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'Reise, Reise' - the Berlin band's fourth studio outing since 1995 - is a collection of 'firsts': the first time the six have recorded in Spain (El Cortijo Studio, Malaga); the first time bassist Oli has sung on an album (he underpins Till's more dramatic vocal moments); the first time Schneider has torn up the rhythm rulebook (check out 'Keine Lust'/'No Desire' for Rammstein 'shuffle' nummer eins!), the first time the group have worked on songs they weren't all committed to right from the start (some of which are now amongst their favourites); the first time they've recorded a track as in-your-face commercial as second single/ video 'Amerika' or as stripped-to-the-groove acoustic as 'Los'/ 'Let's Go', and - as mentioned above - the first time in a long time the recording vibe could genuinely be called relaxed. 'Fun' even.
So does 'Reise, Reise' still sound like Rammstein?
Absolutely!
Many of the band's signature motifs continue to strike a major chord - the extra widescreen production (courtesy of Jacob Hellner, who has been integral to the studio side since day one), the German vocals (with the exception of 'Amerika', which switches in and out of English, and 'Moskau', where Till gets some distinctive Russian back-up) and the ability to write songs that, in a just & fair society, would be adopted as anthems by independent states the world over. However, from the band's point of view, 'Reise, Reise' (either 'Journey, Journey' or 'Voyage, Voyage', depending how literary you wish you go!) represents a move that takes them well beyond the comfort zone - voyage, voyage, indeed.
"For me, this project marks a new beginning," says Schneider. "After the 'Mutter' album (2001), we found it difficult to be with each other, because our egos were causing a problem. There was a lot of tension in the way we were working together, and I guess we were using that competitive atmosphere, the aggression, to drive the creative process.
"Certainly, we achieved good results that way, but for this new album we decided to do things differently; we spent a couple of months apart, and that made us realise just how much we'd accomplished over the years. So when we went into the studio this time, we made sure that the atmosphere was a lot lighter, and that we explored each other's ideas in full. If we hadn't done that, we would never have emerged with a song such as 'Los'."
NOW CONFIRMED for release on September 27 2004, 'Reise, Reise' - 11 tracks, nigh on 50 minutes of music - is without doubt Rammstein's most complete set of recordings, taking the band into areas that - under the old working regime - could easily have remained unexplored. Would 'Mutter'-era Rammstein have been quite so keen to turn off the distortion ('Los') or dismiss their preferred military two-step in favour of a full-tilt stomp ('Keine Lust')? Probably not. But now, after an extended (though fruitful) period in a black & white world, Rammstein 2004 are starting to see the grey, and having a damn good time doing it.
Says Richard: "With 'Mutter', there was very little flexibility involved, it was almost like we were working towards some sort of a 'masterplan'; plus, that was a very hard record to make from an emotional point of view, because as six strong individuals we were all trying to make ourselves heard.
"This time, however, we've done things on the recording side that we wouldn't have in the past, including writing in the studio, something that gave us a real sense of freedom. But I honestly don't think we could have reached the place we are now without going through the whole 'Mutter' experience - we survived that, and it made us all a lot stronger."
Certainly, 'Reise, Reise' (the album) shows a band prepared to ditch the 'masterplan' in favour of an approach that, by previous standards, could almost be described as 'reckless'. Since the release of their 'Herzeleid' debut back in 1995, the Rammstein reputation has been hammered out on words such as 'disciplined' & 'precise'; here was an act whose power seemed to stem from their symmetry, their ability to work in unison, to deliver the well-aimed (musical) blow. then deliver it again. Naturally, that quality continues to have its place, but 'Reise, Reise' - tracked over a six-week period & mixed in Stockholm by Stefan Glaumann, reprising his role on 'Mutter' - is a 'rock'n'roll' album at heart, packed with raw power ('Stein Um Stein', etc.) and raw emotion ('Ohne Dich', 'Amore', etc.) in equal part; a record that moves like a well-oiled machine, but with a human hand very much at the controls.
From drums through to vocals and all points inbetween, Rammstein have created a body of work that not only frees up their collective skills, but moves those skills
to a higher, more spontaneous level, the whole thing supported by mandolins & accordions, choir & orchestra parts. Whether or not Till actually went to train his vocals in a local monastery, as a poker-faced Flake will tell you if you ask, must remain the subject of some debate, but there's no denying that - with or without monkish aid - these are his finest vocal performances to date.
"If that's true," says Till, "It's because of the music I was given, which is full of great melodies. The way it normally works is that I take the instrumentals out of the studio, turn up the volume, then start searching for the right words. About 80 per cent of the time I have a pen & paper with me, so I can jot down ideas and file them away on the computer until it's time to go back in the studio, which is when the approval process starts. On one track, I came up with 24 different sets of lyrics before the band said they were happy - they're very critical! Getting the final OK is a bit like putting a car through an inspection!"
WITH FIRST single, 'Mein Teil', however, it's likely that the approval committee didn't need too long to make up its mind; a No. 2 hit in both Germany & Spain, this is perfect Rammstein lyrical fare - the true tale of Armin Meiwes, a 42-year-old computer expert from Rotenburg, Central Germany who advertised on the internet for someone to eat and eventually found a willing 'dinner companion' in 43-year-old Berliner, Bernd Juergen Brandes. Not only did Meiwes end up devouring a good part of Brandes, but the 'good part' he started with was the engineer's penis, which the pair of them flamb�ed in red wine & garlic then shared out 50/50!
Needless to say, this whole high-profile affair caused a great deal of controversy, especially in Germany, although - if truth be told - it isn't without its darkly comic side; indeed, one of the possible treatments for the 'Mein Teil' video saw Till decked out as cannibal chief preparing to make a meal of the unfortunate Flake, and then of course there's the title of the track itself - 'Mein Teil' or 'My Tool'. What sort of 'tool'?! You decide for yourself, but chances are that red wine & garlic are likely to be involved.
With the 'cannibal clip' having been passed over for practical reasons, it was decided that - in keeping with the feel of the new album - the video should follow a less scripted path, giving the band members a chance to interpret the music in their own particular ways; for Richard, this meant wrestling against himself, for Flake dancing in under-size ballet shows, for Paul & Oli an extended trip to the make-up room and for Schneider an equally long trip plus a temporary period (occasionally in public) as Armin Meiwes' mother (!), and for Till a feather-strewn session with an accommodating 'angel'.
"Each band member came up with their own performance independent of the others," explains Flake, "and it was kept a secret whilst the filming was going on, which was all done I one go, no cuts, no breaks. There was a huge black box in the middle of the soundstage in Berlin, and we just went in there one by one and did our own thing."
Overseen by Zoran Bihac, who had previously worked on the 'Links 2 3 4' animation back in 2001, the end result is a striking exploration of the darker side of the Rammstein psyche. By way of contrast, the video for second single 'Amerika' (directed by Jorn Heitmann, the man behind the 'Ich Will' & 'Sonne' clips) is an altogether more tongue-in-cheek affair, in which the members of the band can be found both round a campfire and up on the moon, providing the ideal tone for a song that successfully pairs the words 'wunderbar' & 'wunderbra' - surely a rhyme long overdue for a group who, by their own admission, don't approach everything with too straight a face.
"There are people who think we're incredibly funny and there are people who think we're incredibly serious," reflects Paul, "it's just down to personal opinion. I suppose in that respect we're something of a mirror - whatever views or preconceptions people have just reflect straight back on them."
FUNNY, SERIOUS or somewhere inbetween, 'Amerika' promises to be one of the highlights of the show when Rammstein take to the road again in early November; already, many of the dates are either sold out or being added to, with a third night at the Velodrom in Berlin the most recent extension to a tour that is set to run well into 2005.
Following a series of shows in Germany, the band will be heading further afield (to Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia & Switzerland, with more to come) accompanied by the sort of incendiary stage trappings that saw them triumphing in the 'Best International Live Act' category at the UK Kerrang! Awards in 2002.
"But of course we haven't been able to play the new numbers live as yet," points out Oli, "so they'll probably change here & there when we take them out on tour, which I know is something that happens with a band like Depeche Mode. To me, it's a positive thing, because it means that we'll end up with two different versions of the songs - the studio one, which we did our very best on at the time, and the live one, which will develop night by night."
In the build-up to the tour, the Rammstein camp (collectively & individually) have been busy promoting an album that not only stands as the finest of their 10-year-plus career, but as proof positive that great things can be born out of adversity. There should have been a lot of pressure on the band as they went into 301 Studios in Stockholm to lay down the drum tracks - not all of the material was cast in stone, the money advanced for the project had already been spent and the experience of 'Mutter' had generally been difficult, causing plenty of late night soul-searching. In the event, however, the recording process was to prove an enjoyable one, causing an ongoing bout of confidence/camaraderie to break out in the ranks, a bit like back in the early days.
"This was definitely the easiest album we've ever made," concludes Paul, "and because of the three-year gap between this and our last record, it was important that we took a more experimental approach - by our standards, anyway.
"Recording this way is a bit like taking the veil off a woman - you really hope there's a pretty face underneath!"
Statuesque, shapely and 100 per cent wart & blemish free, 'Reise, Reise' is indeed a thing of beauty...
