Rammstein‘s “Herzeleid” turns 31 this year. Motor Music released the debut studio album by the Berlin Neue Deutsche Härte and industrial metal band on 25 September 1995. Producer Jacob Hellner oversaw the sessions at Polar Studios and his own BomKrash studio in Stockholm, Sweden, with Dutch engineer Ronald Prent mixing.

“Herzeleid” runs eleven tracks and 49:22, all written by the band. The tracklist comprises “Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen”, “Der Meister”, “Weißes Fleisch”, “Asche zu Asche”, “Seemann”, “Du riechst so gut”, “Das alte Leid”, “Heirate mich”, “Herzeleid”, “Laichzeit” and “Rammstein”. Till Lindemann sang lead, with Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers on guitars, Oliver Riedel on bass, Christoph Schneider on drums and Christian “Flake” Lorenz on keyboards. “Du riechst so gut” preceded the album as its first single on 28 August 1995, followed by “Seemann” on 8 January 1996. The album initially sold slowly but climbed to No. 2 on the German Albums Chart on the strength of the band’s touring, and was later certified 2× Platinum in Germany. A remastered anniversary edition followed on 4 December 2020, released both digitally and on double heavyweight colored vinyl.

About Rammstein

Rammstein formed in Berlin in 1994. Guitarist Richard Kruspe, who had relocated from East to West Berlin in 1989 and played in the band Orgasm Death Gimmick, began working with bassist Oliver Riedel and drummer Christoph Schneider in 1993. Kruspe recruited vocalist Till Lindemann, then a basket weaver and drummer in the band First Arsch, after overhearing him sing. The group entered and won a 1994 Berlin contest for amateur bands, receiving a week of professional studio time; their winning demo drew guitarist Paul Landers into the project, and Landers in turn brought in keyboardist Christian “Flake” Lorenz from Feeling B, completing the six-piece lineup that has remained unchanged since.

The band signed to Motor Music and began recording its debut album, “Herzeleid”, in March 1995 with producer Jacob Hellner, who would go on to produce five more Rammstein albums through 2009. “Du riechst so gut” appeared as the lead single that August, and “Herzeleid” followed on 25 September 1995. Rammstein spent the rest of 1995 opening for Project Pitchfork and Clawfinger before headlining their own German tour that December, building the live following that carried the album to eventual gold and platinum status. The band’s second album, “Sehnsucht” (1997), debuted at No. 1 in Germany and produced the singles “Engel” and “Du hast”, followed by the live album “Live aus Berlin” (1999).

Rammstein signed with Universal Music and released “Mutter” in 2001, then “Reise, Reise” (2004) and “Rosenrot” (2005), each reaching the top of album charts across Europe. “Liebe ist für alle da” (2009) gave the band its first German No. 1 single with “Pussy”. After a recording hiatus spent touring, Rammstein released an untitled seventh album in 2019, which reached No. 1 in fourteen countries, followed by “Zeit” in 2022. On the 25th anniversary of “Herzeleid” in September 2020, the band announced the remastered anniversary edition of the album, released that December. “Herzeleid” remains Rammstein’s debut record and, thirty-one years on, the release that introduced the band’s sound and lineup essentially unchanged to today.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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