Flake: We said to ourselves, at the beginning of the studio woirk, that we should try to make a new album different and varied. We wanted to intergrate new musical influences, for example, the original punk fomr Great Britain. "Zwiter" is such a song with wich we tried somewhat of a punk style. Besides that, we wanted our balladsto no longer be so guitar heavy, somewhat more suitably designed for the radio. Also I think Till, with "Mutter," no longer rumbles when he sings. Rather good vocal abilities can be better displayed.
Nonetheles, a band like Rammstein can never entirely slip from their skin. I want to say: although we'e tried hard with this musical development, the typical Rammstein sound is always omnipresent. But I think "Mutter" is by no means a personal repetition of "Sehnsucht."
Interviewer: Very good to hear a song like "Nebel," that definately shows a very dark atmosphere.
Flake: "Nebel" is, of course, the most dramatic song on the album and comnpletely new for us. With "Nebel" musical influences like Massive Attack are instilled and I must confess that "Nebel" is my personal favorite. I love musical challenges and "Nebel" was one.
Interviewer: In the song "Links" one could see a political message. Was that intentional, because in nuerous interviews you have always said that didn' want to become a political band.
Flake: We are definately not a political band but after the numerous character defamations like "Rammstein are right" or "Are Rammstein nazi's?" we simply had to make up a poistion. We had in interviews not taken a position, there are many journalists who only write what they want to hear. Therefore a statement was to risky. We wanted to take a position to this problem as musicans and that with a good song. "Links" is clearly meant politically because our hearts lie truly left. We have never had anyhting to do with the right scene and also don' want to know hoe the "right" reference and Rammstein to be placed in the world. And just because we play hard German and martialistic music doesn' make us nazis. We are defenitly not nazi's and the song "Links" should help to end this stupid gabbing.
Interviewer: Was the expectation on "Mutter" great?
Flake: The pressure was tremendous- but not altogether by the record company! We'd placed obvious pressure opon ourselves because we didn't know if we were in the good position to produce a good album again. We wanted, first & foremost, to create a good, varied albumand had in the intial studio time many ideas that got rejected. Everything was too tense. The record company had exerted hardly any pressure on us but we naturally knew that every one expected success. Our first mix wasn unsatisfactory. We really didn't know how to mix the "Mutter" CD until we hit upon Stefan Glauman. The first mix was completely out-dated and we spent again 3 months in his stupio in Stockholm. But after that we were finally satisfied... We had, after a good year delay, managed to create a good album.
Interviewer: How has your life changed after the enormous succes? Are there drawbacks to success?
Flake: OUr life hasn't really changed because our success didn't first come about through "Engel", but has instead continually built itself up over the last 5 years. Besides that we are no longer in our 20's, rather all around 35 years old. That doesn't raise one up to more but one knows how to get around different situations. We live also still in our apartments in the Prenzlauer Berg area and can, as before, go by foot to see one another. The only thing that has changed for me, personally, is that, for the first time, I bought myself a Mercedes that cost more than 1500DM. We have always remained as we always were.