Reviews list for Rammstein - Mutter (2001)

OK, what have I heard so far from Rammstein? I've listened to the albums Reise Reise and Zeit, and a dozen tracks used for the Sphere playlists. I hadn't entirely heard this breakthrough album Mutter yet, so why not? And this turned out to be really great for both an NDH album and an album with a singles-filled first half...

Mutter has been considered by many this popular German band's 3rd-time charm. You can hear a lot in the riffs and drums, along with some samples and the bass vocals of Till Lindemann. This band isn't one to take seriously, with their over-the-top lyrics, though they are quite meaningful. You'll know what I mean if you read the translations. And you can enjoy the catchy music whether or not you can understand the German lyrics.

"Mein Herz Brennt" ("My Heart Burns") opens the album beautiful with quiet singing by Lindemann. Then the solid verses kick off with guitar riffing side by side with string melody. The themes of angst and heartache are just beginning... "Links 2 3 4" (Left 2 3 4) is a more well-known single with political lyrics by the band to brush aside the earlier Nazi allegations, "They want my heart in the right place, but then I look below, it beats to the left." The music marches through, especially in the chorus with a more choral vibe. Not really enough to be a standout despite its goodness. "Sonne" (Sun) is the album's first single. The song was written for boxer Vitali Klitschko, but he never used it. After doing a boxing match referee-like count to 9 then "out". The catchiest riffing can be found here, followed by a melodic chorus, "Here comes the sun." Probably the best song of the album and by the band! Up next, "Ich Will" (I Want) is a great single as well. The keyboard/guitar rhythm is so catchy though can get tiring after many listens. This song of desire for fame has made a fantastic live staple.

When the sirens go off at the 40-second point of "Feuer Frei!" (Open Fire!), you're in for a ride. Actually this song would cause driving to be quite a challenge if you put it on your car stereo. It doesn't have much fire as I'm hoping for though. That intro is quite sick though. I could imagine Pitbull remixing this song, which is quite odd to imagine. And don't forget, that song was also in that Vin Diesel film xXx along with one of Hatebreed's songs, and in an earlier CSI episode. The title track is one more single, a sad ballad with a deep lyrical concept. A baby was born without a mother via an experiment and grows up lonely. The powerful chorus with its somber guitar melody and the repeated shouts of "Mother!" give the song more life. "Spieluhr" (Music Box) has a deeper baby-related lyrical concept. A stillborn baby that was buried in a music box (dug out and photographed for the album cover) is brought back to life. It both begins and ends with a music box melody, and the chorus features the distorted voice of one of Lindemann's children, to add more eeriness to the story. Plus, the solid verses have audible bass. So beautiful yet haunting! "Zwitter" (Hermaphrodite) is a heavier song to love. It has more furious riffing and some of the best and most bizarre lyrics of androgynous self-pleasure, "I'm not discouraged, when someone says 'f*** you' to me."

"Rein Raus" ("In Out") is never something I would enjoy lyrically, with the band's typical graphic sex-filled lyrics. The "Farther!" bridge is rather unsettling. The techno-ish intro leading into heavy riffing is pretty good. Despite that, not much of that song stands out for me. "Adios" (Goodbye) is an awesome song that should've been a single. There's interesting rhythm from the bass and drums. The guitar can really drive through. That song would've been made the best ending for the album, if not for... "Nebel" ("Fog"), a weak love ballad. I mean, I don't mind a metal album ending with a ballad, but it doesn't have the melancholic power of the title track. A poor letdown but it's still tolerable. "Hallelujah" is a bonus track in the Japanese edition, a slightly better way to head out than the previous track. Apparently, it's about a priest inappropriately touching an altar boy. Definitely too brutal for the more conservative/religious market. And the boy singing "Hallelujah" in the chorus once again makes things more eerie. 

Mutter can certainly be the ultimate starting point for anyone wanting to hear Rammstein for the first time. Any fan of Rammstein and NDH should give it a listen, maybe even follow it up with the more experimental Reise Reise....

Favorites: "Mein Herz Brennt", "Sonne", "Ich Will", "Spieluhr", "Zwitter", "Adios"

When it comes to an albums success or failure, timing can be everything.

Such is the case with Rammstein's 'Mutter'. With their previous two albums helping to build an ever-growing fan base, it was the German industrial band's 2001 release that really saw them take the world by storm. And much of that success (from a UK perspective anyway), must have been due to the newly launched Kerrang TV.

Kerrang TV, which specializes in rock and metal music videos, was launched in April 2001, long before the days when music videos were merely a click away on the internet. With 'Mutter' bolstering five hit singles, each of which was a massive hit for the band, Rammstein absolutely dominated the charts for the early years of the rock channel.

And so it was, that Rammstein would go on to become megastars of the industrial metal genre. 'Links 2,3,4', 'Ich Will', 'Feuer Frei' and 'Mein Herz Brennt' were all big hits for the band, and then there was 'Sonne'... the song which would go on to become the group's biggest song, dominating the rock charts that year and firmly placing the band at the top of the rock world.

Full of incredibly heavy, crushing riffs, yet atmospheric, emotional and anthemic, everything about this record sounds "big". Even the few, quieter moments sound monumental, and the deep, German vocals adds so much depth to the darker tone of the album. The music itself is fairly simplistic, but therein lies the beauty of what the band have achieved here. "Less is more".

One of the biggest success stories of 2001, Rammstein's 'Mutter' launched the band into the stratosphere and made them one of the biggest rock acts on the planet, making this monstrous album one that belongs in the collection of every rock and metal fan.