Rammstein - Reise, Reise (2004) Reviews

It's the same dilemma that countless bands and artists have suffered before; 2001's 'Mutter' was a monumental album that made German industrial metal band Rammstein international superstars. So what now? Having spawned five hit singles and firmly establishing themselves as the premier band of their specific genre, it would be hard for anyone to release a follow-up that would live up to expectations.

But 'Reise, Reise' is a damn good effort.

Cranking up the heaviness that worked so well on their previous release, 'Reise, Reise' has ditched all the dance and techno elements of the bands earlier work, and in its place is a thunderously heavy album with massive guitar riffs and plenty of haunting keyboards. The sound is slightly muddier and grungier than before, but it's still a well-crafted assortment, with plenty of headbanging anthems that are almost instantly recognizable as Rammstein.

Of course, the main attraction with a band like these lot is their live show, and these songs are tailor-made to be played in huge arenas with plenty of pyro, choreography and imagery.

With skull-crushingly heavy hits such as 'Mein Teil', 'Keine Lust', 'Morgenstein' and 'Stein um Stein', eerily melancholic ballads like 'Armour' and 'Ohne Dich', and all-out cheesy pop-inspired songs like 'Amerika' (one of the bands most famous hits) and 'Moskau' (with infectious female backing vocals), there's a wide diversity of songs on 'Reise, Reise', that ensures that even while it doesn't reach the same heights as its predecessor, Rammstein still sit firmly atop the throne as the kings of industrial music.

Rammestein were the last band I saw live at the start of the noughties before I stopped going to gigs due to a damaged ear drum.  I had befriended another metal head in a call centre where I worked at the time and we went to a couple of gigs.  I recall American Head Charge were the support act and they were actually quite good.  Rammestein though were superb, full of theatrics and drama, displaying a real passion for their art.

I never owned an album by the band, think I bought a t-shirt at aforementioned gig but that was the extent of my merchandise.  Stumbling across the band in the depths of the Metal Academy and then seeing them in the feature section for this month got me interested enough in finally sitting down and listening to a whole album by them.  I am glad I did.

A couple of things got me off-guard if I am honest.  Firstly, how riffy Reise, Reise is.  It is chock full of the beggars making the album memorable and leaving me hungry for each track.  Secondly, how well the drama and theatrics that I witnessed on stage nearly two decades ago transpose brilliantly to the recorded output without becoming showy or needless.  There’s real atmosphere here, stabs of near symphonic keys and choir-like backing vocals that all add real depth to the sound.  I was also pleasantly surprised by how the emotion of the songs comes across so well.  Considering I speak no German the passion and eloquence of the songwriting really gives a real sense of expression and of intensity being shared.

Somewhere amongst the industrial edges and no-metal musings, Rammestein deliver a heartfelt and enlightening album, balanced in pace just enough to keep it interesting without sacrificing the memorability factor.  It’s only real flaw is that it is too long and needs a trim on the track listing.