Rammstein

Rammstein biography

Rammstein () is an industrial metal band from Berlin, Germany. The band was formed in 1994 and consists of 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). They are widely accepted as part of the Neue Deutsche Härte scene (alongside others such as Oomph!, Eisbrecher, and Die Krupps) and they are the genre's most successful band, achieving worldwide fame.

Their songs are usually in German, but they have also performed songs entirely or partially in other languages such as English, Spanish, French and Russian. As of 2009, they have sold over 15 million records worldwide. Rammstein's live shows are famous for their pyrotechnic performance and theatrics, earning them awards from many countries, including The United States of America. Rammstein's entire catalogue is published by Universal Music Group. Since their formation in 1994, Rammstein has had no changes in their band line-up nor have any members left the band. The band have stated they were named after the Ramstein airshow disaster. The extra "m" in the band's name makes it translate literally as "ramming stone".

History

Founding and Herzeleid (1989-1997)

Rammstein was founded by guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe. In 1989, he escaped to West Berlin and started the band, Orgasm Death Gimmicks. At that time, he was heavily influenced by American music, especially that of Kiss. After the Berlin Wall came down, he moved back home to Schwerin, where Till Lindemann worked as a basket-weaver and played drums in the band First Arsch (loosely translated as "Apex Ass"). At this time, Richard lived with Oliver Riedel, of the band The Inchtabokatables, and Christoph "Doom" Schneider (of Die Firma). Richard realized that the music he had previously created did not properly suit him. He envisioned something that would combine machines as well as the sound of hard guitars. The three started working together on a new project. Richard soon found it extremely difficult to write both music and lyrics at the same time, so he persuaded Lindemann to join Rammstein. Richard first discovered Till when he overheard him singing while he was working.

A contest was held in Berlin for amateur bands in 1994, the winner of which would receive the opportunity to record a four track demo CD in a professional studio. Kruspe, Schneider, Riedel, and Lindemann entered and won the contest, which sparked the attention of Paul H. Landers, who wanted in on the project upon hearing their demo. To complete their sound, Rammstein then attempted to recruit Christian "Flake" Lorenz, who had played with Paul H. Landers previously in Feeling B. At first, Lorenz was hesitant, but eventually agreed to join the band. Later, they were signed by Motor Records.

Rammstein began to record their first studio album titled Herzeleid in March 1995 with producer Jacob Hellner. They released their first single "Du riechst so gut" on 17 August and released the album on 24 September 1995. Later that year, they toured with Clawfinger in Warsaw and Prague. Rammstein headlined a tour of their own through Germany from 2 December to 22 December consisting of 17 shows which helped to boost the band's popularity. They then went on several tours throughout early 1996, releasing their second single titled "Seemann" on 8 January 1996.

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