Rammstein’s Richard Kruspe thinks Ghost are "not a stadium band"

Rammstein's Richard Kruspe and Ghost's Tobias Forge — (Image credit: Francesco Castaldo/Archivio Francesco Castaldo/Mondadori via Getty Image, Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe has admitted that he doesn't think Ghost are up to the task of being the next big "stadium band".

In conversation with Summa Inferno, Kruspe mourns the loss of rebellion within rock music, while adding his thoughts to the age-old "rock is dead" debate, first put forward by Kiss' Gene Simmons in 2014.

"Well, it is what it is. If something is dead or not so popular, it doesn't mean I don't still love it" the guitarist explains.

"Rock music used to be music that we would all rebel against our parents. I remember when I was small, I was cranking up the rock music and my parents would come in and say, 'Can you put it down?'

"Nowadays, when my kids play rock music, I come and say, 'Can you make it louder?' So the rebellion in rock music is over."

The interviewer then notes that even if the genre is "dead", it still has huge representatives such as Metallica and Rammstein to solidify its place within the industry. Kruspe responds, "Yeah, yeah, but they are all like dinosaurs. Think about it, all those dinosaur bands are old, we're old people.

"The young generation, they're listening maybe also to rock, but they're also interested in other kinds of music."

Kruspe follows by declaring that he thinks the days of "stadium bands" representing the genre are "almost over", stating ,"And the other problem is that those big bands – they will not come after.

"I always talk about those stadium bands – it's almost over! What's the last stadium band that you know?"

As the bemused interviewer puts forward the idea that Swedish rockers Ghost could be the next outfit to trailblaze stadiums, the guitarist cynically disagrees and says, "Yeah but it's not a stadium band. Talking about huge stadium bands that can play in a stadium. They're getting less and less and less, and certainly, they will die out."

Artists

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.