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Rammstein (pronounced Ram-Shtine (IPA: /ˈɾɑmˌʃtaɪn/)) is a German band that incorporates elements of hard rock, industrial metal, and electronic music. The band is also widely accepted as part of the Neue Deutsche Härte-scene, alongside bands such as Oomph! and Die Krupps. Some critics have also dubbed their sound as Tanz-Metall (lit. "Dance metal"). Their songs are performed almost exclusively in German. Formed in 1994, they have sold over 12 million records worldwide. Rammstein's entire catalogue is published by Universal Music Group.
Despite lyrics that are in German, the band has enjoyed great success outside of German-speaking nations in Europe as well as the US, Canada, Latin America, Japan, India, Israel, Australia. With the album Reise, Reise (2004), they became the most internationally successful German-language band of all time. They have had several top ten singles in Europe.
Band members:
* Till Lindemann – lead vocals
* Richard Zven "Scholle" Kruspe – lead-guitar
* Paul H. Landers – rhythm-guitar
* Oliver "Ollie" Riedel – bass-guitar
* Christoph "Doom" Schneider – drums
* Christian "Flake" Lorenz – keyboards
Name:
Rammstein takes its name indirectly from the western German town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, site of an airshow disaster in 1988. The band's signature song, the eponymous "Rammstein", is a commemoration of the tragedy that took place at the Ramstein Air Base. At the show, three Italian air force jets collided on August 28, 1988 at an air show at the US airbase. About 40 spectators died in the first minutes and several hundred were injured. In the next two months, the death toll rose to 69. The extra "m" in the band's name allows the word to mean "battering ram" (literally "ramming stone"), reinforcing the image of the band's music as fierce and relentless. Also, the verb "rammen" in German, means to hit something.
Discography:
Rammstein has released five full-length studio albums: Herzeleid (1995), Sehnsucht (1997), Mutter (2001), Reise, Reise (2004), Rosenrot (2005), two live albums Live aus Berlin (1999) and Völkerball (2006) and one compilation DVD Lichtspielhaus (2003). While Herzeleid was well-received, Sehnsucht is widely regarded as Rammstein's breakthrough album. In 1999, between their second and third album, they published a live album called "Live Aus Berlin". The production of the follow-up album Mutter was an experience fraught with difficulty for the band.
The band's album Rosenrot, released on October 28, 2005, consists mostly of songs that were left out of the album Reise, Reise for dramaturgical reasons. The band performed "Benzin", the first single from the album, at four shows in Wuhlheide Park on June 23-26, 2005, and four shows in the United Kingdom (Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff) in July 2005.
Style:
Although Rammstein is often generalized as industrial metal, its music spans a variety of related styles, including hard rock, electronic, heavy metal and gothic due to their use of keyboards to emulate strings, choirs or pianos. The band was strongly influenced by Laibach, a Slovenian neo-classical and industrial group. Other influences include DAF (Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft), Oomph! and Ministry, but the contrast between individual songs such as "Bestrafe mich", "Ohne dich" , "Te quiero puta!" and "Du riechst so gut" makes the band difficult to classify.
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