Rammstein are definitively responsible for the so-called “Neue Deutsche Härte” (“new German hardness”), term to defined their industrial metal sub-genre invented by the German music press after the release of their 1995’s debut album “Herzeleid”.
As of 2009, they have sold over 15 million records worldwide and while their songs are usually in German, they have also performed songs entirely or partially in other languages such as English, Spanish, French and Russian.
On November 5, 2009 their sixth and up to date latest studio album, “Liebe ist für alle da” was placed on the Index of the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien or BPjM (Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons), making it illegal in Germany to make the album accessible to minors or display it where it can be seen by people underage, effectively banning it from stores. According to the official statement of the BPjM, the depiction of lead guitarist Richard Kruspe holding a chubby woman wearing only a mask over his knee and lifting his hand to strike her behind has given cause for offense, as well as the lyrics to “Ich tu dir weh” which supposedly assist to spread dangerous BDSM techniques. Furthermore, the advisory board has taken into consideration the alleged promotion of unprotected sexual intercourse in the lyrics to “Pussy”. As of May 31, 2010, the administrative court in Cologne has decided to waive the suspensive effect of the inclusion into the Index (case 22 L 1899/09) and the German department deleted the record from the Index on June 1. Read more Rammstein – Mein Land – single and video! (2011) ›

11/11/1963 – 08/11/2011.
Read more RIP – Dan “Mao” Barbu – 11.08.2011 ›

I wrote about the French band April and their 2009’s debut album “Ten Stones” not so long time ago – find the review HERE. “Ten Stones” sounded like a collision between Roxette, The Smashing Pumpkins and Dead Can Dance, a mixture of gloomy rock and smooth pop with nice and subtle classic ambiance.
“Sunderlands” definitively it’s a step further, the duo from Bordeaux find their own path and developed a quite unique blending of gothic gloom and gentle sensitivity, a mixture of dark rock tones and catchy pop themes, all nicely laying on the spacy textures of strings and discrete electronics. Read more April – Sunderlands (2011) ›

Some bands have better B-sides than others A-sides or albums. Disturbed guaranteed one of them. “The Lost Children” features all of Disturbed’s B-side tracks that were recorded during a time period of 11 years with the exception of the song “Glass Shatters”, while the only song on the album not previously available is “Mine”. We’ve got 16 pumping and pounding tracks, and while Disturbed are going on an indefinite hiatus for awhile, hopefully this is not also a waving good-bye act, the swan song of the band.
Regarding the album title, it comes from the band calling their songs “their children” and they can’t pick a favorite. Read more Disturbed – The Lost Children (2011) ›

World famous Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki’s cult – and hilarious road – ’89 movie, “Leningrad Cowboys go America” describes the fortunes and misadventures of a struggling Siberian rock band on their way from the tundra to America, eventually ending up in Mexico and on the local top ten chart. Aki Kaurismäki teamed-up in a bar with Sakke Jarvenpää and Mato Valtonen, members of the Finnish pop-punk band Sleepy Sleepers in ’86 and their collaboration result with a short film “Rocky VI” followed by two more short films “Thru the Wire” (1987) and “L.A. Woman” (1988) until the critically acclaimed “Leningrad Cowboys go America”. After the success of the film, the band took on a life of its own, recording several albums, making videos and giving concerts. The band appeared in two other Aki Kaurismäki films, the “Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses” (1994) and the “Total Balalaika Show” (1994), which is a film of a concert performed by the band and the full 160-member Alexandrov ensemble in Helsinki, Finland in June 1993. Read more Leningrad Cowboys – Buena Vodka Social Club (2011) ›