Rammstein revealed that they will release a new album on May 17th, which is great news for their fans since they have been waiting for 10 years. On March 28th when Rammstein announced the release of their new album, they also released the first promo/single track ‘Deutschland‘. The latest video gathered almost 10 million views in one day and the raving reviews and reactions fall like an avalanche.
‘Deutschland‘ depicts the main historical events of Germany in a video directed by Specter Berlin, who managed not only to include Germany’s history in 9 minutes, but also create a cinematographic masterpiece. The protagonist as “Germania” or maybe the heart of German history is the actress Ruby Commey. The video begins from the Middle Ages and Roman Empire. The boxing scene displays the Weimar Germany (1918-1933), a period of great political instability. In the next frame we see the band in front of the burning Hindenburg Zeppelin, which crashed in 1937 in New Jersey. The scene in the prison where the band members are chained has to do probably with the political unstable times Germany has gone through time as well. Then the story leads us to the Nazi Germany and this part of the video rose the most controversial perception by viewers. The band members pose as camp prisoners and each have the various badges the Nazis pinned on prisoners’ clothes: the first from the left has the pink triangle which was for the homosexuals, the second the yellow star for the Jews, the third has probably the star for homosexual Jews. Unfortunately the one of the fourth member is out of focus.
There is also a scene of a riot in the streets which depicts the May Day in 1987 when one of the greatest riots in Germany’s history took place. ‘Deutschland‘ doesn’t go further from the 90s, as one of the final act shows the band dressed as the members of the Rote Armee Fraktion. The ending is unclear and surreal – like many frames among those who are historically clear- perhaps left to everyone of us to decide the context of today and the future. The translated lyrics may probably provide some help for a clearer view:
“You have cried a lot
In the mind apart
In the heart united
We have been together for a very long time
Your breath is cold
The heart in flames
You
I
Us
You
Germany
My heart in flames
Want to love you want to damn you
Germany
Your breath is cold
So young
And yet so old
Germany
I
I never want to leave you
One want to love you
And want to hate you
Overbearing
Superior
To take over
To surrender
Surprising
To attack
Germany, Germany over everyone
Superior
Needless
Superman
Sick of
The higher you climb, the farther you fall
Germany, Germany over everyone”
Mary Kalaitzidou