Review: Rammfest at Freo.Social

Rammfest at Freo.Social
Saturday, April 12, 2025

Rammfest returned to Freo.Social last Saturday in an impressive, jackhammer night of in-your-face metal paying homage to some of the best-known hard rock outfits from the last few decades.

While the showcase event doesn’t feature original music, it’s not just a night of cover bands but more like an all-out, multi-sensory experience. Even those who may not describe themselves as fans of Rammstein’s unique brand of hard, industrial goth metal would find it hard not to be won over by the spectacle. To witness one of their live shows is an event to be remembered.

The local ensemble, Rated R, spared no expense and pulled no stops in an effort to re-create a tribute fitting for Perth audiences, with a set packed full of fire, flame and industrial pyrotechnics. The effort, dedication, and work that went into pulling this show off was an overwhelming and extravagant feat.

Supported by a collaboration of Perth’s most talented artists/supergroups, Gonjazz (Metallica), White Pony (Deftones), and Arizona Bayswater (Tool), each nailing their respective sets to a fully packed house, the value of the evening’s line-up exceeded all expectations and then some.

Tension was high with anticipation for the night’s main event, as Rated R (Rammstein) hit the stage hard, opening with Rammlied, followed by Sensucht, Links 2 3 4, and Asche zu Asche, as the audience was fed an inferno of riff and flame. With the band cloaked in costume, makeup, paint and hairspray, this was an experience performed by truly dedicated and consummate professional fans, showcasing an elite level of musicianship.

The Rated R ensemble are veterans of the tribute scene as well as being prominent within Perth’s local music community and playing in multiple bands. The only exception is the vocalist, a native-born German who not only fronts the band but is also responsible for the construction and deployment of dual-wielding fire torches and one gigantic gas-powered, fire-raging flamethrower, which he proudly goose-stepped onto the stage with before deploying it over the front rows of the audience during Waidmanns Heil.

The show was unrelenting in energy and presence, with the minor occurrence of a slight technical hiccup with the upright fire-belching canisters that lined the front of the stage. Rectified and functioning again after a few brief moments, the audience was not deterred and were ravenous for the set to continue, which it did with Engel as the vocalist adorned the stage in a majestic self-constructed pair of pure white angel wings.

Next they rolled through the best of Rammstein’s back catalogue since their 1995 inception, with the likes of Du Riechst So Gut, Du Hast and Mutter. Then the guitarist boarded an inflatable raft and floated over a wave of hands on the mosh pit as the audience pushed him towards the bar at the back of the venue, where he was promptly awarded a beer, proudly chugging it as he was then directed back to the stage.

While the audience experience was impressive, they only really saw the surface of what went into pulling all this off. Recognition also needs to go to the army of backstage support, sound and lighting engineers, pyrotechnics experts, and hair and makeup stylists that brought the event to life.

For a Rammstein fan or just those who love the power, fury and spectacle of symphonic, heavy industrial metal, Rammfest was an all-you-could-wish-for experience, delivered right to the veins on a local level. The best news is, if you missed out, a new Oktoberfest iteration of the event is billed for later this year.

Flame on!

ZAC NICHOLS

Photos by Julien Niel