A satirical analysis of society’s obsession with conventional beauty – and presumably people’s desire to stave off time’s effect on their appearance – new single Zick Zack features lyrics such as ‘Belly fat into the organic waste bin/Now the penis sees the sun again’, while the unapologetically bawdy Dicke Titten commences with full oompah-style brass for the intro, because… Rammstein. In terms of the Rammstein canon, its songs share most DNA with Untitled, or 2005’s Rosenrot, being largely more nuanced, reflective and existential than explosive/provocative past efforts such as Feuer Frei! or Pussy.īut there are gloriously batshit moments, too. To this writer, Zeit is the sound of a band that blew up the world taking time to sift through the ashes. And then one might glance at Till Lindemann’s lyrics for new songs OK (shorthand for ‘Ohne Kondom’, without a condom in English) and Dicke Titten (translated as, er, Big Tits) and remember that trying to second-guess Rammstein is a fool’s game.
Given that 9.5 years separated the release of the untitled album and its predecessor, 2009’s Liebe ist für alle da, one might even be tempted to view Rammstein’s surprise return in 2022 as a physical reiteration of their long-standing commitment to the pursuit of freedom, individualism and the celebration of life lived free from shame, apology or regret.
In the light of this activism, one might perhaps envisage that Zeit would be rooted in the six musicians’ heightened determination to expose and critique humanity’s darkest urges and most base compulsion. And in March, vocalist Till Lindemann was spotted greeting refugees in Berlin to assist them in finding accommodation.
Alongside members of Faith No More, Agnostic Front, Stabbing Westward and more, guitarist Richard Kruspe recently contributed to a charity single recording of The Beatles’ Come Together, with all proceeds from sales earmarked for humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine. They have been vocal in their unambiguous support for LGBTQ+ causes – guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers drawing global attention to the hostility faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Russia after sharing a kiss onstage during a July 2019 performance in Moscow – and equally committed in expressing their support for Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Till cancelling scheduled shows in Russia in a show of solidarity with the under siege nation. While some of their arch provocations are served up with a sense of theatre and knowing humour, in recent years the sextet have been unafraid to use their platform to highlight human rights abuses, injustice and intolerance. If Rammstein’s reluctance to grant interviews in the run-up to the release of Zeit helps maintain a sense of intrigue around the collective and their motivations, their actions often speak louder than words ever could. “The funny thing about Rammstein is that they are still evolving, they aren’t being left behind by the times.” “People think they know Rammstein because of videos like Pussy or Deutschland, but then they’ll do something like surfing in a tiny boat while waving an LGBTQ+ flag,” he adds.
Rather, that things progress through the river of time and there is no ending, just different stages.” “ Zeit isn’t about getting older, so much as it’s a contemplation of time itself,” he clarifies in conversation with Hammer. Instead, when fielding media requests for interviews, they’ve collectively nominated Robert Gwisdek, the 38-year-old director of the Zeit video, to share his personal perspectives on Rammstein 2022 in their stead, a duty the native Berliner undertakes with grace and no little charm. Quite possibly relishing the confusion sown, the enigmatic Berliners have done nothing to address such speculation: in fact, as with the low-key, understated launch of their untitled album in May 2019, the group have elected to share their new album with the world entirely devoid of commentary, context or explication. Within minutes of the video debuting online, Reddit threads and message boards were aflame with hardcore fans seeking to unlock its mysteries faced with lyrics such as ‘Wenn unsere zeit gekommen ist, dann ist es zeit zu gehen’ (‘When our time has come, then it is time to go’) some remain convinced that Rammstein are intimating that their own life cycle is winding inexorably to its conclusion.