Rammstein

Not at all by accident, German rock band Rammstein has been upsetting people again. While the band has left the schlock-horror gorefest antics to artists like Rob Zombie, and faux-Satanic worship to myriad Scandinavian metal bands, it’s recently been pursuing a pornographic obsession that’s served it well in terms of publicity. However, gauging how far to push such provocation is a difficult judgment. Taking the issue very seriously indeed, a government spokesman in Belarus has declared that Rammstein could “destroy the Belarusian state system” and have threatened to ban the group from performing in the capital city Minsk. Nikolai Tcherginez, head of the government's Council For Morality, said he regretted that tickets had already been sold for the concert, but that if the event was to take place, the program would need to be revised in order to prevent “extremism.” He added that the band promoted “violence, masochism, homosexuality and other abnormalities” and said that “permitting a Rammstein concert would be a costly mistake.” Belarusian fans eager to immerse themselves in extremism will instead have to content themselves with the limited edition box-set of Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, which comes in a large aluminum case with five bonus tracks and six sex toys.

When fictional band Spinal Tap tried to release Smell the Glove in their comedy classic movie This Is Spinal Tap, it was promptly banned because of its controversial cover art. We laughed because this kind of arbitrary censorship happens so often it’s almost a rite of passage – and of course, it’s marvelous for publicity. Now Rammstein have joined the illustrious and notorious company of artists whose albums have been banned. Wary of corrupting the impressionable youth of Germany, the German Federal Office For The Examination of Media Harmful to Young People has consigned Rammstein’s latest release Liebe ist für alle da to a list of albums which may only be sold to adults. The government’s objections refer to two tracks which contain explicit sexual references, and to similarly themed artwork. Rammstein – who are no strangers to controversy -- released the album last month and it has been a big seller across the world, reaching No.1 in much of Europe and debuting at an impressive No.13 in America. Consequently it seems unlikely that the move by the German government will adversely affect the buoyant sales of the album. In fact, if history is right, it may even boost the sales.

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