Information
Date: July 17, 2004
Title: Back in Business
Source: Kerrang
Press Article
German industrialists Rammstein have revealed that their long-awaited new single tells the story of a real-life German cannibal.
'Mein Teil' ('My Tool'), replete with the sextet's trademark brand of chugging beats and venomously-delivered vocals, centres around the actions of Armin Miewes, the 42-year-old German computer analyst who was charged earlier this year with cannibalising Bernd-Juergen Brandes, a man he met over the internet. The song title refers to the couple's attempt to fry and eat Brandes' severed penis. According to guitarist Richard Kruspe-Bernstein, it's a love song.
"A lot of people went to that guy's house just to play a game, but when they stopped it from going any further he let them go," he explains. "Would he really let people go if he was a criminal? Obviously he was sick, but the biggest problem humans have is letting go. The reason why he ate that other guy is because he thought he could keep him for himself. When you're talking about love, we all have that problem. The basic desire is the same."
Kerrang! was given an exclusive sneak peak at the video, which features vocalist Till Lindemann receiving oral sex from a man in angel wings, who he then devours. Other stand-out images include Kruspe-Bernstein locked in mortal combat with a body-double and drummer Christoph Schneider in drag leading his leashed bandmates through the streets of Berlin on all fours.
"That last shot took a whole day," laughs Kruspe-Bernstein. "There were cars coming right at us and I almost got hit. It was so funny seeing how Schneider changed while he was dressed up as a woman. It was like he was a different person.
"We're not worried about offending," he continues. "It's the job of a rock musician to provoke. We don't sit down and decide to do this kind of thing, but there's a chemistry in this band that's dangerous and explosive. If felt natural."
But as to whether the appearance of Rammstein's music in a current Mercedes advert could represent an artistic compromise, the guitarist was quick to defend his band's credibility.
"It wasn't a big decision," he admits. "When you're young you're against that kind of thing, but then, after a while, you realise that it's bullshit! That's the way the world is running. You can choose to be a part of it or choose not to. If you don't want to, go live in the forest. We love our cars."
Rammstein are currently putting the finishing touches to the follow-up to 2001's 'Mutter', which is tentatively titled 'Reise, Reise'.
"The problem with that title is it roughly translates to 'Trip, Trip'," muses Kruspe-Bernstein. "We always base our album names on song titles, but I'm not sure if we're going to use that. It might sound slightly stupid."
Rammstein's single 'Mein Teil' will be released on September 6, with the album following on September 20 via Universal.