Rockbites: Rammstein release 3rd LP: mature, no less controversial

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Rammstein release 3rd LP: mature, no less controversial
16 April 2001

In their own country, German sextet Rammstein (vocalist and former Olympic swimmer Till Lindeman, guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers, keyboards player Flake Lorenz, bassist Oliver Reidel, and drummer Christoph Schneider) often feel misunderstood. Their heavy metal/industrial sound, bleak lyrics, and theatrical vocal style replete with the rolling R’s of High German have exposed them at home to accusations of right-wing sympathies—charges they have consistently rejected.
    (In the US, where their lyrics are incomprehensible by most, they are controversial anyway thanks to their aggressive sound and their notorious—if unfair and wholly unwanted—association with 1999’s Columbine slayings. Rammstein were named along with Marilyn Manson and KMFDM as favorites of two Colorado high schoolers who plotted and carried out a plan to kill classmates.)
    The band’s new album, Mutter (English: Mother), is Rammstein’s most mature work, successfully balancing the heavy approach of their debut, Herzeleid (Heartache, 1996), with the more subtle and electronic ambiance of Sehnsucht (Longing, 1998).
    The new disc’s lead track is Mein Herz Brennt (My Heart Burns), a stadium-friendly hard rocker strongly reminiscent of the timeless Kashmir from Led Zeppelin’s 1975 double album Physical Graffiti. Next up are Links 2 3 4 (Left 2 3 4), Sonne (Sun), Ich Will (I Want), and Feuer Frei (Fire At Will), all pursuing a more industrial bent along the lines of Ministry or Nine Inch Nails.
    The title track is a melancholic (if somewhat over-the-top) ballad whose protagonist, apparently an artificially grown baby, yearns for a mother he never knew

      I had no nipples to lick
      And no fold to hide in
      Nobody gave me a name
      Begotten in haste
      And without sperm
      Mother!

Spieluhr (Musical Clock) may be the high point of the set, combining Rammstein’s newfound musical balance with lyrics somewhat evocative of expressionist German poetry circa 1920

      A little human dies
      Only seemingly
      Wanting to be entirely alone
      The little heart stood still for hours
      So it was declared dead
      Hastily buried in the wet sand
      With a musical clock in its hand

Zwitter (Hermaphrodite) proves that Rammstein, after all, have a sense of humor beneath that Teutonic demeanor. The subtle-as-a-Luger Rein Raus (In Out) was presumably intended as a joke also, but comes across as sexist, immature, and creepy—a weak spot in an otherwise excellent album. But Rammstein immediately get back on track with the manic and grandiose Adios. They close the album with another ballad, Nebel (Fog).
    So, do Rammstein play fascist music? Judging from Mutter, they do not. In fact, the band address the issue directly on the track Links 2 3 4. Against sounds of Nazi goose stepping and shouted marching commands, the lyrics cleverly express a leftist bent

      They want my heart in the right spot
      But if I look downwards
      I see it beating on the left in my breast
      Those who envy us were mistaken

It seems the fascist albatross is undeserved, based more on the reflexive emotions of certain listeners than on any lyrical content. When confronted by a band whose attitude makes them uncomfortable, some Germans tend to draw an association to fascism, perhaps in the way certain Americans tend to associate the harmless likes of Alice Cooper or Kiss with Satanism.
    The core of the issue seems to be the fact that many unrelated, edgy subcultures employ similar visuals and acoustics. Shaved heads, black leather & metal, and aggressive music are shared by Satanists, fascists, headbangers, goths, punks, straight-edgers, and some gay subcultures. They have little in common beyond their looks and their outsider status. It could be argued that it is the negative reaction to Rammstein that is fascist, as far as it is based on a gut level prejudice to suppress transgressive elements in society.
    Three bites out of five. —M. Neeracher.

Rockbites ratings  5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying.

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