Within the new metal genre there are a number of bands that add a heavy industrial element to their musical style. The German band Rammstein are one such band, who regularly incorporate industrial style sounds in to their songs. Rammstein came together in the year 1994 in Berlin, Germany, and the band’s lineup has remained unchanged since that date, something that is considered to be quite rare for a band that has been active for over two decades. The band consists of lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, the rhythm guitarist Paul H. Landers, lead vocalist Till Lindemann, keyboardist Christian “Flake” Lorenz, bass guitarist Oliver “Ollie” Riedel and the drummer Christoph “Doom” Schneider.
Whilst the vast majority of the band’s songs are written and performed in German, Rammstein do occasionally write songs in other languages, in particular they have been known to sing entirely in English when not singing in German has been of particular important to the message of the song.
One of the reasons for the huge international success of Rammstein is their live shows. The band is well known for the u
se of pyrotechnic elements and has even won awards for their performances, a feat that not many other metal bands have been able, or even willing, to match.
Whilst Rammstein could be described as fitting into numerous genres, the main sound tends to default to metal. Their lyrics however, have gained a reputation of their own for their very often controversial topics, with some of their songs containing lyrics on traditionally taboo subjects, such as inter-sexuality and cannibalism. Whilst the band do not appear to have a particular political leaning in their songs, they do not shy away from criticizing elements of society that they feel require attention. In particular their song “America”, could easily be interpreted as an attack on rampant commercialism which the band believe has its roots in huge American corporations seeking to spread products that the band believe are harmful to humanity. In particular in the music video for “America”, you can see scenes such as a child dressed as a monk eating an American style burger, and another man in a turban smoking a pack of American brand cigarettes whilst the image of an oil refinery is behind him.