Rammstein
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label_quick_facts:Rammstein
Members
| Till Lindemann: Vocals |
| Richard Kruspe: Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals |
| Paul Landers: Rhythm Guitar |
| Christian Lorenz: Keyboard |
| Christoph Schneider: Drums |
| Oliver Riedel: Bass |
- For other uses, see Rammstein (disambiguation).
Rammstein is a German band founded in 1994. Since then, the band has sold more than 10 million records worldwide and has become Germany's most successful musical export.
Lineup
- Till Lindemann: Vocals
- Richard Kruspe: Lead guitar, backing vocals
- Paul Landers: Rhythm guitar
- Dr. Christian "Flake" Lorenz: Keyboards
- Christoph "Doom" Schneider: Drums
- Oliver Riedel: Bass
Live replacements
- Daron Malakian: Rhythm guitar, as a replacement for Paul in 2001.
- Alf Ator: Keyboard, as a replacement for Flake in 2009.
Beginnings
Full article: Rammstein Biography
Rammstein was founded in Berlin in 1994 by Richard Kruspe (lead guitar) and Christoph Schneider (drums). The remaining members joined the band shortly afterwards. That same year, the band began working with their first manager, Falco Richter. He was later replaced by their long-time manager, Emanuel Fialik, who remained with the band until they parted ways in 2010.
Name
At first, the band used the name Feeling B, from Flake and Paul's old band of the same name.
Before settling on Rammstein, the band considered several other names, including:
- Tempelprayers
- Mutter
- Milch
- Erde
The band eventually chose the name Rammstein. It was inspired by the Ramstein air show disaster, which occurred on 28 August 1988 at the U.S. air base near Ramstein, Germany. During the air show, three aircraft collided, causing one to crash into a crowd of spectators. Around 70 people were killed and nearly 1,000 others were injured. The band spelled the name with two "M"s because they mistakenly believed that the town and air base were spelled that way, a spelling that had also appeared in several media reports at the time.
An earlier version of the name was Rammstein-Flugschau. Paul, Flake, and Schneider had already written this name inside their Robur LO during their time in Feeling B. By accident, they spelled Rammstein with two "M"s instead of one.[1] Initially, the band denied any connection between their name and the air show disaster because they were concerned about being associated with the tragedy. In early interviews, they instead claimed that the name had been inspired by "Rolling Stone".[2]
Controversy
- **1995 – Herzeleid album cover:** The cover features all six members of the band with their bare, sweaty upper bodies. Some members of the press claimed that the image portrayed them as "Herrenmenschen" ("master race"). Till later referred to it as a "Broilerfoto", while Richard dismissed the criticism, saying that the accusations were "totally stupid" because "it's just a photo".
- **1998 – Stripped music video:** The video consists largely of footage from Fest der Völker, a film by Leni Riefenstahl that was produced during the Nazi era. Because of this, Rammstein were accused by some critics of sympathizing with Nazi ideology. The band explained that they chose the footage because of its depiction of athleticism and synchronized movement. Till later recalled that even his daughter once asked him whether he was in a Nazi band.
- **2001 – Mutter album cover:** The cover of the band's third album shows a preserved fetus dating back around 200 years. Some church representatives described the artwork as "disgusting".
- **2019 – Deutschland music video:** The music video for Deutschland depicts various periods of German history, including scenes related to the Holocaust. Some band members portray Nazi officials, while others portray victims of Nazi persecution. The video generated significant public controversy, including criticism from several public figures, among them Oomph! singer Dero Goi.
Discography
Full article: Rammstein Discography
Up to now Rammstein have released eight studio albums:
- 1995: Herzeleid
- 1997: Sehnsucht
- 2001: Mutter
- 2004: Reise, Reise
- 2005: Rosenrot
- 2009: Liebe ist für alle da
- 2019: Untitled album
- 2022: Zeit
Logos
Over the years, Rammstein have adopted many logos alongside their most famous one designed by Dirk Rudolph.
A full gallery of the band's former logos can be found here.
See also
Sources
- ↑ Mix mir einen Drink, page 376
- ↑ https://www.genios.de/document/MZH__MDS-A-H-1995-09-23-477946/
