Review by SilentScream213 for Rammstein - Mutter (2001)

A surprisingly Gothic affair from the kings of Neue Deutsche Harte. While retaining the rhythmic four on floor patterns and simple anthemic structures, Rammstein integrate Gothic and epic atmospheres into their songs. The extra layers add more power, but also a smoothness that the expert production does a great job of layering. The atmospheric depth definitely help alleviate the weakness of how repetitive the songs and structures are in this style of music. Till’s vocals fit quite well with the Gothic sound as well, the natural gruffness sounding right at home.

There is a weakness the new style brings though. The glaring issue are that Rammstein are not an emotional or moody band. Gothic Metal excels at evoking emotion, but when the band isn’t doing that, the genre sounds rather hollow. The result here is Gothic-esque atmospherics being added, without any of the mood or emotion. So, it’s a nice smooth layer of music, but nothing else.

As with their previous albums, Rammstein kind of rely on the listeners enjoying rhythm and danceable tunes. They do a great job of creating simple yet dense songs with tons of finely tuned details under the beats. Yet, the instruments in the forefront, that being the guitars and drums, don’t do much. The riffs and leads are quite boring, and the drumming is basic and repetitive. The vocals are neat, but limited, having decent power, but not crafting any memorable melodies.

Good quality album for fans of this sound. But it has more flaws than an album of such reputation should.