Rammstein- Reise, Reise (WWWWW) (Universal)
It always seems like a while
before we hear from Rammstein, but "Reise, Reise" (released in 2004)
is only three years removed from their last outing, the stellar “Mutter”, which
was only two years removed from “Senschut”, the album that spawned the
international hit “Du Hast”.
Of course, many may scorn
Rammstein for not singing in English, but they're missing out, as the German
band does so many things their English counterparts just don't. For one, they
make the stadium-rock experience actually an experience, with Till Lindemann's
operatic vocals and some rather epic guitarwork and drumming. Not only that,
it's incredibly energetic and even catchy, such as the title track and
"Mein Teil" (with its haunting keyboard work making it stellar
electonic rock), and, as shown by the stripped-down "Amour" (which
borrows from Fleetwood Mac's "Thrown Down"), even some emotion. The
best song here is "Moskau", the catchiest song on the album featuring
Viktoria Fersh's TATU-like vocals in a call-and-response chorus with Lindemann.
However, the band’s not all fun-and-games- “Dalai Lama” and “Amerika” present
the band’s political side, one that they take seriously.
Yes, there will be some who will
be put off by the German, and some who will think that they sound silly for
that (and at times it does sound silly), but the truth is that this may very
well be the band’s opus. With a song here that’s catchier and even more
invigorating than “Du Hast” in “Moskau”, as well as some of the most
impassioned performances the band’s ever given, Rammstein are poising
themselves for yet another breakthrough.
-DG