In 2020 touring wasn't an option, so Rammstein went into the studio and recorded an album instead. The band's creativity has grown, says keyboardist Flake.
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There are plenty of musicians who wanted to go on tour in 2020 — with new albums in their luggage that they wanted to launch to live audiences. The coronavirus thwarted those plans and continues to pose problems for many artists to this day.
The industrial metal band Rammstein was also planning to go on tour, before numerous appearances had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
As the most successful German band internationally, however, Rammstein is in the fortunate position of not having to worry about its financial existence even if they have had to cancel a tour. So instead of setting the stages on fire live, the band made the best of the situation and recorded a new album, their eighth.
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More time and fewer distractions
"The fact that we couldn't perform live actually increased our creativity," said keyboardist Flake in an interview with the online magazine of the record label Motor, to which the band is under contract.
"We had more time to think of new things and less distraction. That way we recorded an album that we really hadn't planned on."
While most people have stayed at home for the last 12 months, Rammstein rented a studio in La Fabrique in September; in a former farm from the beginning of the 19th century in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just under an hour's drive from the Mediterranean — not a bad option to endure lockdown and monotony.
Flake says that in the past year he's had more inspiration, as well as time to consciously listen to new releases and older records. The band would not have had any problems finding ideas: "Our topics are generally from daily experience and world events and something always happens there," said Flake. "We basically deal with people's madness and that is not much different in coronavirus times than in normal ones."
Rammstein's keyboardist hints that some inspiration came from ex-US president Donald Trump. Most of the band's ideas played out in their heads anyway, said the keyboardist, although "occasional small bumps come in from outside" — and there's enough madness out there even when the streets are only half as full, Flake said.
According to current planning, the interrupted tour is to be continued from May. A date for the release of the new album is not yet known.
Rammstein, the dark gods of hard rock
Powerful shows have been the German shock-rockers' trademark for 25 years. They've headlined all the major music festivals, from Moscow to Buenos Aires.
Image: Universal/G. Karp
Music made of nightmares
Knowing no taboos, Rammstein have managed to infuse their performances with humanity's darkest nightmares. It's all about violence and murderous fantasies, cannibalism and various unthinkable acts of horror. They delight in crossing the line, and their provocations are celebrated by a legion of fans. Rammstein is one-of-a-kind — and the band members are worldwide stars.
Image: Universal/G. Karp
Eastern punk heritage
Come from East Berlin and Schwerin, the members first performed in seminal acts within the East German underground punk scene. Guitarist Paul Landers and keyboardist Flake Lorenz played in Feeling B; singer Till Lindemann was with First Arsch, bassist Oliver Riedel with The Inchtabokatables, guitarist Richard Kruspe in Orgasm Death Gimmick, and drummer Christoph Schneider in Die Firma.
Image: Universal
Appearances are deceiving
They actually look like nice guys. This photo was taken in 1995 when the band was one year old. "Herzeleid" (Heartbreak), the first LP, had gruesome texts on issues like child abuse in "Weisses Fleisch" (White Flesh), and necrophilia in "Heirate mich" (Marry Me). All that to harsh guitar riffs, merciless percussion and an edgy electro sound. It reached No. 6 in the German album charts.
Image: Pressefoto
God knows I'm no angel
"Engel" (Angel) in 1997 was the breakthrough. Given much airtime on the MTV and Viva music channels, it was inspired by Quentin Tarantino's film "From Dusk Till Dawn." The second album, "Sehnsucht" (Longing), went platinum both in Germany and in the US. Rammstein's contribution to the soundtrack of David Lynch's film "Lost Highway" kickstarted their career in the US.
Image: Paul Brown
A plea for tolerance in a Hawaiian shirt
Aren't they sweet? The surf boys pose on the Californian beach with pretty bikini-clad girls and sing about the foreigner that is unwelcome. The happy images collide with the hard, rapid industrial beat. When "Mein Land" (My Country, 2011) comes to an end, the candy-colored beach party is over, and it's back to familiar Rammstein imagery with fire and scowling faces.
Image: Universal
Inter-generational collaboration
In a crossover phase, German folk music star Heino covered well-known rock and pop songs, including Rammstein's "Sonne" (Sun). In 2013, the group invited Heino to join them onstage at Wacken Open Air. Facing 75,000 metal fans and flanked by flames and smoke, Heino sang together with Rammstein — looking slightly startled. The periodical "Metal-Hammer" tweeted: "Did Heino know where he'd landed?"
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Heroes onscreen
The film of the Rammstein concert in New York's Madison Square Garden, and the documentary "Rammstein in Amerika," premiered in movie theaters on September 24, 2015. The DVD climbed to No. 1 in the DVD charts in 13 countries. Rammstein has conquered four of the world's five biggest music markets: the US, Great Britain, France and Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/Eventpress
Cultivated pyromaniac
Rammstein lead singer Till Lindemann likes to shock with his outre makeup. But under the wild man exterior, Till's a sensitive, contemplative soul who published a collection of poetry titled "Messer" (Knife) in 2002. Meanwhile, the 56-year-old got his buff physique from high-performance swimming. And what about his love of fire? Lindemann took a course in pyrotechnics in 1996.
Image: Paul Brown
10 years of waiting
Rammstein's 7th studio album (untitled) was released on May 17, 2019. It was an eagerly awaited release, coming 10 years after the previous one. It garnered plenty of media attention ahead of its release, in part due to the music video for the single "Deutschland," which portrayed concentration camp prisoners. It became Germany's best-selling album of 2019.