release date: Aug. 22, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer Jacob Hellner, Rammstein
label: Motor Music - nationality: Germany
Track highlights: 1. "Sehnsucht" (4 / 5) - 2. "Engel" (feat. Bobo) (4 / 5) - 3. "Tier" - 5. "Du hast" (5 / 5) - 6. "Bück dich" - 9. "Alter Mann" - 10. "Eifersucht" - 11. "Küss Mich (Fellfrosch)"
2nd studio album by Rammstein released two years after the debut from '95 is produced in collaboration with Swedish producer Jacob Hellner who was also engaged on the debut.
The album reveals a step forward in more than one aspect as it's first and foremost a better produced collection of songs that also show a progression in terms of compositional skills with several strong individually sounding tracks.
Two singles were released prior to the album as "Engel" and then "Du hast" were cleverly hand-picked to promote the new album with the former peaking at number #3 on the German singles chart list and later "Du hast" followed closely by reaching number #4 on the same list - but the track basically became the band's internationally so far most renowned single.
Sehnsucht is a fine step forward from an interesting but also slightly mediocre debut. Here the band has tightened up the compositions and also shaped them as both simpler yet more detailed by a clearer differentiation from track to track. It's industrial metal in the way only a German band can play. "Du hast" is probably the strongest track here but several others are great - especially the first half of the album is worth the lot and makes the album a much stronger and more favourable listen than the '95 debut album.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]
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