Rammstein drummer says there were two spies in his early East German band

Rammstein drummer Christoph ‘Doom’ Schneider has claimed that his early band Die Firma featured two spies in its line-up.

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In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, the musician spoke of his experiences of being part of the East Berlin music scene back in the 1980s.

Discussing the style of his “new wave punk band” Die Firma, Schneider told the outlet they were “a little dark, with gothic influences”, while also having “lyrics that protested against the system”.

“This was not permitted, of course – we were an underground band,” he said. “All the other Rammstein guys were in underground bands, too. We used to play in small clubs with all kinds of fans: freaks, goths, punks.”

He continued: “The government had their people everywhere, though: Secret Service spies. What was funny was that I couldn’t imagine any harder band than mine at the time, and we had two people actually in the band who were spies – the singer and the keyboard player! Ha ha! Incredible.

“They weren’t professionals: They were hired spies who received a little payment and every once in a while had to report about the music scene.”

Government restrictions at that time meant that bands and artists had to obtain a certificate to prove their legitimacy in order to perform at live events.

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“To get your certificate you had to play in front of a commission, like a jury, who decided if you had the right songs… you were only allowed to play 40 per cent cover versions in your set, the rest had to be your own music,” Schneider explained.

“Actually it wasn’t that bad an idea, because bands had to come up with their own stuff, and so there were a lot of interesting bands at that time.”

Meanwhile, Schneider has revealed that Rammstein have been working on new music during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. “We still have so many ideas lying around, so many unfinished songs,” he said.

Rammstein’s UK and European stadium tour was set to be taking place this month, but has now been moved to next summer.