Review by MartinDavey87 for Rammstein - Reise, Reise (2004)

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.