Welcome Back Combichrist

Link.

LILT Pauses

Death is a nasty thing. It's currently preventing me from updating the site. I will be back as soon as my life is a little less...dramatic.

Rammstein@Knebworth

The UK Sonisphere site has details of the festival at Knebworth, and single day tickets going on sale. I'd kill to go on the Saturday, so don't come near me if you get tickets...and happen to carry air-fair from NZ to the UK on you...in cash.

More Fucking Devoted Than Ever

Fucking Devotee has put up more HD videos, these latest from Wuhlheide. Enjoy!

Old Dogs, New Trick

According to morlac there is a new stunt in the show. He says that during Pussy Flake bugs Till with his keyboard until Till smashes it on the ground, where it explodes.

Wuhlheide Set List...Maybe

Tempelhüter has come through with some information from the first show of the third leg:

I read a few posts in the fan community.
The sound was not that good yesterday.

SPOILER
Setlist (in the wrong order/might be incomplete)

Links
Ich tu dir weh (with original lyrics)
Pussy
Weißes Fleich
Feuer frei
Engel
Sonne
Keine Lust
Benzin
Haifisch
Frühling in Paris
Waidmanns Heil
Wiener Blut
B*******
Rammlied
Du hast
Ich will
Du riechst so gut

The ITDW revelation is interesting, given the indexing...

Remember Wembley?

(source)

Oh Please!

Rammstein: born to shit-stir, right? Now, think about their album covers for a moment. Which is the most shocking? Take a moment...

Now, check this out.

Pffft!

E3 Leak

Apparently it has been leaked at E3 that Rammstein's Waidmanns Heil is to be included in Guitar Hero 6. While leaks are bad this kind of raising of awareness about the band is awesome. The inclusion of Du Hast previously was a bit of a letdown for me, as that song is probably the one that everyone has heard, and putting more impressive and lesser-known tracks into the public eye makes more sense. This time they have at least gone for a newer, less hackneyed song.

World Music Award - Best Selling German Band

Rammstein won. I'm sorry I'm so late with this. I honestly thought you'd all hear about this without me posting it, but Rammchick has pointed out that recognition of such achievements is a good thing, so now I'm posting. Congratulations to Rammstein. I would have been surprised if they didn't get this one, but I'm still very glad they did.

LILT: Roter Sand 1.0

A sad song, and possibly a bad LILT. I'm feeling a bit twitchy about it, because rhythmically it's a bit of a dog. Go English, you suck:

For one love with one commitment
I said I'll come back to you
But I must with sorrow break it
As his bullet has got through

For one love and two pistols too
One that's pointing right at me
He says that it is me who stole you
You love me but
He can't see

Red sand and of two cartridges
One dies in a powdered mess
The second unerring round is his
It's lodged deep within my chest

For one love and one commitment
So much blood runs from my mouth
And I'm not to be avenged
Senseless, I fall to the ground

For one love with two pistols aimed
One was much more quickly drawn
Regettably it was not mine
You belong to him

Red sand and of two cartridges
One dies in a powdered mess
The second unerring round is his
It's lodged deep within my chest

Red sand and white doves are flying
Feeding themselves on my blood
In the end there must be an ending
So my life has served some good

Red sand and of two cartridges
One dies in a powdered mess
The second unerring round is his
It's lodged deep within my chest

Haifisch Single US Track-list

The Gauntlet has this up this morning. Note the changes...

Train Outage for Wuhlheide Shows

Management warns (here via GLT) that Rammstein's shows in Berlin, May 21, 22, & 24 coincide with work on the S-Bahn S3 line, so if you're attending expect problems with public transport and plan accordingly.

Update 2010.05.20: Management have now posted an English version.

Linkage

I'm going to put the list of links to Rammstein fan communities on by sidebar soon. If you know of any fan sites that are not listed here please let me know.

Blood & Dust

I've begun work on Roter Sand, and it makes me sad. The song still has the same emotive effect on me that it did before I learned what the lyrics mean. I wrote this in my 'blind' review last year:

To me it sounds like Till's telling a story that hurts like hell in the recounting, but that simply must be told. Imagine to yourself a battle-scarred, drunk veteran remembering his awful career, and you'll probably get the idea of what I'm hearing. This song is a wrench.

The chorus is pretty. It sounds like agony, but is lovely and almost 'anthemic', with the whistling always coming back in as a link to the next verse. The song is one to listen to while feeling maudlin and nostalgic. There's plenty of inspiration for the little weeper in us all.

It's incredible how different Liese, which is now on the 'done' pile*, feels to Roter Sand, given the music is pretty much the same. Here's my blind take on that:

The lyrics are somehow fuller and more fleshy (I get the impression more is said, for some reason), and Till has thrown in a hefty dose of menace, and a smudge of lasciviousness (the only sex on the bonus disc) too. The blatant sorrow of Roter Sand doesn't surface at all, despite the music being identical. A much more sinister film coats Liese and I love it. While I have no doubt that Roter Sand was more in keeping with the album's flow, I consider Liese to be lyrically/vocally much meatier, and I'm really glad they tagged it onto the bonus disc.

More than half of the meat is in the operatics of Till, but a huge amount of the texture comes from the lyrics. I don't just mean the meaning. The verbal choices he has made impact the vibe of the song. It's an interesting experiment in poetry.

I wonder if he wrote other lyrics for this music...

* How long that will last?

LILT: Liese 3.0

Promoted without change:

Sunday out in Ammerwiese
Liese bravely minds the geese there
Then comes Jacob with long strides
Holding his sickle at his side

He nudges now and then with this
At Liese under skirt and bodice
He wants to sample her by forcing
And while he probes her he's singing...

Lovely Liese, leave the geese here
I want to have a taste of your skin
My scythe will be blood-rusted I fear
If you are not welcoming

So Jacob thinks to lick young Liese
Her pear taste will be so pleasing
So many small hairs stand on end
They run to a wheat-filled glen

In the flood of gold, well veiled
Jacob bestrides the youthful maid
And holds her close until the evening
Against her skin he again sings...

Lovely Liese, leave the geese here
I want to have a taste of your skin
My scythe will be blood-rusted I fear
If you are not welcoming

Lovely Liese, leave the geese here
I want to have a taste of your skin
My scythe will be blood-rusted I fear
If you are not welcoming

[original lyrics & translation]

LILT: Haifisch 3.0

Promoted without change:

We hold with each other
We all take each other's crap
We hold to one another
None will hold us back

We're holding true to you all
We hold onto that vow
We will uphold all the rules
If our rule is allowed

And the shark weeps very real tears
And they're running down its face
But the shark lives in the water
So nobody sees a trace

We hold to the tempo
We hold true in good faith
When one does not keep up
We hold up right away

We're holding our eyes open
We hold against the storm
Six hearts that are burning
Our fire holds such warmth

And the shark weeps very real tears
And they're running down its face
But the shark lives in the water
So nobody sees a trace

In the depths it is so lonesome
And so many tears run free
And that is how it has happened
That it's salty in the sea

They hold beliefs they want
To hold about us all
We hold each other sound
We never will hold still

And the shark weeps very real tears
And they're running down its face
But the shark lives in the water
So nobody sees a trace

In the depths it is so lonesome
And so many tears run free
And that is how it has happened
That it's salty in the sea

And the shark weeps very real tears
And they're running down its face
But the shark lives in the water
So nobody sees a trace

[original lyrics & translation]

LILT: Bückstabü 1.1

I'm not sure if this is an improvement or not. Tough nut to crack:

Soon night will fall
We are alone
You need not
Need not be so down
Voices whisper from between the ears
They are saying (they are saying)
Don't you dare
Leave it be
Do not touch there
Just say to me
Bückstabü
This I'll get
Bückstabü
This I'll get

Don't be afraid
Since I am here
As you know
I am oh-so near
Voices whisper from between the ears
They are saying
Don't you dare
Leave it be
Do not touch there
Just say to me
Bückstabü
This I'll get
Bückstabü
This I'll get

Two souls, oh, they are in my loins
But only one of them can survive
The first time will not hurt at all
There will not be a second time

Bückstabü
Don't you dare
Bückstabü
Leave it be
Bückstabü
Do not touch there
Bückstabü
Voice the plea
Bückstabü
This I'll get
Bückstabü
This I'll get

[lyrics]

GEMA on the Warpath

It seems that GEMA is getting too big for its boots (Thanks for Rammchick for the link). The GEMA organisation, which represents German musical artists, specifically in the management of royalties, is having a go at YouTube (Google), and has been for a while. The threat to order the removal of German music seems intensely short-sighted to me. The awareness and spread of German music has to have been majorly boosted by the advent of such media-sharing sites. People can listen to and find new artists just by following links related to the videos they watch. I found Apocalyptica that way, and now own two of their albums (legitimately). Social networking and media sites should be a tool to be utilised, rather than a source of income. Why not be a little less greedy, take less, and reap the benefits of huge, global exposure, penetration into new markets, and the propagation of music under your management?

RZK Kit on Ebay

At least it looks like it. You need a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier Solohead?

Nah, I have no idea what that is. Want to buy a box?

Cowboys & Indians

You have surely heard the of the stereotype that portrays Germans as humourless. I have. It's utter bollocks, as any Rammstein fan can attest to. They do have a certain grim brutality though:

I got the video from here, and I have to agree that Rammstein couldn't be any scarier than that. Cruel, cruel Bundeswehr!

Shot!

Rammstein are German. I just thought I'd state that for the record, just in case you didn't notice. They're so subtle about this fact that it could easily get past you. Okay, we're clear about the Germanity* of Rammstein, aren't we? Yep. Good. Now read this.

* I made that up.

Americans Should Attend

I know this isn't Rammstein, but it's still awesome. I have a feeling 7th Symphony will make it onto my iPod. Apocalyptica give me the happies. They just keep getting better and better, and you lucky North Americans get them live this month.

Haifisch Single Details Announced

Rammstein's third single release details are up on the official site:

We are happy to finally announce the release date for the “Haifisch” single. The single will be in German, Austrian and Swiss stores on May, 28 2010. In the USA it will be available on June, 1st 2010, in all other countries on May, 31st 2010.


Tracklist

1. Haifisch
2. Highswing RMX by Olsen Involtini
3. Remix by Hurts
4. Remix by Schwefelgelb

Dance of the Freak

Rammstein's Wiener Blut has been reinterpreted in dance. If you're not a fan of interpretive dance it might not do anything for you, but it's well done. I think it rocks in a mildly disturbing way, as is appropriate to the music.

Schneider in Romania

When Rammstein played Romania Schneider had a few words with an interviewer before the show. Here's the video:

Rammstein - Rammstein Interview - Romania - 2010 on muzu.tv

Roter Sand Cover

Here's a rather nice take on Roter Sand.

His MySpace page is here. Thanks for DER_METZGERMEISTER69 for the link.

The Game is Afoot

Frogster Interactive Pictures (German games studio) mention trying to get Rammstein to perform at the launch of their latest Runes of Magic installment this month, which is to take the form of a music festival in an interview on Games Asylum:

GA: The third episode, The Elder Kingdoms, is being launched in May. What new and exciting things can we expect? We’ve heard rumours of a music festival…

Philipp: Yes, a music festival will be introduced with the newest chapter of the game, we are trying to get Rammstein and Muse to open it...

Very amusing.

All A-twitter

Crafty Omega has pointed out a Tweet from Wes Borland that might interest you lot:

Just got back from dinner with Joe Letz (Combichrist) and Richard Kruspe (Rammstein). Believe it or not we talked music. nudge nudge

Oh Noes!

I recently got a FB invite to join a group protesting Rammstein breaking up. I expect this is a reaction to the remarks Richard has made (thanks to the link ^_rammstein_finland_^ - original article) about how right now he can't see himself doing another Rammstein album.

I have read at least one other interview, months ago, in which he has said this. He seems to also say something to the effect of 'never say never' as well, so I think he is definitely talking about his immediate frame of mind. I have subsequently read interviews where he pretty much discusses a future Rammstein project (unplugged, by the sound of things), so I think people are suddenly taking his remarks much more seriously, and I'm not sure why.

Obviously, Rammstein will cease to exist one day. This is how it goes. This is the reality all music fans must face with regard to their favourite artists. It is fact. When it happens is not something I would care to predict, even with Richard's present feelings on the subject, and while I wouldn't be surprised if LIFAD were to end up being their final album (not counting reduxes), I will not go into mourning for Rammstein, or object to the idea of them splitting up. They've done well, and have given us a lot of great material. I love Rammstein, but they are individual people, with families, lives, feelings, ambitions, and probably a strong desire to just stop at some point. I hope it's not for another ten years or so, but doubt my hopes will be fulfilled.

Whatever they may do in future, they rock my world and will continue to do so.