Rammstein stand as one of rock’s most individual and successful names, a multiple award-winning outfit with a vision that continues to evolve; and in the course of their 2019 Stadium Tour – 31 dates in support of studio album Number 7, an untitled body of work that topped the charts in 14 countries and went Top 10 in the US, a first for the band – the six East Berliners showed just where that vision has now led them. This sold-out run – drawing praise from fans and critics – saw the group playing to an audience in excess of 1.2 million, the result of seven months of planning plus the desire to raise the bar for a touring production. Taking in every aspect of what Rammstein represent, from the emotive to the crushingly heavy, from lighter interludes laced with dark humor to some of the most notorious episodes in rock, the current show requires a bespoke, 60-metre-wide stage to accommodate the degree of fire-power the band now dispense nightly; indeed, there are times – during the high drama of ‘Sonne’, for example – when the stadium is transformed into a giant industrial power-plant, blackening the sky with smoke and flame.  It’s the result of two decades of development, starting with debut album ‘Herzeleid’ in 1995; since then, the Rammstein personnel – frontman Till Lindemann, keyboard player Flake Lorenz, guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Z. Kruspe, drummer Christoph Schneider and bassist Oliver Riedel – have continued to plant flags around the globe, selling millions of albums and DVDs, and headlining the world’s major festivals and larger venues in 46 countries, collecting 2 Grammy nominations along the way. In 2010, New York’s Madison Square Garden sold out its 18,200 tickets in under 30 minutes, the band’s first Stateside show in 10 years; on an earlier US visit, Lindemann and Lorenz were arrested and placed in a Massachusetts jail overnight following the live performance of ‘Bück Dich’, famous for its squirting dildo set-piece (word has it, the ‘liquid’ is water laced with either Ouzo or Pernod). For the Rammstein kollektiv, and it’s the same line-up now as at the start, it’s always been a case of marching to their own heart-beat, and doing so on a democratic basis; they sing in German, rarely engage in interviews, side-step those visuals typical of the metal world, preferring a more streamlined, high-end approach, and present a live experience that touches all of the senses – an experience underpinned by cultural and artistic weight, not to mention over 1000 tons of live equipment.  A “rock opera”, to quote Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith Not surprisingly, followers of Rammstein are diverse, connected and genuinely global, with the worlds of film and fashion strongly represented, as the collaboration with avant-garde fashion brand Vetements clearly shows; other supporters include actor Kiefer Sutherland, fellow musicians such as Chris Martin, maverick spirits like director David Lynch, who featured the tracks ‘Rammstein’ and ‘Heirate Mich’ on the soundtrack to his ‘Lost Highway’ movie (1997), plus rock fans attracted by the band’s preference for the less-travelled path, for doing what’s right for them, whatever the self-appointed protectors of ‘acceptable’ taste might think. Most recently, the ‘Deutschland’ video – an epic and unflinching look at German history from 9 AD onwards, directed by Specter Berlin – showed that music can engage with the most crucial of subjects and debates; another significant chapter in the story of a band who, when it comes to artwork, music and videos, have a long-held reputation for breaking with convention and pushing against the grain. In 2001, the visuals for the ‘Mutter’ album (based on the conceptual photography of Daniel and Geo Fuchs) caused rumblings inside the catholic church, although fans were quick to back the release, sending it to the top of the charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Later, in 2009, a German government department deemed the ‘Liebe Ist Für Alle Da’ outing “not suitable for public display”, partly as a result of the front cover image – a fresco-like photo by Spaniard, Eugenio Recuenco (this ruling has since been changed in Rammstein’s favor). Similarly, the video for lead track ‘Pussy’, the band’s first No. 1 single in Germany, caused sensitive hearts to flutter by taking a simple idea (the porn film) to its climactic conclusion. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, a longstanding co-conspirator whose extensive credits include Metallica, Lady Gaga, U2 and Madonna, the clip spotlighted a side of the band often overlooked; their irreverent sense of fun. “There are people who think we’re incredibly funny and people who think we’re incredibly serious,” says Paul Landers, “it’s just down to personal opinion. I suppose in that respect we’re something of a mirror – whatever views or perceptions people have just reflect straight back on them…” Ask Rammstein if they’re a ‘rock band’ or a ‘German rock band’, and they’ll doubtless opt for the latter – a reference to their ability to tap into tradition, to call upon core values and their own set of circumstances, but the music itself has always held a broad appeal. Back in 1997, the ‘Du Hast’ single went Top 20 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Chart, establishing its credentials as a fan favorite, while the group’s recording history shows numerous gold and platinum certifications, with albums and singles heading charts worldwide; the most recent addition is ‘Deutschland’ – a domestic No. 1 from the No. 1 (untitled) album. Selling 270,000 copies week one in Germany (it’s now double platinum there), this 11-tracker, released in 2019, is the first new Rammstein album in a decade. Not only did it involve the usual “blood, sweat and tears”, the result of six creative minds looking to up their game, but it also saw a new team taking shape on the production side, with front-of-house engineer and long-time associate, Berliner Olsen Involtini, helping the band to build upon their signature style – a style broad enough to take in older tracks such as 2004’s ‘Los’ (a largely acoustic groove, stripped to the bone) and 2005’s ‘Te Quiero Puta!’ (‘mariachi metal’, heavy on the salt ‘n’ tequila). But it’s the current release – featuring the singles / videos ‘Radio’, ‘Ausländer’ and of course ‘Deutschland’, and described by Richard Z. Kruspe as “Rammstein in 3D, more musical, less controlled” – that has seen fresh ground being staked and live attendance records being set, with the next leg of the European Stadium Tour, 28 shows in 13 countries, now lined up for spring / summer 2021. In total, Rammstein has sold 2.9 million concert tickets across the 2019 – 2021 period, including a re-scheduled series of North American shows running from August – October 2021. In 2018, Rammstein opened their own ‘bricks-and-mortar’ store in Berlin, a way of linking even more directly with a fanbase, stretching from Russia to Mexico, that has notched up 2.7 billion YouTube views, with 5 million fans subscribing to YT and 1.8 million following on Instagram. The hometown HQ is an indication of the status of Rammstein as both band and brand, and shows what traction can be gained when music and message are delivered with an unswerving tone. One band. One voice. One match. Dante Bonutto, 2020