It's a hot, sticky Sunday evening as we line up outside of PICA, the Port Melbourne Industrial Centre for the Arts.
The crowd is murmuring with an energy that crosses the generational gap evident in the crowd, as fans of Rammstein's Till Lindemann discuss favourite tracks and albums from the last 30 years.
His influence over all things heavy metal and related is undeniable, and it's amazing to see how it's brought this crowd together tonight (18 January) for what is clearly going to be a memorable performance.
The crowd gathers at the barrier, getting closer and tighter as the house music falls silent as an industrial rave starts playing right before local heroes Melancolia take the stage.
Mason takes his seat behind the kit, with the rest of the band following. Alex bursts onto stage immediately launching into a frenzied set full of songs off of the recently released 'random.access.misery'.
Melancolia - image © Chris Dy
Their growth between albums is incredibly apparent with a mind-blowing performance showing off every track and melting every face as well as a guest appearance by Chris Mackertich from Dregg, whipping the crowd into a frenzy that lasted until the last beat.
After a short break to reset the stage and set up some of the oddest mic selections I've seen, the lights dim and we're treated to a recorded message from Till playing over the screen as the crowd's anticipation ramps up.
The opening notes of 'Fat' start playing and the tone is quickly set, getting us ready for an exhilarating 90 minutes of dancing, singing and fervour.
Till Lindemann - image © Chris Dy
It was my first time hearing material from this new album, having been completely oblivious in a flurry of stellar 2025 releases, but I was blown away by the sheer levels of production put into the sound design and the lighting that goes with it.
'Altes Flesich' is a new favourite, enticing the crowd to jump around to punchy beats and blinding lights, which if I didn't know any better, I would have assumed I'd gone to a rave instead.
After a song filled with Spanish-inspired acoustic guitar and delightful crooning from Till, we were lulled into a false sense of security until the lights all changed to red and a haunting intro started, 'Blut' coming through the speakers, majestic, pounding, driving a frenzy, with an astounding keyboard lead; it became my favourite from the 2019 Lindemann album 'F & M'.
The whole show was a bit strange, seeing Till in an environment that is Rammstein free, but it was refreshing at the same time; even after all these years there remains a stunningly creative individual living a life that we could only dream of.
Till Lindemann - image © Chris Dy
Ending the set, we were treated to 'Skills In Pills' and the lights all went down, and as is tradition, we engaged in a game of hide and seek, calling for the band to return to the stage for an encore and they delivered, leading us through 'Ubers Meer' and, in a strange turn, the second half of 'Knebel', discarding the haunting chills in favour for the sheer energy of the second half screams, growls and some of the filthiest riffs of the night.
Finishing with 'Fish On', a delightfully antic-filled song, it is easy to see how even 30 years after taking the stage for the first time, Till is able to control a crowd as effortlessly as Hans Zimmer controls a movie soundtrack.
I'll be thinking about this show for awhile; it's raised the bar and I am excited to see what follows it.
