Information
Date: July/August 2004
Title: New Angles of Incidence
Source: Rock Tribune (Belgium)
Translation: English translated from Dutch by Ezzy
Press Article
With a formula that looked pretty unfit to achieve big commercial success at first the German band Rammstein however reached the necessary international triumphs. The combination of hard, edgy guitar riffs, electronic rythms and pompueus German lyrics already resulted in 3 studio albums so far and the name of the band has been established. After the summer the 4th album will be released, with which a new chapter will begin in the history of the band.
To warm everyone up already for the new record, the associated press was invited te listen to some of the new tracks. Place of the happening was the ICP-studio in Brussels, where in the past various national and international artists of different styles have recorded succesful albums. The band, for this happening represented by guitarist Richard Krupse Bernstein and drummer Christoph Schneider, could give 6 rough versions at the time. About the exact amount of tracks that will be on the album, the album title and the song titles themselves no guarantees could be given. The songs that were played only had a working title; it is possible that some of the songs mentioned hereafter will carry a complete different title on the album.
Organic
As it is pretty common these days, nothing was left to coincidence with
the acquaintance of this new Rammstein material. Everyone had to hand
over their mobile phones and taperecorders to security before the listening
session could start. After these necessities were dealt with, the music
could finally blow out of the loudspeakers. They kicked of with "Reise
Reise". The sound of the sea sets the right tone, after which the characteristic
Rammstein sound sets in: a slow and dragging pace, a bombastic atmosphere,
tearing guitar riffs and the melancholic, declaiming singing of Till
Lindemann. The tone sounds a bit like "Seemann". What's also noticable
is that the track sounds pretty organic for Rammstein terms. The total
sound can be described as pretty warm in contrast with the cold and
mechanic sound of the previous work. "That's what we wanted" confirms
the drummer. "We deliberately wanted to take some distance from the
tight and cold sound we had before. We have had lots of fun with that,
but that formula didn't give us much challenges anymore, because we've
already done everything that could be done. We had faith in what we
were doing because we knew that no matter what, we would always still
sound like Rammstein. The past year there have been some tensions within
the band about which directions to take, but in the end we were able
to put our noses in the same direction again."
Mentality change
Where "Reise Reise" was a revelation, "Amerika" follows as an ever bigger
surprise. The english sing-a-long refrain "we are living in Amerika" is
already unusual for the German band Rammstein; even more unusual is the
fact that the band for the first time deals with a concrete and tangible
subject. In contrast with before, where they dealt with more general
and feelings subjects. The battering, midpace track deals with the "americanisation" of
our society. "This is not a love song" it's called as explanation, but
even someone that's not capable of understanding the language of Goethe,
can't fail to see the irony of the song. Christoph on this remarkable
fact: "It's not a real political engaged song, but it is indeed a very
ironic description of the present situation of the world". It is clear
that there has been a mentality change within the Rammstein camp. "Before
a song like this would have been unthinkable for us, but now it seemed
possible."
Lugubrious
"Mein Teil" will be the first single of the album, which should be in the stores
at the moment this magazine will be released. After a keyboardintro the heavy
battering sets in. Producer Jacob Hellner, who just as on the previous records
was involved again, has delivered a very successful achievement, which comes
fully to its rights here. Textwise again deals with a concrete subject: the case
of the cannibal who searched for a victim through the internet, who let himself
be eaten voluntary. The lugubrious tone which controls the song, fits perfectly
with the subject. Here it is that the "old" Rammstein sound can be heard best. "This
has been one of the top subjects in the German news for a long time" according
to the drummer. "For a band like Rammstein this was the perfect subject. 'Gefundenes
Fressen' so to speak" laughs Christoph.
"Dalai Lama" is the name of the Tibethan clergyman, but this is still a working title, because the fourth song we hear is not about the Dalai Lama at all. The lowvoiced, grunting guitar at the beginning sounds a bit like nu-metal and again we hear an organic song, on which the techno-influences of the old days are absent. The long, somewhat ballad-like song has a stirring dramatic middle part and ends abruptly. "Keine Lust" sounds pretty oldfashioned again, with its cutting, measured guitar riffs. This catchy song has a pretty big "hit potential". Don't be surprised if this will be the second single of the album. Because of the anti-feeling this song has, "Keine Lust" sounds a bit like a protest song. The last song we get to hear is "Morgenstern". After the bombastic start the whipping drums are mainly noticable. This seems to be a normal albumtrack, because in contrast with the previous resume it sounds less catchy.
The conclusion so far is that Rammstein has made a minor change in direction here and there, but the characteristical elements and the recognition still remain. Just like in the past the band has delivered a varied scala of songs, which can only be good for the general tension of the album. For the final judgement you'll have to wait until after the summer. An extensive interview can be expected in the October edition.