REVIEWS:
A German industrial metal band who gained notoriety due to their profound, violent stage shows (which included setting themselves on fire), their music is also somewhat uncompromising, and also sung completely in their native language. They've released three studio albums, Herzeleid, Sehnsucht (which featured the hit single "Du Hast"), and Mutter, plus a live one.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
hey, i think you might like rammstein's debut album, herzileid. its much more consistent than the next 2, and a bit heavier. till, doesnt really sing very much, but oh well...
Rammstein is the hottest band around and my favorite acoording to me Till's voice is quite sexy.
Yo, Rammstein is the best band on earth, I have all albums, I like Sehnsucht the best myself. Till is a super singer and hes very heavy built if u know what i mean. Yea, hes strong yea, uve ever seen his abs?!?!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Rammstein's second album, despite lyrics sung entirely in German, is an interesting, convincingly heavy, and quite effective moody listen - metal riffs contrast the keyboards (which give the songs a techno feel at various points), and the 'evil' vocals of Till Lindeman are prominent (he could be singing 'I went to the store to get some milk and eggs' and it would still sound like a death threat). The title track (Longing) exemplifies the album's refined sound as a brutal but very rhythmic and addictive number on account of the awesome chorus chant. "Engel" (Angel) features a female vocal in the chorus to provide beauty within the pummeling riffs and drums, while "Tier" (Beast) has an almost identical riff but ends up grooving somewhat differently.
When a more gentle vocal style is attempted, the results are more eerily haunting contrasts (heavy with light) - "Bestrafe Mich" (Betray Me), "Klavier" (Piano) and "Alter Mann" (The Old Man) are good examples, while "Eifersucht" (Jealousy) is even a somewhat pop-sounding number on the surface, although the lyrics reveal it to be much harsher - "Spiel Mit Mir" (Play With Me) is also similarly misleading. Speaking of English translations, "Du Hast" (You Hate) sung in anything other than German would be ridiculous, as it's a repetitive and lyrically nonsensical but highly infectious sing-along. The aggressive 'half' closers, "Buck Dich" (Bend Down) and "Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch)" (Kiss Me Furry Frog) round out the album with a vengeance, the latter having harsh drum work and the former having a really great chorus hook and riff.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This is pretty much more of the same from the dangerous guys who bought you the hit "Du Hast" last time around. While there are several attempts at interesting sounds throughout a few of the tracks, it seems to me that for the most part the band seems content to just rehash the same formula in order to have a new record to back up their intense stage show. As a result, with a few major exceptions throughout these songs, there's not all that much I can say that doesn't apply for Sehnsucht - if you liked their brand of heavy-hitting industrial metal on that album quite a lot, you're sure to enjoy this one, as the actual consistency of the tracks is just about the same. The heavier songs get by on intensity and the directness of the vocals, and the softer songs provide an eerie menacing contrast.
There are, however, a few notable highlights that deviate at least a bit from the sound. The opening track "Mein Herz Brennt" (My Heart Burns) is actually somewhat of an attempt at a symphonic metal track, with a haunting drum machine/synth buildup to a sweeping orchestral arrangement over heavy riffing, the best track on the album as a result. The mixture of techno punk on "Feuer Frei!" (Fire!) is also quite intriguing and very exciting, helped out by amusing 'bang bang!' yells in the refrain. The title track (Mother, of course) is a deceptively soothing, but noticeably dark, lullaby-type of song, and it mixes beauty and intensity well. And although the rest of the tune is quite forgettable, "Spieluhr" (Music Box) boasts the most dramatic melody on here during its' chorus (helped out by an eerie little voice singing along with Till Lindeman that produces a breathtaking effect).
And as for the rest of the tunes, they're certainly decent and make for good headbanging while they're on, but it seems the band put far less care into the melodic flow of these tracks than the highlights. The lead single "Links 2 3 4" (Left 2 3 4), while definitely catchy, is a pretty blatant rewrite of "Du Hast" (the verse melody here is only a slightly more complex variation). There's really not all that much I can say about the other six songs, though - they're mildly catchy, but they're either listenable but generic techno grooves like "Sonne" (Sun), "Ich Will" (I Want) or fast industrial speed like the at least somewhat quirky tunes "Zwitter" (Hermaphrodite) and "Adios" In addition, the remaining "Nebel" (Fog) is a completely forgettable closing 'ballad'. So in all, this album's still worth getting if you liked the sound, and it's somewhat of a consistent listen, but really, it's not the most memorable album in the world, and if you've heard Sehnsucht, you've heard better from this band.
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