Information
Date: 2004
Source: Guitar Player
Interviewed: Richard
Interview
Guitar:Did you listen to any non-metal music for influences growing up?Richard:I listened to heavy metal for riffs, but I got my melodic sensibilities from groups like Depeche Mode. I still think Martin Gore is one of the greatest songwriters in the world. He's doing what comes naturally to him, and that's important. All the groups I played in before Rammstein felt like lies to me - they were just trying to copy American bands.
Guitar:Was it tough loving rock music and growing up in the oppressive climate of East Germany?Richard:Yes. I remember once I drew the "Kiss" logo in my school notebook - which was totally forbidden. I got punished in front of my whole school. But that made me like Kiss even more.
Guitar:Early on in your careers, you guys used computers more. In recent years, however, you've leaned on the guitar more.Richard:Yeah, we were in love with computers. And when you're in love, you tend to over do things. Over time though we found that we'd rather compose with guitars and have the machines in a more supportive role. That's when our sound really came together.
Guitar:You guys used an orchestra on several cuts from your album Mutter. That's a big departureRichard:Yeah, we were a little nervous about doing that. There are a lot of bad examples of heavy bands playing with symphonies. We looked for an orchestra that did soundtrack work because they have experience playing to a click track - which is unusual for classical musicians. We used a 24-piece orchestra and recorded each part six times. They did a great job and really supported the songs.
Guitar:On the tune "Links 234" from that album, how did you get such a huge guitar sound?Richard:Something I've always wanted to do was overdub a guitar 24 times on a track, and on that tune I did it. I played eight tracks in the low register, eight tracks higher up, and then eight more with the guitar tuned way down. I tried to get every frequencey in that riff!
Guitar:Rammstein are adamant about singing in German. Why is that?Richard:The sound of the German lanugage is perfect for heavy metal. For example, our music wouldn't work with French lyrics. French is best for erotic music, German is best for heavy music.