Rammstein Guitarist’s Emigrate to Release New Album
Emigrate, the side project of Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, will release its sophomore album, “Silent So Long”, on October 21 via Spinefarm.
The CD, which was produced by the Emigrate bandmembers themselves and mixed in February/March by Ben Grosse, features guest appearances by Lemmy Kilmister, Jonathan Davis, Marilyn Manson, Canadian born Berlin-dweller Peaches, and Frank Dellé from chart-topping German collective Seeed.
As with the debut, Kruspe adds to his guitar playing/songwriting duties by stepping up to the mic.
“I didn’t write the songs with specific guests in mind,” explains Kruspe, “I just thought who would do the best job on this or that track, and the final performances were everything I was hoping for. You know, I’ve had about five moments in my music career when I’ve been left smiling like a child — one was when Rammstein sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden in 20 minutes (2010), but the last one was hearing Lemmy on tape. It just sounds fucking great! I wrote him a really long message and he came back, ‘Alright!’ Fantastic!”
For Kruspe, still firmly ensconced within the Rammstein ranks, Emigrate has never been a side or a solo project. Preferring to tap into the energy of a team, and looking to revive the collaborative spirit of the East German punk scene he grew from, the guitarist has always put value on those around him, and this time — in addition to the existing personnel of guitarist/producer Olson Involtini and bassist/co-conspirator Arnaud Giroux — he’s joined by drummers Mikko Sirén and Joe Letz.
While “Emigrate” saw Kruspe, a restless creative spirit, proving that he could take on a new set of challenges, the follow-up adds fresh layers in terms of invention, emotion and contemporary sheen, with Margaux Bossieux — previously of New York punk band Dirty Mary — providing telling backing vocals throughout; crafted with care in Kruspe’s own Berlin studio plus the old radio building on the city’s Nalepa Street, the latter enhanced by an extra control room’s worth of gear (!), “Silent So Long” is another bold step forward, with both music and (English) lyrics showing no desire to be corralled, and Kruspe the guitarist happy to let rip where the music demands.
Says Kruspe: “For me, it was important to reach a new level of songwriting, singing and production, and I can honestly say we made it.”
“Silent So Long” track listing:
01. Eat You Alive (featuring Frank Dellé)
02. Get Down (featuring Peaches)
03. Rock City (featuring Lemmy Kilmister)
04. Hypothetical
05. Rainbow
06. Born On My Own
07. Giving Up
08. My Pleasure
09. Happy Times
10. Faust
11. Silent So Long (featuring Jonathan Davis)