Rammstein (German pronunciation: ['RamStaIn]) is a German Neue Deutsche Harte band, formed in 1994 in Berlin. Throughout its existence, Rammstein's six-man lineup has remained unchanged--lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, bassist Oliver "Ollie" Riedel, drummer Christoph "Doom" Schneider, lead vocalist Till Lindemann, rhythm guitarist Paul H. Landers, and keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz. The band helped to found a subgenre within German hard rock and metal that became known as Neue Deutsche Harte. The majority of their songs are in German, but they have also performed songs entirely or partially in other languages including English, Spanish, French, and Russian.

Rammstein started recording Sehnsucht in November 1996 at the Temple Studios in Malta. The album was again produced by Jacob Hellner. "Engel", the first single from the album, was released on 1 April 1997 and reached gold status in Germany on 23 May. This prompted the release of a fan edition of the single, named Engel - Fan Edition. This contained two previously unreleased songs, "Feuerrader" and "Wilder Wein". Release of the second single from the album Sehnsucht was "Du hast", which hit the German single charts August 1997 at number 5. Rammstein then continued touring in the summer while Sehnsucht was released on 22 August 1997. The album reached number 1 in Germany after two weeks in the charts. Simultaneously, Herzeleid and both Sehnsucht singles ("Du hast" and "Engel") were in the Top 20 of the German charts. Rammstein continued to headline sold-out shows throughout Europe in September and October. On 5 December 1997, they embarked on their first tour of the United States as the opening act for KMFDM. In August 1998, the band released a cover of the song Stripped, originally released by Depeche Mode in early 1986; it was included on the tribute album For the Masses, the Rammstein version obtained moderate success in Germany and Austria. On 22-23 August 1998, Rammstein played to over 17,000 fans at the Wuhlheide in Berlin; the biggest show the band had played there up to that date. Supporting acts were Danzig, Nina Hagen, Joachim Witt and Alaska. The show was professionally filmed, intended to be released on their upcoming live DVD, Live aus Berlin. Rammstein embarked on a live tour with Korn, Ice Cube, Orgy and Limp Bizkit called the Family Values Tour in September through to late October 1998. Continuing their success in the US, Sehnsucht received Gold record status there on November 2. The band was nominated at the MTV European Music Awards for Best Rock Act and performed "Du hast" live on 12 November that year. Rammstein had further success in 1999, starting off the year in February with a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 41st-annual Grammy Awards. A year after it was filmed, the Live aus Berlin concert was released on CD on 30 August 1999, with a limited edition double CD also available. Two weeks after it was released, Live aus Berlin went to number one in the German Album Charts. On 13 September and 26 November 1999 the video and DVD versions of the concert were released respectively. Further popularity ensued with the inclusion of "Du hast" in The Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture.

What happened in 1999?
On 22-23 August 1998, Rammstein played to over 17,000 fans at the Wuhlheide in