RAMMSTEIN: BLOW BY BLOW…

WITH ONLY a short time to go until the UK release of ‘Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da’, now seems like the ideal moment to share my thoughts about the album. Is it the band’s finest body of work thus far? Better even than their 2001 classic, ‘Mutter’, the album where my working relationship with the six effectively began? Well, press reviews of the record have just started to surface, and indeed there’s already been quite a bit written about it online – the result of a number of playbacks that have been held all over Europe, and doubtless beyond, and the consensus thus far is that the guys have indeed delivered something truly special, and I very much second that opinion…

One of the many interesting and intriguing things about Rammstein is that they continue to deliver at the highest creative levels even if the odds are somewhatstacked against them. When I was making my introductory speech at the Berlin playback of the ‘Mutter’ album all those years ago, I (like virtually everyone else) had precisely zero idea that the record had actually been a tough one for the band to make, with tensions in the ranks running high. All I knew was that we had one helluva musical statement on our hands – ‘Mein Herz Brennt’, ‘Links’, ‘Ich Will’ and my favourite ever Ramm-song ‘Spieluhr’, just one great number after another, no padding, no filler, no hint of in-studio heartaches or headaches.

And so it is with ‘Liebe Ist…’. Having spoken to all of the band members, it’s clear that once again there were hurdles to be overcome – indeed, at one point it seemed as though the album might not get made at all! After time spent away from each other, would the six musicians be able to collectively deliver, to re-ignite the mighty Rammstein flame, and would the results still sound like, well, them? Happily, the answer to these questions is yes. Actually, make that YES!!

And let me point out straight away that ‘Pussy’ does not represent the direction of the record as whole. Not surprisingly, it’s a track that has been a major talking-point of late, with just about everyone I speak to having watched the video (several times!), and there’s no question that both single and promo clip have done a magnificent job getting the Rammstein name back into the international spotlight, and quite right too. After all, it’s very much in line with Rammstein tradition that the band should seek to return with a bang – although I guess no-one really expected the musicians themselves to be doing the banging!

Let me put it like this: if you can imagine ‘Liebe Ist…’ as a multi-course banquet, and the artwork definitely implies that it is, then ‘Pussy’ is very much the starter, the hors doeuvres (or ‘whore’s duvet’ as I heard it recently described on a BBC comedy show); a preliminary course designed to get the taste buds a-tingle, paving the way for the main body of the meal… which, as you’d expect from Rammstein, has been spit-roasted over an open flame with plenty of bloody aprons discarded along the way. Gordon Ramm-stein, in-f**king-deed!

Right then, here’s what’s on the menu….

1) ‘Rammlied’ (‘Ramm-song’)

From the moment I first heard this song in unmixed form, it was clear that it would be a candidate to launch the album… and maybe the live show

too? Reminiscent of ‘Rammstein’ from the band’s debut outing ‘Herzeleid’, but in a significantly higher gear, this is a monster of a track that already sounds like a Rammstein classic. Imagine a battalion of fully-armoured war elephants marching into battle, tusks tipped with gleaming steel, and you’re starting to get the picture. A celebration of the behemoth that is Rammstein itself, it’s an irresistible, unstoppable opening gambit. Rammstein are back, and ‘Rammlied’ makes it clear that we should indeed be afraid. Very afraid.

2) ‘Ich Tu Dir Meh’ (‘I Hurt You’)

I’ve had a quick glance at the translated lyrics for this one, and, boy, there’s some pretty nasty stuff here. ‘Harsh’ might be the best word. One of my most embarrassing moments came when I was having the lyrics for ‘Rein Raus’ (from the ‘Mutter’ album) translated into English; the translator was a nice women of pensionable age, and when we came to the line ‘Ein Elefant In Nadelohr’, I really didn’t know where to look! Well, ‘Ich Tu…’ has the potential to be evenmore awkward than that, so you can see what sort of territory we’re in here! And the music? Another home run, pure an’ simple, or in wrestling terms (a sport closer to the Rammstein heart), a full body slam leading to an instant submission. Not an easy task, having to follow the grand opening of ‘Rammlied’, but ‘Ich Tu…’ does a magnificent job, and the chorus is one of the finest on the album; prepare to have it lodged in your head like a flesh-eating parasite…

3) ‘Waidmann’s Heil’

Probably my favourite track on the album, a song that at one point was being talked about as the lead-off single. As I’ve never actually been hunting, or even worn leather shorts for that matter (don’t tell Ted Nugent), I must admit to being unfamiliar with the term ‘Waidmann’s Heil’; however, I’m assured that it’s a traditional German hunting greeting – something one hunter would say to another as they head off into the darker reaches of the Black Forest in search of wild boar or stag or whatever creatures they might catch in their sights. The correct response, I gather, is ‘Waidmann’s Danke’, but this sort of inside knowledge is not essential to your enjoyment of a track that kicks off with a rousing blast of hunting horn, a new addition to the Rammstein musical repertoire, as far as I’m aware. From that point on, it’s a full-tilt race for the finish, complete with magnificent chants of ‘Waidmann’s Heil!’, even more hunting horns, and the sort of ‘Feuer Frei!’/‘Keine Lust’-style guitar action that Rammstein do so well. Now where’s my bow & arrow?!

4) ‘Haifisch’ (‘Shark’)

Another song that turns the spotlight on the band itself. There’s been a lot of a rumours circulating about this record, one of them being that the music would carry a hip hop influence! Well, fear not, Rammstein purists, it doesn’t, but I guess speculation of that sort might have been fuelled by songs like ‘Rammlied’ and ‘Haifisch’ which see the guys, well, bigging themselves up a bit. Nothing wrong with that in my book; as far as I’m concerned, Rammstein have plenty to boast about (as the ‘Pussy’ video makes plain!), although the music to ‘Haifisch’ may I guess come as a bit of a surprise, reminiscent to some extent of ‘London Calling’-era Clash! For me, ‘Liebe Ist…’ is probably the most varied Rammstein album to date, with songs like ‘Haifisch’, ‘Pussy’ & ‘Roter Sand’ (of which more later) showing the band’s stark refusal to merely tread water, and that’s part of what makes this record (studio album number six) so exciting and so alive… oh, and ‘Haifisch’ is great; commercial, memorable and surely a possible future single…

5) ‘B*****’

Let’s face it, Rammstein know how to deliver The Riff. Of course, in Till Lindemann they also have one of the most distinctive frontmen in the world of rock

& metal, and his vocals have always been a vital part of The Sound, but it’s The Riffs that provide the foundation, the basis on which the songs can be constructed… and, in this respect, B******** is a mighty edifice, indeed! As with all Rammstein riffs, this one feels like it’s attached to two giant and muddy tank tracks, rolling inexorably forward, reducing everything in their path to so much fine powder. And as for the title, no it isn’t anything rude (as far as I know!); we’re not talkin’ ‘Never Mind The B*****’ here, it’s just that the word in question is essentially made-up, a creation of the aforementioned Herr Lindemann, and we know just how fertile his mind can be!

6) ‘Fruehling In Paris’ (’Spring In Paris’)

Do I detect a hint of romance? Maybe so, but the lyrics are delivered in such a wistful, world-weary fashion by Till that the song never gets anywhere

near being throwaway, lightweight or overly commercial. Rather, there’s a haunting, sepia quality to the music (like someone mulling over past memories) that provides for a tremendous sense of atmosphere, and then of course there’s the bold decision to deliver the chorus lines in French… and not just any old chorus lines, oh no. We’re talkin’ ‘Je Ne Regrette Rien’ no less, lines made world famous by singer Edith Piaf! Does it work? Absolutely, and once again Rammstein show how they’re still moving forward as a band. Fantastique!

7) ‘Wiener Blut’ (‘Vienna Blood’)

It’s part of Rammstein’s unwritten manifesto that they are duty-bound to comment on the kind of controversial happenings that most bands would run

a very fast mile from… so it was only logical, following on from ‘Mein Teil’ on the last album (a song ‘inspired’ by the cannibalistic exploits of Armin Meiwes), that they should now turn their attention to a certain Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who imprisoned his daughter and fathered several children with her. No great surprise then that ‘Wiener Blut’ is perhaps the album’s darkest, most aggressive track, with Till once again showing his skill at playing different characters, not all of them pleasant… needless to say, the Till of ‘Wiener Blut’ isn’t the one you’d want to take to a Women’s Institute garden party, although it could be an interesting coming together! I wonder how many people you can take out with a hardened scone?

8) ‘Pussy’

One thing that’s been clear from the very start of my relationship with Rammstein is that the band do have a very sharp sense of humour; they wouldn’t be able to toy so deliciously with their own history & culture if they didn’t – and ‘Pussy’ is another example of the guys putting the ‘tonic’ into ‘Teutonic’! A few years ago, a couple of the Rammstein members accepted a trophy at the Kerrang! Awards in London, and their speech consisted mainly of a fewarchetypally German words strung together: ‘blitzkrieg’, ‘wunderbar’, the sort of stereotypes & clichés traditionally used by us in conjunction with the German nation… and it went down a storm, getting a big laugh and a round of applause, and essentially the same approach is taken here, with ‘bratwurst’, ‘sauerkraut’ and other well-thumbed words and phrases being tossed randomly into the mix to create just the right tone for a track (and accompanying clip) that is currently creating ‘water-cololer moments’ in metal circles and beyond. If leading the campaign with ‘Pussy’ was designed to create a stir… it’s succeeded! And as one of the UK rock mags recently pointed out, this must surely be the most high-profile act ever to use bodily fluids in a video! Unless you know otherwise, of course…

9) ‘Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da’ (‘Love Is There For All Of Us’)

Fittingly, the album’s title track encapsulates something that Rammstein (in particular drummer ‘Schneider’) have been speaking about for a number

of years – namely, the move away from the more regimented, near-industrial arrangements of their earlier recordings towards a looser, more organic approach and a different kind of energy. Whipped into action by the sort of explosive drum flourishes that underpinned ‘Tommy Gun’ by The Clash and doubtless other punk anthems of the time, ‘Liebe Ist…’ is Rammstein in full heads-down mode, making a collective charge for the finish line. You can almost picture them playing this one in rehearsals, minus the pyros and the normal pomp & circumstance, sparking off each other’s energy, smiles on faces and instruments held low. Which brings us to….

10) Mehr (‘More’)

Sometimes with music you need to break up the rhythm and sometimes you just need to keep hammering the same nail… hard! And Rammstein are adept

at knowing just what’s required on both of these fronts, as ‘Mehr’ – a song combining said approaches – clearly shows. Yes, there’s an intriguing, almost skittishopening section, not revealing too early just what kind of a track we’re in for, and yes, there’s a change of pace in the middle, allowing the music to once again build in drama & intent, but ultimately it’s The Riff here that is king, like a battering ram hitting time and again against the same weakened spot, with the chorus being chanted call-to-arms-style over the top. Resistance, as ever, is futile. Best to come out waving the white flag…

11) ‘Roter Sand’ (‘Red Sand’)

The first time I heard ‘Spieluhr’ from the ‘Mutter’ album, I thought it had a ‘Spaghetti Western’ feel to it, something to do with its distinctive chiming motif which I guess reminded me of that classic gunfight scene from one of the ‘Dollar’ movies, I can’t recall precisely which one. Of course, as I subsequently found out, the story behind ‘Spieluhr’ had nothing whatsoever to do with that particular subject matter, but I think I’m on much safer ground with ‘Roter Sand’… Cinematic in the extreme, this atmospheric slow-burner was actually the cause of much debate inside the group – everyone agreed the track had genuine merit, but was it just too different to go on a Rammstein album? Should it be one of The Chosen Eleven? Happily, the final decision was a collective thumbs-up, with the result that we now have a ‘whistling’ song from a German band that isn’t the Scorpions! Just as ‘Ramm-lied’ is the obvious opening track, so ‘Roter Sand’ is the ideal closer – haunting, chilling and with a vocal performance from Till that shows his ever-increasing ability to assume different personas… and is that Clint I see riding off into the sunset?