Rammstein drummer Christoph "Doom" Schneider is featured in a career-spanning Q&A with Metal Hammer. He discusses his formative years, as well as Rammstein's early days and the band's current status as an arena act. It was originally published in Metal Hammer #207.

Q: Rammstein’s first breakthrough came with the Berlin Metrobeat contest in 1994…

Schneider: "This was a competition in the '90s where young bands had the chance to send a demo tape to the Department Of Culture in Berlin, who picked out bands that they liked. You could win a recording session in a professional studio, and we won it. We went into the studio and recorded the first four Rammstein songs. The tape got a lot of attention from quite a few record companies, but we waited a while until we had a manager who knew more people in the industry. We were happy that we waited, rather than signing to a small indie label, because major labels got interested later on."§

Q: Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe described the band as being therapeutic. Do you agree with him?

Schneider: "I completely agree. It’s totally true. If you hang around with the same guys for a long time, it’s like therapy for life. You have to learn how to be in a crew and to get along with all the other people, and also to learn how to give way sometimes. If you want something really strongly but you don’t have anyone else in the band who wants the same thing, then you have to give up that idea, otherwise you’ll get on everybody’s nerves and you’ll make it difficult for yourself. I always want to make things better, and do new things."

Q: Rumour has it that the six dildos in the Liebe Ist Für Alle Da box set are moulded on the Rammstein members’ cocks. True?

Schneider: "The original idea was to do it like that, but there were a few complications. Imagine doing it: you would have to stay stiff the whole time! It would be different if you were doing it with your girl, or something. None of us actually did it, but some of the guys wanted to. I found the idea pretty stupid."

Read the complete interview here.

Rammstein recently announced the new, rescheduled dates for their European tour, which had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. All shows have now been rescheduled to 2021, and already-purchased tickets will remain valid for the new dates.

Says the band: "Stay safe! We're excited and look forward to seeing you in 2021."

New 2021 dates:

May
22 - Leipzig, Germany - Red Bull Arena Leipzig 
23 - Leipzig, Germany - Red Bull Arena Leipzig 
27 - Klagenfurt, Germany - Wörthersee Stadion 
31 - Stuttgart, Germany - Mercedes-Benz Arena

June
1 - Stuttgart, Germany - Mercedes-Benz Arena 
5 - Berlin, Germany - Olympiastadion 
6 - Berlin, Germany - Olympiastadion 
12 - Belfast, Ireland - Boucher Road Playing Fields 
16 - Cardiff, Wales - Principality Stadium 
19 - Coventry, UK - Ricoh Arena 
23 - Aarhus, Denmark - Ceres Park 
26 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Merkur Spiel-Arena 
27 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Merkur Spiel-Arena 
30 - Hamburg, Germany - Volksparkstadion

July
1 - Hamburg, Germany - Volksparkstadion 
5 - Zurich, Switzerland - Stadion Letzigrund 
6 - Zurich, Switzerland - Stadion Letzigrund 
9 - Lyon, France - Groupama Stadium 
10 - Lyon, France - Groupama Stadium 
13 - Turin, Italy - Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino
17 - Warsaw, Poland - PGE Narodowy 
21 - Tallinn, Estonia - Song Festival Grounds 
25 - Trondheim, Norway - Leangen Travbane 
30 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Ullevi Stadium 
31 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Ullevi Stadium

August
3 - Nijmegen, Netherlands Goffertpark 
7 - Ostend, Belgium - Park De Nieuwe Koers