Rammstein

Agreed. I was skeptical for the quality of the album but so far it's sounded supremely better in quality to previous recent albums
Yeah. Rosenrot has been falling a lot in my estimations, and I never did care for Liebe, so this may be the best album they've done since Reise Reise. If that's the case, then maybe they'll finally get a third great album (Mutter and Reise Reise being the only ones I'd call "stellar").
 
I have decided to give the Rammstein discography another run-through and review them in a bit more depth with updated song scores. The old ones are outdated, I’ve been listening to them so much that I’ve got a much better idea of what I like and dislike. Will start after I give the first and last albums one more listen.
 
I have decided to give the Rammstein discography another run-through and review them in a bit more depth with updated song scores. The old ones are outdated, I’ve been listening to them so much that I’ve got a much better idea of what I like and dislike. Will start after I give the first and last albums one more listen.

I might do the same, as I'm actually pretty rusty on a lot of their material
 
Both ‘Deutschland’ and ‘Du Hast’ contain the words “Du Hast”.

Illuminati confirmed!!!!!
 
Herzeleid (1995)

R8.jpg


1. Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen - For all this album's sins, it really kicked off wonderfully with a fantastic, driving keyboard riff before breaking into that same riff, but with guitars. Overall I really like Flake's work on this song a lot, it helps set the band apart as a whole. The guitar sound isn't yet perfected, but it's already pretty good. Till is also not yet perfect; his vocals here are some of the album's stronger ones, but they're not my favorites from him overall. The chorus is kinda stupid - just repeating the band's name over and over - and the bridge is really bland. The song also goes on for far too long with that last chorus. Despite these meh parts, I think the energy in here is pretty great, and it's quite a banger sort of song, one you can easily start moving to. Kinda debating what score to give it, but I think I'm gonna round down because it's just not really a stand-out song from Rammstein whilst being a pretty strong start to the discography. 7/10

2. Der Meister - Now this is more like it. That opening riff is pretty kickass, the guitars are heavy, kinda thrashy, while keeping in with the more industrial sound the band performs with. There's a piece before the first verse that seems like a repeat from the previous song, but the verse itself is quite a solid one (although also a bit similar to "Bett", though the riff helps make it get a different vibe). What makes this one work better than the previous one is the actual chorus, which didn't do anything for me at all at first listen, but now makes it one of my favorites from this album. Till sounds really good and Flake's keyboard over top of the guitars makes it a really nice, atmospheric sort of piece. So yeah, quite like this one. 8/10

3. Weisses Fleisch - Another keyboard opening that sorts slow but progressively gets faster and faster before Schneider comes in with the drums and Till signals the guitars to attack with a shout of "Weisses Fleisch!" What a badass way to open a song. The verse is following the same pattern as the previous one, but once more works differently to give a different feel. This song is even more aggressive than the previous two, which comes to a head with the chorus, and I love the line "Ich bin doch nur ein Gigolo." It's quite a good song, and showcases the band's wanting to push the line as far as possible. These first three songs are really solid ones as a whole. 8/10

4. Asche zu Asche - A guitar / keyboard riff kicks this bad boy off really well. It's an awesome way to begin a song. Unfortunately, I really don't care for the verse whatsoever. It's just bland. The keyboard there is weird and doesn't fit Rammstein much, if at all. Till and the lyrics don't blow me away either. The chorus is stronger, but nothing terribly special at the same time. The keyboard solo after the second one is sounds a bit wonky but I don't mind it. The final chorus also goes on for too long, as far as my taste is concerned. Rammstein can be great when they're repetitive, but not here so much. It was a song I liked on first listen but has fallen a lot since. It could've been better instantly if the verses were different and if that ending had been chopped in half, but as it is, it's kind of disappointing. 6/10

5. Seemann - This ditty opens with noises intended to bring up images of - I believe - submarines, and it does a good job of that. The bass kicks in and it's really a nice opening. I love Till's vocals in the verse, emotional yet a bit dark to fit Rammstein's mood... and then the guitars kick in and it's just... whoa. Some of the heaviest shit these boys have ever done. In fact, the distortion feels like something straight off of a black metal album. Till also sounds really good on the chorus, using his deep voice to really bring the song to life. The lyrics are also really fascinating and as a whole I really dig the song. It's easily my favorite song on the entire album. Although that also highlights how iffy the whole album lies for me. I really don't have anything I dislike about the song, but it's just not as good as Rammstein would get. 8/10

6. Du riechst so gut - Another driving keyboard riff opens up this song before the guitars come in. I suppose they wanted to bring up the mood again after "Seemann", but I just care for this one at all. Ditto on the verse. Till just doesn't sound good enough. Dunno if that's down to what he recorded with or just how he sang at this point, but it doesn't gel with me. The way the keyboard rises up halfway through that verse is also just... meh. And the chorus is as bland as the rest of the song. And that instrumental piece after verse 2 is one of the worst moments on the whole album. Just a meh song overall. Could've been better, many people probably like it - it was a single, after all - but it's just not my thing at all. 4/10

7. Das alte Leid - "Hallo, hallo." I like the way this song starts, with the drums leading into the riff, which is pretty great. Not a wunderbar sort of verse but it's solid enough, and I like the way they incorporate the song's title into it. Till's scream, "Ich will ficken!" kinda makes for an interesting climax here, but I'm not sure his execution of it was right up to par. The ending also goes on for too long, yet again. Altogether there's not much I can say about this one. It's a very solid song, but not one of their greats. Crying babies make my day though.... I kid, I kid. 7/10

8. Heirate mich - This opening is also very meh. Till just doesn't sound good at all there, and when the keyboard comes in it doesn't get better at all. The guitar sound that kicks in afterwords is great, but the riff itself is pretty boring. Then more keyboard on top of that riff and it's just... nahhhhh. The verse is also bland, but hey, the pre-chorus is pretty strong! Wish I could say the same about the lyrics... and that chorus. Meh. As one person said, Rammstein have recorded some turkeys over the years... and this is one of them. But hey, at least that guitar sound is nice. The rest of the song? Back to the drawing board. 4/10

9. Herzeleid - A really slow start as Till sings only one or slightly more syllables at one time between the riff. It's an interesting idea, but not actually interesting in execution. Title tracks are supposed to be stronger than this, right? And more memorable, one would hope. Because this is literally one of the least memorable songs on the entire album. The chorus is solid enough and the music is pretty nice, but it's nothing more than an average song. 5/10

10. Laichzeit - Oh lord, more bleh keyboard riffs. Honestly, "bleh" describes the whole damn song. It's just not good, and comes close to being terrible. I don't want to hear about "der Fisch", and honestly "Spawning Time" is kind of repulsive to begin with. By far one of the band's worst ever songs. 2/10

11. Rammstein - A really cool opening to this one, actually. Kinda feels like an introduction to a song about the Ramstein airshow disaster. In fact, that's what this is about. Yay me. The lyrics are rather simplistic, but work well enough to bring to life the horrors of that day. It's a slow, trudging song though, and honestly I didn't need another song that repeats the band's name over and over again. Some of the guitar pieces here also don't keep me in as much as they should, particularly at the ending. It's a solid enough closer overall, I guess. We could've ended with "Laichzeit"... 6/10

Most bands don't succeed right away with the debut, and Rammstein is yet another of them. The album starts out strong, but it never really hits the heights it could and probably should, and not much after "Seemann" is outstanding. It also features some of the band's worst material, particularly "Laichzeit", which is just... eugh. Enough of it is solid enough to warrant returning to, but not on a regular basis. Slightly about average overall.

Rating: 59%
 
Right then, after a year of being on this forum I have finally written an album review:D. It's probably not the best but hey ho. For context, I have never listened to any of these songs in studio form or have listened to the album in full, but I have seen a few videos of some of the songs being played live.

Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen
The song starts off with a digital intro before erupting into the guitars. It's nothing too technical or genius, but as I'll probably be repeating throughout - this is Rammstein's forte - making simple things sound epic. The vocals are fantastic, with Till sounding raw and aggressive. Guitars are heavy yet somewhat thin, some good drum work going on underneath too. Not a bad way to kick off your career.

Der Meister
Now this is a better start. Straight away into a fast guitar riff, with a few chord progressions(?) before Till starts singing in bursts between guitar fills. The chorus feels a bit sloppy but that almost certainly isn't helped by being completely unable to comprehend the language it was structured in. I'm enjoying the verses far more than the chorus, but it's a good song overall and better than the opener.

Weisses Fleisch
This is hands down the greatest song on the album, and I think it captures both the heavy aggressiveness and softer electric keyboardy stuff that Rammstein seeks in its industrial metal. As soon as the intro began I knew it would be a great, even fun, song and it certainly was. The digital opening soon gave way to a crushing riff which felt, more so in the verses, like a well balanced blend of digital and metal, which I really really liked. We were also treated to a solo in this song, which while was not too exciting, fit the song really really well and was better than any other Rammstein solo I've heard. This may just be a new favourite

Asche zu Asche
What a great way to follow up to Weisses Flech. Fun little jumpy riff, fast paced and really got me in the mood of the album. Till's singing seems a little strained, but the vocals are laid out well in this song. The keyboard fills halfway through are a bit weird and take away some of the heavy feel of the song, but this is what Rammstein specialise in, so I won't complain. I will concede that this song did sound weaker the second time I listened to it, but it's still good nonetheless.

Seemann
The acoustic intro is something I really like, in part because it just sounds beautiful and also in terms of how the actual instruments sound. Till's singing is beautiful, and reminds me of Mutter from the album of the same name, which will be discussed later. The electric bursts without words are quite weird, but it just about works. Once again, good drum work underneath and the vocals and it's melody has been laid out pretty well in my opinion. I'm impressed.

Du riechst so gut
This one starts out with a nice little riff that you know is going to end up sticking in your head. This song is weaker than what we've seen before. Instrumentally it does it's job, and what sounds like a violin is a nice touch to the chorus, but like Der Meister the singing feels a bit off and I'm having trouble clicking onto it. I don't dislike it, but I feel I like it more because my dad has played it often, so I'm used to it.

Das alte Leid
Yes, Hallo. We start off with some drums, and only drums, and I feel a bit like I'm at a hardcore show about to get squished by a mob. Guitar riff is boring, and sounds like it could have been an unused riff off Metallica's Death Magnetic. This one's a bit sluggish and Till's singing is once again forgettable. Even at the part where the song 'exploded' a bit, Till sounded like he was being strangled which didn't help the moment, and what is this literal tirade of noise we're getting in the middle and end?? I can hear a baby crying at the end, and I think the feeling's mutual. It's a no from me chief

Heirate Mich
We start off with what sort of sounds like a church and Till speaking in a deep voice. I'm wondering if I'm now in a medieval German monastery. The song obviously escalates and gets heavier, but it's nothing to write home about. It's a considerable bit better than the last however, so it would be a lie to say I'm not enjoying it. I don't think there's much else to say really.

Herzeleid
We jump off the line with a 'clicky' riff, but it's initially slow and Till's singing doesn't leave me excited. I'm starting to notice a pattern here. There's a brief moment when it jumps up a little, but it soon falls back to how it was. There is nothing of merit here

Laichzeit
This is sounding good - electric keyboard intro before bursting into a nippy little guitar riff - but it's nothing we haven't heard before. Did I just hear Till sing the word Mutter? Perhaps there's overlapping themes. This song is one I could certainly tap my feet to, and I think those guitar parts around the 2 minute mark is a nice touch, but it sounds generic in terms of this album and covers no new ground at all. Meh

Rammstein
It's slow, sluggish and lyrically similar to the opening track. Very boring. Nothing of interest in any aspect of it. I would agree with Diesel that this could have been left off the album. The little guitar fills at the end are alright, but I think they're exactly the same as the 'solo' in Links 234, although this obviously came first.

Overall it definitely wasn't a bad album and exceeded all expectations. As a whole the songs weren't too weak but suffered from generic repetition and made me feel bored by the end of it. Listening to it as a whole, I can definitely understand why Rammstein gathered the attention they did. Overall I would rank it:

70% / 7/10
 
Completely disagree about Rammstein (the song). You really need to know what the story behind Rammstein is to get it. It's anything but boring; in fact, it has some of the most powerful lyrics image-wise.
 
Completely disagree about Rammstein (the song). You really need to know what the story behind Rammstein is to get it. It's anything but boring; in fact, it has some of the most powerful lyrics image-wise.

I know the story of Rammstein I just find the song in general boring at the end of the day. Just a bit too slow and the fact it's lyrically similar to another song doesn't help
 
I would agree with Diesel that this could have been left off the album.
You may have misread my post. I’m fine with this song, I don’t think it’s a terrible closer, it’s just not top tier Rammstein as far as my opinion goes and they already did something similar with the album opener. It’s a way better way to end the album than “Laichzeit”, which is the song that really should’ve been left off.
 
Yeah, what I meant was, "It's solid enough as a closer, and thank god we didn't end with 'Laichzeit'..." I guess it looks weird in text.
 
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