Till Lindemann’s solo album: Russian trace and rock on steroids

After the sex scandal, the rock star was again talked about as a musician

Till Lindemann’s solo album has become one of the most notable releases of the week and another reason for all fans of the musician to jealously compare his work in Rammstein and his solo efforts. It must be admitted that Till did not disappoint either those who appreciate his work in the group or those who want the most daring experiments.

The album’s title track was released as a single in early September, and the video for Zunge became a balm for the souls of Till’s Russian fans. Anna Tsukanova-Kott as a director, Aglaya Tarasova in the frame with a rock star, the tigers of the Zapashny brothers – in general, a bold “Russian trace”, as another hint at Lindemann’s special attitude towards Russia. These are all pictures from the past. The video was filmed back in the spring of 2021, and now it’s hard to even imagine something similar. But the memories left on the video, of course, warm, especially for sentimental people.

Film adaptations of songs have always been an impressive strength of both Rammstein and Till in solo format. The video for Sport Frei, another single from Zunge, released the other day, certainly pleases everyone who loves art that tickles the nerves of ordinary people. Black and white horror, where there is an Olympic torch, a sports pedestal, as well as mountains of muscles, pulsating with tension in the veins and kilograms of doping. An excellent illustration for the song about how sports cripple, and all the awards received by athletes quickly turn into trash.

And Till knows what he sings about. In his youth, he showed great promise in swimming, was a member of the GDR junior team and, perhaps, would have ended up at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. However, at competitions in Italy, the charm of the West became the cause of almost a crime for Till, by the standards of East German morality. The young man violated the regime and ran away from the hotel in the evening on a tour of sex shops. It all ended with interrogations by the Stasi.

Zunge is Till’s third album, which he has released under his own name. Lindemann recorded Skills & Pills (2015) and F&M (2019) together with Swedish musician Peter Tägtgren, but not long ago his colleague left the project, and the new release is in every sense Till’s solo work. The desire to record outside of Rammstein is understandable. In groups that have existed for decades without changing their composition, as a rule, a cult of democracy reigns. All their decisions, both musical and managerial, are the result of collective agreement. But outside the team, you can do whatever the author himself wants, and Till, who is usually responsible for trash and intoxication in Rammstein, clearly does not restrain himself.

Lindemann has an amazing ability to add operetta-like absurdity to heroically heavy tracks, and to load songs close to pop music with a sense of anxiety and danger. It would be strange if there were no shadows of Rammstein in Zunge. The already mentioned Zunge, Srort Frei, as well as Du Hast Kein Herz immediately remind us of Till’s home band, and this Rammstein on steroids most likely irritates few people. But there is a lot more on the album.

Tanzlehrein is almost flamenco. Adjusted for context, of course, but Till was able to prove himself an excellent performer here too. Ubers Meer is a spectacular eighties trick with keyboards from the last century and a great melody. In Alles Fur Die Kinder the arrangement generally refers to dubstep, in Naas the metallic clang feels good next to vocals reminiscent of opera. All together deprives the album of routine, inevitable for an artist who began in the mid-nineties.

Among other things, Zunge is a reason to turn conversations about Till Lindemann into a musical plane. After several fans accused the rock star of sexual assault this summer, it seemed that Lindemann’s career was about to go downhill. Recording giant Universal immediately terminated all relations with the artist (Lindemann released Zunge independently as an independent musician), Rammstein members hinted at a possible suspension of all group activities. However, in the German scenery, the international cancel culture unexpectedly faced an impartial investigation, the final result of which was the dismissal of all charges due to lack of evidence. This does not mean that the scandal is forgotten, but, at least now, Lindemann can, without being distracted by tabloid hysteria, entertain the public on his solo tour. And rejoice at how tickets for next year’s Rammstein stadium tour are flying out.