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Metal Edge (Germany) - July 2006

by Andrew Gargano


After five studio releases, Germany's Rammstein remain an enigma here in America. Their latest album, Rosenrot (pronounced Rosenwort), finally reached store shelves in March, a release delayed in America and preceded by three videos that will never see airtime on American television.

One of the reasons Rammstein remains so puzzling to their American fans is the obvious language barrier that exists between performers and fans. Recorded almost entirely in German, one needs more than a minimal understanding of the German language to extract the literal and figurative meanings found in Rammstein's songs. Although this makes it nearly impossibl for fans to relate to the band on lyrical levels, it does offer the opportunity for a more simplistic appreciation for the band.

Americans may take a more simple approach to the band, but the band is everything but simple. Guitarist Paul Landers describes many of their lyrics as containing "multiple meaningsand word play. It really helps to understand German if you want to get into the deeper meanings. If you translate it, a lot of it gets lost."

Even though much of Rammstein is lost in translation, Landers hints that Rammstein is "not a political or religious band; we like to provoke as much as possible. One exception politically was 'Amerika,' but even then we were poking fun of the situation that was occuring at the time. More than political, we are ironic, and people will often misinterpret our irony because it's hidden behind a scary face. One of the problems we often write about is the dark side of love and relationship."

Two of the three videos will not be aired stateside deal with the darker side Landers talk about. The video for "Mann gegen Mann" jumps between images of a naked Rammstein (with one exception being lead singer Till Lindemannwho could not be covered by an instrument) and images of a group of naked men. In the end, Till morphs into a demon and is passed over the bodies. The second video is for "Rosenrot." The title track will be the first single released in America, but again, the video will not see television time. Featuring the band as missionary priests, the video deals with statutory rape and depicts graphic images of the band flogging themselves with ropes. It comes as no surprise that American television won't air the videos; according to Landers, "even in Europe there's some censoring on 'Rosenrot.' 'Mann gegen Mann' isn't played until after 10:00 at night." As disturbing as the videos may be, they add to the mystery that is Rammstein.

Few know what Rammstein stands for as a band, but from the band's perspective, "the Americans were always more open that their German followings," said Landers. "They concentrated on the music and the band, rather than the German aspects that surrounds us here." With the focus being on the music and the band, fans will not be disappointed. Rosenrot picks up with Reise, Reise left off." Landers continues, the "best way to view Rosenrot is as a continuation of Reise, Reise, it predecessor."

Containing the heavy and intense sound of previous albums, Rosenrot also delivers some of Rammstein's freshest tracks to date. The presence of female's voice is back, this time appearing in the form of a duet on the track "Stirb Nicht Vor Mir (Don't Die Before I Do)." The ballad features the vocals of Sharleen Spiteri. Another stand-out track is the song "Te Quero Puta!" in which the band abandons their native German tongues and sings in Spanish. "Te Quero Puta!" blends the classic Rammstein sound with the Spanish influence of horn playing. "Zerstören" and "Benzin" are two of the heavier tracks on the album, while "Feuer und Wasser," "Spring," and "Ein Lied" add a dark and eerie tone to the album.

As powerful as Rammstein's music is, they put on an even stronger live show. "We're really into putting on a show," says Landers. "We didn't really know it when we started, but it built up over the years. We're really one of the only bands that uses so mane effects live. The only exception is Kiss. On the las tour, we tried to reduce the theatrics a bit, and as a result, we added twice as much."

Because the album may be new for fans stateside, America has been left off of Rammstein's tour in support of Rosenrot, and currently the band has no plans on touring the states in support of this record, but they are anxious to work the states into future tours. "It's a pause right now, we're on a break. We like what we're doing, and we don't want to burn ourselves out," Landers says. "After the break, we plan to record the next album, and whenever we can we will come over the states."

In the meantime, Rammstein fans can get their dose of live footage on an upcoming DVD which, in Landen's words, "should be released in the summer. There's a picture of fans on the cover, and we need to sort out the copyright details. We don't want to get sued by anyone pictured. When it's all sorted out, we will release it. And barring any difficulties it will definitely be released in the United States."

After five studio albums, a live album, and a DVD, there may still be no clear understanding of Rammstein, but Americans are not alone. Even for Rammstein's European fans, understanding didn't come quickly. The band felt shunned from the start, because Germans didn't understand the various layers of their music. But "we are being more and more understood as time goes on. People are beginning to realize what we're about. Now when we play in Europe we play 10,000 seat venues. We're obviously not a big in the United States, because we're not as well known as we are in Europe. We're still a bit of a secret in the United States. We enjoy that."

© 2006 Maxim de Tray