Disco de Rammstein: “Volkerball”

I'll make this short and sweet. If you don't want all the interviews and extras in the Volkerball sets that cost big bucks, buy this package. One concert DVD and one audio CD for a very fair price in a great fold-out package. This is the essential good stuff. The dvd has over 100 minutes of concert footage!!! The dvd is compatible with Region 1 US machines. The CD is full-length (75 minutes)and live. Wow! P.S. This great little set is selling for a lot more than this on ebay.

I'm a huge fan and purchased this because it's a collectors item and I was willing to pay the price. As stated in a previous review, if you have a region free DVD player (or a DVD-ROM drive in your computer), playback of the imported PAL set is not an issue. After researching, I was able to find Volkerball for $118 (US) plus shipping. After getting it in my hands and taking a look at this edition, I started thinking about the cost. The cost of the average newly released 2 CD set is approximately $25 to $30. The cost of the average newly released 2 DVD set is approximately $30 to $40 dollars. So separately you'd be looking at $55 to $70 just for those items. Add to that a 200 page collectors edition hard bound glossy photo book, and in my opinion, the asking price is not that outrageous. For those that want the music for a lower price, there are also Standard (1 CD / 1 DVD) and Limted (1 CD / 2 DVD) edition sets available for purchase.

All that being said, the concert footage is outrageously intense and I loved every minute of it. The making of Reise, Reise documentary was interesting as was Anaconda in the Net. I've been listening to the CD's for about a week now and plan on listening to them quite a bit more.

If you can't set the world on fire, then at least set stages in Europe, Russia, and Japan ablaze. Rammstein puts on a show like no other band. And while North America may not get treated to their spectacle live, then we can enjoy the concerts captured here. The DVD in this set captures one full concert from France as well as moments from concers in England, Japan, and Russia. An Accompanying CD has 16 cuts from the Nimes concert (but if you get the 4 disc set, the two cds comprise the entire Nimes concert). The other DVD includes two documentaries.

While the bells and whistles are nice for the price, the main concert DVD is the highlight. Rammstein is a first class group when it comes to performance - mainly for their pyrotechnics. But it's not just setting things on fire or having flames rise from the stage. One of the highlights is Mein Teil, where Til takes a flamethrower to a pot containing keyboardist Flake and then chases him around on stage with a Microphone shaped like a knife. Elsewhere, Flake is seen riding a segway during Amerika while playing his keyboard, with confetti filled finale. And there's no shortage of fire in the concert.

But what makes the concert so special is that Rammstein are a classy metal act that actually performs decent songs, and as engaging as this live show is, they still perform the songs well and performance isn't compromised by the spectacle on stage. The energy and enthusiasm of the audience is also captured well here during songs like Du Hast and Ich Will.

I have to say that I'm not the biggest metal fan, but Rammstein has caught my eye because of their aesthetic appeal. But if this concert proves anything, it's that they boast an incredible discography successfully combining dance and metal, have great lyrics, and also have a very dark sense of humor. All those elements show on this set and this concert is probably one of the best representations of the band.

I purchased the DVD/Book Limited Edition set off of Amazon in the UK and this was well worth the price. The book is very well done and is some 180 pages BUT alot of the pictures in the book are seen in the DVD. So unless you're a fan of the Very Limited Edition stuff save yourself a few bucks and buy the Limited Edition DVD set without the book. Having the 4 disc is great and the documentary is intersting so I would recommend paying the extra cash to get these. The stage once again is excellent but I feel the Live Aus Berlin was a better and a bit harder of a show. The music is more of a Heavy Metal mixed with a Industrial Sound. Excellent music! I have friends that listen to nothing but dance type mucic that have purchased Rammstein music due to the beat they put out! JUST BUY IT!!

There isn't much to add that hasn't already been said.. Plenty of positive. The negative: I have to agree with other posters who have mentioned the live DVDs showing too much of the crowd, not enough of the band. I found it really frustrating how the camera would cut away from the band to the crowd, or vice versa, in the middle of a line or pyrotechnics sequence. The video editing here is pretty deplorable compared to other live DVDs I've seen. Biggest compliment I can give to the editing was following Ollie around in the boat during "Stripped."

Positive notes: For anyone who is in the process of learning to speak Deutsch, or anyone who would just like an easy way to learn lyrics, the closed captioning is nice. The audio CD's are really the high point of this release. After watching the concert footage, you'll remember the oddities in sound with the onstage antics and it'll make the CD experience that much better.

The book is cool-looking, but again.. More band, less fans. There's plenty of pics of goth kids to be seen wherever you go, The candid shots and the scenery throughout the travel are the only worthy pieces for the price, and I would say unless you're feeling pretty hardcore, you don't need to buy the book version.