Rammstein - 'Lichtspielhaus' (Universal)
3/5
By: Samantha Hall
A smattering of live-footage, videos, trailers, interviews and 'making of' docu's, complete with subtitles, spanning a decade of German rawk. Not too dark, you'd envisage.
Wrong. Dead children, S 'n' M masks, medical experiments, smacked-up Snow Whites... everything a good extravagant German rock band should have in their videos. And why not? These infamously pompous, bloated Goth rockers have tried and tested every shock tactic there is in the rock 'n' roll book, and 'Lichtspielhaus', Rammstein's second DVD, documents them sumptuously.
Content > > >
Images of bleak, harsh and torn environments (evident in the artwork on the DVD alone), flamboyant flaming microphones, red smoke, pyro-technix and elaborate metallic costumes from deserted new age worlds (and that's just the live shows...) all contribute to this desired effect of a '1984'/Big Brother-esque world; metallic, controlled and doused in militaria. Even the interactive elements of the work itself take you through passages of a great, machine-like neon structure.
Of course, the abrasiveness and harshness of the Germanic language itself contributes highly to this effect. However, if German isn't anywhere near the vicinity of your vocabulary, this doesn't mean the joys of Rammstein cannot be shared. In fact, the 'Stein's increasing popularity across the globe is demonstrated very well throughout -particularly via rampant airings from the notorious Big Day Out festival in Sydney back in 2001.
Yet Rammstein aren't a personal, emotive band - they're reactionary. Based around effect, image and gratuitousness... and, if that's all you want from a band, then 'Lichtspielhaus' displays the history and development of their presentational skills wonderfully. It has everything a die-hard would want, musically, from the commanding ('Du Hast'), to the melancholy ('Seemann'), as well as unique excerpts of 'entertaining' European music-presenters and delivering swanky award-show performances. But it's all a bit one-dimensional, leaving you with the same image of a sinister troll, scrabbling out of the cracks of an abandoned nuclear waste site, foraging for sauerkraut...
Sound & Vision > > >
Visually pleasing, although some of the international live footage (apposed to German) is mildly too earnest in its 'grain', while there are varied shots of crowds, band and effects. The early videos bear the same such flaw, but as they progress to the modern day, they become clearer. Goth metal and electronic digi-noises are distinct and well-channelled, but the most frightening sounds? The German crowds, bellowing back their lyrics - a vision and aural-accompaniment that's a bit too mass-rally-like for our full appreciation.
Artists in this article: Rammstein
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