Rammstein
Sehnsucht (Self-Released)
By: Sonya
The first time I heard Rammstein was on the "Lost Highway" soundtrack. The song "Hierate Mich" was my favorite song. I knew nothing about Rammstein other than the fact that I loved that song. It wasn't until over a year later that a friend told me about their new CD "Sehnsucht" and I was on the great search of music stores looking for it. It has quickly become a favorite.
Rammstein is an extremely dark and heavy German band, and most of the lyrics are in German. It doesn't matter that I don't understand a word they were saying, because the universal language of music comes through loud and clear. In fact, the last 2 songs on the CD are English versions ("Engel" and "Du Hast" ), but I still prefer the German versions because of the power of the language; and sometimes the intended meaning of a song can be lost in translations.
The song "Du Hast" ("You Hate") is now a video on MTV and is getting more radio airplay, but I still feel as if Rammstein were a hidden treasure unearthed by the "Lost Highway" soundtrack (the perfect vehicle for a band such as Rammstein).
Sehnsucht ("Hunger" - I've also heard it to mean "Longing") takes you to the depths of darkness, with powerful vocals and industrial-strength rhythms and a heavy dose of techno. I absolutely love the song "Tier" with it's many dimensions, and another personal favorite is "Bestrafe Mich" ("Punish Me").
If you would like to visit the web-site for Rammstein, it is at www.Rammstein.com. You can find some translations, as well as links to some rather interesting sites if you search well enough. I found a very cool link to a David Lynch site.
Rammstein is not for the faint of heart (you can see that from the CD cover alone)! Often compared to bands like Ministry, I find part of the reason the sound seems so intense is a result of the exotic German influence. I also hear they put on one hell of a pyrotechnic show, which would accompany their music extremely well.
Sehnsucht is a must for anyone who loves the dark, intense and rather unusual. I only hope they don't become too mainstream because I still like to think of them as "my personal found treasure".... a treasure I will savor over and over again.
