Knebworth's Legend

It sounds like Rammstein are welcome back to Knebworth any time. They are now part of the mythos of Knebworth, according to Knebworth House incumbent, Henry Lytton Cobbold. Given the recent history of this stately home this is rather cool.

William's Song a Day

Who is William? I don't know, but he has a blog to which he posts a song a day. It's a nice idea, and he has posted three days running for people like you, by working to the theme of songs that get mistakenly attributed to Rammstein. Here are William's 'Also Known As Rammstein' posts:

AKAR I: Joachim Witt - Krieger Des Licht
AKAR II: Eisbrecher - Mein Blut
AKAR III: Unheilig - Schutzengel

Update -
AKAR IV: Oomph! - Das Weiße Licht
AKAR V: Megaherz - Heuchler
AKAR VI: Stahlhammer - Herz Aus Stahl
AKAR VII: Letzte Instanz - Für Immer Und Ewig

I'll post any further AKAR posts he might make in the next few days to this article, so come back here in a few days if you are pleased by his first three AKAR posts.

Calm

All is quiet in the world of Rammstein fans. There are the gentle whispers of those who have words to exchange despite the lack of outward activity, and an occasional crackling of complaint, be it over the lack of US date announcements or the fact that there's nothing going on at all. On top of that we the gentle breeze of our various fan communities breathing gently in and out, treading water, marking time, and waiting.

We're in a lull, and it's actually quite nice for me, especially given that I have recently started a new and very time-consuming job. It means that I'm not the only Rammstein source who is not giving you what you want!

That said, I have some plans for content, and will be posting that at some point this weekend. It's not news. It's just LILT-appropriate content, so it's not going to be earth-shattering, but it may help you fritter away some Rammstein-appreciation time.

*Tumbleweed*

Yeah, and crickets too.

There's not a lot going on in the world of German manliness. I'll figure out something. Maybe I can finally finish my ITDW video review, or write one for Haifisch. Whatever it is I promise it won't be the deathly silence of the past few days...

Rock Band 3 + Rammstein = Du Hast, Really?

Yep, that's the word on the street. Du Hast. Insert rolled eyes and sigh of exasperation here. Rammstein are so much better than that song.

Sex, Fires, and Teutonic Escape

Are you familiar with Erotic Review Magazine? I'm not. I haven't even bothered checking to see what it's all about, but it sounds funky and ... erotic. Anyway, this is a little bit out of the ordinary. Here's an excerpt, creatively edited for effect:

...All Quiet on the Stage Front

The concert opener was, of course, “Rammstein.” As the slow keyboard intro kicked in, vocalist Till Lindemann, wearing a heavy-looking silver-colored trenchcoat and goggles, walked up to his mike, opened his arms and, at the very first word of the lyrics (“RAMM! STEIN!”), he caught fire. All over his back and arms.

There’s no describing the effect on the audience...

...What followed was more than anyone could have asked for. Everything caught fire: the instruments, the mike stands, the musicians. Flames burst out of flash pots downstage. Halfway through the show, the lead singer grabbed what looked like an oversized crossbow and shot something like a navy flare up at the skies. After we had followed its arch like a batted baseball, a torrent of sparks started to shower from the crossbow’s curve as Lindemann spun it across the stage, in a magnificent Olympic display. Scratch that – it was better than anything we’d ever seen at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games...

...When it was over, we walked away to have a beer as the Kiss concert went by. Who cared about their gimmicky cardboard 3-D glasses after watching the stage explode...

The article is basically all about the impression Rammstein has made on this guy over the years, and it's a good read. Sorry for the sex line, by the way. There really is nothing erotic about the story...oh, apart from the Banging Buggery of Büch Dich.

Sonisphere - Almost Done With...

The reviews seem to be endless. Here's another I found a few days ago and never got around to posting. As usual here is the stuff you came for:

Saturday headliners Rammstein came out swinging with their furious industrial metal. The reaction from the crowd was massive, fuelled by one of the most intense stage shows in the world. Arriving with six lorries of pyrotechnic equipment, Rammstein set about using all of it, from flame throwing guitars to fire-breathing masks and pyro-jets shooting from the floor, not to mention the fireworks shooting up from behind the backdrop. Cynics might say that Rammstein use this extravagant display to distract the crowd from less talented musicianship, but this was not so. The band played very well together and really gave the following day's line-up something to think about.

Noise Collection - LILT does a 180

Okay, if you're a regular reader you will be aware that I bummed myself out recently when I checked out Combichrist's product, because I love their music, but am not a fan of Andy's vocal stylings.

Then today I found a Combichrist album in the NZ iTunes store that I hadn't previously checked out, so I went through the samples and found that Andy's acid-bath-screams seemed minimal. I took a punt and bought it, and I've been listening to it on and off all day.

The verdict? It's a solid and very stylish piece of viscerally percussive noise. The textures are varied and well-married, and it definitely has a sense of humour. In short, it rocks. In fact if I were playing it in my car rather than via my stupidly expensive canalphones I would definitely be feeling the beats in my liver. This makes me very happy. Check it out if you get a chance.

New Silvijo Photos

Silvijo has updated his site with more photos of Rammstein's show.



It's interesting looking at all the pictures that have been coming out during the tour. The vast majority photographing both Rammstein and Combichrist have been fairly samey and uninspiring, despite the subject matter, but a few have really stood out. They include Silvijo, Christian Hjorth, and these people. The more the better, as far as I am concerned.

Arr-Zed-Gay

I can never resist a cheesy pun.

My friend Maggie has posted her interview with RZK for her paper. She disclaims all responsibility for the title. Blame her editor!

The interview is great, taking Richard outside the usual, and deliberately keeping him off the straight and narrow, without being too pushy. Good job, Maggie. This is the best RZK interview I have read.

To top off her extraordinary dip into Rammstein waters she has also published her review of the Quebec show here. Awesome!

Pyro FX House Site

Tempelhüter has shared the site of the pyro supplier to Rammstein, and they have some great photos from Rammstein shows.

BOOM

The second year of Sonisphere at Knebworth has, as you well know, been a screaming success, and as Rammstein fans you will now doubt have a fair idea of how much the German icons contributed to this. This article is an excellent summary of this though. There's the usual paragraph dedicated to the Leibe-brigade, which I will leave you to find for yourselves, but this closer, regarding the Last Blast of the Iron Maiden show the day following Rammstein, is telling:

...Their new futuristic mascot makes a welcome appearance but, in general, their whole set is, sadly, lacking in fireworks – and I mean literally as well as metaphorically. At the end of the day, it’s great to see them up there but when they fail to match Rammstein sonically and pyrotechnically, you can actually hear the Sonisphere ball deflating.

Sonisphere Fan Writers Have Their Say

I'm not sure who these people are, but I assume they are attendees considered adequately literate and knowledgeable to publish. Here is what some of them had to say about Rammstein:

“For a show that featured so much pyro, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was all about the visuals. “Ich Will” and “Sonne” would have quickly put you right though. A band that clearly cares about delivering a performance, Rammstein didn’t disappoint. They have surely won a new throng of fans over with this one.”

– Janusz Jasinski

“Word on the street was that Rammstein were going to tear Knebworth a new one. That they did, as well as burning everyone alive, rebuilding them, only to tear ‘em up again. Everything you’ve heard about the German industrial metallers was unequivocally displayed on Saturday night. From eyeball frying pyrotechnics set to classics such as Du Hast, to frontman Till Lindeman riding a giant foam spewing dick to porn-anthem Pussy, they held Knebworth in the palm of their hands (or groins) and brought Saturday to a knee trembling close.”

– Claire Nice

“Rammstein literally blew all comers aside, ensuring they were the undisputed kings of Knebworth and that any other band using pyrotechnics this weekend would look like losers. The fact that a German band singing exclusively in German had the crowd in the palm of their hands from start to finish speaks volumes. Perfect.”

– Chris Cooper

You can read more by following the link above.

WH Times: Rammstein Stole the Show

At least, they did if the Welwyn Hatfield Times is to be believed:

...But it wasn’t just the music that captured the imagination.

For Rammstein had brought nine articulated lorries with them from Berlin, containing a total of, ahem, 22 tonnes of pyrotechnics.

In the run-up to the festival, organiser Stuart Galbraith said the show would incorporate the biggest firework and special effects display he’d put on in 25 years in the music business...

It's a nice write-up, as the closing words show:

...For it is, and no doubt will remain, one of the best gigs I’ve ever had the pleasure of going to see.

Go and read the rest.

Metal Hammer Best Album Award for Rammstein

YAY!

Sorry about this morning. Today was the first day of my new job, and I really didn't want to be late. I ended up late in any case, as there are road works going on all over the place in central Wellington right now, including on the motorway, but at least I tried.

Here's the source of the information I posted then (GLT - original German here). That link comes courtesy of Tempelhüter.

Metal Hammer Award - Best Album

Rammstein have won it, but I'm in a big hurry this morning. I will post more detail later. Good stuff though!

Free Apocalyptica Track

Apocalyptica have a giveaway for those who sign up for their newsletter. Once you've subscribed you will get an acknowledgment email, including a link to download At The Gates Of Manala.

Muso's Guide on Knebworth

Muso's Guide has a run-down on Sonisphere Knebworth here. For those wanting just the Rammstein paragraph, here it is:

Rammstein’s Saturday night headline performance is over-the-top and brilliant. Their first ever UK festival appearance is full of fireworks and flame-throwers, and the German industrial metal band pump out some heavy foreign tunes. At one point, a “punter” jumps on stage, catches on fire, and is “rescued” by some stage technicians. It’s all staged – but it looks convincing and leaves us a bit rattled. They close out their set with a cannon that shoots foam and confetti at the crowd, and keyboardist Flake crowd surfs on a mini boat.

NecroMag Interviews Andy from Combichrist

You can read the interview here.

Metal Injection's Take on Knebworth

I can't think of a more apt site name where Rammstein commentary is concerned. Their review of the entire weekend is here, but for those only interested in Rammstein, here's the gen:

Rammstein managed to steal Sonisphere, set it on fire several times in increasingly imaginative ways and then douse it in foamy semen from a giant cock cannon. Literally. With a stage set that involved burning stuntmen, a fire breathing Lindeman and crystal clear sound, a high standard of musicianship and fuel consumption is set by the German pyromaniacs who managed to crowdsurf in a rubber dingy boat and get 55,000 people screaming the lyrics to Pussy.

Lolito De Palermo Shots

There is a gallery of shots up on this flickr page, which I think any Rammstein fan would have to enjoy. Some are from last year, the rest this, and they're all excellent. I particularly like the red one of Richard, the soft black & white Olli shot, and the one I've posted here. Let me know which are your favourites.

I think the Olli picture was taken during Frühling in Paris, and it looks like it has a PS smart-blur on it. It's very simple and very beautiful.

Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer have also published a short run-down on Rammstein's appearance at Sonisphere Knebworth. Here's a snippet:

You might be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon a Broadway production, such was the magnificence of Rammstein’s live performance. We all know they have a proclivity for the grand, but it’s still an incredible sight to watch this multi-ton metal juggernaut in action.

Music Radar on Rammstein at Knebworth

Here's the excerpt about Rammstein:

While Mötley get the party started, Rammstein take the night in a very different direction - from a carnival to a downright freak show. There's explosions, pyro and the flamethrower-wielding Till Lindermann, although no bearded ladies, unfortunately. Luckily they have the tunes to back up the gimmicks (although we're not sure whether setting someone on fire counts as a gimmick), as 'Du Hast', 'Sonne' and 'Feuer Frei' blast out of the wall of speakers with ten times the power of anything else we've heard today. After 90 minutes we're exhausted, the front row's eyebrows are singed and it's the end of Saturday at Sonisphere…

Haifisch Plus Drums

Trevor and Joe from Combichrist joined Rammstein on stage for Ich Will and Haifisch in Zagreb, March, while one of the others (Z_marr) took Flake's boat for a spin:



I found this on Joe's Combichrist blog.

Knebworth Set-List

According to NME 'a vocalist' rode the boat for Haifisch, and the set-list included 'Intro':

Intro (?)
Rammlied
Bückstabü
Waidmann
Keine Lust
Feuer Frei
Weiner Blut
Frühling in Paris
Ich Tu Dir Weh
Du Riechst So Gut
Benzin
Links
Du Hast
Pussy
Sonne
Haifisch
Ich Will

Are they confusing Flake for a vocalist, and is Intro the opening of Rammlied? I have to assume so as, by all accounts, Flake was the sailor and there is no intro' track.

I've also read some first-hand accounts saying that the crowd were utter wankers by Rammstein standards, shoving, and being generally much more aggressive than Rammstein fans are accustomed to. After months of reading Rammstein show reports I've come to the conclusion that inconsiderate moshing and small chick squishing crowd behaviour is the exception, rather than the rule, at dedicated Rammstein shows, and the festival season has proven to be a bit hard on Rammstein's less physically robust fans.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi! :D

We seriously need to get Rammstein down here. I think the odds of the tour including NZ are so slim as to be two dimensional, but Australia could be a go. Please join this group on Facebook to support this idea. It is a group I am now a part of, and all my efforts to make sure we get some burninating down under will be channelled through it. I did have my own page, but it seemed counter-productive not to join forces with others after the same end result. Come burn with us!

Knebworth Shots - Nigel Crane

Rocksound.TV has a short series of Nigel Crane's Rammstein photos from Knebworth that I think are worth a look. The shot I've posted here is, I think, paricularly representative of the Rammstein ethos, if not the nature of the men who create it. The tendon straining, vein popping testosterone surge that is the live Rammstein show, personified by the band's front-man in a single moment. Nice shot, Nigel.

Click on the image or check out image six in the gallery to see the detail.