Jason Bracelin | CONCERT REVIEW

Rammstein: Industrial metal with a fun, sexy flavor

With a few exceptions, heavy metal has traditionally been as bereft of sexiness as it has been of bright, pastel-colored wardrobes, songs about the joys of macramé and "Cat Fancy" subscriptions.

Was this forever changed by the giant, phallus-shaped canon that looked like a cross between a cement mixer and male genitalia that shot white foam all over the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday?

Probably not, but give the leather lovin' Lotharios in the German industrial metal sextet Rammstein some credit for trying, at least.

The song in question was a title too ribald for print, though it doubles as a Lord Byron-worthy paen to the lady folk with such inviting lines as "Steck bratwurst in dein sauerkraut," which translates to "put a Bratwrust in your sauerkraut."

No, the tune was not about Teutonic culinary techniques, though, during the course of its muscular digital throb, certain things did get devoured.

The song's sonics approximated the wild sex the band sang of, all hard, driving rhythmic thrust with a dense tangle of sub-thrash riffing leavened with Depeche Mode-esque synth lines and singer Till Lindemann's basso profundo rumble, which frequently escalates to a stirring upper register bellow.

It sounds like the earthshaking rancor of armed conflict, but unlike most metal bands, there's little to no menace -- articulated or implied -- in Rammstein's carnal, heavy breathing catalog.

The only time these dudes get a little rough is in the bedroom.

The title of their latest disc, "Liebe ist für alle da, translates to "Love is for Everyone," which is tongue-in-cheek, to be sure, but still, it underscores a winking self-awareness and sense of humor that's as hard to find among most hard-edged bands as a fan base heavy on grandmas.

To wit: Lindemann, a champion swimmer in his younger days, has the beefy, thick-shouldered frame of an NFL defensive end, but he deflates his intimidating physical presence with a series of goofy, bug-eyed, Jerry Lewis-worthy faces, wagging his tongue and lumbering about the stage like a drunk Frankenstein.

For the most part, the kind of severe electro metal that Rammstein trades in tends to be about as jovial as an open casket funeral, but this show was as fun as it was fierce-sounding, with enough explosions, flames and things going bang to rival the Battle of Verdun.

Thick clouds of smoke and the distinct, acrid scent of sulfur filled the Thomas & Mack, as sparks rained down from the rafters and plumes of fire shot up from the stage while Lindemann wielded, in succession, a massive rifle that shot explosives, a welding torch and a flamethrower, setting a crew member who acted as if he was a fan invading the stage ablaze at one point.

There were so many sudden, surprise detonations that the crowd continually jumped in their seats, as if they were seeing "The Exorcist" for the first time.

This was porno for pyros for real.

And Lindemann acknowledged as much.

"Kein heroin kein alkohol kein nikotin / Brauch keine hilfe / Kein koffein / Doch dynamit und terpentin," he sang on "Benzin" ("Don't need heroin nor alcohol nor nicotine / I don't need help / Nor caffeine / But I do need dynamite and turpentine.")

He'd explain why a few verses later: "Willst du dich von etwas trennen, dann musst du es verbrennen."

Translation: "If you want to part with something then you have to incinerate it."

And with that, subtlety, restraint and lots of flash pots were reduced to ash.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at 702-383-0476 or email him at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com.

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Comments

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1. kopfschuss May 27, 2011 | 1:57 p.m. Report Abuse

   I was front row at that concert, and thank you Suze.Hammond you do the band much justice. The show was unbelievable and you can't put a price on it. it literally changed my life. $100 for this show is a bargain. And its not just the 47% of the female fans that obsess about how sexy the band/members is/are; it's us guys too. you'd have to be insane not to want them to take their pants off...

2. Suze.Hammond May 24, 2011 | 4:32 a.m. Report Abuse

   Thing is, it's all quite hysterically "dirty". A huge cannon shaped like a male organ. The ability to squirt fake semen from a fake "organ" for 3 minutes. (Imagine what that would take in Real Life...) besides they don't do that one in the US anymore. Rammstein: not for the faint of heart or the Easily Offended. OTOH, if you think sex can be funny, these guys are a HOOT.

3. No More Pizza May 23, 2011 | 11:06 p.m. Report Abuse

   These guys are dirty. You ever see them in concert? Tell them to keep their pants on.

4. Besh.Cooper May 23, 2011 | 11:15 a.m. Report Abuse

   Wow Suze that was a nice response.
   Not used to that around here.

5. Suze.Hammond May 23, 2011 | 2:25 a.m. Report Abuse

   "I doubt anyone has ever used the word "sexy" in reference to Rammstein." Well, no one other than the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of us on the dozens of Rammstein blogs - at least the 47% whom are female, and spend hours a day discussing exactly WHY Rammstein is sexy, which man is sexiest, which song... yada yada
   
   Rammstein has been around since 1994 and I'm pretty sure South Park borrowed it from them, as it borrows from many rock icons. I wasn't at T&M but there were 10,000 at Tacoma. A venue is often chosen for its ability to accommodate the huge fountains of fire and not restrict the showmanship.
   
   Yes, it's expensive. It takes 20 semi trucks to move the European version of the show and almost that much has to be shipped across the ocean to come here. Very expensive show to put on. The lead singer, Till Lindemann (note spelling - no "r" or "h") has said they want to bring the price down but also not cheat the fans of too many effects. They do it as cheaply as possible. They make their money on CD sales. It costs them a lot and they work hard at it.
   
   It was amazing waiting outside Tacoma Dome and hearing the drummer, "Doom" tuning up to get the best resonance and reverb out of the dome itself. POW...? POW-whum... POW---whop... POW-whop. :) This resulted in a percussion at concert that felt like it was coming out of one's own guts. The fire was still hot in the back. It's worth the money.

6. Besh.Cooper May 23, 2011 | 1:14 a.m. Report Abuse

   The foam bit sounds like it came straight from a certain South Park episode.
   How many people were at this show?
   T&M is a strange venue for them to play AND it was priced super high.

7. RHG May 22, 2011 | 9:03 p.m. Report Abuse

   I doubt anyone has ever used the word "sexy" in reference to Rammstein.