Rammstein are one of those rare bands in music that you have hear or see to believe. Describing them and their genre of music to someone who has never heard of them before is a major feat. You could link their style and theatrics to the likes of Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, but Rammstein take it one step further. On multiple levels.
It’s astounding that a band such as Rammstein have managed to go from being a cult phenomenon to a mainstream success across the globe, mainly due to the language barrier. Rammstein consists of six musicians, with the band itself originating from Berlin, Germany. The band rarely sing in English, are a part of the German Neue Deutsche Härte genre (New German Hardness), a genre which was established because of Rammstein themselves after music press coined the term to describe the 1995 release of their album ‘Herzeleid’.
Rammstein are the pinnacle of discovering the side of alternative rock that your parents don’t want you to discover. Before Rammstein, it was bands like Slayer and other ‘devil-worshippers’; now it’s BDSM inspired wardrobes, over-the-top pyrotechnics and black lipstick. The band take Alice Cooper’s on stage antics, set pieces and ‘suicides’ to a whole new high.
The subject matter of a majority of Rammstien’s songs is extremely questionable too, mostly because if you were to ask an English speaking fan what on earth the band were singing about they’d have no idea. And be extremely shocked and probably disgusted to find out that Rammstein’s most popular songs focus around sadomasochism, homosexuality, incest, necrophilia, cannibalism, religion and sexual violence. But it’s the band’s intelligence and wit when it comes to these subjects that make them who they are. They’re shocking, and it’s more the reason to admire that they’re able to get away with it. The band themselves can never seem to understand why people get upset, they never set out to offend anyone. It’s not to be taken seriously at any point. They’re one of the only ‘art bands’ that haves stayed true to the image that they are portraying. They still clear of the rock and roll clichés – sex, drugs, cars etc. – to prevent the possibility of them becoming a parody of themselves, much like bands such as KISS and Motley Crue have now become.
To say Rammstein are a ‘hidden gem’ now is a no go. The band recently broke America, selling out Madison Square Garden in 10 minutes and have headlined the O2 Arena, Wembley and Sonisphere in the UK. It’s safe to say that Rammstein’s popularity isn’t going to stop any time soon. The fascination that surrounds the band grows stronger by the year, and they seem to grow stronger along with it.
