suspiciously naïve, because what makes Rammstein so compelling could be (half) jokingly described as Nazism without the disadvantages. The totalitarian thrill detached from that rather annoying side effect, genocide. Granted, any arena rock concert is inherently totalitarian, but witnessing thousands of UK kids scream all their lyrics wört by wört, one cannot escape concluding that Rammstein, and not Hitler, are the ones who eventually conquered these shores.

Power and aggression are integral to the human psyche, and artistically expressed are beautiful. This brand of ‘power art’, if you will (to power), has been harnessed by both the politically totalitarian right and left in the 20th century. Serving as crucial inspiration to Rammstein, Laibach’s direct and open plagiarism of elements more blatantly totalitarian than anything Rammstein ever did is part of a tactic of ‘over-identification’, creating a mirror effect which exposes the totalitarian tendencies of all political ideologies, liberalism included. However, when Rammstein claim that they are re-establishing the Germans’ self-confidence, one can’t help recalling similar statements grabbing German hearts and votes in the ‘30s. But, before we confront bassist Oliver Riedel and drummer Christoph Schneider with these pressing issues, its only fair to first state that, while the new album ‘Reise, Reise’ can still make anyone besieged with a sudden, uncontrollable urge to invade Poland, it is a far cry from the band’s 2001 monstrous opus ‘Mutter’. Less a Teutonic Ministry doppelganger and more diverse and playful, the aggression has given way for elements previously more subtle within Rammstein’s arsenal – kitsch, camp, cabaret, parody. All in all, ‘Reise, Reise’ sounds like Rammstein changing direction for the first time since their formation, bassist Oliver Riedel and drummer Christoph Schneider are more than happy to agree: "Following the last ‘Mutter’ tour we gave ourselves a year off", recalls Christoph, "after which we entered the rehearsal room again. There is a huge difference in the way we brought the songs together. Of course some songs sounds like the old Rammstein style, but it’s a more colourful album. We used different rhythms – we’re getting older and slower! A big difference is that we didn’t use so much electronic and industrial elements. Rammstein have always had a typical techno-based on-and-off structure, sequencer sounds preceding the verse etc. We are bored of that. It just creates an overload when you have sequencers and metal guitars and many other different instruments and sounds. We used to have everything on all the time, even when it wasn’t necessary. We learned that sometimes you could take something off and lose nothing! We tried to abandon samplers and play with live instruments as much as possible, there is also live oboe and accordion, a children’s choir, a church choir… Another Rammstein benchmark was that we are a metal band with hard riffs but with pop arrangements, and we got tired of that as well, so in terms of arrangements we were looking for a different base."

Indeed, Rammstein found some. The opening massive title track ends with a 30-second accordion solo. The concluding tracks – ‘Stein Um Stein’, ‘Ohne Dich’ and ‘Amour’ are all power ballads. ‘Moskau’ is not the coveted Eurovision kraut-disco legends Dschingis Khan’s hit, but it actually threatens to outdo it with its ludicrous headbangers’ pomp. ‘America’, the single following ‘Mein Teil’, welds Rammstein’s jackboot stamp to equally Germanic Schlagger sensibilities with a chorus so catchy you’ll hum it on your deathbed. ‘Los’ deconstructs the staple altogether by playing with what would be a devastating yet predictable riff on acoustic guitars. Followed by a harmonica solo. Yikes.

" ‘Los’ is a leftover idea from the last production," confesses Schneider. "It’s basically the old style but we played it acoustic for a funny ‘Rammstein’ country result."
"The accordion melody is a traditional sea faring maritime melody." Oliver fills in. " We wanted to have the feeling of a sailor leaving a port."
"It’s a part of German tradition, especially in the Hamburg area," Christoph continues. "It’s not necessarily a melody from an actual song, but the accordion was the typical accompaniment. We borrowed the playing style."
And what about ‘America’? Are Rammstein taking a number, queuing in the Bush-hating bands line?
"It’s about how American culture imposes itself on other cultures," clarifies Oliver. "In the video for it we use the moon landing, the theory that there never was one is a metaphor for questioning whether we want to take American values on board. We’re playfully reminding ourselves to ask these question."
"The whole album was written during the Iraq war," says Christoph, "so questions of the sort started to get asked. Before that we just though America was great, we toured it a lot. But the US government went over the top in their actions, causing irreparable damage to he reputation of Americans. As for imposed values, it’s not surprising that people sat that everything coming out of Germany is boring, be it films, football or music. It’s because everybody here is copying other cultures and putting their own culture in the backseat, making Hollywood-style blockbusters, which will never be as good as Hollywood. Nobody needs this. We need authentic culture. We have a problem with being German."

And many Germans have a problem with Rammstein. Many think that being left without a clear national identity is a really good thing. Many are concerned about new trends attempting to portray the German people as innocent victims of a loony dictator, victims of allies’ aggression. A current big cinematic hit in Germany, ’The Downfall’, portrays Hitler’s last days in his bunker, showing how some Nazis were good, caring folk, and that the Third Reich’s defeat was somewhat heroic. In this context, Rammstein are blamed for pulling the same strings, the subconscious identification of Germany’s greatness not with science or literature, but with power. Many think that Rammstein use of totalitarian aesthetics; particularly some of Leni Riefenstahl’s imagery is irresponsible to say the least. These are obviously emotionally charged matters for Schneider as he breaks into a tirade:
"As Rammstein we try to say that we, in our generation, don’t want to be made to feel responsible for the damage done by or fathers and grandfathers, we want to take a more easy and light-hearted attitude. We want to try to find our identity as a new nation. It’s not that we are trying to glorify anything about ourselves we just want to be able to take advantage of an artistic freedom for which we are entitled.
"You can identify the aesthetic value of something separately from the wrong politics it served. You can admire Leni Riefenstahl even if you find the statements made by her impossible to agree with. Many great artists were commissioned by dodgy men in power but eventually got recognised for their talents regardless of whom they worked for. We have to take it easier, to have this freedom for artistic expression without being permanently undermined by this guilt of our previous generations, to free yourself from the weight of this cloud. It’s likely to solve more problems if you are able to choose your own way to cope with your history. We saw it as our duty to try and bring back self-confidence to the German people, to make them feel comfortable about themselves, and there will be others who say the Germans are not yet ready for that. The Germans need to find themselves, their identity and their style. Ultimately, Rammstein are entertainment. Some people like it and some don’t."
But, will labelling something ‘entertainment’ turn it automatically harmless in the political realm? The question is left unanswered as Rammstein have a plane to catch. The verdict? Surely, the necessity to remember Nazism’s crimes can sometimes create stifling, counter-productive educational repression, and the attempt to shake that off is understandable. Creating a mutant like Rammstein in the process is not surprising either, and, the bottom line is that our world would be a sadder one without them. Are Rammstein merely the Germans’ hair of the hound? Or should we start filling sandbags?

‘Reise, Reise’ is out now on Universal Music.


© 2005 Sue Lindemann