Rammstein – Paris – DVD Review

Two years on from In Amerika and everyone’s favourite pyrotechnical wizards of doom – thanks for that term Blackie – unleash their latest DVD, Paris, upon the world. Whereas In Amerika leaned very heavily upon last album proper Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da, this time around Paris – recorded in March 2012 in, would you believe it, Paris – is a “greatest hits” affair and one far more likely to appeal to the casual fan (if there is such a thing as a casual Rammstein fan)!

Of course, this being Rammstein, a number of things can be taken for granted. Namely, a prosthetic ejaculating penis appearing during “Buck Dich”, a massive penis cannon for “Pussy” and a huge amount of flames and explosions for pretty much every other song….and holy shit is there a lot of flames! In fact, all Rammstein’s trademarked tricks are presented in glorious High Def and in all there eye popping, nose-hair-singing glory. From an elaborate stage and light show, keyboardist Flake being boiled in a massive pot (tasty) to Till’s flaming angel wings and everything else in between are all present and accounted for.

It’s this level of sheer spectacle that makes Paris worth watching. However, one problem with putting on what is without a doubt one of the greatest shows in metal, is that quite often the music gets overlooked, which is a shame because Rammstein have one hell of a back catalogue. From the hefty might of opening classic “Sonne” to the gleeful and relentless assault of “Mein Teil” and the monumental “Du Hast”, it actually falls to the sombre “Mutter” and the beautiful likes of “Onhe Dich” and “Fruhling In Paris” to prove they’re no one trick pony and that there’s far more to Rammstein than the bombast for which they have, so rightly, made their name.

All told, this is another great Rammstein DVD and due to the greatest hits nature of the show, it is probably the one that will appeal to both the casual fan and the hardcore afficianado alike. Only the band alone know when we’ll be treated to a new album, so in the meantime, there’s no better way to kill the time than by watching these master show-men give Paris a thorough scalping. 9/10