Sounds of Europe: Rammstein

Day Five of the European music travelogue takes us to Germany.

Rammstein (pronounced [ˈʀam.ʃtaɪ̯n]) is a Neue Deutsche Härte/industrial metal band formed in Schwerin, Germany. The band was formed in 1994 and comprises Till Lindemann (lead vocals), Richard Z. Kruspe (guitar and backing vocals), Paul H. Landers (guitar, backing vocals), Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (bass guitar), Christoph "Doom" Schneider (drums and electronic percussion) and Christian "Flake" Lorenz (keyboards). Since their formation, Rammstein have had no changes in their line-up.

The majority of their songs are in German, but they have also performed songs entirely or partially in other languages including English, Spanish, French and Russian.

Their music is not for the faint of heart. German language is so suited for Metal music.

The band was named after the Ramstein air show disaster. At first, the band had denied this and said that their name was inspired by the giant doorstop type devices found on old gates, called Rammsteine. The extra "m" in the band's name makes it translate literally as "ramming stone".

I want - Rammstein
"Ich will" (German for I want)

With the english lyrics

I want

I want you to trust me
I want you to believe me
I want to feel your eyes on me
I want to control every heartbeat

I want to hear your voices
I want to disturb the peace
I want you to see me well
I want you to understand me

I want your fantasy
I want your energy
I want to see your hands
I want to go down in applause

Do you see me?
Do you understand me?
Do you feel me?
Do you hear me?
Can you hear me?
(We hear you)
Can you see me?
(We see you)
Can you feel me?
(We feel you)
I don't understand you

I want

We want you to trust us
We want you to believe everything from us
We want to see your hands
We want to go down in applause - yeah

Can you hear me?
(We hear you)
Can you see me?
(We see you)
Can you feel me?
(We feel you)
I can't hear you

Can you hear us?
(We hear you)
Can you see us?
(We see you)
Can you feel us?
(We feel you)
I can't hear you

"Ich will" (German for I want) is a single by Rammstein. It was originally released in Germany on September 10, 2001. Since it was released the day before the September 11, 2001 attacks, many channels did not air the music video (which was to debut on U.S. television the night of September 11, 2001).

The music video of "Ich will" features the band members staging a bank robbery, making it seem as realistic as possible. The video shows both the robbery and its aftermath, and moves between these two scenes.

The robbery: The band is shown entering a bank wearing stockings over their heads, except for Flake, who has a very large and elaborate-looking bomb strapped to his chest. The band has the strange ability to make people faint, either intentionally or unintentionally, with one scene; Till is facing an audience of media in a room, all conscious and then they are all suddenly unconscious (except for Till), with what may appear to be blood dripping. How they are able to is not revealed. Various band members (excluding Flake) later leave the bank and are confronted with both Spezialeinsatzkommando (German Special Operations Command), the media and spectators. The reaction of the media towards the Rammstein band members is quite outlandish, as they are celebrated by the media, with the band seeming to revel in the attention and the audience even mouths the choruses. At the very end of the video, the timer on Flake's bomb reaches zero. The video quickly flicks through a series of short clips from some of Rammstein's other music videos, then comes to an end.

The aftermath: The band (Flake excluded) emerges from a bus wearing shackles and prison attire. They are surrounded by a large crowd and the media, and the crowd cheers for them. They step up to a podium and receive a Goldene Kamera (Golden Camera) award, a German version of the Emmy award. Behind the band is a large, sepia picture of Flake and a coffin which is supposedly the place where his "remains" lie (most of the "aftermath" is shown at the beginning of the clip, although it is also revisited later).

In an interview, Rammstein described the music video of "Ich will" as being a demonstration of the media's obsession with a good story, as well as an illustration of the immortality that can be achieved by those who commit wrongs.

For me, it's not so much the story that captivates my attention. It's the lead singer's deep voice and the heavy riffs and catchy beats.

Give it a listen with an open mind.  Remember, it's from Germany, and it's Metal.

http://youtu.be/f4K6ZxDwi34