German industrial metal band Rammstein's latest album, Liebe ist für alle da has officially been banned from display at all retailers in Germany.
The cover, which features the band about to carve a naked young lady up for dinner on a banquet table, has been deemed inappropriate for viewing by young eyes and must, as of Wednesday (November 11), be sold under the counter, only to persons of 18 years or older with identification. Germany's Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People, which is responsible for the ruling, also stipulated that the band are forbidden play their track "Ich tu dir weh" ("I Want to Hurt You" in English) live in Germany.
Rammstein, being no strangers to controversy, have acknowledged the ruling and let fans know on their website that they'd need ID to pick up the album, which charted at No. 1 in seven separate countries and either No. 2 or 3 in three additional European countries. The album comes in a regular and a deluxe version, the latter of which comes with handcuffs, lube and six dildos, each modelled after the band members' own privates.
As Reuters reports, retailers across Germany have had different responses to the ruling. Some have mentioned that they plan to stop stocking the album altogether, while others, such as Joerg Jaeger of the Pressezentrum retail store in Luebeck, have acknowledged that this may in fact boost sales.
"The album will sell even better than before," Jaeger said. "We are not taking the album out of stock. From Wednesday, we will be selling it under the counter and will require customers to produce proof of their age. All it means is that the 18-year-old will buy [Liebe ist für alle da] for his younger sister."
Let's just hope he isn't talking about the deluxe version.
The cover, which features the band about to carve a naked young lady up for dinner on a banquet table, has been deemed inappropriate for viewing by young eyes and must, as of Wednesday (November 11), be sold under the counter, only to persons of 18 years or older with identification. Germany's Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People, which is responsible for the ruling, also stipulated that the band are forbidden play their track "Ich tu dir weh" ("I Want to Hurt You" in English) live in Germany.
Rammstein, being no strangers to controversy, have acknowledged the ruling and let fans know on their website that they'd need ID to pick up the album, which charted at No. 1 in seven separate countries and either No. 2 or 3 in three additional European countries. The album comes in a regular and a deluxe version, the latter of which comes with handcuffs, lube and six dildos, each modelled after the band members' own privates.
As Reuters reports, retailers across Germany have had different responses to the ruling. Some have mentioned that they plan to stop stocking the album altogether, while others, such as Joerg Jaeger of the Pressezentrum retail store in Luebeck, have acknowledged that this may in fact boost sales.
"The album will sell even better than before," Jaeger said. "We are not taking the album out of stock. From Wednesday, we will be selling it under the counter and will require customers to produce proof of their age. All it means is that the 18-year-old will buy [Liebe ist für alle da] for his younger sister."
Let's just hope he isn't talking about the deluxe version.
