Freitag, 8. August 2014

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 33


The correspondent is again back with a new story about a German rock band. One of the internationally most successful however also most controversial groups of the last decade from Germany came were with certainty Rammstein. Successful because of the wall of sound they made. Heavy guitars, some great riffs and a singer with a voice that might came out straight from hell. From their early days - and sometimes today as well - they had to deal wit the reproach of the right-wing extremism. On account of the ambiguous texts and the hard style the volume was often accused in the early days on the part of the media of following radically right-wing trends. The criticism increased, after in 1998 the video to the cover song Stripped – the original is from Depeche Mode – appeared, the film material of the Summer Olympics in 1936 from Leni Riefenstahl included. In spite of the distance of anti-constitutional symbols from the video material the volume the spreading of fascistic body of thought and the unthinking idealisation of national-socialist aesthetics was accused. A ban of the radiation of the music video for transmitting times before 22 o'clock was the result. Singer Till Lindemann explained later, one has crossed a border with this provocation what he would do not once again.

The tape members of Rammstein call their music style "dance metal"; other ones call it New German Hardness. Typically for the music the volume it are of guitar reef which are played by distorted E guitars, and easy percussion rhythms. Often the pieces are built up on easy, continuous patterns. Music differs Rammstein from classical Heavy Metal type, as for example Iron Maiden, by the massive application of electronic sounds – as for example electronically to simulated piano or violins voices with quiet ballads, or techno sound– as well as by the rarer application of percussion breaks. Though also guitars and keyboard sound seem, however, are rarer and as a rule are held easier.

I followed the discussion about Rammstein in their early days and sometimes I stood alone when I told some folks that I like theirs sound and their songs. Many have rejected the group, even if it was a matter for them only of being politically correct and music in connection with the third empire could be basically to decline. I'm really not much into Heavy Metal but I love sometimes the bombastic sound of Rammstein. A few years ago I saw them live in Stuttgart and first it was a phenomenal performance with all the pyrotechnics and second it was maybe the most powerful Heavy Metal concert I've seen (except Motörhead). It's great when you sit in the train to work and you can hear the full loud sound of this music.

Rammstein - Kokain
Rammstein - Engel
Rammstein - Du hast
Rammstein - Ich tu dir weh
Rammstein - Du riechst so gut




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