"Rammstein is metal and pop," Kruspe-Bernstein said via A.J., the hard-working interpreter. "I think we're the first group to combine metal and pop."
Let's just say the metal aspect of Rammstein outweighs the pop. That'll be obvious tonight when the band co- headlines a Verizon Wireless Amphitheater show, The Fire and the Fury, with Staind. Touring with its latest album, "Mutter," Rammstein is making waves courtesy of a fire-powered live show and a sound that's captivating metal and even some industrial music fans though the band sings, loud and proud, in German.
"Rammstein is very German in its music," Kruspe- Bernstein explained. "And the reason is before I started working with Rammstein I was working in many different groups. I had gone to California and listened to a lot of music. I realized I had been living a lie. Culture and climate are instrumental in shaping the music and how people make their music. I went back to Germany and started making music that is characteristically German."
Rammstein did not set out to be a hit among people whose command of German begins and ends at, say, "Wurstfest."
"To be honest, when you're engaged in creating art you should not be concerned with commercial success. You should be concerned with integrity," he said. "But we were very surprised we had such success on an international level. We quickly realized it's important to write songs to fit the language. It doesn't matter what language, it makes sense.
"The major problem with other groups is they assimilate and imitate American music and that's not successful. In the process they sacrifice their language. They copy the music and superimpose their own language on the music." One vital element is something that transcends any type of music, the show itself. Rammstein is becoming notorious for a pyrotechnic-filled presentation that features flames coming from everywhere.
"We try to keep the music and the show in balance," Kruspe-Bernstein said. "If I see that people are coming to the show just to see fireworks, I would quit doing it. I'm a musician. I create, compose and play. Effects complement the music."
The flip side is Kruspe-Bernstein is disappointed that, for this tour, Rammstein will be unable to show off its full production capabilities.
"We hope we can bring the whole show back to the United States in October," he said. Kruspe-Bernstein is joined in Rammstein by Till Lindemann (vocals), Christian "Flake" Lorenz (keyboards), Paul Landers (guitar), Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph "Doom" Schneider (drums). Kruspe- Bernstein writes the songs. A challenge Rammstein has faced as a band is overcoming some negative publicity. The German press reportedly called Rammstein Nazis. All Music Guide says the shooters at Columbine High School listened to Rammstein.
"I think when you're creating art it's important to retain a healthy naiveté," Kruspe-Bernstein said. "I think the problem in Germany is the whole thing was represented in a strange manner. And then it was presented too strong outside the country. For 'Mutter' I wrote a song, 'Links 234,' in order to express ourselves when people want to pigeonhole us politically. It means our heart is actually on the left. That's how it beats. One of the things we do is to provoke people. We want to provoke people to think."
