Why is Rammstein so popular?

[GolemsVoice]

A thing I always wondered about is: Why is the german band Rammstein so popular (maybe even the most popular) outside of Germany? The text is quite simple, and in German, a language which is, unlike English, not understand by a majority of their fans. The music is kept simple too, although I am not the music expert. In Germany, the band had to face some controversiies due to their fascist appearance and hard lyrics, but that (although they themselves stat it is not true) does not seem to worry fans, or sometimes even encourage them.

[CaptainSam]

One word: FIRE!! Three words: LOTS OF FIRE!!!!!

The language used is very complex. They make a lot of use of word-play, and the fact that it's in a different language doesn't matter.

They havea very strong image and are very impressive on stage. Unlike Maiden who were, frankly, disappointing. the who fascist thing hasn't surfaced for a long time. and R+ work very hard to dispel any rumours. They did have one chap who turned up for a signing in Brazil with a swastika t-shirt. It was explained to him that this was nothing to do with the band. Turned out that he just thought it was part of German culture. Totally innocent mistake.

Their popularity, in my mind, is down to the simple fact that they rock, and rock hard! And have lots of fire!

[Telonius]

I studied in Tuebingen for about six months in 2002, so I'm basing this on the impressions I got while I was there. Most of the music I heard while I was there was either dance music, other European music, or the Toten Hosen. Americans already have a lot of dance and club music, there's no real need to go outside (and pay import fees, if you're doing it legally) to get it. Not sure about the rest of the world, but I'd assume it's generally true there as well. Toten Hosen are fine, but they really wouldn't work for an American audience. I can't figure out why. It might just be the name - a little too much like lederhosen, which is one of the ridiculous stereotypes that Americans have about Germans anyway.

But Rammstein - they can sell their image. The idea of an angry German death metal band is something that Americans can get their brains around. That's probably due to all of the hair metal bands in the 80s with vaguely German names with umlauts in them. People get what they expect when they hear the music, so they like it, so it's popular.

Rammstein has kind of dropped off in popularity recently, at least from what I can see. I know more people who regularly listen to stuff like Blind Guardian than Rammstein. But there again, it's an epic metal band, and they're kind of angry-sounding. And like CaptainSam said, they rock and have fire.:smallbiggrin:

[smellie_hippie]

Fire.
Fire.
.........and more fire.
:smallamused:

[InaVegt]

I hate Rammstein, though that has something to do with a couple of factors.

I strongly dislike the genre of music
I very strongly dislike my german teacher of german
My german teacher of german has forced me to listen to their songs countless times.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I don't know.

I might guess that music in their genre is rarely advertised and is based on word of mouth and foreign stuff sounds more interesting.

[TheChris]

I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but as a person who used to like Rammstein I can speak for myself. Rammstein was cool because it has metalish music and lyrics that are loud and, most importantly, IN GERMAN. This was pretty much a High School thing with me and I grew out of it in college. I liked it for the same reason i liked a lot of angry music....it was angry.

When I began taking German at college and making a lot of German friends I realized Telonius was saying. Most German is nothing like this, I think that Rammstein really markets themselves to America. Not saying there is anything wrong with them or having a popular image, out of all my friends who listened to Rammstein none of us do anymore.

[Malachite]

I agree, they rock hard. Their lyrics may be generally simple and sometimes a little stupid, but most people don't understand it.

I still don't understand every word of Reise, Reise, but I recognise a good epic tune when I hear one ;)

[geez3r]

I have no idea why they are popular outside of Germany, but I infact do like them. I just like their music. I have no idea what it means, but I like it. Then I saw a performance of them live (I myself was not there in person) and I loved them even more. I mean they stick flame throwers on their faces and continue playing their songs.

[Callos_DeTerran]

I dunno but their loud angry and there are some kick ass AMV's to their songs out there.

[MetalKelt]

Quite simply, because their music is pretty good. They aren't my favorite band, but I do like them. My favorites in that genre are Hammerfall, Iced Earth, and Blind Guardian.

[Don Julio Anejo]

It's funny but they're the most popular foreign band in Russia right now..

Also, for some reason most people seem to associate Germany with hard rock when it comes to music. Don't know why.. Maybe because of Rammstein, maybe the other way around - Rammstein just played to the stereotypes.

[Portent]

I dunno but their loud angry and there are some kick ass AMV's to their songs out there.

Heh, that's pretty much how I found out about Rammstein. The kick ass AMV's.

[Shadow of the Sun]

...German death metal band...

BAD! Rammstein is NOT Death Metal. They are Industrial Metal, and to an extreme metal fan you would have be ridiculed for saying they were death metal.

[Brickwall]

Honestly? I just heard of them on the internet, and decided that they were worth listening to. Well, the songs I heard anyway. Since I understand humans so little, I am afraid that I cannot aid your inquiry.

[averagejoe]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that people like the band because they like the way the music sounds. Or do people not do that anymore? I can't seem to keep up with popular culture, so I have no idea whether this "selling an image" nonsense is true, or whether it's the idle talk of cynics.

[Don Julio Anejo]

For Rammstein I think it's mostly the way it sounds. It just doesn't seem like the kind of music people would listen to because it's popular. It drives a lot of people crazy.

It does sound good though.. Spieluhr is my favorite.

[GolemsVoice]

Hmm, indeed, if you just listen to their "singing", it's pretty fine, and one can listen to it for a while, but if you really listen to the text, they are definitely not my music.
And, I think, they don't take themselves too serious. But I know a bunch of people who really shout their lyrics and acting all like they were the most badass metalheads on this planet, which is ridiculous. And they DO understand the text.

[Silkenfist]

BAD! Rammstein is NOT Death Metal. They are Industrial Metal, and to an extreme metal fan you would have be ridiculed for saying they were death metal.

same punishment for comparing them with metal bands like Iced Earth, Hammerfall or even Blind Guardian.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Hell, there are some people, such as Encyclopaedia Metallum who do not even call them metal. Thy are, by the balance, more industrial.

[Jack Squat]

same punishment for comparing them with metal bands like Iced Earth, Hammerfall or even Blind Guardian.

What about comparing them to KISS, would that be ok?

Afterall KISS used lots of fire too.

[Tharj TreeSmiter]

Hey it was great when I was an angsty teenagers.

[MetalKelt]

same punishment for comparing them with metal bands like Iced Earth, Hammerfall or even Blind Guardian.

I was covering the general metal genre, not that specific subset.

EDIT: And I wasn't actually comparing them, just specifying my prefence with the overall metal genre. :P

[RecklessFable]

I've loved heavy metal since I first heard Megadeth and Nuclear Assault back in the day.

I never understood the lyrics of most american heavy metal bands anyway, so the lyrics were just more music to me. Maybe after a few times I'd pick up the chorus or read the lyrics inserts in the cassette case, but I didn't really care, much to the PMRC's confusion, I'm sure.

I love the sound of the German language in music and don't understand a word of it.

Therfore I love Rammstein. I don't even have to feel like I should understand the lyrics. I can just go to my nice relaxed Zenlike Angry state and enjoy.

They could be yelling "CABBAGE CABBAGE ORION QUICKLY!" and it would still rock.

[Don Julio Anejo]

That's the best part about Rammstein.. when I listen to them I don't have to think "man are those people stupid (depressed/perverted/homicidal/weird/slutty/hypersexed) like I do with most English-language music." And I never bothered to read the translations..

[Umbral_Arcanist]

I have a friend who likes them because he thinks German sounds awesome. he has no clue what they are saying but he thinks they sound good saying it. If i recall correctly one of their songs is actually a recipe for cookies....

[Soniku]

I'm not quite sure why I like the music... I usually hate music that I can't understand that well (I have a basic understanding of German, but not much beyond "I would like some potato salad with cheese, it is very tastey") and generally I also hate the genre in general.

*shrug* Don't question it, just enjoy it I say :smallbiggrin:

[General Leitmann]

Rammstein is popular because they not only rock, but they use (in the words of Richard Bernstein-Kruspe, band Lead Guitarist) they 'mix the sound of machine with the sound of guitar', giving you what they call Tranz Metal.

Oh... and fire...:smallbiggrin:

[McDeath]

Fire.
Guitar.
Flake.
A song based on a century-old love poem.
Umm...fire.

I know what their songs mean, in English. And I still listen. They have some good tunes and fun songs to listen to. That is all.

[Iranon]

Some of their songs make me wince because they laid it on too thick. In fact, most of their more aggressive titles suck royally in my opinion.

On the other hand, they can be moving and sentimental without sacrificing the raw power of their music.

Singing in German helps there, because the language has greater depth when you're going for the turgid approach. I'm not knocking English, It's more flexible, more precise and in fact I prefer it in most respects. However, when you're going bombastic (heavier literature, opera and the more poetic brand of hard rock/metal), it doesn't hold a candle to German imo. I think a lot of fans intuitively think along the same line despite not understanding the words themselves.

[Bears With Lasers]

Hey, I understand their German lyrics. Still, I only like a couple of songs. Engel, mainly.

[Mr Horse]

they make extremely catchy, heavy rock music with electronic/semi-industrial elements, have an impressive stage show and are good at selling their image. i think that's about it.

[Iron_Mouse]

Rammstein are kinda impressive, but I'm not really into them. Industrial is not exactly my style and I find their lyrics to be a little shallow.
There are a lot of german metal bands that I really like, however. The three german thrash gods (Sodom, Kreator and Destruction), for example.

Eh, if you like german lyrics sung by german metal bands try Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Eisregen, Equilibrium and In Extremo, maybe...

[Mr Horse]

as far as german bands singing in german go, stuff like Einstürzende Neubauten, Morgenstern/Ars Moriendi, Corvus Corvax, Genocide Organ or Die Fantastischen Vier appeals to me a whole lot more than Rammstein (and especially In Extremo whom I loathe)...

[FdL]

I don't like their style of music. I guess people like it for the same reason I don't: their sound and image are so stereotyped, the "cold, brutal industrial germanic macho band" thing is too much of a pose for me to bear. People are not thay way, you know, and though it might be fun to pretend you're a mean mother*****r and a badass misogyinst, I don't buy it. Metal can be such a posers genre. Either that or these people are really violent and kill a lot of people. I don't know, definitely not my kind of stuff.

[McDeath]

Because we like their music. Do we need more than that?

[Invisible Queen]

I don't like Rammstein per se, I like the song "Sonne". It's got a cool, epic feel and a pleasing mixture of bright and dark sounds, and it's fun to sing along with the deepest voice one can muster. Living in a very germanic-influenced country I also have a vague idea what the lyrics are about, and I like that - both the idea itself and its vagueness.

Why Rammstein are popular? I don't really know but I can hazard to guess because they rock. Hard.

[Wayril]

1. Their music is really good (The voice is musical too). As in the way it sounds. People have every right to like a song even if they dislike, or in this case, don't understand the lyrics.
2. If I ever am working out it gets the right kind of mood going.
3. I don't understand much german, so I don't have to know what they're really talking about unless I look up the lyrics, which I rarely do after reading the translation for Mein Teil.

@^: I like that song a lot too. It's so epic sounding it belongs in a movie.

[Flabbicus]

My friend really likes them, and most German metal bands as well. I haven't really heard any of their songs, but I have liked many of the CD's he's lent me.

[Ceska]

I don't like Rammstein per se, I like the song "Sonne". It's got a cool, epic feel and a pleasing mixture of bright and dark sounds, and it's fun to sing along with the deepest voice one can muster. Living in a very germanic-influenced country I also have a vague idea what the lyrics are about, and I like that - both the idea itself and its vagueness.
Which once again shows it's better not to fully understand them. One, here comes the sun, two, here comes the sun, three, here comes the sun, four, here comes the sun she is the brightest star of them all etc just doesn't sound that epical if repeted hundred times, does it?

There are some rather good songs too though, but Sonne is to repetive for me. Ohne dich is quite good IMHO, as is Links 2,3,4 or of course Feuer Frei. Most of the time it's better not to listen to the lyrics too close though.

About why they are so successful? Because they have catchy tunes and lyrics which are hard to get out of your head and make a rather popular form of harder metal without growling making people turn away?

[Premier]

I might sound a bit cynical, but I think Rammstein is so popular because they stole much of their whole stylistic setup from Laibach. And, since Laibach is the epitome of awesomeness, some of that has trickled down to Rammstein.

[McDeath]

Yeah, you did sound pretty cynical. I've never quite understood the whole phenomenom...you know, "With respect", "No offence" when it's quite plain that you have no respect or are about to be offensive. You have a tiny bit of a point about Laibach - certainly they and Rammstein are partially similar, but that's pretty much it.

[sapphail]

Because the lead singer's a qualified pyrotechnician! Scores pretty high in the coolness ranking.

Actually I think it's because a) their sound is appealing b) metal in German sounds awesome and c) because so much English-language rock/metal/nu metal/goth opera just sounds so tired and mainstream. Therefor having large men with flame throwers roar at you in German whilst rocking out is quite refreshing.

[Logos7]

Metal in Europe is better, well Norway and germany at least, and as that's the only two that has metal i listen to, the rest can go to hell.

I personally like more speed than thrash, and love the industrial stylins, any other great big scarry sounding band recomendations out their ( Know im gonna download a few new bands tonight ;)

Logos

[Shadow of the Sun]

That is a really limited view- you are missing out on a lot of cool American metal, like Mastodon, Agalloch, Candlemass and some others. They may not be the genre you like, but they are still incredible bands and I love them all.

[Cobra_Ikari]

I studied in Tuebingen for about six months in 2002, so I'm basing this on the impressions I got while I was there. Most of the music I heard while I was there was either dance music, other European music, or the Toten Hosen. Americans already have a lot of dance and club music, there's no real need to go outside (and pay import fees, if you're doing it legally) to get it. Not sure about the rest of the world, but I'd assume it's generally true there as well. Toten Hosen are fine, but they really wouldn't work for an American audience. I can't figure out why. It might just be the name - a little too much like lederhosen, which is one of the ridiculous stereotypes that Americans have about Germans anyway.

But Rammstein - they can sell their image. The idea of an angry German death metal band is something that Americans can get their brains around. That's probably due to all of the hair metal bands in the 80s with vaguely German names with umlauts in them. People get what they expect when they hear the music, so they like it, so it's popular.

Rammstein has kind of dropped off in popularity recently, at least from what I can see. I know more people who regularly listen to stuff like Blind Guardian than Rammstein. But there again, it's an epic metal band, and they're kind of angry-sounding. And like CaptainSam said, they rock and have fire.:smallbiggrin:

Rammstein isn't death metal, though. I think they're closest to industrial metal...

Oh, and it's definitely because of the fire. Other things may be involved, but...the fire is a big part.

[DrunknMunky]

I have a friend who likes them because he thinks German sounds awesome. he has no clue what they are saying but he thinks they sound good saying it. If i recall correctly one of their songs is actually a recipe for cookies....

Nah. That's Tool. Die Eier von Satan was a song on Aenima and is a recipe for hash brownies. :smalltongue:

Alright. On to the the thread.
I can't say why most people like Rammstein, but I listen to them mostly because of the beats. I have really liked industrial when I was younger, and when I heard Mann Gegen Mann a few years back, I just fell in love with them. I really liked them, and Rosenrot had just come out. So I bought it. And then I bought the rest of their albums. Mutter was the last one that I bought, and that put the icing on the cake. That album was pure genius.
If I had to guess, then I would say that the reason they are so popular is a combination of their aggressive style, their tendency to write very gentle songs, the controversy they stir, and the fact that they sing in their native tongue. It's not necessarily going to be an angry teenage form of music, either. One of my classmates had given my 65 year old German professor a copy of Mutter, and she loved it. It all goes back to personal taste, I guess.

[Rawhide]

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