Gevolt Player

In case you've been too slack to check out the album by download, here's the player:

Engel in Montreal

Thanks to SchwarzesGlas.com for the link:


Rammstein_Engel by vistadd

Spiel Mit Mir Review

There's a review up on SMM, currently credited to me, which is worth a read. I've let them know this is another (false! :P) LILT, so that will be corrected, but either way go and check it out.

Update 20110509: the link has now changed with the correction to the attribution.

Gevolt - SIDUR

I purchased SIDUR, Gevolt's earlier album, from iTunes the other day, and though I prefer AlefBase I really like it. The vibe is much more modern, but still has an eastern flavour that really appeals. It's darker, less thunderous, and the vocals are once again really compelling. I recommend this album.

PUSSY! (with cock cannon) NJ

More Metal Sanaz Goodness

New Jersey Video - Feuer Frei

NJ Photos

Timeout New York has posted some photos from the show in New Jersey's Izod Center. Some of them are great. I wouldn't mind seeing larger versions.

New Jersey Scorched

FreeGotham has posted a review of the New Jersey show, with video. It's fairly standard fare, in that it's positive and say all the right things. Check it out.

Here's the video:

Set-List

Here is the set-list from the Izod Center in New Jersey. Thanks to Rammstein Army (Argentina) for this:

1. Rammlied
2. Buckstabü
3. Waidmanns Heil
4. Keine Lust
5. Weisses Fleisch
6. Feuer Frei!
7. Wiener Blut
8. Fruhling un París
9. Ich tu dir weh
10. Du Riescht so gut
11. Benzin
12. Links 234
13. Du Hast
14. Pussy
15. Sonne
16. Haifisch
17. Ich Will
18. Engel.

Argentina Feeds Set-List

Watch LILTwitter - I'm relaying posts from other people with good leads on the Rammstein show #LoveRammstein ;)

Get a Little Tan With Rammstein

Rammstein World, the definitive French Rammstein fan site, has posted this interview from Metal Sanaz:



I like this woman. She's not afraid to express her fandom in a professional context ("This is it!"). She even got Till so excited he's told her she can come on stage with them. Lucky, hot, and in a position to interview her favourite bands. Awesome combination! Good girl :)

Summary: 'best of' in September (Till), "Of course we'll be back next year" (Till), Pussy stunt cocks not necessarily used by band members not in relationships (Till), and Metal Sanaz is a huge fan (herself). Schneider said the usual, and spoke less this time around.

The Pussy video thing I can't help you with. I don't know who is or isn't in a relationship, aside from Flake, whose wedding I have seen photos from, and I really don't care to know, but I'm sure a lot of you do and will be able to work out who had stunt doubles.

Facebook Change

For a while I have been running a facebook page for LILT, and a facebook user account, the latter to enable me to post to other pages and feeds as this site. The page functionality on facebook has been improved, so page administrators can now post as their pages. This has rendered the Lilt Rammstein user account redundant, so I posted yesterday that the account was no longer going to be in use, and today I deactivated it. If you wish to stay in touch with me on facebook please join the LILT.Rammstein.me facebook page. That is where I post when I update here.

Old School Snaps

Rammstein Mexico has linked to this gallery of older Rammstein photos.

Rammstein Mexico Interviews Paul

You can get the goods here. A few points of interest for me from this interview are below.

R+MX: You have reached very high levels, musically and visually speaking. Do you feel like you’ve gone the highest possible, or can you reach any further? What do you feel you’re missing to do?

Paul Landers: In terms of the music, we definitely have some reserves, since there are increasing opportunities to improve the quality of the songs. As for the show, there are also lots of ideas and projects…. Wait and see.

R+MX: After 6-studio and 2-live albums, is this the right moment to release a “Greatest Hits” album?

Paul Landers: No, by no means, but the record company insists we are getting the money for a long time and could not hold them back for more to bring out a best of album. Damn.

R+MX: Usually, between every album release, Rammstein takes its time. How much will we have to wait before having a new album in our hands?

Paul Landers: Quite right, after the tour of the Best, we will again take a “short break”.

It would seem that Till's words from years ago, about retiring at 50, are being taken way too seriously by many fans. It would also seem that, while we might see nothing for a few years after the currently announced activity, there's definite anticipation of more projects from our favourite sextet.

Thanks for Rammstein Mexico for letting me know they'd posted this. You guys rock.

Vote Rammstein!

Is Rammstein Germany's best band? Well, duh! So go and vote. Thanks, Rammstein Mexico.

What's a Combichrist App & Why Should You Care?

The Combichrist app is fairly comprehensive, and well worth getting. It includes music, video (music, live-pro-shot, live-fan-shot, and more), photos, a feed to Joe's tour blog, a feed to their Twitter stream, and other bits and bobs. It costs nothing, gives a lot, and takes up SFA space. Grab it if you have an iDevice, and if you're an Android user keep an eye out for your version in the future. I'll tell you all about it once it's released anyway.

Bottom line: Get the Combichrist app.

Combichrist App

Combichrist have released a free app on the iTunes store, with Android to be serviced soon. As someone who works in a games studio I wish them luck with the Android version. It's incredibly problematic, being such a fragmented platform. I'm just synching now and will update with my thoughts and a run-down on what the app consists of shortly.

Another Black Carpet Interview

BareBonesMusic.Com:



Hey, it turns out the YouTube embed function has just been well-hidden. I'm so blonde. I'll go back and sort out the other videos soon.

Anyway, they talk about the next leg of the LIFAD tour, favouritism, and SFA else. These carpet interviews are necessarily brief.

Golden Gods Interview

Schneider and Lindemann have been interviewed on the 'black carpet' by Metal Injection, and Blabbermouth has the video here. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but will add comments here if I hear anything of note. I just wanted to get it out to you lot.

Update: They were asked how they decide how much is too much with pyrotechnical content in the show. That was down to budget constraints, but as much as possible. Okay, asking if they're happy to be coming back to the US? Duh! The last and most interesting question was regarding videos. Lindemann says they're working again with Jonas Åkerlund (mispronounced - the Å is pronounced as 'or' in Swedish). I'm wondering if this 'best of' project is going to include that, or if there will be another single from LIFAD. No idea at this stage, really.

Petshop Boys & Torsten Rasch

Along with the announcement of their first live album, Concrete, Petshop Boys are releasing their soundtrack for the film, Battleship Potemkin, arranged by Rasch and performed with the Dresdner Sinfoniker, and conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer. This collaboration apparently came about after Petshop Boys heard Rasch's song cycle Mein Herz Brennt:

Astralwerks has also released Pet Shop Boys original music for Sergei Eisenstein’s classic film Battleship Potemkin. The music was recorded in London and Berlin with the Dresdner Sinfoniker in 2004, with orchestrations by Torsten Rasch.

It originally premiered in 2004, when Pet Shop Boys and the Dresdner Sinfoniker played the score to accompany a screening of the film in London’s Trafalgar Square. The free event was presented by the ICA and GLA and attracted 40,000 people. At the time, The Independent noted that “this must be the largest audience for an art movie ever recorded”.

Eisenstein’s film, made in 1925, describes the mutiny of the sailors on the battleship Potemkin in 1905, an event which then linked up with the local population in Odessa as part of Russia’s 1905 revolution. In France the authorities destroyed the film; in Germany it was subject to censorship and in Britain it was banned, apart from club performances, until 1954.

For the film’s Moscow premiere in January 1926, its soundtrack was a medley of existing pieces by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and others, but when the film reached Berlin later that year, it had its first specially-written score, by the radical composer Edmund Meisel. Eisenstein would subsequently acclaim the power of such “unity of fused musical and visual images” in his work and is said to have hoped that a new Battleship Potemkin soundtrack would be written for each new decade.

In April 2003, Philip Dodd, director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, approached Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and suggested that they might write a new score for the film and perform it as a free concert in Trafalgar Square. They wrote the music in the order it would be heard, following the structure of the film. From the beginning they resolved to combine electronic music and strings; the lyrics of the three vocal pieces within it were largely inspired by the film’s original subtitles, though one – After All (The Odessa Staircase) – was also prompted by the role in London of Trafalgar Square as a home of political dissent.

Tennant and Lowe decided to ask Torsten Rasch to orchestrate the work after hearing his song cycle Mein Herz Brennt, a record based on the music of the rock group Rammstein which has sold over two million copies worldwide. Torsten Rasch’s orchestrations were recorded by the Dresdner Sinfoniker, conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer, in Berlin during July 2004. The finished composition – “not so much background music as foreground music”, says Neil Tennant.

Yiddish with a Dash of Pepper

I've been introduced to a new band in my eternal search for Rammstein news. Cultural relevance (which I'm sure is there in spades) aside, Gevolt has so much to offer the world. I found a single paragraph about them here (under Israel), comparing them to Rammstein, and I can see where that came from, but they're a different animal, really, taking an incredibly traditional musical style and turning it utterly upside-down and inside-out. They've basically taken old school Yiddish music and shoved a bunch of pepper up its arse, and it works surprisingly well.

Their album Alef Base is available for free download, but I urge you to pay them if decide to keep it. These guys need to be nurtured.

LIFAD Wants You

LIFAD has issued an order to the USA, Mexico, and Canada. It wants to see its heart everywhere, and has linked to graphical resources on its site for fans to download. You can make of that what you will, but it sounds like a recipe for an impressive display at the upcoming shows, if enough people get into it.

On the Subject of Germany...

TheGauntlet tweeted this mad link today (sound required).

DISCLAIMER: If you're a bit sensitive about the events in the first half of last century you might want to give it a miss (and I have to wonder why you're even reading a site celebrating a pack of Germans), but I think this exactly the sort of levity that is needed. Everyone needs to accept that Germany is now peopled by a nation of new human beings, many of whom are still feeling the need to apologise to the world, despite having had nothing to do with past events, and feel an unwarranted sense of guilt for the crimes of their forebears. Rammstein, for example, is made up entirely of people who did not exist when Nazi Germany collapsed. Celebrate Germany's successes and contributions, mourn the victims of past conflicts, and move on, I say.

Here endeth the rant.

Got Lichtspielhaus?

If you don't and you're interested in why I think you should get it check this preview out. Note that the DVD has subtitle options. It's a great DVD, and has something for everyone, including plenty of behind the scenes stuff.

Also, why are people not allowing videos to be embedded any more? Or is this a new thing with YouTube? It's so counterproductive.




Update:

Mein Teil (Making of Video)

I've seen this, and many of you probably have too, but since it's up on YouTube (appropriately in parts - thanks for the link, Oneon7Billion), and is a good watch, I thought I'd post it.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:

Golden Gods Coverage

Lindemann and Schneider feature (incredibly briefly) in this video article about Rammstein's Best Live Act win at the Golden Gods. Schneider looks about 20 and Till is wearing his best shit-eating grin (such a rare sight), so if you're an OMG-squee-type Rammstein fan it's solid gold. If not it's worth watching for the GWAR shots.

Speaking of GWAR, you'd think they could afford to buy their own drugs...

Update:

Big & Beautiful

I know it's off-topic and a little random but I reserve the right to be both, and post a link to this page. These monuments to Sovietism in the former Yugoslavia have to be the most compelling and evocative pieces of design I have ever seen as a collection. And they are a collection. They were apparently commissioned during the 60s and 70s by the then President of the then nation, Josip Broz Tito, to commemorate sites of World War II battles and concentration camps.

The GWAR Fuck Strategy

Having lost to Rammstein, remarking that at least they didn't lose to Sevendust, the plan from GWAR is apparently to make good on a promise to boff any fan who voted for them. I think I see the flaw in the plan...

Now, if Rammstein had made that same offer it might have worked quite well. I don't know about you guys, but I have seen the internet writings of female Rammstein fans, and I have blushed mightily.

It's Official: Rammstein Are the Best Live Act

The Revolver Golden God Award for Best Live Act has gone to Rammstein by popular vote. That's down to you guys for voting. Good job!

Free Tickets Ahoy!

Well, if you're able to get to Inglewood, CA or Las Vegas, NV and didn't enter you're mad. Four people from my forum are going to be receiving free tickets after this morning's draw. Because I had so few entries there were better odds for each of the entrants winning than these things usually have (a bonus), and I also thought it would make choosing easier having such a small pool of people. It didn't. It was a bit mad. I sat here for ages reading the entrants posts over and over again, stewing, imagining them, agonising, because they all sounded great and shared their passion. I'm ashamed to say that I ended up putting all of their names into a cardboard box, borrowed from a somewhat unimpressed cat I'm staying with at the moment, and drew out four names randomly.

The winners were:

* Eldraug
* wenchithia
* rosenrot1995
* Kadri

I hope They will all have amazing times and come back to LILT to share their experiences with the rest of us.

Something I posted in the contest thread was that one of the winners is assigned to be next to the lovely man who donated these tickets to LILT in the first place. Whether or not he introduces himself is up to him, but I asked the winners to show their enjoyment, so he knows his generosity as not been misused :)

Spinefarm Singles

Spinefarm is releasing some juicy vinyl to celebrate...Record Store Day*:

AS REGULAR manufacturers of vinyl, and proud of it, Spinefarm Records are delighted to be celebrating ‘Record Store Day’ on April 16th 2011 with six 7” singles featuring tracks from some of the key artists on the label.

The Rammstein single (Single 1 - yeah baby) includes Waidmanns Heil and Liebe ist für Alle da.

Thanks to rammsteinbrit for the heads up.

* This caused a WTF moment initially, but I figure it's something those nostalgic for the good old days have dreamt up, and I for one endorse this kind of silliness, so long as it's not taken too far. I love vinyl but lack a turntable. I love browsing music, but just don't find the time. Go the dinosaurs

Seventeen Hours To Go

We're two days into the three day draw for four free Rammstein tickets. If you can get to Las Vegas or Inglewood and want to experience Rammstein (believe me, you do) then check out the draw.

Free Rammstein Tickets

Okay, time to party, thanks to Webby, our kind benefactor. To go into the draw for a ticket to a Rammstein show on either the 20th or 21st of May 2011 please register for my forum, and post to this thread as per the instructions. Note that entry signifies acceptance of the terms and conditions. Entries close in just over 71 hours. Good luck!!

Guitar Con Massachusetts a No-Go

Apparently Rammstein have previously been announced as putting in an appearance at Guitar Con Massachusetts, and they will not be doing so. This is just a heads up, in case any of you were planning to go along to see them.

Unverified but the site seems to bear it out.

LILT Has Rammstein Tickets!

An incredibly generous Australian, who goes by the name Webby, has donated four tickets for two US Rammstein shows to LILT. I am going to give these to you. Well, some of you. I have the following:

1 x LOG6 20110520 @ The Forum, Inglewood, CA.
1 x LOGE11 20110520 @ The Forum, Inglewood, CA.
2 x L115 20110521 @ Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV.

These will be given away individually. Watch this space to find out how to get a chance at one.

Musikmesse Pictures

Rockpictures has photos of this year's Musikmesse in Frankfurt. See if you can find any ramming stones in there.

Thanks to Tempelhüter for the link.

A Mexican Call to Arms

Rammstein Mexico represents a body of Rammstein fans almost unequalled in their passion, drive, and community-mindedness, and they're up to something. A note posted to their facebook page calls for Rammstein-like individuals to sign up to participate in the production of a Rammstein fan video. Now, we have seen what those crazy Poles achieved with their video, so I imagine a nation of fans as awe-inspiring as Mexico can pull off something pretty special too. If you're able to partake in the production of this video and bear a resemblance to any of a certain group of German gentlemen, or just want to contribute and help, then contact Rammstein Mexico. I really want to see what comes of this...

I ♡ Mexico.

Caliban Cover Sonne

Caliban's cover of Sonne, to be included in their Cloverfield EP, is sampled in this video. Thanks to James for the link. I thought I had posted the news when this cover was announced, but apparently didn't, a sad failure on my part.

As an aside, I find it incomprehensible that a band's official YT channel administrator would block embedding their videos on other sites, as having your media playing on other sites is a good way to spread awareness, but this is the way Caliban's people do things, so a link it is. Meh.

Lego

There's been this Lego tribute to Rammstein up on YouTube for years, but I haven't seen it since 2009, and Metal Hammer just posted it on their blog, so I thought I would too, in case any of you haven't see it. It's pretty funky:

*Waves*

I was recently asked for a banner to link to me. I'm so damned old school I didn't have any, so I've whipped a few up, and they're now on my network page, right down at the bottom. I don't flatter myself that they'll get huge amounts of use, but if you want them they're there. Feel free to embed them straight off my host, or download them and upload them to your own, if you do.

Rammstein Communities

Community members should be aware by now that the official fan community forum has been exchanged for a community system, which works quite differently to a straight forum. It's been a shock to many, particularly the English-speaking users, who have found that having English and German users combined into one set of boards resulted in the proliferation of discussion in German, and a severe reduction in English threads. This has now been remedied, bringing about a great improvement in user-friendliness, but many English users have stopped visiting before the change. The only way to make the community revive for English-speaking users is to use the community, so I hope those who have faded away will come back and stamp their personalities all over the place, because we all know that Rammstein fans are personality-plus!

One thing I love about the new community is the ability to share media directly against your account, and the main community feed, so you can see where people are active. You can also friend people and filter the community feed to see what your friends in particular are up to. You can also subscribe to sections of the forum, so you get updated directly when people are engaging. It's very different to the old 'Fan Arena' format, but has way more potential for creating a real family of fans.

I for one have had fun visiting using the Chrome browser by Google. It has GLT built in, so you can go into the German section and read what people are saying, by accepting the browser's offer to translate. If you, like me, are trying to learn German, then switching the translator on and off, to see what is posted in both languages, is awesome.

Chrome is my browser of choice. It has issues with some stuff, so I keep my other browsers installed, but I primarily use Chrome, because it is a superior tool, in my opinion. In a multilingual scene, such as that of Rammstein fans, it really comes into its own. I can read Rammstein World and Rammstein Mexico without having to struggle with copying and pasting content into GLT.

Anyway, back on-point, I really hope people give the new community another chance. I had a really good explore last night, and find myself more and more pleased with it, but the lack of participation that has resulted from such a drastic change is not sustainable. We need to engage, support the community, and ensure it continues to improve.

Many of you won't know this, but I am an active campaigner to get Rammstein's fans to unite. Over the past 18 months-plus I have seen change, and more is to come. I hope these changes get the due consideration and support they deserve. The momentum needs to increase, rather than waning, as it has been, due to the ennui and jadedness of the fans.

My goal is to see more fans engaging on fb, Twitter, the official community, and on their own sites. Link to one another, communicate, and cooperate. Follow each other on Twitter, like each other on fb, join the official community, and link to all the other fan communities on your own fan-sites and MAKE it work. It won't happen overnight, as we have witnessed, but nor will it happen properly if we don't partake.

Okay, pep-talk over. Think it over.

Everything That Goes Down in Vegas Stays in Vegas

There's a fb page for those attending the May 21 show in Vegas who want to hook up with like-minded Rammstein fans. This is an awesome example of community at work. If you're going to Vegas check it out, and I'd love to hear of any more of these that pop up. If you find similar pages for other shows please do let me know!

Premature Rammdulation

Can someone in Montreal please go down to the Bell Center and see if there's a chap camped out and waiting there for Rammstein's May 7 show, who answers to the handle SchwarzesGlas? If you do this please get back to me with a photo (assuming he's okay with this), because this kind of devotion is exceptional and needs publicising.

Extra Tickets For Sale

RNC has some Rammstein tickets that are excess to requirement and is on-selling them at face value. She's good people. If you're going to buy tickets from anyone but an official ticketing office this is the person to buy from. The tickets are for May 5 and 21.

Win tickets for Rammstein in Mexico

You and a friend could win tickets to attend the May 26 show in Mexico, by entering here. You'll need to answer some questions and fill out contact details. If both of you enter you double your chances. Good luck!

Schneider Signing at Musikmesse 2011 - II

I've already posted about Schneider's scheduled appearance at Musikmesse 2011, for Sonor.

On April 9 Schneider will once again be at Musikmesse, from 2 PM. The stand is that of Sonor (designated 3.0 / E 53), so if you're in Frankfurt go along and say hello.

Now I'm posting about his other appearance at Musikmesse 2011, for Sabian.

The following five internationally renowned artists are on board and ready to interact with their eager fans on the SABIAN Booth, Hall 3.0 B75, Saturday, April 9, 12—1PM. Don’t miss out!.

Mike Portnoy...
Jojo Mayer...
Christoph Schneider...
Mark Schulman...
Dom Famularo...

The elipses indicate where I have removed biographical material about each artist.

Silenzium on Sonne

The Russian string band has added a cover of Sonne to their repertoire (joining Mein Herz Brennt, and covers of other artists):



I love that they did it. I'm still trying to work out if I like how they did it. They don't seem to have incorporated the vocal parts into the melody, which thins it, I think. It may grow on me...

Flake's Echo Acceptance

A translation of Flake's acceptance speech from the Echo Awards has been posted to Herzeleid by erikire. Thanks, dude:

"This is what happens when they let the public to decide. / / Thanks to Vattenfall*, because without it, everything would be darker"

*Vattenfall = Electricity & Gas Supplier in Germany & Europe

Update 20110326: I also have a version from a German (erikire is from Mexico), Felix:

That happens if the public decides. And we wanna say thank you to Vattenfall. Otherwise it would be dark in here.

Thanks Felix!

Rammstein Won the Echo

Oh yeah, baybee. Did you vote? If so it worked. ITDW should now get more airtime in Germany, which rocks.



Thanks for the video link, Eva.

Sell-Out

According to Ticketmaster the Rosemont (Chicago) show has sold out. Thanks for bebauz on Herzeleid for the heads up.

WTF?!

I just read this and had one of those moments of blank stupidity. My only response is 'WTF?' so I may go and have another coffee.

HD Festival Footage Coming to TV

This isn't just Rammstein. It's comprehensive festival footage from last year, and it's coming courtesy of French channel, M6:

...The content, all produced in True HD, includes performances by Muse, Kings of Leon, Florence and the Machine, Fat Boy Slim, David Guetta, Arcade Fire, Europe, Rammstein, Alice Cooper, 10cc, Jimmy Somerville, Mika, Jason Derulo, Dizzee Rascal, Roxy Music and Madness. ...

...The ‘Best of the Festivals’ series will air across the M6 Music Club, W9, M6 Music Hits and Metropole channels. M6 has also optioned Series 2 of ‘Best of the Festivals’ portfolio which Blink TV will produce this (northern) summer and deliver in September. Series 2 will include a new animated graphics package which is easily tailored to local languages.

With other deals already done with Channel 4 and Sky TV in the UK, MTV’s HD network Palladia and HD Net in the US, LapTV and Globosat in Latin America and XYZ in Australia, Blink TV’s festival programming has struck a chord with broadcasters looking to reach key youth demographics...

Naturally, there is no mention of NZ.

Extra Mexico Date Added

Rammstein's next tour leg has had such high demand in Mexico (surprise, surprise) that another date has been added (the 27th). That won't satisfy Mexico, but it still rocks.

Schneider Signing at Musikmesse 2011

On April 9 Schneider will once again be at Musikmesse, from 2 PM. The stand is that of Sonor (designated 3.0 / E 53), so if you're in Frankfurt go along and say hello.

ITDW on MySpace

Rammstein has posted the video for ITDW on its MySpace page, which is not a problem since the indexing has been reversed. This works well with the Echo Award nomination, which I hope you have all voted on.

LILT is Two

The site was founded March 16 2009, and today my hit counter has gone haywire. I guess that's kind of fitting. Happy birthday, LILT.

Die Antwoord: 'Rammstein Blew My Fucking Brains Open'

Die Antwoord are a South African unit that played BDO alongside Rammstein this southern summer, and they're pretty awesome and very funky. An interview was recently posted in which they remark Rammstein. The Germans impress:

Do you feel like the place you want to make most of your music is South Africa?
Yolandi: Yeah we do all our stuff there.
Ninja: We’re not that big, the way we see things. We’re kind of just sticking our little heads out of the ground; we’ve emerged from nowhere.
Yolandi: We’re not as big as Rammstein.
Ninja: Rammstein are fucking cool. I saw them last night. I haven’t liked anything for so long until I saw them.
Yolandi: The fire!
Ninja: I was so sad this morning that it was yesterday and that it was finished.

Are you looking in the future to add flames and foam to your concert experience?
Ninja: Maybe at some point to add flames, but there’s a lot of different things I want to do now. Rammstein blew my fucking brains open for what you can do for concerts, but our concerts are still kind of raw and hardcore, but it’d be super cool to explode the sensory experience like that. They’re fucking amazing. I’m a huge fan all of a sudden. I always liked them from that one movie [Pussy]; that was the first time I thought they were pretty cool. After I saw them live I was like, “Jesus Christ, this is the coolest thing ever.”

Vote For Rammstein

Go here. Sign up and sign in. Then click on the Rammstein video thumbnail, then on the big purple button that says 'Jetzt für dieses Video abstimmen' (vote for this video now). Let's put ITDW all over German TV, by ensuring that it wins the Best National Video award.

Echo Nomination

Rammstein has been nominated for an Echo Award for Ich Tu' Dir Weh. One has to wonder what the BPjM will think if ITDW gets plastered all over the place for winning an Echo Award.

Crazy Gigs

NME has a post up on its blog about crazy gigs from a range of people, and Luke Lewis (Editor, NME.COM) named a 2005 Rammstein show has the craziest he's been to:

Rammstein, Berlin Velodrome, 2005. Most people have heard about the sex toys, flamethrower-guitars and rubber dinghies that make up a Rammstein live show, but you really have to see them in Germany – where health and safety laws are suicidally lax – to get the full eyebrow-singeing effect. I’ve never seen so much fire in my life. At one point singer Till Lindemann shot a fireball from a crossbow: it flew over the heads of 20,000 Germans, hit the back wall, and came flying back at him. To this day I have no idea how he did it.

Of course, we know (wires, baby), but let's leave him wondering.

Silvijo Video

Silvijo, who provided LILT with its avatar photo (top, left, in case you missed it), has put together a photo montage video:



Think about what this guy could do if he got to photograph the band under controlled conditions...

LILTday Looming

March 16 (NZT) is LILT's birthday. It will be two years old. Two years and I'm almost out of adaptable songs. I've completed almost 50, with five in the pipe, and I reckon there are two, maybe three left from their current catalogue. If I really wrestle some verbage into submission I may get a grand total of 60 LILTs. That upcoming 'Best of' thing had better have some new material, or I shall have to resort to...something.

LILT: Mehr 1.0

As always, there are issues, but I'm pleased with the first draft:

I need so many
And such a lot
And all for me
All for me

Everything
That one desires
I'll have
again ten times

I'm never sated
I'm never sated
It is better
To have more

More, more...

What I do have
Is never enough
I need a deal
I need a great deal

I've nought to give up
Why would I give?
Sure, I am rich, not rich enough.
My modesty? It's not so bad.
I'll have it all please,
All there is to have.

I'm never sated
I'm never sated
It is better
To have more

More, more, more...
Much more.

I'm never content
There's no nonesuch
There's no enough
Never too much

All the others, they hit their limit.
Give me theirs also
They do not need it!

I'm never content
There's no nonesuch
There's no enough
Never too much

All the others, they hit their limit.
Give me theirs also
They do not need it!

I'm never content
There's no nonesuch
There's no enough
Never too much

All the others, they hit their limit.
Give me theirs also
They do not need it!

I'm never content
There's no nonesuch
There's no enough
Never too much

All the others, they hit their limit.

I need much more!
More
More
Much more
Then more

For those wondering, I've stripped out Till's meaning and put in nonesuch in a self-referential way, nonesuch meaning the ideal, or the model man, i.e. the singer is saying he's not perfect. I wanted to keep the rhyme with the final 'too much' and retaining the meaning of the second line made that impossible. I could have taken too much out and used something else, but I like too much.

LILT: Waidmanns Heil 1.1

Yeah, already. If you're new to this site, I tend to find fault only after I post a piece:

I feel I've been in heat for days
So I'll track down some female game
And I'll camp in the hide till dawn
So I can take my time to aim

On the land under the sky
Decay is standing by
The living quarry must die
Must die

A yearling hind gets to its feet
It's been sunning in the high reeds
It's leaving clear spore through the trees
I see rump flash and I feel heat

The tail whips past like it should crack
My shotgun swings 'round from on my back
Waidmanns, -manns, -manns, -manns Heil
I brush the velvet from the horn
And set my sights upon its form
Waidmanns, -manns, -manns, -manns Heil
On the land under the sky
Decay is standing by
The living quarry must die
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil
Must die
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil

It bears the muzzle energy
Misted blood drifts past its knee
On the land under the sky
Decay is standing by
The living quarry must die
Waidmanns, -manns, -manns, -manns Heil
Must die
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil
On the land under the sky
Decay is standing by
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil
On the land and on the sea

Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil

The 'and on the sea' bit just bugs me. 'Under the sky' works much better, both verbally and visually.

[original lyrics & translation]

LILT: Waidmanns Heil 1.0

It's been a while since I wrote English lyrics for a Rammstein song, so I may be a little shaky. Bear with me, and please treat the end words of the first two lines as loooong (covering two of Till's syllables). I really can't see any other way to deal with these two lines, without writing seriously bad English, which I prefer not to do:

I feel I've been in heat for days
So I'll track down some female game
And I'll camp in the hide till dawn
So I can take my time to aim

On the land and on the sea
Decay is standing by
The living quarry must die
Must die

A yearling hind gets to its feet
It's been sunning in the high reeds
It's leaving clear spore through the trees
I see rump flash and I feel heat

The tail whips past like it should crack
My shotgun swings 'round from on my back
Waidmanns, -manns, -manns, -manns Heil
I brush the velvet from the horn
And set my sights upon its form
Waidmanns, -manns, -manns, -manns Heil
On the land and on the sea
Decay is standing by
The living quarry must die
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil
Must die
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil

It bears the muzzle energy
Misted blood drifts past its knee
On the land and on the sea
Decay is standing by
The living quarry must die
Waidmanns, -manns, -manns, -manns Heil
Must die
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil
On the land and on the sea
Decay is standing by
Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil
On the land and on the sea

Waidmanns, -manns, manns, manns Heil

[original lyrics & translation]

Mexico in May

Three Mexican dates have been tacked onto the US leg:

5/26 – Mexico City // Sports Palace // on sale: 3/09
5/29 – Guadalajara // Arena VFG // on sale: 3/09
5/31 – Monterrey // Auditorio Banamex // on sale: 3/09

Awesome! They'd be mad not to really. Mexican fans are awesome.

Throat Full of Glass Video - Nasty Version (Again)

Since YouTube took down the video Combichrist have put it up on Vimeo, so here it is, again:

COMBICHIRST "Throat Full Of Glass" (Explicit Version) from Combichrist on Vimeo.

Combichrist: Throat Full of Glass Video - Nasty Version

The fully racked up version of the video is up on Vampire Freaks, for your viewing pleasure. I have to say that despite having more 'detail' than the sanitised version the impact and vibe is not changed in any substantial way.


COMBICHRIST "Throat Full Of Glass" (Explicit Version)


Update 20110304: Apparently some people objected to the video and YouTube took it down. Not entirely surprising, but still irritating. I'll see if Combichrist have found alternative hosting for it and repost.

Bang Bang on the Drums

Bang Bang Blog (I think this is the blog of the Bang Bang Breakfast radio show) has an interview with Schneider. The acoustics are bloody horrendous, but the interview isn't bad:

Rammstein Interview on Tuks FM 1072 with Michael Bower. by RobForbesDJ

Sorry for the delay on this. I found it a couple of weeks ago and the tab sat open in my browser being neglected, until now.

Bloody Disgusting Top Live Bands

A Top Five Live Bands list is up on Bloody Disgusting, and Rammstein is number two. I don't think they are. I think they're number one, but I'm sharing the link anyway.

RammCombiSteinChrist

Rammstein and Combichrist seem to have had a group snuggle last night (Combichrist are touring Europe).


In photo, from left: Trevor, Richard, Andy, Paul, Joe, Schneider, Z Marr, Till.

Aw, such a sweet gathering.

Combichrist Opening for Rammstein in the US

There is no rest for the wicked! The Rammstein site post about the US LIFAD tour leg includes the information that Combichrist will be the support act again.

Golden Revolver Nomination for Rammstein

Revolver Mag has put up its voting page for the Golden Revolver Awards. Rammstein are up for the Samson Zoom Best Live Band award, so go and vote for them. Make it happen people.

Bananas, Benzin, & Bondage!

Katvrou has come through with another awesome show report. It speaks for itself, so here it is:

When the news broke about Rammstein coming to our country, I sort of slipped into a weird kind of reality. Because Herzeleid and The Gauntlet confirmed it, I knew it had to be true. But how the hell would this tour be affordable? We were all under the impression that, for this band with all their gear to play in South Africa, we’d have to pay at least R700 for a ticket to make it economically viable for them. And look what we paid – R340 for Golden Circle! Even less for the other seats!

Nevertheless, the reality was that, for a lot of hard rock and metal lovers, it was a dream come true – to see their favourite band live. That’s why the tickets sold out so fast. Even for the smaller venue in Cape Town, the Grand West Arena, those 9 000 tickets went in a flash.

Getting the tickets was one thing – planning for a perfect concert experience was another. Leave, airtickets, Vitamin B12 injections (believe me, those work magically for those long hours before the concert), and getting through those last few weeks before they fly in from Australia.

On the day before the Cape Town concert, my friend Tesna breathlessly posted on Facebook that she got some pics with with a few guys of the band at Cape Town International Airport. She said Olli is very tall, Christoph is getting a bit grey, and Till has the most stunning eyes. Hee hee. Of course he has. Those eyes are shards of glass with a life of their own.

I made myself a T-shirt with the lyrics Die Kreatur Muss Sterben in the Rammstein font, got some peaches and Vitamin Water, and camped out at Entrance 6 of the Grand West Arena. That was at about 8:30 on the morning before the show. A lot of the security personnel scowled at this lone mad woman sitting on the floor with her German flag, but I just laughed. It’s a religion. If I had to explain it, they wouldn’t understand. From about 9:00, some more people joined me – they were all from the picturesque town of Stellenbosch. Then friends from Bloemfontein in the Free State came, and even fans from Bahrain and London. The Bloemfontein friends had a cool banner made, with the South African flag in the corner, and the words Liebe ist für alle da, auch für uns. That banner went everywhere.

Ten hours passed in a whirl. We all sat on the floor while the queue grew at both entrances (Entrance 1 and 6 were for Golden Circle) and we chatted with the casino crew, who took great care of us. Two of the door personnel even searched us and gave us our wristbands just before the doors opened, so we could run in a few seconds before the others came in from the other entrance. And we ran. Ran-ran-ran. So my friends and I made first row, the only place that works. That way you can immerse yourself into the show, and feel everything with your entire body, all your senses – a sublime experience, indeed.

There was no opening act. And it suited everybody. We wanted Rammstein.

When the giant black curtain fell, the German flag emerged and I realised on the spot that we would not be seeing any of the special effects that were done in Lisbon and Spain. But that did not matter. Because Till was behind that curtain.

Wer wartet mit Besonnenheit
der wird belohnt zur rechten Zeit
Nun, das Warten hat ein Ende
Leiht euer Ohr einer Legende…

And…BOOMMMMM, it came through the speakers: RRRRAMM-STEIN!!!! Nine thousand people went apeshit. The German flag dropped to the floor, and there they were. Right in front of us, barely three metres away. Still the reality was weird for a lot of us. Am I really seeing this? Is this Till in black leather with the light in his mouth? Richard with his red armbands, looking charmingly bored as always? Olli, with that straight face and funky outfit – the bass part of his body? Paul, smeared with icky brown goop, beaming at the crowd, pulling everybody in with his boyish charm? Christoph, arms in the air, drumsticks growing from his fingers? And Flake with that spooky-white face, pretending to love his keyboards and them alone?

Manche führen, manche folgen
Herz und Seele, Hand in Hand
Vorwärts, vorwärts, bleibt nicht stehen
Sinn und Form bekommt Verstand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And so the song fell on us like a wall of bricks.

This was all real. I looked up at the roof, and saw no suspended dolls. Eeek. How will this show be? Will it be as good as the ones we saw in November 2009?

I was still wondering about that when Waidmann’s Heil exploded over our heads.

And I was wondering no more.

The show was hotter than everything I ever could’ve imagined. The flames spurted up in the air, licked over the smoke and looked at us. The flames wanted to eat us.

I made no mental note of the setlist. I just screamed, headbanged, clung to the railing, screamed some more, and sweated like a pig. It was GREAT! But, oh heavens, when we recognised the intro of Mein Teil, with Paul and Richard doing that thick, black, chunky guitar duet, we roared our lungs out. To see this on stage, for the first time, other than on a TV screen for Volkerball, TO SEE THIS, OH HOLY CRAP – PPPHOOWWAAAHHHRRR!! Everything worked perfectly. Till, chucking the pot lid to the side with glee. Till’s giant flamethrower, Flake ducking seconds before the flames envelop his head, the crowd screaming, mad with excitement, Flake taunting Till, jumping out of the pot with his mini-rockets and glittery suit…



Our sweat poured and poured. The security dudes in front handed out small chilled sachets of water, which we sucked flat in seconds. It was hotter than the devil’s rectum. We bounced and tripped, and shouted the lyrics back at the band, some of us word for word for word, for word. All of us bonded in minutes, looking across at each other, seeing the utter joy on each other’s faces, being there, singing our Rammstein songs TO THE BAND. To the actual band.

Fuckit.

And then Sonne came. We were jumping and screaming, as was expected, when, at almost the end of the song, I looked down and saw the ENTIRE security pit crew had taken the brace position. I frowned. What the hell? Why are they crouching, covering their heads?

What’s happen...

WHOOOOOOOSH came the first wave of fire. ROOOAARRRR, came the next, followed by the next, the next, the next….. EIGHT waves of flames, on every beat of the song’s last seconds. Most of the women yelled, others dove behind the railing to escape the heat, I clung to my friend’s arm, gasped, felt the skin on my hands baking, and the band…well. They glistened in the heat, Richard looking down at us like a professor doing a lecture, his face clearly saying: “If you can’t take the heat, well then….” Hee hee. THAT was absolutely mindblowing.

The rest of the show passed in a whirl of smoke, red lights, hoarse screams and fire, fire, fire. Haifish with Flake in the boat, bouncing on a sea of open hands. Du Hast, with Richard screaming at us: “I can’t fuckin’ hear you!” Till, pointing at my friend Laureen in front of him, yelling at her: YOU’VE got a pussy!!” Scuzzy boots and legs attached to a torso rolling over my head, surfing to the side, disappearing into a sea of heated bouncing bodies. Tears in my eyes for Frühling in Paris, my heart racing for Ich Will, our arms in the air for Till.

At some point I was enveloped in the message that my brain was sending to me in bright, hot spurts: YOU’RE ALIVE. YOU’RE ALIVE. You’re a lowly keyboard puncher with a degree and a small pension plan, you’re over fourty, you’ll never own a Nikon D3 full frame, your eyelids are burning and YOU’RE FUCKING ALIVE.

And then it was over.

The crowd spilled out of the doors towards the casino and bars – everybody parched and pale. My legs were like rubber. I wanted to crawl down the stairs, get into a corner and just suck my thumb. I couldn’t talk. My throat was fucked, and everywhere I looked, everyone looked just as fucked as I was. I even saw a small Snow White lady with rather small boobs. I’m sure the pit manager never even saw her. Pity. She really would’ve done well as an After Show Guest.

I quickly downed two gin and tonics at the nearest bar, and looked at the masses of black-dressed fans that were walking past. But, a lot of them were older by quite a bit, and rather normal at that. Not a piercing, tattoo or black eyeliner in sight. “We enjoyed the show a lot!”, exclaimed a couple next to me. I suspect it’s because Till didn’t ride a giant, foam-spewing penis. People would’ve been offended, I’m sure.

But then again, how would I know.

******************************************************************************

So we went to a roadhouse, I ate a plate of crumbed mushrooms and tried to soothe my frayed tonsils with a hot cappucino. And we grinned. And slowly drew our plans for the Joburg show.

The flight to Johannesburg was a bit bouncy at times – stressful. Although I’m a nervous flyer, my nerves were already shot with the idea of having to secure a front spot in a venue where no less than
17 000 Rammstein fans would show up. My stomach was chewing itself. I wanted to hurl. Dammit, why is this band so important?

Oh yes. Because they shoot crunchy riffs from the hip. Because they give controversy a purpose. Because they don’t give a shit about what others think. Because they’re so damn good to look at. Because they killed my tears about the evil of this world. I am in bondage with this band because they mutate me. I become stronger with each song, because their music feeds me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve started our descent to Johannesburg. Please fasten your seatbelts, put your seats in the upright position and fold your trays away. Thank you for flying with Kulula.”

I had to stop overthinking this thing. So I sucked on a mint and popped a Calmette.

We went to check out the Dome at seven that night – and saw that only a skeletal frame of the stage had been built so far. I freaked. How the hell will they finish everything on Friday if the trucks haven’t even arrived yet?? Aaarghhh!

But, rest was more important. I packed the bananas, nuts, rusks and mineral water. I ironed my sweaty smelling T-shirt (the same one from the Cape Town show, of course) and chose some comfy socks for the scuffed Docs.

And I got up at 04:00, my friend Leon arrived at 05:00, after having driven for about eight hours from Durban. He can play Seemann’s intro on his bass – it will make you shiver.

Leon was out of his mind. Just like I was – we were on our way to the Dome, in the dark, before the birds were even awake, and we had no idea what to expect. Would we be chased away by security? Would there be a safe spot to sit? Would the weather play along? Well, all that we could do, was to go and bloodywell check it out.

We arrived at 05:45. The security manager, a sullen hard-faced woman on a power trip, told us to go sit outside the main gate. So we did. We watched dawn break over the Northgate Shopping Centre, and lo and behold, our friends from Bloemfontein, Bahrain and Londen arrived. With that big banner, sandwiches, tequila and sleep in their eyes.

The day started, and slid into something unreal. As the sun became hotter and hotter, we moved closer to the parking sign’s shadow, trying not to get sunburnt to hell. We begged the gate guard to ask the security manager if we could just move inside the gate and sit under one of the trees. “NO!” we could hear her scream over the walkie-talkie. “Get those people away from the gate! This is a construction site and they should not be even on the pavement!! TELL THEM TO LEAVE!!!!”

Construction site? Eh?

Oh of course. The stage was still being built. The huge Scania trucks were coming and going, reversing beep-beep-beeppp with Rammstein’s stuff in their boxy steel bellies – while we were waiting for the day to lose its last hours of sun.

During the first few hours before noon, we sat and talked about our first Rammstein songs, where we heard them, and who introduced us to the band. Eventually we came to the question about WHY we do all this. Why do we get up so early and queue for so long to be in front? And all I could say, was: “Because I want to see everything. I want a good show.”

We all do. Our standards are high. That’s why we listen to this gang of moody Germans.

The security manager didn’t care about us any more. She had bigger fish to fry – the stage had to get finished, and lots of other logistical crap had to be sorted out.

Almost twelve hours later, the queues were growing into long black rivers from four entrances – and us Golden Circle junkies were pooled into one area, whereafter we were organised into three rows. We were tired and restless, but our veins were also starting to fill up with gallons of pent-up adrenaline.

The roller doors started to open, ever so slowly. “Wait!!!” the guards said. “Wait wait, dammit, WAIT!”

And the roller doors stopped.

“OK, go!!” the guards said. And we ran.

I cannot remember how I got there, and I’m sure I ended up at the wrong end of the stage, with a lot of people becoming confused about where to run, because the Dome’s floor area is so huge, but after what seemed like an eternity, I was next to Leon, right in the middle of the stage.

We made it.

Leon was shaking. He clutched at the railing, a weird grin on his face. A lifelong dream of his was about to come true. And I knew exactly how he felt.

The photographers came into the pit. The crowd started to cheer. The lights went out. And the dark whooooommmmmmm of Rammlied started.

The deep roar that came from seventeen thousand throats was deafening. I thought the Dome’s roof would lift. Or at least crack. The black curtain rippled to the ground. I knew how it would be, but every second from there on was new, all over again.

Till’s voice crawled over our skins.

Till, the pissed-off troll under the bridge, the troll soaked in pheromones, spit and benzin.

Rammlied hit the floor in unison with the German flag. We screamed, staggered, grabbed the railing to cushion the huge crowd surge, and I think I cried a bit. None of us knew that the sound was at its best right there in the Golden Circle. We didn’t care that it was bouncing off the walls to the back, creating some delayed echo. We. Didn’t. Care. We suffered like hell for this spot, and we were damn well going to soak up every fucking heartstopping second.

The thumpy beats of Bückstabü reached our ears. Till came stomping over the stage. Our fists were in the air, spitting out the words in unison:

Die da sagen
Tu das nicht
Lass das sein
Fass das nicht an
Sag einfach nein
BUCKSTABU
HOL ICH MIR

BÜCKSTABÜÜÜÜÜ -
HOL ICH MIRRRRRR!!!!

And for the first time I realised that Till was simulating forced oral sex with his microphone. I stared. And felt my face go all warm.

Then the sweat took over. Benzin hit the stage and our arms went back in the air, everybody jumping like loons. Till lit the torch and sent that flame flying like a superhero on meth. Whoooosh-whooooosssssh. The heat, dammit, the heat felt so good. At one stage, during an especially ferocious bout of headbanging, I hit myself in the face with my soaking wet fringe. Slap.

We danced in Pussy’s confetti, and saw the screams lift Flake’s little boat. How he folded the South African flag around his shoulders. More screams. The crowdsurfers got yanked over the railing and wrestled to the ground. Some pale thin girls fainted and got carried away. We didn’t care. We were burning.

And Sonne rolled over us again in those eight fiery waves, trying their best to blister my eyelids. I just stuck my face into that bright white heat, gasping for air, feeling my brain throbbing inside my skull. My heart wanted to explode.

The evil of Joseph Fritzl in Wiener Blut, “I’m going to lock you in this cellar, where nobody will bother us. And if you’re lonely, I’ll plant you a little sister.”

Again. Fuckit.

The screaming chorus in Ich Will, and the gooseflesh that hit my body.

Könnt ihr mich hören?
WIR HÖREN DICH!!
Könnt ihr mich sehen?
WIR SEHEN DICH!!
Könnt ihr mich fühlen?
WIR FÜHLEN DICH!!
Ich versteh euch nicht!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The band coming down towards us, kneeling. Till getting up, and saying in Afrikaans: “Baie dankie Johannesburg.”

Fresh bruises, pink and brown, right to my upper arms. I looked like a leper. Two million cicadas were swimming in my ears. And the flashbacks were tormenting me without end.

DENN DU BIST
WAS DU ISST
UND IHR WISST
WAS ES IST

ES IST MEIN TEIL –
NEIN!!!!!!

Yes. Rammstein came and left. Ahoi, hallo and goodbye. Moody, controversial and fearless. Whatever. They’re therapy against that putrid stream of beige music smothering the world. They’re my drug, my witchdoctor, my whip dipped in salt. They’re my band.

Thank you, you bastards. That was bloody brilliant.

Thanks, Katvrou!

Those Crazy Poles

Feuerräder, the Polish Rammstein fan community, has made a video in tribute to Rammstein:



Feuerräder, I take my hat off to you :)

Christchurch

If you feel at all inclined to help those whose lives have been devastated by the earthquake the NZ Red Cross is the best option.

People finder:



Thank you Google.

Christchurch Crumbles

My country is New Zealand. It is located to the south-east of Australia, and is made up of two islands, each astride a major fault-line (the country's spine is made up of upsurge from tectonic activity). Just before 1 PM today (NZDST) a major earthquake struck the South Island, devastating the city of Christchurch, killing and injuring people, completely destroying some buildings, and seriously damaging others. The ground has cracked, surged, vomited up all its water, creating floods of mud, water, and sand. Emergency services are struggling, and people are screaming from under rubble. Power is out, sewers are broken, water supplies are cut, and it's heartbreaking.

This follows another major earthquake that struck in September last year, and from which the city was just beginning to recover. This earthquake was rated lower on the Richter scale than September's, but because it was shallower it has done much more damage, and cost many more lives. Spare a thought for NZ.

BDO Auckland Review

There're a couple of reviews, act by act, of the BDO in Auckland, January 2011, here. The bit you'll be most interested in:

Rammstein. Fuck. The. Most. Amazing. Performance. I. Have. EVER. Seen. And. Heard. No words can describe the incredibleness of Rammstein. Fire, perfect sound, mouth lights, people on fire, flame throwers, fireworks, guns, knives, incredible lighting rigs and set. AMAZING! They are all I have been listening to since. The lead singer Till Lindemann, 48, had the most amazing stage presence and persona ever! Coming on stage looking like a macabre clown with a red feather collar, bloodied dirty make up, a weird butchery hairnet and to top it all off an LED light rig that made his mouth light up, made me forget the fact I was cold and soaking wet from the annoying persistent rain and become completely fixated on the stage and this amazing German metal band. Personal bliss. ‘Mein Teil’ had to be my favourite song. It began with Till wheeling out this huge vat/cauldron, holding a knife/microphone and a gun. As the song began it was revealed that the band’s keyboardist, Christian ‘Flake’ Lorenz, was IN THE VAT. OK…that’s cool, I thought to myself. Lorenz even had his keyboard with him. But…when the song reached the chorus he aims the gun at the vat, pulls the trigger, and that’s when you find out the gun is actually a flamethrower and Lorenz ducks into the vat just in time as flames engulf it. Fucking incredible. Of course Lorenz is fine, he pops his head back up again. Later Lorenz is chased around the stage by jets of fire that shoot down from the top of the stage at him. Something tells me they don’t like him very much . Rammstein may seem like a scary, German metal band but a lot of humour (albeit black) is present in a fair bit of their music. Some people even refer to their act as a kind of opera. You have no idea what they are saying, but it is all so captivating and beautiful in its own way that you are just mesmerised.

The formula definitely works.

Mutter Tour DVD Petition

The Mutter tour in the early noughties was pretty spectacular, with the band being spat out of a giant womb at the start of the show, delivered by Flake, the most insane midwife ever. A petition has been established to ask that the footage of this show that was filmed at the time be released as a DVD. You can sign this here.

RZK Interview

Wat Kyk Jy has posted an interview with Richard, which is definitely worth a read. It's a bit different from the usual fare. Something that came up was the concepts that didn't make it onto LIFAD. These have been discussed in the various communities; whether we will have another Rosenrot-type follow-up. Richard's thoughts:

Well, at the moment I don't want to think about it. Something somebody told me is "if you wanna make God smile, tell him your plans", so haha, we don't need plans anymore. At the moment they're in the computer and they weren't strong enough to survive the record, so you know, there must be something wrong with that, you know? And everything belongs kind of to a time. That's my experience with music. You know, when you're in a special moment and a special time you write certain things and its kind of odd when like 5 years later you getting … unless it's strong otherwise its kind of dull because it wasn't on the record and when you listen to it you're moving yourself too… My guess is it will stay in the computer, haha.

Rammstein Symposium Comes With Warning

I love this. A symposium called 'Re-Reading Rammstein' being held at Georgia State University is billed as follows:

"Re-Reading Rammstein*: Neue Deutsche Härte and (Trans)National
Identity"
by Corinna Kahnke, Duke University
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 5:30-7:00pm, in GCB 718

*A note on content: Songs, videos, and performances by the band
Rammstein include explicit material (obscenity, violence, nudity, and
sexuality). Please attend at your discretion.

Those saucy Germans.

RSA Show Review

There's a brief review of the Capetown show up here. It sounds like an awesome night was had by all.

Rammstein US Dates

The Gauntlet has given the US & Canadian dates for Rammstein's continued LIFAD tour. They are as follows:

May 5 - New York, NY - Izod Center (E. Rutherford, NJ)
May 7 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
May 8 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
May 10 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena (Rosemount)
May 13 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
May 15 - Seattle, WA - Tacoma Dome (Tacoma)
May 18 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
May 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
May 21 - Las Vegas, NV - Thomas & Mack Center

See the TG link above for more information. Thanks for IBUA for the link!

Rammstein in US in May?

Rumour has it ticket sales will commence February 26, based on this Las Vegas date (thanks to sirkorn for the link). No word that I can find on the official Rammstein site, but this is definitely promising! I doubt it will just be the one date, so Americans can probably expect a series of dates to be announced. A US tour, even...

Combichrist: Throat Full of Glass Video

Tarantinoesque? In spades.

Johannesberg Photos

The Times Live has posted a nice little run of Photos from the second RSA show here.

Melbourne BDO Photos

Mandy Hall Media has posted shots from the Big Day Out in Melbourne, 1 February, 2011. They're rather good, and there are a few Rammstein shots.

Back to the Future

The set-list I posted for Johannesburg is bust. That show hasn't happened yet. My apologies for the stupidity. Need sleep...

J'Burg Set

I'm not sure about the order, but this was apparently the set-list in Johannesburg:

Rammlied
Waidmanns Heil
Weisses Fleisch
Wiener Blut
Ich tu' dir weh
Du reichst so gut
Links 2 3 4
Du hast
Bückstabü
Keine Lust
Feuer Frei
Frühling in Paris
Mein Teil
Benzin
Pussy

Sonne
Haifisch
Ich Will

Engel

Any corrections from RSA readers most welcome!

Update 20110211: I need to sleep more. This show hasn't even happened yet!

Thirsty Work

If this report is to be believed (far from certain), Rammstein are more concerned about keeping well-hydrated than about partying hard:

Their demands include skimmed milk, 30litres of non-carbonated water, 4litres of sparkling water, 10litres of 100% fruit juice in different flavours, and litres of energy drink Gatorade and Coca-Cola Light.

In contrast the article claims U2 have a much more extensive (and expensive) set of requirements:

The band's demands include that only "bottled beer", such as a case of Rolling Rock, four cases of Heineken, and half a case of Guinness stout, be provided.

Also high on the list is Cuervo Tequila, Stolli or Absolut vodka, a bottle of Jack Daniels Black Label, Moët White Star champagne, three "very good" French chardonnays and three "very good" French bordeaux wines, Mouton Cadet red wine, Jacobs Creek or Black Opal Australian white wine and a medium-quality port or sherry.

There's a very strong possiblity that this article is entirely a work of fiction, but it tickled my fancy.

Rammstein LIFAD Tour Ranks 24th in 2010

In an Event Industry News article I just found the current Rammstein tour is rated in the top 50 tours of 2010 in 24th place by Pollstar. Not bad.

New Combichrist Video

If you've been paying attention to Combichrist's various community channels you will be aware that they have filmed a video for Throat Full of Glass, which looks something like a Tarantino flick, judging from the making-of photos they've shared. They've announced the video will debut on Valentine's Day, and have posted a teaser for your delectation. Go-go Combichrist!

Also, if you haven't read it yet, check out my interview with Joe Letz here.

Till Breaks Schneider's Toy

Herr Lindemann, known for his meek and mild stage presence, shows us once again why one must always carry a spare drum kit on tour:



I really like how Schneider tries to keep playing, despite the flames pluming out of his drums.

Win BDO Tickets - Perth

Comment on the Rammstein fb page post about this and you can win one of five tickets to the Perth BDO.

Rammstein Auction Closed

They managed to raise over $3000. Nice!

Please Propagate

This tweet from the official Rammstein feed needs to be spread far and wide. Go toot your little tweeters, my twits!

Updated Meet Rammstein Post

The direct auction link is now included in the post.

A Shout-Out to the Aussies

I'm really worried about the people in north-eastern Australia about to weather the worst storm of their lives. I don't pray, but I will hope. If there was ever a time to take on board the message if the LIFAD campaign this is it. Think on, pray for, donate money to, and do anything you can to support those facing Cyclone Yasi.

Meet Rammstein & Help Flood Victims

You can bid at auction to meet Rammstein in Perth. Proceeds to the Aussie flood relief.

Update 20110202: Here you are, my darlings :)