Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Well there's the answer. Shuffle play is mandatory unless you have Premium.
Rammstein
- Thread starter Diesel 11
- Start date
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
That's different from what I remember. Maybe I was wrong, or maybe Spotify changed things. Can you just buy the album?
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
It can only be $10-15 surely...
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Sure, but right now isn't a time where I want to spend the money I have, since I don't know if I'll be needing it for something else later on.
At any rate, to bring us back to Rammstein, the album is really good. It sounds fresh, it's enticing, there's a bit experimentation with style but not drastic amounts. It's very solid, I don't think there's a bad song on here, and it will likely end up in my Top 3 from them if future listens don't change that. I like it.
At any rate, to bring us back to Rammstein, the album is really good. It sounds fresh, it's enticing, there's a bit experimentation with style but not drastic amounts. It's very solid, I don't think there's a bad song on here, and it will likely end up in my Top 3 from them if future listens don't change that. I like it.
Collin
Chasing Ponce De Leon's Phantoms
@Black Wizard @Diesel 11
Vote!
Anyways I listened to the album last night in full. The middle is very weak. It got a bit better at the end with Tattoo.
Anyways I listened to the album last night in full. The middle is very weak. It got a bit better at the end with Tattoo.
THESEVENTHMARINER
Ancient Mariner
Puppe is the best song on the album. Worth the 10 year wait regardless of the rest of the album.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I really dig the rawness of the song and how absolutely dark it is, but I wouldn't call it one of my ultimate favorites. "Deutschland" is still the best from it, IMO, and one of the best overall from the band, and "Radio" and "Weit Weg" aren't far behind it. But it's a great, great album. Don't think any song will be below an 8 for me. It keeps getting better with every listen, which is something I can't say for about half of the band's discography.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Rosenrot (2005)
1. Benzin - I love the intro to this song, which is steady build-up into an eruption of heavy fucking riffage. Rosenrot may actually have the best guitar sound out of all of Rammstein's albums, it really sounds good. The rhyming on this song is genius, with Till rhyming everything with an "-een" ending together to build up a song about fuel, and they do it better than Metallica (oh my god, he did it again, didn't he??). The hardcore chorus is lit and that piece in the second one where they sorta soar is pretty sweet. This song does a great job of musically representing a... gas station, actually. A great bridge as well. It's an awesome song altogether. Great, great stuff. 10/10
2. Mann gegen Mann - Cool little bass intro before Till comes in. It's a cool little verse before that riff kicks in and punches the fuck out of you. Another verse and we hit the chorus, which is pure, punchy Rammstein at their most dominating (those gang vocals are the shit). The first half of the song is awesome, an interesting look at homosexuality. However, the next half isn't quite as gripping. The keyboard solo is decent but Till's shout of "SCHWULER! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" is less than enthralling, and unfortunately nothing after it is interesting. Which makes this one hard to rate, given it has an awesome beginning but a poor ending. And the ending is often more important than the beginning. So unfortunately, I'm gonna round it down. This is a song that could've and should've been much better, but alas. 7/10
3. Rosenrot - Another awesome bass intro before Till and the drums kick in. The lyrics here are about a young woman asking her lover to fetch a rose for her, so he does... and falls to his death in the process. It's a modern, industrial metal take on writing a fairy tale, something Germans are known for doing well. And damn do Rammstein knock it out of the park. The lyrics are wonderfully dark, the vocals are awesome, and the way the guitars kick in for the chorus is just amazing. That sound effect during the after-chorus riff helps make it even better. Love this song, best on the album. Classic Rammstein with a fascinating little tale to be told. 10/10
4. Spring - An interesting song from die Jungs. Slowly but surely, Till narrates a story of a man standing on a bridge, looking at the view, before the people below pop up and urge him to jump off. Things get even darker when Till climbs up and gives him a shove. It's a slow song but not bad. When I first heard it I thought it was awesome, but it doesn't hold up quite that well on repeated listenings. Definitely solid, but it runs a bit long and isn't one of their most memorable songs. 7/10
5. Wo bist du - An interesting opening (which I assume is keyboard playing a flute-like piece, but I could be wrong) leads to a pretty strong riff that I quite like. The verse isn't one of their best, but it's solid enough. The pre-chorus is where it starts to get more interesting and the chorus itself is one that pops up a lot in my head. It's very catchy and the underlying music is pretty great. I feel like this one could've been stronger too, and it's certainly not half the ballad that "Ohne dich" was, but that chorus is a pretty strong one and I'll give it an extra point for that. 8/10
6. Stirb nicht vor mir (Don't Die Before I Do) - Another ballad, back-to-back? Interesting choice, and it works. Till and Sharleen Spiteri share lead vocal duties (and Bobo pops up as a backing singer), and the distortion-less song is certainly one of the most unique songs in Rammstein's catalog. The use of English and German throughout is pretty sweet, and as a whole, I don't have many things to say about it. It isn't quite perfect but there's a lot that this song does right and I really enjoy it whenever it comes on. 9/10
7. Zerstören - An interesting opening with the female vocals before the riff comes in. And it's a pretty good riff, moving in like a storm cloud over the prairie skies, summoning up a dark lord who shall send in the thunder and tornadoes. That said, this is one of the weakest songs on the album, IMO. It's just not very memorable. The chorus doesn't really seem to go anywhere (and the key change is kind of weird) and as a whole this song feels like paint-by-numbers Rammstein. I don't mind it, but it's very average. Also, what's up with that outro? Feels very out of place. 5/10
8. Hilf mir - A short intro before a trudging riff kicks in and it's pretty awesome. Then it quiets down and the keyboard helps paint the picture here. And holy shit, what a picture. Rammstein literally adapted the story of "Paulinchen" from Der Struwwelpeter. Maybe it's just because I read the shit out of that book as a kid, and this story in particular, but I love Rammstein's translation from text to music. Dark verses narrate the tale and a simple but effective chorus drives the point home. I wouldn't say that it's quite as good as the two 10's on this album, but it's pretty close to perfection. 9/10
9. Te quiero puta! - A horse gallops up and nothing will ever be the same again. Rammstein have become a mariachi band. What in the fuck...? Unlike a lot of people, though, I actually kinda dig it. It's a fun little song and there's some nice thumping stuff throughout that I dig. Even if most of it is weird as shit. If there's one main downside, it's that it really doesn't sound like they put much thought into the lyrics and rather played around with what little Spanish they could. And it's certainly far from their best but at the same time, I really can't bring myself to dislike it. 7/10
10. Feuer und Wasser - A cool little guitar opening before Till comes in for another quiet verse. It's a very interesting sort of song, but I'm not sure I like the lyrics as much as on other songs. The chorus is pretty nice, though, especially when the heavier guitar comes in, and I think the vocals on here are strong. It's not a particularly memorable song, though, but it's never bad when it comes on, which is what makes the difference between an average song and a good-but-not-great one. I'm leaning towards the latter opinion. 7/10
11. Ein Lied - There isn't much to say about this song. It's a solid, peaceful little song that ends a fairly solid Rammstein album pretty well. I like it. Just not one of the band's most memorable tracks. But good choice for a closer all the same. 7/10
It's interesting to note that Sehnsucht and Rosenrot have the same average score. Seems about right. Sehnsucht has some great songs but also a handful of shite ones. Rosenrot is more consistently good-not-great with a few great songs and one average one. It's definitely a step-down from the previous two albums, but I suppose that was to be expected since it was assembled from leftover parts and other stuff scraped together to fit an eleven song tracklist. I'd say Sehnsucht is the better experience, although some of the songs here are a bit superior. Solid but not quite great album.
Rating: 78%
1. Benzin - I love the intro to this song, which is steady build-up into an eruption of heavy fucking riffage. Rosenrot may actually have the best guitar sound out of all of Rammstein's albums, it really sounds good. The rhyming on this song is genius, with Till rhyming everything with an "-een" ending together to build up a song about fuel, and they do it better than Metallica (oh my god, he did it again, didn't he??). The hardcore chorus is lit and that piece in the second one where they sorta soar is pretty sweet. This song does a great job of musically representing a... gas station, actually. A great bridge as well. It's an awesome song altogether. Great, great stuff. 10/10
2. Mann gegen Mann - Cool little bass intro before Till comes in. It's a cool little verse before that riff kicks in and punches the fuck out of you. Another verse and we hit the chorus, which is pure, punchy Rammstein at their most dominating (those gang vocals are the shit). The first half of the song is awesome, an interesting look at homosexuality. However, the next half isn't quite as gripping. The keyboard solo is decent but Till's shout of "SCHWULER! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" is less than enthralling, and unfortunately nothing after it is interesting. Which makes this one hard to rate, given it has an awesome beginning but a poor ending. And the ending is often more important than the beginning. So unfortunately, I'm gonna round it down. This is a song that could've and should've been much better, but alas. 7/10
3. Rosenrot - Another awesome bass intro before Till and the drums kick in. The lyrics here are about a young woman asking her lover to fetch a rose for her, so he does... and falls to his death in the process. It's a modern, industrial metal take on writing a fairy tale, something Germans are known for doing well. And damn do Rammstein knock it out of the park. The lyrics are wonderfully dark, the vocals are awesome, and the way the guitars kick in for the chorus is just amazing. That sound effect during the after-chorus riff helps make it even better. Love this song, best on the album. Classic Rammstein with a fascinating little tale to be told. 10/10
4. Spring - An interesting song from die Jungs. Slowly but surely, Till narrates a story of a man standing on a bridge, looking at the view, before the people below pop up and urge him to jump off. Things get even darker when Till climbs up and gives him a shove. It's a slow song but not bad. When I first heard it I thought it was awesome, but it doesn't hold up quite that well on repeated listenings. Definitely solid, but it runs a bit long and isn't one of their most memorable songs. 7/10
5. Wo bist du - An interesting opening (which I assume is keyboard playing a flute-like piece, but I could be wrong) leads to a pretty strong riff that I quite like. The verse isn't one of their best, but it's solid enough. The pre-chorus is where it starts to get more interesting and the chorus itself is one that pops up a lot in my head. It's very catchy and the underlying music is pretty great. I feel like this one could've been stronger too, and it's certainly not half the ballad that "Ohne dich" was, but that chorus is a pretty strong one and I'll give it an extra point for that. 8/10
6. Stirb nicht vor mir (Don't Die Before I Do) - Another ballad, back-to-back? Interesting choice, and it works. Till and Sharleen Spiteri share lead vocal duties (and Bobo pops up as a backing singer), and the distortion-less song is certainly one of the most unique songs in Rammstein's catalog. The use of English and German throughout is pretty sweet, and as a whole, I don't have many things to say about it. It isn't quite perfect but there's a lot that this song does right and I really enjoy it whenever it comes on. 9/10
7. Zerstören - An interesting opening with the female vocals before the riff comes in. And it's a pretty good riff, moving in like a storm cloud over the prairie skies, summoning up a dark lord who shall send in the thunder and tornadoes. That said, this is one of the weakest songs on the album, IMO. It's just not very memorable. The chorus doesn't really seem to go anywhere (and the key change is kind of weird) and as a whole this song feels like paint-by-numbers Rammstein. I don't mind it, but it's very average. Also, what's up with that outro? Feels very out of place. 5/10
8. Hilf mir - A short intro before a trudging riff kicks in and it's pretty awesome. Then it quiets down and the keyboard helps paint the picture here. And holy shit, what a picture. Rammstein literally adapted the story of "Paulinchen" from Der Struwwelpeter. Maybe it's just because I read the shit out of that book as a kid, and this story in particular, but I love Rammstein's translation from text to music. Dark verses narrate the tale and a simple but effective chorus drives the point home. I wouldn't say that it's quite as good as the two 10's on this album, but it's pretty close to perfection. 9/10
9. Te quiero puta! - A horse gallops up and nothing will ever be the same again. Rammstein have become a mariachi band. What in the fuck...? Unlike a lot of people, though, I actually kinda dig it. It's a fun little song and there's some nice thumping stuff throughout that I dig. Even if most of it is weird as shit. If there's one main downside, it's that it really doesn't sound like they put much thought into the lyrics and rather played around with what little Spanish they could. And it's certainly far from their best but at the same time, I really can't bring myself to dislike it. 7/10
10. Feuer und Wasser - A cool little guitar opening before Till comes in for another quiet verse. It's a very interesting sort of song, but I'm not sure I like the lyrics as much as on other songs. The chorus is pretty nice, though, especially when the heavier guitar comes in, and I think the vocals on here are strong. It's not a particularly memorable song, though, but it's never bad when it comes on, which is what makes the difference between an average song and a good-but-not-great one. I'm leaning towards the latter opinion. 7/10
11. Ein Lied - There isn't much to say about this song. It's a solid, peaceful little song that ends a fairly solid Rammstein album pretty well. I like it. Just not one of the band's most memorable tracks. But good choice for a closer all the same. 7/10
It's interesting to note that Sehnsucht and Rosenrot have the same average score. Seems about right. Sehnsucht has some great songs but also a handful of shite ones. Rosenrot is more consistently good-not-great with a few great songs and one average one. It's definitely a step-down from the previous two albums, but I suppose that was to be expected since it was assembled from leftover parts and other stuff scraped together to fit an eleven song tracklist. I'd say Sehnsucht is the better experience, although some of the songs here are a bit superior. Solid but not quite great album.
Rating: 78%
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Liebe ist für alle da (2009)
1. Rammlied - Well, it's been three years since four years since Rosenrot, so we might as well have a song about that absence, eh? That seems to be the purpose of "Rammlied", yes, they've been away, but they're back now, so the waiting hasn't been for naught! Eh, well, okay. This song has an interesting build-up but doesn't really end up anywhere. It's just another song in which the band shouts "Rammstein!" in, I assume, an attempt at an anthem. I'll stick with "Bett" and their eponymous song from the debut, and even "Ramm4", which was a cool live song. This one just doesn't do enough for me to warrant extra listens (outside of when it pops up on Spotify). Till has always been theatrical, but with this album I feel like he's trying too hard and being too gruff for it to work. This song's bridge is a good example of that. He sounds old and out of sorts. Also, the rising keyboard in the chorus would be more interesting if Ahab hadn't done something similar on "The Hunt", so it just doesn't interest me as much as it did on that song. All in all, this one isn't terrible, but it's frighteningly average. Not a good start for what was, at that time, supposed to be a triumphant comeback for the band after the previous album. 5/10
2. Ich tu dir weh - An interesting little keyboard opening to this one before the heavier stuff starts pummeling in. I dig the riff to this one, it isn't one of the band's best but it's a banger all the same. The music in the verse feels like a stroll along the bay, but Till's got other ideas in mind. "Only for me are you alive." Well... shit. He does a much better job on this song, and I like the build-up in the pre-chorus, which leads into the actual chorus, which is that messed-up yet catchy sort of thing that Rammstein became famous for. This time Till is singing about inflicting pain upon someone, apparently because it's... good for them. Huh. The bridge here is eerie and the vocalist sounds pretty deranged, which is fitting. Ultimately, this was a great choice for a single, but it doesn't knock me out of the water like a lot of the songs on the band's previous releases, something that'll come to haunt this album. But Spotify has played it for me so often that I like it more than I used to. Fun song. 8/10
3. Waidmanns Heil - Now that's how you begin a song! The bugle announces an onslaught of riffage from the boys. Get your shit together, it's hunting time! Till does a fantastic song of bringing to life the whole concept with the verses here. It feels like you're on the prowl for the prey. The chorus is amazing, with that cry of "The creature must DIE!" really clinching the whole thing. I'm not a big fan of the instrumental section and bridge, but this is easily the best song on the album and the closest they came to recreating that magic they'd had on previous releases. 9/10
4. Haifisch - Another interesting keyboard opening swings into the verse, in which Till discusses how the band has always worked together for their self-imposed standards. It's a cool idea for a song, and the chorus holds some of the band's best lines. "And the shark, it has tears, and they fall from its face / But the shark lives in water, so one can't see the tears." It's great. As much as I like the chorus though, it's not quite enough to throw this song over-the-top for me. Definitely more successful than other songs on here, but nothing to write home about. 8/10
5. B******** - The opening riff here is interesting, feels like a run through an industrial complex inside of a horror film. But that's about it for this song. The verse isn't bad, but it's exactly the same as the last three. Quieter than the chorus and doesn't go anywhere. Till is back to that overly theatrical vocal style, and it kinda dampens the song for me. But it's the chorus where everything falls apart. Who in hell thought that that sort of aggressive approach was worth recording? Because it's not. One of the worst moments in Rammstein history. The only saving graces this song has is that riff and the decent enough riff. Everything else is pretty much garbage. Shame. 2/10
6. Frühling in Paris - Ah, there's the album's ballad finally arriving. Well, it's better than the previous song, but it's just... not interesting at all. Till is full of emotion but it just doesn't translate over to me. The French in the chorus is probably the worst part, it just doesn't work for me. The heavier guitars weren't really needed either, but okay. There are parts to this I feel like could've gone somewhere great, but I'm never carried there. Shame, because Rammstein usually write good ballads. This one's just boring. 4/10
7. Wiener Blut - Another interesting opening here, a more classically-inspired one. But then Till comes in and it's the same thing I've mentioned before: overly theatrical. He's just too wrapped up in presenting the stuff that he seems to forget that often simplicity is the best way to go about portraying stuff. The riff that comes in is okay, but the aggressive vocals in the chorus are the same thing I disliked about "B********". Unlike that song, this one doesn't even have some of the dynamics I thought helped keep the song above water. This one doesn't even feel like a song, just Rammstein trying to be as dark and aggressively theatrical as possible, and it just doesn't work at all. Probably the worst thing they've ever released on any of their albums. 1/10
8. Pussy - This song is a prime example of "so bad it's good". The lyrics are atrocious, but don't stop this from being a fun song. The keyboard / guitar riff here is awesome, and that's probably the only actually good thing about this song. The rest just manages to be entertaining by accident. Till isn't at his usual heights, and like I said, terrible lyrics ("You've got a pussy! I have a dick!"), and the German / English combination is just weird. But it's very, very fun. Just... not fun enough for me to give it a higher score than, let's say, slightly above average. 6/10
9. Liebe ist für alle da - Well, it's been a while since we got an unmemorable title track. Even "Sehnsucht" was an earworm, but this one is on about the same level of "Herzeleid"... a title track, but you wouldn't think that because it's not memorable whatsoever. Not terrible, but it's just nothing special at all. 3/10
10. Mehr - I like what the band were doing with this one. The music in the verse is pretty cool, and the lyrics are quite well thought-out. But, unfortunately the song as a whole doesn't grab me enough to warrant many listens, and, like the previous one, is pretty unmemorable. But this is only on an average sort of unmemorable. Cool bridge though. 5/10
11. Roter Sand - Ah, another whistling song, in the vein of "Engel". Well... they're completely different sorts of songs, and this sort of whistling intro is hardly in the same ballpark as that classic. This one is more of a ballad, and like "Paris", another boring one. The song is about a duel between a woman's two lovers, and while I think it's an interesting concept, the song just doesn't draw me in at all. Sad. Boring end to a pretty poor album. 4/10
Yeah, this is definitely the low point in Rammstein's discography. Even when the songs are good - and there's only three of them that are - they never knock it out of the park like the band did in previous albums. It's just boring, much of it is unmemorable, and the performances are weak. Lots of people seem to love this one, but I'm not one of them. Extremely meh with a trio of songs that somehow manage to hold their heads up above water.
Rating: 50%
1. Rammlied - Well, it's been three years since four years since Rosenrot, so we might as well have a song about that absence, eh? That seems to be the purpose of "Rammlied", yes, they've been away, but they're back now, so the waiting hasn't been for naught! Eh, well, okay. This song has an interesting build-up but doesn't really end up anywhere. It's just another song in which the band shouts "Rammstein!" in, I assume, an attempt at an anthem. I'll stick with "Bett" and their eponymous song from the debut, and even "Ramm4", which was a cool live song. This one just doesn't do enough for me to warrant extra listens (outside of when it pops up on Spotify). Till has always been theatrical, but with this album I feel like he's trying too hard and being too gruff for it to work. This song's bridge is a good example of that. He sounds old and out of sorts. Also, the rising keyboard in the chorus would be more interesting if Ahab hadn't done something similar on "The Hunt", so it just doesn't interest me as much as it did on that song. All in all, this one isn't terrible, but it's frighteningly average. Not a good start for what was, at that time, supposed to be a triumphant comeback for the band after the previous album. 5/10
2. Ich tu dir weh - An interesting little keyboard opening to this one before the heavier stuff starts pummeling in. I dig the riff to this one, it isn't one of the band's best but it's a banger all the same. The music in the verse feels like a stroll along the bay, but Till's got other ideas in mind. "Only for me are you alive." Well... shit. He does a much better job on this song, and I like the build-up in the pre-chorus, which leads into the actual chorus, which is that messed-up yet catchy sort of thing that Rammstein became famous for. This time Till is singing about inflicting pain upon someone, apparently because it's... good for them. Huh. The bridge here is eerie and the vocalist sounds pretty deranged, which is fitting. Ultimately, this was a great choice for a single, but it doesn't knock me out of the water like a lot of the songs on the band's previous releases, something that'll come to haunt this album. But Spotify has played it for me so often that I like it more than I used to. Fun song. 8/10
3. Waidmanns Heil - Now that's how you begin a song! The bugle announces an onslaught of riffage from the boys. Get your shit together, it's hunting time! Till does a fantastic song of bringing to life the whole concept with the verses here. It feels like you're on the prowl for the prey. The chorus is amazing, with that cry of "The creature must DIE!" really clinching the whole thing. I'm not a big fan of the instrumental section and bridge, but this is easily the best song on the album and the closest they came to recreating that magic they'd had on previous releases. 9/10
4. Haifisch - Another interesting keyboard opening swings into the verse, in which Till discusses how the band has always worked together for their self-imposed standards. It's a cool idea for a song, and the chorus holds some of the band's best lines. "And the shark, it has tears, and they fall from its face / But the shark lives in water, so one can't see the tears." It's great. As much as I like the chorus though, it's not quite enough to throw this song over-the-top for me. Definitely more successful than other songs on here, but nothing to write home about. 8/10
5. B******** - The opening riff here is interesting, feels like a run through an industrial complex inside of a horror film. But that's about it for this song. The verse isn't bad, but it's exactly the same as the last three. Quieter than the chorus and doesn't go anywhere. Till is back to that overly theatrical vocal style, and it kinda dampens the song for me. But it's the chorus where everything falls apart. Who in hell thought that that sort of aggressive approach was worth recording? Because it's not. One of the worst moments in Rammstein history. The only saving graces this song has is that riff and the decent enough riff. Everything else is pretty much garbage. Shame. 2/10
6. Frühling in Paris - Ah, there's the album's ballad finally arriving. Well, it's better than the previous song, but it's just... not interesting at all. Till is full of emotion but it just doesn't translate over to me. The French in the chorus is probably the worst part, it just doesn't work for me. The heavier guitars weren't really needed either, but okay. There are parts to this I feel like could've gone somewhere great, but I'm never carried there. Shame, because Rammstein usually write good ballads. This one's just boring. 4/10
7. Wiener Blut - Another interesting opening here, a more classically-inspired one. But then Till comes in and it's the same thing I've mentioned before: overly theatrical. He's just too wrapped up in presenting the stuff that he seems to forget that often simplicity is the best way to go about portraying stuff. The riff that comes in is okay, but the aggressive vocals in the chorus are the same thing I disliked about "B********". Unlike that song, this one doesn't even have some of the dynamics I thought helped keep the song above water. This one doesn't even feel like a song, just Rammstein trying to be as dark and aggressively theatrical as possible, and it just doesn't work at all. Probably the worst thing they've ever released on any of their albums. 1/10
8. Pussy - This song is a prime example of "so bad it's good". The lyrics are atrocious, but don't stop this from being a fun song. The keyboard / guitar riff here is awesome, and that's probably the only actually good thing about this song. The rest just manages to be entertaining by accident. Till isn't at his usual heights, and like I said, terrible lyrics ("You've got a pussy! I have a dick!"), and the German / English combination is just weird. But it's very, very fun. Just... not fun enough for me to give it a higher score than, let's say, slightly above average. 6/10
9. Liebe ist für alle da - Well, it's been a while since we got an unmemorable title track. Even "Sehnsucht" was an earworm, but this one is on about the same level of "Herzeleid"... a title track, but you wouldn't think that because it's not memorable whatsoever. Not terrible, but it's just nothing special at all. 3/10
10. Mehr - I like what the band were doing with this one. The music in the verse is pretty cool, and the lyrics are quite well thought-out. But, unfortunately the song as a whole doesn't grab me enough to warrant many listens, and, like the previous one, is pretty unmemorable. But this is only on an average sort of unmemorable. Cool bridge though. 5/10
11. Roter Sand - Ah, another whistling song, in the vein of "Engel". Well... they're completely different sorts of songs, and this sort of whistling intro is hardly in the same ballpark as that classic. This one is more of a ballad, and like "Paris", another boring one. The song is about a duel between a woman's two lovers, and while I think it's an interesting concept, the song just doesn't draw me in at all. Sad. Boring end to a pretty poor album. 4/10
Yeah, this is definitely the low point in Rammstein's discography. Even when the songs are good - and there's only three of them that are - they never knock it out of the park like the band did in previous albums. It's just boring, much of it is unmemorable, and the performances are weak. Lots of people seem to love this one, but I'm not one of them. Extremely meh with a trio of songs that somehow manage to hold their heads up above water.
Rating: 50%
phantomoftheicarus
Bleeding Freak
I've never been fond of this album, but I also haven't listened to it in probably years
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Untitled (2019)
1. Deutschland - One little matchstick can light up a great big fire. So too, one little keyboard intro can lead into the biggest song Rammstein has released in well over a decade. How good is "Deutschland"? Let me count the ways. The song details the band's relationship with their mother country, Germany. In a world where it's often tough to see the difference between patriotism and nationalism, or the love of one's country versus the irrational belief that your country is more important than all others, these guys managed to craft a hit that not only sounds good, but also holds a lot of depth to it. Till details how it's hard to love a country like Deutschland - it's his home, he's lived there all his life, and he'd never want to leave it, but damn, Germany has done some really fucked-up things, hasn't it? It's a concept that really feels current for both Germans and Americans. Our countries have had some real issues of late, as alt-right groups seem to have sprung up like heads of a hydra, and Rammstein tackle that sort of idea really well. They even play around with the "über-" prefix, with the clinching line being, "Deutschland, Deutschland über allen." The German national anthem has long omitted that line and in fact the first two verses in performances because of how nationalistic it appears and because of how it was used by the Third Reich. Rammstein use the line to highlight how crazy it is to think that your country is supreme and should, literally, take over the world. Long and short of it is this: this song is awesome, really awesome. Nothing from Liebe can even compete, this is just on a whole entire other level. Talk about making a comeback. 10/10
2. Radio - Another really cool keyboard intro opens up the succeeded song. And then the drum kicks in the highly militaristic riff, a descendant of the days of "Links 2-3-4". I mean seriously, this is one of the best Rammstein riffs they've ever had. It's less about the riff itself, and the way they deploy it for use within the song. It's just badass. This song has some really interesting lyrics too. My mom grew up in East Germany during the DDR days, and so did everyone in the band. Thus, I find it wild that the narrative here matches up with one she's presented about that time in German history. Both radio and television were highly regulated by the government, and there was a lot of censorship going on to avoid issues with, well, thinking outside of your station. Yet western frequencies could sometimes be picked up and it was like a whole new world for people. Rammstein manage to present that storyline really well, as the song builds up into a sonic wonderland, and to top it all off, the chorus is some really catchy shit. 10/10
3. Zeig dich - This time we open with a Latin choir, but it sounds more sinister than most of those choirs should be. And it soon becomes clear why. Lately a lot of stuff has come out about the actions of the Catholic church over the last 50 years... particularly in regard to children. It's stuff we've known about for years, and yet now a lot of people have come forward and a lot of action has been taken against the organization. It's that madness that Rammstein are talking about on this song, but they do it in some very inventive ways. The verses are them playing around with the prefix "ver-" and they even incorporate some Biblical passages into the bargain. The riff here is another slaughterhouse, and the chorus is a call for those that dare harm others to show themselves, and that there is no God to save them from their sins now. Third song in a row that's absolutely spotless. This was a bit of a grower at first, but I love every second of it now. 10/10
4. Ausländer - Aaaand here it is, Rammstein wrote a fucking pop song. There's been a lot of hate directed towards this song, but I don't feel anything like that myself. In fact, I dig it a lot. They're far more successful with this song than most artists in the modern pop scene are. They're also doing this with a very tongue-in-cheek sort of feel. Till plays the part of a traveling foreigner trying to get under the pants of the ladies of the countries he travels to. And it's really fun. The verses are sort of a spoken-sung combination and bring across the concept very well, and the chorus is highly catchy, as Till incorporates other languages more successfully than he did on the previous album. The final lines are spoken in broken German to parody foreign attempts at speaking the language. Simply put, this song is just fun, and a great piece of music throughout. Not as interesting as the previous three, perhaps, but it's pretty great just the same. 9/10
5. Sex - Took 'em long enough to write a song called "Sex", eh? Especially since that's like 80% of what they sing about... but anyway, there it is? And how well does it hold up? Pretty well. The verses are pretty typical Rammstein but done with a modern flair they've not unlocked until this album. The pre-chorus has some interesting stuff going on, particularly when Till sings the word "Sirenen". The chorus is another typical Rammstein chorus, but very fun, and the end of the chorus has some great melodic stuff going on. I quite like this song, fun to sing along to (obviously not when someone is around though), and while it isn't as good as the four that precede it, it holds its own quite well. That's the thing about this album - even the songs that aren't mindblowing are still pretty damn good. 8/10
6. Puppe - It's been a long time since Rammstein created a song this dark and creepy and pulled it off as well as they do here. In fact, this may just be the most terrifying thing the band has ever released. No, I'm serious. The way they begin it with the distortionless guitars as Till starts his story about living with a sister that works as a prostitute and locks him up in a room while she "goes to work" is genuinely disturbing, particularly when the chorus comes in. What the fuck happened with the chorus? Jesus Christ, the guy sounds positively unhinged, and well he should, since he just saw his sister get murdered by one of her customers. And there's a doll throughout all of this that just got its head and throat torn up. It's a very good song. I don't like it quite as much as other people seem to, but I definitely think it's a successful attempt at over-the-top macabre stuff. 9/10
7. Was ich liebe - We needed a ballad, didn't we? Well, they delivered. We open with a pretty cool drum beat that leads into more Till-isms. The point of this one is that everything he loves must die. Well shit, sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it? After a couple rounds of verses we explode into the chorus, which is a monster. "What I love... it must also die!" Yep. It's a very Rammstein sort of song, that's for sure. I'd say that this one is one of the weakest on the album, but that's not saying much because, as I said, all of the songs on here are at least pretty good. The highlight of this song is the guitarwork, which is great. And the rest makes for a pretty nice listen, for sure. 8/10
8. Diamant - Another ballad, but this time drained of all the power of the previous song. In fact, the only thing that backs Till is a lonesome acoustic guitar (and some orchestral stuff here and there). The idea behind this one is of someone who falls in love with a woman, but it's of no use since she scorns his following of her. And I love the way that they arranged it all. I think that this is the shortest song in the Rammstein canon, but it wastes not a single second in getting the point across. "You are beautiful like a diamond... and yet, nothing but a stone." What a line. 9/10
9. Weit weg - Here we go. The opening keyboard on this one is one of the best that the band has ever come up with. I love the way it just sort of flows throughout. Till takes us into a shockingly involving story from the perspective of a "Peeping Tom", who has become fanatical about his devotion to a young woman. He watches her, wishes he could be with her, and yet cannot and shall not. The way they come around with the idea of him being so close... yet so far away from her is so good. This is a song that shouldn't be as good as it is, and yet it really is. That chorus is awesome, and I'd say this is my favorite on the album after "Deutschland". Ganz nah... so weit weg. 10/10
10. Tattoo - This is another song that's been praised a lot for being a classic Rammstein concoction, and I agree, this is for sure a very classic-sounding Rammstein number. The riff sounds like it could've been used on one of their earlier albums (probably Sehnsucht), and the verse makes it even more apparent. The topic of this song should be obvious (tattoos), and they come up with some really interesting ways to describe the art. The pre-chorus makes Till sound like an absolute madman (Show me yours, I'll show you mine!), but it's the chorus itself that really makes the song. It's another catchy one, something that this album is full of. Also, props to the bridge, in which the narrator gets a tattoo of his lover and promises that if they ever break up, he'll just find another person with her name. This doesn't blow me over the top quite so much as it does for some people, but I think it's great all the same. Definitely another example of how good this album is. 9/10
11. Hallomann - When I first saw this title, I kinda hyped myself up for a cool anthemic number, but that's not at all what this song is. Instead, it's a building number about a kidnapper (the "'hello'-man") who rapes and then drowns a young girl. Fuck. That's going places, isn't it? This one is almost on "Puppe" levels of dark, but it's menacing in different ways. Where the previous song was more aggressive, this one is more melodic, and showcases the glazed-over expression of someone so completely deranged as the title subject. It's a very sad sort of song, and ends the album on a less-than-euphoric note. But is it a great song? Undoubtedly. The music may not be quite as interesting as some of the band's other numbers, but it's the way it mixes with the story that makes it work. A pretty great ending to a pretty great album. Still wish I'd gotten my anthem, though, but es ist was es ist. 9/10
Take a lackluster album like Liebe, give it ten years, and the band is now finally back on their feet with the level of quality that marked Mutter and Reise Reise, albeit with a completely different vibe going on. This is Rammstein for the modern world, still as heavy and inventive as ever, but also focused in on what makes them good and putting there feet forwards with that first and foremost. Everything from the music to the vocals to the production is great, and it even has the songs to back up that quality. Talk about a comeback album, this thing is pretty damn awesome. I know that both the band and fans suspect it'll be their last album, but I really hope it isn't. I think they've got enough in them to make one more album at least as good, if not better. If they can still come up with a work as great as this one after ten years of silence, then surely they can do it again. Even if it means another ten years of waiting. Well, I've got the time.
Rating: 92%
1. Deutschland - One little matchstick can light up a great big fire. So too, one little keyboard intro can lead into the biggest song Rammstein has released in well over a decade. How good is "Deutschland"? Let me count the ways. The song details the band's relationship with their mother country, Germany. In a world where it's often tough to see the difference between patriotism and nationalism, or the love of one's country versus the irrational belief that your country is more important than all others, these guys managed to craft a hit that not only sounds good, but also holds a lot of depth to it. Till details how it's hard to love a country like Deutschland - it's his home, he's lived there all his life, and he'd never want to leave it, but damn, Germany has done some really fucked-up things, hasn't it? It's a concept that really feels current for both Germans and Americans. Our countries have had some real issues of late, as alt-right groups seem to have sprung up like heads of a hydra, and Rammstein tackle that sort of idea really well. They even play around with the "über-" prefix, with the clinching line being, "Deutschland, Deutschland über allen." The German national anthem has long omitted that line and in fact the first two verses in performances because of how nationalistic it appears and because of how it was used by the Third Reich. Rammstein use the line to highlight how crazy it is to think that your country is supreme and should, literally, take over the world. Long and short of it is this: this song is awesome, really awesome. Nothing from Liebe can even compete, this is just on a whole entire other level. Talk about making a comeback. 10/10
2. Radio - Another really cool keyboard intro opens up the succeeded song. And then the drum kicks in the highly militaristic riff, a descendant of the days of "Links 2-3-4". I mean seriously, this is one of the best Rammstein riffs they've ever had. It's less about the riff itself, and the way they deploy it for use within the song. It's just badass. This song has some really interesting lyrics too. My mom grew up in East Germany during the DDR days, and so did everyone in the band. Thus, I find it wild that the narrative here matches up with one she's presented about that time in German history. Both radio and television were highly regulated by the government, and there was a lot of censorship going on to avoid issues with, well, thinking outside of your station. Yet western frequencies could sometimes be picked up and it was like a whole new world for people. Rammstein manage to present that storyline really well, as the song builds up into a sonic wonderland, and to top it all off, the chorus is some really catchy shit. 10/10
3. Zeig dich - This time we open with a Latin choir, but it sounds more sinister than most of those choirs should be. And it soon becomes clear why. Lately a lot of stuff has come out about the actions of the Catholic church over the last 50 years... particularly in regard to children. It's stuff we've known about for years, and yet now a lot of people have come forward and a lot of action has been taken against the organization. It's that madness that Rammstein are talking about on this song, but they do it in some very inventive ways. The verses are them playing around with the prefix "ver-" and they even incorporate some Biblical passages into the bargain. The riff here is another slaughterhouse, and the chorus is a call for those that dare harm others to show themselves, and that there is no God to save them from their sins now. Third song in a row that's absolutely spotless. This was a bit of a grower at first, but I love every second of it now. 10/10
4. Ausländer - Aaaand here it is, Rammstein wrote a fucking pop song. There's been a lot of hate directed towards this song, but I don't feel anything like that myself. In fact, I dig it a lot. They're far more successful with this song than most artists in the modern pop scene are. They're also doing this with a very tongue-in-cheek sort of feel. Till plays the part of a traveling foreigner trying to get under the pants of the ladies of the countries he travels to. And it's really fun. The verses are sort of a spoken-sung combination and bring across the concept very well, and the chorus is highly catchy, as Till incorporates other languages more successfully than he did on the previous album. The final lines are spoken in broken German to parody foreign attempts at speaking the language. Simply put, this song is just fun, and a great piece of music throughout. Not as interesting as the previous three, perhaps, but it's pretty great just the same. 9/10
5. Sex - Took 'em long enough to write a song called "Sex", eh? Especially since that's like 80% of what they sing about... but anyway, there it is? And how well does it hold up? Pretty well. The verses are pretty typical Rammstein but done with a modern flair they've not unlocked until this album. The pre-chorus has some interesting stuff going on, particularly when Till sings the word "Sirenen". The chorus is another typical Rammstein chorus, but very fun, and the end of the chorus has some great melodic stuff going on. I quite like this song, fun to sing along to (obviously not when someone is around though), and while it isn't as good as the four that precede it, it holds its own quite well. That's the thing about this album - even the songs that aren't mindblowing are still pretty damn good. 8/10
6. Puppe - It's been a long time since Rammstein created a song this dark and creepy and pulled it off as well as they do here. In fact, this may just be the most terrifying thing the band has ever released. No, I'm serious. The way they begin it with the distortionless guitars as Till starts his story about living with a sister that works as a prostitute and locks him up in a room while she "goes to work" is genuinely disturbing, particularly when the chorus comes in. What the fuck happened with the chorus? Jesus Christ, the guy sounds positively unhinged, and well he should, since he just saw his sister get murdered by one of her customers. And there's a doll throughout all of this that just got its head and throat torn up. It's a very good song. I don't like it quite as much as other people seem to, but I definitely think it's a successful attempt at over-the-top macabre stuff. 9/10
7. Was ich liebe - We needed a ballad, didn't we? Well, they delivered. We open with a pretty cool drum beat that leads into more Till-isms. The point of this one is that everything he loves must die. Well shit, sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it? After a couple rounds of verses we explode into the chorus, which is a monster. "What I love... it must also die!" Yep. It's a very Rammstein sort of song, that's for sure. I'd say that this one is one of the weakest on the album, but that's not saying much because, as I said, all of the songs on here are at least pretty good. The highlight of this song is the guitarwork, which is great. And the rest makes for a pretty nice listen, for sure. 8/10
8. Diamant - Another ballad, but this time drained of all the power of the previous song. In fact, the only thing that backs Till is a lonesome acoustic guitar (and some orchestral stuff here and there). The idea behind this one is of someone who falls in love with a woman, but it's of no use since she scorns his following of her. And I love the way that they arranged it all. I think that this is the shortest song in the Rammstein canon, but it wastes not a single second in getting the point across. "You are beautiful like a diamond... and yet, nothing but a stone." What a line. 9/10
9. Weit weg - Here we go. The opening keyboard on this one is one of the best that the band has ever come up with. I love the way it just sort of flows throughout. Till takes us into a shockingly involving story from the perspective of a "Peeping Tom", who has become fanatical about his devotion to a young woman. He watches her, wishes he could be with her, and yet cannot and shall not. The way they come around with the idea of him being so close... yet so far away from her is so good. This is a song that shouldn't be as good as it is, and yet it really is. That chorus is awesome, and I'd say this is my favorite on the album after "Deutschland". Ganz nah... so weit weg. 10/10
10. Tattoo - This is another song that's been praised a lot for being a classic Rammstein concoction, and I agree, this is for sure a very classic-sounding Rammstein number. The riff sounds like it could've been used on one of their earlier albums (probably Sehnsucht), and the verse makes it even more apparent. The topic of this song should be obvious (tattoos), and they come up with some really interesting ways to describe the art. The pre-chorus makes Till sound like an absolute madman (Show me yours, I'll show you mine!), but it's the chorus itself that really makes the song. It's another catchy one, something that this album is full of. Also, props to the bridge, in which the narrator gets a tattoo of his lover and promises that if they ever break up, he'll just find another person with her name. This doesn't blow me over the top quite so much as it does for some people, but I think it's great all the same. Definitely another example of how good this album is. 9/10
11. Hallomann - When I first saw this title, I kinda hyped myself up for a cool anthemic number, but that's not at all what this song is. Instead, it's a building number about a kidnapper (the "'hello'-man") who rapes and then drowns a young girl. Fuck. That's going places, isn't it? This one is almost on "Puppe" levels of dark, but it's menacing in different ways. Where the previous song was more aggressive, this one is more melodic, and showcases the glazed-over expression of someone so completely deranged as the title subject. It's a very sad sort of song, and ends the album on a less-than-euphoric note. But is it a great song? Undoubtedly. The music may not be quite as interesting as some of the band's other numbers, but it's the way it mixes with the story that makes it work. A pretty great ending to a pretty great album. Still wish I'd gotten my anthem, though, but es ist was es ist. 9/10
Take a lackluster album like Liebe, give it ten years, and the band is now finally back on their feet with the level of quality that marked Mutter and Reise Reise, albeit with a completely different vibe going on. This is Rammstein for the modern world, still as heavy and inventive as ever, but also focused in on what makes them good and putting there feet forwards with that first and foremost. Everything from the music to the vocals to the production is great, and it even has the songs to back up that quality. Talk about a comeback album, this thing is pretty damn awesome. I know that both the band and fans suspect it'll be their last album, but I really hope it isn't. I think they've got enough in them to make one more album at least as good, if not better. If they can still come up with a work as great as this one after ten years of silence, then surely they can do it again. Even if it means another ten years of waiting. Well, I've got the time.
Rating: 92%
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Updated rankings:
I'll go even further than that:
77. Wiener Blut
76. Laichzeit
75. B********
74. Liebe ist für alle da
73. Eifersucht
72. Heirate mich
71. Frühling in Paris
70. Roter Sand
69. Du riechst so gut
68. Zerstören
67. Mehr
66. Herzeleid
65. Rammlied
64. Sehnsucht
63. Asche zu Asche
62. Alter Mann
61. Pussy
60. Rammstein
59. Das alte Leid
58. Ein Lied
57. Feuer und Wasser
56. Spring
55. Te quiero Puta!
54. Rein Raus
53. Mann gegen Mann
52. Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen
51. Der Meister
50. Bück dich
49. Weisses Fleisch
48. Spiel mit mir
47. Wo bist du
46. Klavier
45. Seemann
44. Was ich liebe
43. Ich tu dir weh
42. Sex
41. Haifisch
40. Küss mich (Fellfrosch)
39. Stirb nicht vor mir (Don't Die Before I Do)
38. Hilf mir
37. Hallomann
36. Tattoo
35. Bestrafe mich
34. Morgenstern
33. Diamant
32. Keine Lust
31. Puppe
30. Adios
29. Nebel
28. Waidmanns Heil
27. Ausländer
26. Stein um Stein
25. Benzin
24. Los
23. Amour
22. Radio
21. Tier
20. Du hast
19. Zwitter
18. Links 2-3-4
17. Amerika
16. Zeig dich
15. Spieluhr
14. Feuer frei!
13. Dalai Lama
12. Weit weg
11. Rosenrot
10. Ohne dich
9. Reise, Reise
8. Mutter
7. Engel
6. Mein Herz brennt
5. Deutschland
4. Ich Will
3. Mein Teil
2. Sonne
1. Moskau
76. Laichzeit
75. B********
74. Liebe ist für alle da
73. Eifersucht
72. Heirate mich
71. Frühling in Paris
70. Roter Sand
69. Du riechst so gut
68. Zerstören
67. Mehr
66. Herzeleid
65. Rammlied
64. Sehnsucht
63. Asche zu Asche
62. Alter Mann
61. Pussy
60. Rammstein
59. Das alte Leid
58. Ein Lied
57. Feuer und Wasser
56. Spring
55. Te quiero Puta!
54. Rein Raus
53. Mann gegen Mann
52. Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen
51. Der Meister
50. Bück dich
49. Weisses Fleisch
48. Spiel mit mir
47. Wo bist du
46. Klavier
45. Seemann
44. Was ich liebe
43. Ich tu dir weh
42. Sex
41. Haifisch
40. Küss mich (Fellfrosch)
39. Stirb nicht vor mir (Don't Die Before I Do)
38. Hilf mir
37. Hallomann
36. Tattoo
35. Bestrafe mich
34. Morgenstern
33. Diamant
32. Keine Lust
31. Puppe
30. Adios
29. Nebel
28. Waidmanns Heil
27. Ausländer
26. Stein um Stein
25. Benzin
24. Los
23. Amour
22. Radio
21. Tier
20. Du hast
19. Zwitter
18. Links 2-3-4
17. Amerika
16. Zeig dich
15. Spieluhr
14. Feuer frei!
13. Dalai Lama
12. Weit weg
11. Rosenrot
10. Ohne dich
9. Reise, Reise
8. Mutter
7. Engel
6. Mein Herz brennt
5. Deutschland
4. Ich Will
3. Mein Teil
2. Sonne
1. Moskau
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
It’s funny you should call it that; that’s the exact phrase a friend of mine was hoping would stick, and was rather disappointed when Wikipedia just called it Rammstein. I think he was one of the people that helped retitle it back to “Untitled Rammstein album”.