25 years, and not a wrinkle
The heavy metal sextet forming Rammstein has been one of the most popular and successful bands of all time for more than two decades, and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. And this not only in their native Germany, but also worldwide – despite a sulphurous and controversial reputation.
Rammstein’s two decades of unashamed success
Is it their scarily breath-taking live shows with lots of pyrotechnics and grand stage designs? Their outrageous looks both at their performances and in music videos? Or the catchy guitar riffs of [lead guitarist]? In any case, Rammstein’s unique sense of show is as admired by us fans as it is criticized by its haters. Let’s be honest, it’s the combination of all of this. And more importantly, it’s how the band stays true to itself and stands its ground in the face of disapproval. They’ve set the bar high, and they’ve kept themselves there even through all those years. Rammstein’s unmovable stance and audacity has given us many ground-breaking music videos, songs and concerts… and also gotten a few banned for explicit content.
There’s no such thing as too much controversy
It would probably sound overkill nowadays, but back in 1999, frontman Till Lindemann and keyboardist Flake Lorenz got arrested and then fined in Worcester, Massachusetts. Why? For simulating anal sex onstage – fully dressed, using a fake phallus. How shocking!
The band hasn’t stopped loudly making their point against prudishness and censorship. Twenty years later, during their Stadium Tour in 2019, guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Kruspe made out with each-other onstage, to express the band’s outrage at with an anti-homosexual propaganda during their concert in Moscow, Russia. Not long before, they could be seen waving a rainbow flag in Poland to support the LGBT community that had been attacked there weeks earlier.
The music video for “Pussy” lives up to its title. This scandalous track from Rammstein’s sixth LP, Liebe ist für alle da, is illustrated by a performance during which Lindemann brings out… a huge cannon in shape of a penis that shoots foam over the fans. That video is now posted on porn websites. In several instances, Rammstein faced outright censorship for their loud and unabashed performances. The lyrics for “Ich tu dir weh” needed to be changed to play it live; and the band was forced to release a censored version of the album after it being banned from public display by German government, because of its depictions of sado-masochism. Ironical, given Germany’s love-hate relationship with Rammstein: the most popular group born to this country, but the most controversial as well.
No sign of stopping
Rammstein’s latest scandal was released in 2019, in the form of a music video. The video of Deutschland, from their seventh studio album, caused a quite a stir, as a reminder of darker days of German history and culture, hiding nothing of its aggressiveness and brutality.
While Germans have struggled to build a whole new society where no form of discrimination would have a place, Rammstein recalled the country’s infamous past through Nazi-related imagery, openly flirting with controversial topics of master race and white supremacy. The video soon became a pain in the neck for those who did not want the darker days of Germany’s heritage to be publicly spoken about anymore.
Rammstein has stated their political views to be left-leaning, and the band’s stance is evident from their own words and actions. Rammstein loudly says what they want to say, and no force will ever silence them.
