Review by MartinDavey87 for Rammstein - Zeit (2022)

After 2019’s self-titled/untitled album, Rammstein were well and truly one of the biggest metal acts on the planet, joining the elite few that made it out of the arenas and into stadiums. With their stage show known for its huge spectacle, they were on top of the world.

Then COVID happened, and the world came to a standstill, and with nothing to do but write and rehearse (socially distanced, I’m sure), it meant that the German industrialists were quick to release a follow-up to their previous album, and that brings us to 2022’s ‘Zeit’.

 With huge amounts of hype, its speculative, cryptic name and controversial music videos (so, all the usual Rammstein traits then), ‘Zeit’ is, admittedly, a pretty average affair. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad album, but it’s quite a mixed bag, with a fair number of tracks sounding like the band are just on autopilot.

But the good songs? Oh boy… When they get it right, they sound incredibly focused and on point. With their classic blend of heavy, crushing guitars, bright keyboard melodies, humorous lyrics and vocalist Till Lindemann’s deep, baritone voice, the band show that they are indeed still the same Rammstein we all know and love.

While ‘Zeit’ isn’t likely to be anyone’s favourite Rammstein record, tracks like ‘Angst’, ‘Dicke Titten’, ‘Armee Der Tristen’, ‘OK’ and the melancholic closing track, ‘Adieu’ are all good enough reasons to own this album, and ultimately, fans of the band will enjoy the album regardless.