The Angry Scotsman
I am living in Amerika and Dieses Album ist wunderbar!
A guilty pleasure, perhaps...if it sounds really good then it doesn't always have to be technical, complex and cerebral! Good thing since Rammstein isn't any of those things. However, they do make some awesome sounding music, but unfortunately suffered from inconsistency. With "Reise, Reise" Rammstein finally make a solid album, from start to finish.
As with all their work this album is difficult to classify, falling best under Industrial Metal often featuring heavy, repetitive, (and usually simple) songs making heavy use of keyboard. There is also a strong alt/groove metal influence on the album, utilizing angular crushing riffs and a hefty dose of syncopation, all pushed along by straightforward drumming. While songs may be repetitive in nature (though not as badly as one may think) there is good variation from song to song.
To top it off, Till Lindemann's vocals are absolutely perfect. Fit the music, each song and section perfectly. Also, his voice is just awesome. Till's voice is deep and powerful. Even when he is singing clean! If you are someone who NEEDS lyrics...well his are almost entirely in German so that may be a problem for you. I personally like to "feel" vocals, make sure they fit and flow with the music, which they do here. 3 semesters of German at Uni also helped enough that I can get the basic ideas and know enough to lines as to not feel utterly clueless, which is nice since Rammstein can tell some intriguing stories...
The album kicks off with the title track which truly fits the word "epic". Right off the bat you also know what you are getting: Simple, heavy, and damn powerful. Still some touches of musicianship though.
Mein Teil is one of my all time favorite Rammstein songs, opening with a creepy bass and militaristic drum rhythm, and a cold keyboard melody. Alternates between this and some awesome riffing, all the time telling a real life story of a butcher who wanted a "well built" man to come to his house. The epic chorus translating to "Then you are, what you eat, and you know, what this is. It is my part" should be a big enough clue as to why he was there.
"Dalai Lama" is a powerful building song, while "Keine Lust" has a very alt metal feel to it. "Los" is pretty different, very cool and a bit trippy!
"Amerika" is one of the bands better known songs and a highlight of the album. Typical heavy/light keyboard tinged Rammstein song, with some nice subtle touches and even a keyboard solo! The song is a scathing criticism of globalization, as the chorus points out "We're all living in Amerika. Amerika, ist wunderbar" and going on to equate American culture with coca cola, wonder bra, and sometimes war. The band can be trolls but if anyone had any doubt, the lines "This is not a love song, I don't sing my mother tongue, no this is not a love song" should spell it out pretty clearly. All very true points and some interesting stuff to munch on, or if you'd like you can just mosh out to the awesome riffing, breakdowns and let yourself be swept up by a very catchy song.
"Moskau" is my least favorite and a kind of weak song. Even for laughs the dance pop feel is a bit much for me haha! Things pick up with the frenetic "Morgenstern" and the mildly post-metal sounding "Stein Um Stein". The album ends on a fantastic note. Pushing along at Rammstein's moderate pace "Ohne Dich" is a powerful and beautiful song of longing. Till's voice really is beautiful. This is followed by the much darker "Amour" where, yet again, Till's vocals are superb and fit the music perfectly. A very moving song, sit back and let it happen. Also you can hear Rammstein's softer moments musically, and it's really nice. Please look up and memorize the lyrics if needed, they really add another touch to the whole song.
Very good album, one weak song, a few moments that don't really work but overall, few complaints can be had. Straightforward but surprising album, a must for fans of Rammstein but also highly recommended for newcomers as this may be their best album. Please give this a listen.
Four Stars