"99 percent Rammstein, 100 percent Völkerball": Already with their band motto, Völkerball make it clear what fans can expect from them. As one of the best Rammstein cover bands in the world, they not only manage to bring the hits of their idols to the stage - they also deliver a show that absolutely does justice to the great originals. No wonder that tickets for Völkerball are in such high demand among fans of Neue Deutsche Härte.
Völkerball call themselves "A Tribute to Rammstein" and hit the nail on the head. The group from Koblenz, founded in 2008, covers the classics of the Berlin band and stays close to the original: outfits, music, voice and stage show are an almost perfect copy. Numerous tours have already taken Völkerball all over Europe.
Just like Rammstein themselves, Völkerball's performance is an unforgettable experience. Hard metal and industrial sounds, a breathtaking pyro show and hypnotising light effects make for a very special concert evening that goes far beyond the pure band performance.
Debut album "Weichen + Zunder" with original songs
It is already clear when the band is founded in which direction it should go. The Rammstein live album "Völkerball" is the inspiration for the name of the tribute group. At the beginning, it consists of singer René Anlauff, guitarists Tobias Kaiser and Marco Vetter, keyboardist Claus Huckriede, bassist Tilmann Carbow and drummer Dirk Oechsle. Right from the start, Völkerball covered songs by Rammstein and thus steadily increased their own fan base.
In 2012, however, Völkerball went new ways and released "Weichen + Zunder", a debut album with their own songs and with a cover of the Hans Albers classic "La Paloma". For a while they play a mixture of their own and covered songs at concerts. Since the own songs are musically and lyrically based on Rammstein, they can be perfectly integrated into the cover sets.
Foundation of the second band Heldmaschine
In order to prevent irritations, the musicians finally decide in 2013 to use the name Völkerball only for the tribute shows and release a re-release of their debut album as well as further albums under the name Heldmaschine. Some of their own compositions, however, are still used in Völkerball's live shows.
In the same year, founding member Marco Vetter then leaves the band and is only available for Heldmaschine for the time being. Claus Huckriede has already been devoting himself to new projects since 2010. They are replaced by guitarist Björn Müller and keyboardist Andreas Schanowski.
A highlight at festivals and in large halls
The band's rousing live show ensures that Völkerball not only play in ever larger halls, but are also welcome guests on festival stages. While Rammstein are one of the biggest exports of the German music business, Völkerball also have a loyal following that has long since ceased to be made up exclusively of fans of their musical idols.
In terms of performance, too, the tribute band emancipates itself at least in part from the original. Although many elements of their own stage show are still based on Rammstein, Völkerball have long since become more than a mere copy. Instead, the stage shows are enriched with many of their own ideas and costumes, so that they are more homage than pure cover show. In any case, a dodgeball show is a spectacle worth seeing and an absolute must, especially for fans of Neue Deutsche Härte.
