It's crazy what one man's charisma can do. As the world was being shaken by an out-of-control virus, for which no vaccine yet existed, and while France was preparing for its first lockdown, Till Lindemann (and his friend Peter Tägtgren, and their musicians) were set to sell out Moscow's VTB Arena, twice over. The German singer who first found fame with Rammstein, had been going solo for five years, with only the Swedish artist/producer (founder of Pain and Hypocrisy) for company. With two albums out, the duo rode their growing success and started performing in larger and larger venues thanks to their industrial metal whose contours evoke the music of Rammstein.
On 15 March 2020, Lindemann really pulled out the big guns. The concert was choreographed down to the millimetre, complete with synchronised projections and a light show. The group deployed more than 4000 cameras and a whole battery of audio equipment to immortalise the event. The result was deeply impressive. Drawing on their two studio albums, the band delivered a performance which may have been short on surprises but was executed impeccably. What Lindemann lacks in spontaneity he makes up for in minute preparation. But at events like these, you come for the show as much as for the rock'n'roll. All of this outfit's singles were on display, from Praise Abort and Fish On from Skills in Pills (2015) to the unmissable Steh Auf and Platz Eins (which has the whiff of Tägtgren's Pain about it) taken from 2019's F & M.
The excellent sound quality fills up your ears as if you were there yourself. The production on this album pushes at the boundaries of what's possible: it's no stretch to say that this is a perfect compilation that conveys the impact and energy of the live performance. Live in Moscow is an album to mark the end of an era. A few months after the concert, Tägtgren announced that he was ceasing his collaboration with the German singer. Till Lindemann never spelled out that this amicable divorce meant the end of the whole project. In time, a new chapter will surely begin. In fact, that may already be in the works, as the former frontman has already released a string of singles. © Chief Brody/Qobuz