The Music of Rammstein

It's not every day that we read any sort of article on a metal band, and German at that. Rammstein has been in and out of the media in America for a decade now, and it seems that this band deserves more international recognition than it's getting. The band originated in Berlin, Germany, and, true to their heritage, sing entirely in their native tongue.

The German language is harsh. It doesn't roll off the lips, dripping of passion and romance like French or Italian. However, any language spoken or sung in the right tone of voice can be heartwrenching, threatening or even erotic. For example: Rammstein's Amour off their fourth album, Reise, Reise. The singer, Till Lindemann, sings in a deep bass, almost whispering and breathing in your ear a ballad of love lost, the most romantic part of the song being the rolling r's, almost a purr that sends shivers down the spine.

Rammstein has had its political opinions melded into its songs. Amerika, Links 2, 3, 4, and their most popular song, Du Hast, which is a play on marriage vows. Many people, Americans mostly, don't like the band's music due to the fact that the German language can be shoddily translated because of the ingenious play on words. Du Hast, for example, means "you have," not "you hate" (du Hasst). One translation quotes the song as "you hate me," instead of "you have me." Rammstein has released an English version of the song, which I haven't heard, nor do I want to, because the original is much better - the band's original recording and meaning are much more intriguing. Amerika plays on the grip America has on international society today, and how American culture has infiltrated almost every single corner of the world today. Abrasive, yes, but one must listen to the songs and read the lyrics with an open mind.

Rammstein are definitely fantastic storytellers, I would say way up there on the totem pole with Genesis, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie... One of the more notable yet not widely known Rammstein stories is Morgenstern, a song about a girl who's told all her life that she's ugly. She prays to the morning star (Morgenstern) for beauty, who shuns her. The song closes with a man telling her she is simply beautiful. Tear jerker, that song is. Hilf Mir, a song about a child who sets himself on fire accidentally because he saw his mother using matches. Rammstein, the story about the Air Show at Ramstein air force base in the 80's that killed some of its spectators (Till Lindemann sets himself on fire throughout the duration of the song in their live performances, as an homage). And last but never least in my myriad of examples, Dalai Lama, a song about a man who's afraid to fly, yet he bites the bullet and goes up in a plane with his son. The plane crashes and he survives but his son dies.

Rammstein's ballads and love songs are overflowing with passion, devastation, longing and love. These are "tear you heart out through your nostril" love songs. Ohne Dich, Nebel, Rosenrot, Wo Bist Du?, and many others. The songs themselves, just listening to them in the German language is one thing: the notes, the tone of the voice, the crescendos, all of it is already moving. To listen to the songs after they're translated is just that much more powerful.

Rammstein are by far amazing. Full of irony (Spring, Engel, Dalai Lama, Hallelujah), opinion (Amerika, Links 2, 3, 4, Benzin, Mann Gegan Mann), old German children's stories (Spieluhr, Hilf Mir), all of their music is so powerful. A lot of people ask me how the heck I can equate them to Genesis, David Bowie. Easy: Rammstein gives us what these other greats gave us - powerful music that didn't preach, scream obscenities, or push political opinion. Rammstein tells us stories throughout their entire discography, one after the other, as if each song was its own entity in a book of essays and poems. Instead of saying, "I hate this place, it's done me wrong, you should hate it too," they say, "We're not too hip on this, here's why: *insert story here*". They're never preachy, they tell it how it is, and even though translation may be needed, the point is well received. Watching six beefy German guys set themselves on fire on stage doesn't hurt to watch, either. Rammstein are totally underestimated in American society today, and in all honesty, it doesn't hurt to get an outside opinion of American culture every now and again. If we're willing to watch Michael Moore movies, we should be willing to listen to Rammstein. To check them out, go to http://www.rammstein.com/ or http://www.herzeleid.com/.