Rammstein – Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein
Released 17th May 2019
Neue Deutsche Härte/ Industrial Metal
Released via Universal Music
It’s been a decade since the world renowned Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein last released a studio album. For a long-time fan like myself that is a very long time to wait. Needless to say that my expectations for this were very high. After all it took them this long to record so surely it ought to be worth the wait right? Let’s see…
Well, we’re off to a good start with Deutschland. The video might be a bit too much for some people to handle but the song itself is an absolute gem. I cannot get enough of it. It acts like an anthem for the band, combining all the elements that make Rammstein so special. Till Lindemann’s powerful and emotional vocals, Flake’s delightful keyboard work and the guitars. The chorus works a treat too. What a tune; “Radio, Mein Radio…”, that’s about as much as I can make out from the lyrics without consulting a German dictionary or online translating service but that has never stopped me from enjoying this song. I have had that chorus stuck in my head for weeks. Radio is a wonderfully catchy piece of industrial metal that is bound to be a big hit both live and on the dance floors. Then there’s Ausländer with its disco-esque vibes and somewhat cheesy-sounding chorus.
Basically it’s all good until the fifth track comes along and things slow down a little. It is not so much that the rest of the album is bad, it is not. There are lots of well executed, emotional vocal performances from Mr.Lindemann, there is nothing wrong with guitar riffs or the keyboard melodies. And yet it feels a little lacking in energy. As much as I appreciate the dark lyrical themes and creepy music of tracks such as Puppe, Rammstein are capable of so much more. This suffers from the same issues as their mid-career period albums ‘Reise, Reise’ and ‘Rosenrot’, which have a handful of very good songs each and lots of okayish, but not particularly memorable tracks. The only exception is the ultra creepy and sombre-sounding Hallomann which seems like a fitting way to end the album.
In summary, I am sad to say that this album is a bit of a letdown for me. The first four tracks are great and I absolutely love them. Sadly the rest are a little too slow and ballad-like for my taste. It feels almost like Rammstein are tired of making this kind of music and they are preparing to move on to something new.
3.5/5
Iza Raittila
Valkyrian Music 
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