From Abba to Rammstein

Love him or hate him, Jonas Åkerlund makes an impression. I have never really known much about him, except that he is from the country I was born in and that he has courage where his work is concerned. He's never really managed to enthrall me, but he does turn out some visually stunning work. Here's an article about him where he cites Rammstein as a career highlight.

...Akerlund cites his remarkably explicit video for Pussy, from the German metal freaks Rammstein, as his career highlight.

"It's the shortest treatment I've ever done," he says.

"I wrote an email to them and said, 'Let's make a porno.' Ten minutes later, they said yes."

I think I have heard that before somewhere...

QotM

This is an article about Lady Gaga, for whom I have a quiet admiration, even if it does revolve around her masterful powers of propaganda and self-promotion rather than her albums. It has a rather a nice line about Åkerlund, who has now made a couple of videos for the funky diva:

...last year he shot a tedious hardcore porn video for the otherwise sublime German heavy metal band Rammstein...

I have no doubt that Kalder speaks for many Rammstein fans.

QotM

Quote of the moment:

Jonas Akerlund (sic) directed the Gaga promo. He has form. At the saucy end of the scale, his videos for German metallers Rammstein make Telephone look like an episode of Andy Pandy.

- BBC on Lady Gaga's 'Telephone'

ITDW Behind the Scenes Video

Metal Hammer has the 'making of the video' video here. Enjoy!

Thanks for the link, Rammchick and James.

Tilting at Demons

Now, here's something for the fan-girls to take home to their mothers:


Oh yeah, Lindemann to the core. I've previously described this man as a medieval fortress with charisma, a fleshy tank, fist-like, and an intellectual TARDIS, but I've never called him beautiful. I think he is in this video, almost definitely because of the post-production work, possibly because of the careful lighting, probably because he's putting a lot of effort to make bedroom eyes throughout. Either way, well done!

Now I need to post the lilac eyes picture, just because it's so damned absurd. I'm sorry, but after my teenage explorations into romantic fiction, with the inane fixation such authors have with oddly-coloured eyes, this strikes me as funny. I can't think of a less Mills & Boon-ish figure than this:



Something I commented on in an earlier post was how the mishap with Till's cheek-piercing lead to some rather unnecessary mirroring, so they could light him on one side and hide the wire going into his mouth on the other. Here is where they took it to an extreme, yet made no effort to disguise it by masking his distinctive scarring - duh:



Another right royal balls-up was with the split tongue idea. Now, the human tongue is a nasty article, but it has certain physical properties that you can't ignore, such as depth, also known as thickness. I don't care to speculate on the career of Lindemann's tongue, but I have doubts that it is in fact one pixel thick, don't you?



Yes, enough of that now.









The production values were high in this video, on the whole. The lilac eyes, 2D tongue, and the twinned plasma were the only glaring faults I found. Yes, twinned plasma. You know the Tesla coil and how it makes lightning, right? If you don't then google is your friend. Go read about it. Anyway, the fact is that plasma is a bit like snowflakes...sort of. Whether or not that makes sense (sorry) it does not appear in the same form over and over again. This can only happen under the influence of a tired, or possibly lazy, post-production gimp:




Yes, you are seeing the same plasma animation moving up those two Tesla towers. Oopsy-daisy.

The last two stills are shots of Till's mic'. The first one is rather classy, being his Mein Teil mic' from the Reise Reise tour:



Cool! We all liked that mic', because it went with the master butcher costume and the lovely blood-toned costmetics Till wears so well. The other mic' is something a bit different:



Oh now, Till, that's just manky, man. You don't know where that's been. Grubby bastard.

Anyway, here endeth the nitpicking. The next, and probably last installment of my review will be all about the less quantifiable aspects of the video. If you can stand more of my ruminations check back in the next few days.

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In Pursuit of Trivia

Okay, this is an exercise in illustration, as I don't really think I can describe what you're seeing better than a screen-dump, so bring on the pictures! (Click them for bigger versions)


There are a lot of nice little details in the Ich Tu' Dir Weh video. One that really caught my eye was Schneider's drumstick trickery. He does a couple if nice little moves, and as nobody really gets to see him live I felt this should be highlighted:

Another thing that leapt out at me was how utterly gorgeous Olli looks. He's a good-looking dude on a bad day, and enhances that by being a bit of a closed book, but come on, this is just mad. CK model, anyone?

For random trivia you can't go past Schneider's feet, Richard's hand, or Paul's hide. I give you some great icons: Converse, Emigrate, and shurikens:



Another shot of Schneider that really tickled me was part of the bridge seizure-fest interleaved with Lindeman face-time. Since photos have been coming out of him with the long hair-do I've wondered what he'd look like with a beard, perhaps sporting a spiffing crown of thorns, and maybe a martyred look. Do you get my drift? Well whoever edited together this epileptic's nightmare obviously had the same thought. Christoph wins the Most Christ-like Award of 2009.

Now comes a run of Flake-loving. The man has that certain something. He's all personality and madness on stage. There's no ignoring Herr Doktor. What really got me pulling faces this time around was how damned evil he can appear. There's something about that rictus of a grin that makes me think of paper-clips and rubber bands around the ears, pulling the lips back.

Then there's the big ookie Flake-finger thingie he's got going on:









I don't know about you, but that just gives me the willies. It also opens up all sorts of possibilities in the boudoir... Go Flake!

He has some electrifying moments in the video, which I'll touch on next, but I have to raise the lovely keyboard effect first. Did you notice the glow? It's subtle and not pervasive, so I'm guessing a lot of people will have over-looked it in the madness of that editing, but it rocked me completely. It's definitely a highlight in my geeky little video experience, and I have to share the goods with you (note the normal finger size):


The aforementioned Flake-zappage rocks. He takes a full-body jolt near the end, but before that he gets a shot from the rear, which make me laugh out loud, because it reminded me of nothing so much as Bück Dich.


My last little Flakage is one you probably won't see unless you pause the playback at exactly the right moment. It was completely random luck that I found it at all. I was just pausing at random for the last closing stanza and landed on this baby - Flakey-no-legs:


You're probably wondering where Till is. This is, after all, a site centred around the Lindemann creature. I have some shots and words on this subject to share, but they, and a couple of blunders from the post-production team, will be forth-coming in the next installment.

God, I do go on...

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Rammaging Through

I have been rummaging through the Ich Tu' Dir Weh video for the last half hour, and have some stills to illustrate things I noticed after watching the video a few times streaming. It took me ages to click onto the illegitimate treasures of YouTube, after watching the damned thing streaming until now. The trouble is it's almost 1 AM and I'm spent. I'll write up part three of my video analysis in the morning.

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Nitty Gritty

Did you read my LIFAD review on TG? If not here's the Ich Tu' Dir Weh bit:

The ecstatic pain of one of my favourite tracks opens with a waveform from Flake, which quickly drops into a (classic) hard riff via the drums. The rhythm is basic, but lively. It's like a heartbeat, and I don't just mean the primary beat. I also feel the little demi-beats that peek out from behind the main surge of an asymmetrical four chamber organ throbbing on and on and on...

That pulse is pervasive and relentless. The guitars, vocals, bass, and keyboards work to and around it. There is no getting away from it, and it is good. The song changes gear a few times, but the rhythm doesn't drop out. This track is riff-heavy, but is not lead by the riff. Schneider is most definitely the spine of this song. I feel it in my bones.

The chorus consists of beautiful voices undulating in and out of the rhythm. The choral melody is robust, if basic, and the layering of sound is rousing. This is a wall of sound done the right way. The verse contrasts by being fairly monotonal, which works very well.

Till pushes his voice through a range of textures. All work towards the feeling that he's trying to catch you out; lulling you slightly with full voice, all the while watching, and then pouncing with a switch to his trademark purr. The bridge is different again. He's almost in his knees, vocally speaking. There's an entreaty or pain in there, which I don't understand. I can't wait for a quality translation of these lyrics.

This is a seriously hot song though. It's oozing sex, but not in a nice wholesome way. No, that wouldn't be Rammstein at all. The sex dripping off Till's knuckles in this track is greasy, dirty, and white hot. There are plenty of promises in his voice…but they're almost entirely threats. His character is not being remotely friendly: he's definitely about to screw you in this unaffectionate but passionate encounter, but rather than being a lover you're so much meat caught in his headlamps, and it won't end well for you.

Got the idea?

Actually, I think this is the theme of the entire album. Ich Tu Dir Weh is just much more so. It's dark and hot and steamy, and I'm guessing the younger, more neurotic, heterosexual males reading this are shifting uncomfortably in their seats about now...

If you are listening to it properly it will leave you slightly breathless and entirely rapt. You may even experience the odd shiver up your spine. You'll never know quite how healthy or otherwise that is though...and there's no safety word should you seek escape.

Since I penned that I have read translatons and LILTed the song, so I will need to write a new review with the lyrics in mind at some point. That's not the focus here though. We're looking at the video for the song. The reason I have dredged up my review is the video backs up the music rather well.

I'll start at the wrong end, because the bridge and close are the most distinctively marked sections in the video. For the bridge, where Till is, vocally speaking, on his knees, the video pulls into a close-up on his face, and we get a good look at him.

His face is half in darkness, tears streak his cheeks, and those eerily pale eyes feature. The makeup is great. This is the makeup he should wear live. But the makeup is secondary to the eyes.

The eyes have made an indelible impression on me. I don't think they're achieved with lenses. I think his eyes have been desaturated and lifted in post. The saturation has definitely been messed with for the bridge itself, as the bloodshot lower eye is natural base colour with a bit of a boost, lightened slightly, while the surrounding shot has had saturation lowered. I think there's too much detail visible in the iris to be a lense too. Light simply doesn't behave the same when it's stopped at the front of the cornia. The iris is contoured and the crenelations are visible, so unless there's a new lense out that lightens the eye without opacity we're seeing Till enhanced by makeup and post production work, and nothing more invasive.

Interleaved with shots of Till are time-slipped shots of the rest of the band. They look decidedly demonic with the mad head movements and post effects. It's creepy, but effective.

You should note that they only light one side of his face (his right) during the bridge. When lighting switches to the other side they are mirroring the image. I expect the problem with the piercing is the reason for this. The scarring on Till's face makes it clear what they have done, and I'm honestly not sure why they bothered. The change in lighting direction doesn't add a damned thing to the sequence, and the mirroring is fairly obvious because Till is not a symmetrical man.

The bridge is a very emotive part of the song, but the closer that follows is pure climax, and the video goes in a frenzy of cuts, time-slipped spasms, and post effects of other kinds to convey that really nicely. Flake enveloped in lightning, Till 'swinging his dick' (dildo mic), Paul 'having what she had', etc. It all says the same thing. The explosion at the end is a little hackneyed and tacked on, but suits the orgasmic aspect.

Up until that point the song is all menace of the most sexual kind, and I now know that the lyrics bear that out in the most repellent way. The video is a little gentler, but still sweats sexual innuendo liberally. More on that in the next part.

Video provided by The Gauntlet

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Details Be Damned

I'm probably going to end up staggering my thoughts on this video. That's not a bad thing, as I have a tendency to find new perspectives in myself, but it may be a bit tiresome having it split up. I might need to repost this earlier stuff later, with a more complete review as I dump my thoughts out for you to pick through.

This video is exactly what the spiel said it would be:

Ich Tu Dir Weh" is the ultimate distillation of a RAMMSTEIN concert into five minutes.

Nothing more and nothing less. This is Rammstein stock. A reduction of their live show into a very thick and sticky syrup. Not to be taken lightly.

Aesthetically it's unreal. They all look beautiful. Olli and Till in particular are flattered beyond belief. Olli has always been a good looking guy, but in this video he's downright stunning. Till, never a pretty critter, looks beautiful in a strange and brutal way. I'm still ambivalent about RZK's do, but he's looking intensely Richard, and the other three look great in their own, very different ways.

Appearances aside this video shows them all at their most basic. The trademarked signature stuff is all there; the same stances, moves, and expressions we have come to expect, lit, framed, and recorded for our delectation, and all in self-conscious, low colour, 35 mm glory.

Till's crabbed movements and shit-eating grin, wonderfully enhanced by lights wired in through his cheek; Richard's splay-legged new-born colt stance and exaggerated playing; Flake's mad 'I've got too many joints to keep up with' activities; Paul's deadpan, minimalist approach; Olli's I'm hinged at the pelvis terminal dance moves; and Schneider's energy conserving tautness. It's all there, and it's all dished up in a fairly deliberate manner.

This is a good thing. I've read several fans complaints about performance videos, but performance is Rammstein's metier. Their stock in trade is their live show, and as wearable and addictive as their studio work is, it merely serves to populate their live set-lists when you get right down to it. Rammstein's story-driven videos are lovely. Don't get me wrong, but I do think they were well overdue on this one. The Feuer Frei video, which was a glorified movie trailer, and the other videos which have included performance elements, such as Benzin and Pussy, do provide small bites, but they're somewhat dumbed down, weak versions of the actual live show vibe. Ich Tu' Dir Weh actually conveys the pyro, the frantic pace, the energy, and the Till-based insanity rather well, and I'm glad they've finally done it.

Video provided by The Gauntlet

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ITDW Tease

It counted down to zero, and sat, a line of zeroes tormenting me. I F5ed, and what did I see replacing the rank of naughts? Herr Lindemann's bloodshot eyes and a new counter, once more whittling down the seconds. There is a delay on this premiere, it seems.

It's almost half past midnight here. I'm going to bed.

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The Sell

"Ich Tu Dir Weh" is the ultimate distillation of a RAMMSTEIN concert into five minutes. As with the preceding video "Pussy," Jonas Åkerlund stands at the helm as director, and for "Ich Tu Dir Weh," he captures the show on the band's "rehearsal stage" in 35mm. A full-bodied format to do filmic justice to RAMMSTEIN's own brand of "widescreen" staging.

The plan was simple. Åkerlund uses the language of grand cinema, RAMMSTEIN delivers the rest: the theatre, the flesh, the frenzy. The result is formidable. "Ich Tu Dir Weh" shows the band at its purest and most concentrated. A beast, only awakened to life onstage under the spell of fire and a maddening roar. On December 21st, 2009 at 1pm CET (7am EST), "Ich Tu Dir Weh" celebrates its premiere at visit-x/rammstein.

Visit at your own risk.

Please retweet my Tweet about this. This needs the widest distribution we can give it. Pimp it, spread it, share it, and push it, please!

That time is midday GMT, Monday 21 December.

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We Have a Lift-off...Date

ITDW will premiere on Monday, midday GMT, 1 AM NZT, 1 PM CET, 7 AM EST. w00t! Go to visit-X for the goods then.

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Slo'-Mo' For the Win!

TG has got bored (yes, even metal sites get bored sometimes) and has slowed down the medley teaser so we can get a good look at it. Good idea.

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Hot Cold Hot Cold Hot...

Okay, it appears that it's all on for imminent debutage:

OK...as it stands right now. The video is in everyone's hands that need it. The video has never been intended for a Dec 18th release, it has ALWAYS been Dec 15th. Basically expect to have a nice surprise soon, keep checking the rammstein.de site for the announcement and link.
- The Gauntlet

Noice. Keep on F5ing Rammstein.De!

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Video Debut Postponed

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Video This Week

TG has it that the video for ITDW will be released this week. The single (physical and digital) will be released early in the new year. Sounds good to me. I wonder if we will get a B-side...

Update 20091215 0712: The video will debut on visit-x.net and the media will get it on the 18th.

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More ITDW Tease

This time it's not with TG though. I'm not sure what's up with that.

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ITDW Teaser

I reckon that's a guitarist (I've no intelligent idea which one, but suspect RZK) on a wire, with either the pyro sleeves from the Reise Reise tour on, or a new, similar set. They're not firing flames as they did on the RR tour, but sparks, and the guitarist is turning on the wire.

I may be a mile off. It's hard to tell with such a short clip, but that's what it looks like to me. Very cool, I must say. I do like pyro, and I hope it dominates the video.

Also, I am enabling comments again. The bulletin board isn't serving its purpose as I'd hoped, and as much as I hate the comments system it does at least enable you to communicate with me and other readers in an effective way.

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Ich Tu' Dir Weh Teaser

TG has a teaser up of the ITDW video. You know I will post when the full video goes up.

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IGN Behind the Scenes Video

There's a 'behind the scenes' video for Pussy up on IGN. It's 19 minutes long:

More Rammstein News & Previews

Thanks Extinction!

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