Understanding Rammstein

I’ve decided on having a bit of a different approach on this entry. Instead of writing about a particular song, I’ve made a bit of an analysis instead.

Recently I’ve been reading a lot of essays with different aspects and views of Rammstein, and it has made me think about something as simple as… What does Rammstein mean to people who do not understand the lyrics? How do they come across, and why is it this particular way? What kind of people do Rammstein attract, and how do they interpret the music? 

Richard Z. Kruspe even admitted that “99% of the people don’t understand the lyrics”. But existing since 1994 and with more than fifteen million records sold worldwide, the controversial and complex word-play that flows throughout Rammsteins lyrics, some of their other aspects must appeal. Such as sound and performance. I’ll try to define that here, and try to focus on addressing how Rammstein can appeal to audiences, even in political spectrums. 

Rammstein determined themselves as Neue Deutsche Härte when they first started. Their music is heavy, it’s militaristic and their image is hyper-masculine (For example, if one would take a look at the Herzeleid cover), and their use of Nazi-Era themes (Example, for their video “Stripped”, they used Leni Riefenstahls controversial film Olympia) has fueled the accusations of being Nazi-sympathizers. While at the same time, we have left wing supporters, such as Alec Empire (anarchist musician), who insist that “they are not a fascist band at all.”

While writing this essay, I had to ask myself what group I fell into before I learned the German language. And safe to say that none of them fit me perfectly, even before I knew German, I always viewed Rammstein as a glorification of masculinity, militarism and authoritarian tolerance. Rammstein quickly became a fix for me to get through the day; they fueled me to get myself to goals that I found hard to reach before. It’s not all wrong to say that Rammstein became my fuel for life, and it still is. Looking back, it would be a lie for me to say that Rammstein had not had an impact on every positive thing happening in my life so far. There is no way for me to describe how Rammstein energizes and motivates me. Their music can motivate me to push myself, to believe in myself and to become a better person. 

With Rammstein’s complex style and themes to matter in mind, the obvious questions under consideration are how Rammstein can be interpreted when focusing on their extra-lyrical content – Which would be their sound, performance, artwork, interviews and videos – and -why- they can appeal to audiences across the political spectrum.
I’m going to argue that Rammstein’s broad appeal is simplified by the character of their artistic form, which I would describe as Meta modern and not unclear, as some would call it.
It’s a mix between a modern interest and a postmodern irony.  

Artwork, sound, performance and music videos must appeal to a wider audience. I believe that they are well aware of the fact that their videos and such will be interpreted from every possible angle and view. So in a way, they always make sure to highlight a certain era, the bands references to industrial and technological motifs, their flair for science fiction, gothic and horror themes, all while collecting it all in a beautiful package of morbidity and sometimes hidden social transgression.

Rammstein assembles so many different groups of music. It layers the rough, German vocals, heavy metal guitar riffs, and techno motifs with industrial influences. I believe this definitely has something to do with the amount of people Rammstein has been able to capture, and there is no doubt either that they have some of the most loyal fans in the modern music business.

Rammstein’s music blends these hard drums, ‘non-musical’, and often distorted, repetitive, percussive sounds, built around this industrial machinery that is the band. This could be said to reflect feelings of alienation and dehumanization – with melodies obviously in minor, diminished and amplified tones, with drawn-out chord progressions, which therefore evokes feelings of melancholy, tension and longing, which are then emotionally resolved within the song when it reaches chorus or climax. This is all accompanied by sections of electronic beats and synthesizer riffs and interludes – which is exactly what adds the gothic flavor to their songs. Till’s deep and resonant voice with the harsh timbre, it has the rolling r’s, and his voice varies in songs from a virtually operatic style to a coarse bark. This, along the changing atmosphere in the music, shows diversity in Rammstein’s music.
My beloved boyfriend described it perfectly – “Rammstein masters the balancing between brutality and beauty”.
And from that statement, I will elaborate to my conclusion.

With its ability to mediate the social- temporally spatially and bodily – music is a powerful site of struggle in the organization of meaning and lived experience. Thus, the meanings of Rammstein’s music are a part of society’s overall political fabric, and they are very important for the preservation for the fans own political and moral views. They make songs about things that provoke and force you to think, to make your opinion known to yourself about the given subject. They constantly keep us on our toes mentally.
Rammstein have made a career and flourished by pushing limits and producing debate – making some of them politically touchy – but in doing so their true political messages have stayed hidden to the outside world, the fans too. I have argued that this branches from their works’ meta-modern form, which equivocates between a modernist commitment and postmodern sarcasm.
Rammstein’s show holds moments of each political point that an audience can clasp from their own identity and denotations. For those who don’t understand Rammsteins lyrical messages there is even additional under determination of their works meaning, allowing even more people to form their own ideas and meanings of the music and the videos, performances and what not.
Rammsteins music invites us to dream our own stories of affection, agony, rage, struggle, loss, improvement, conquering and victory.
Today in our post-ideological civilization, perhaps this is the most rebellious and significant section of Rammstein’s work.