release date: May 17, 2019
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Olsen Involtini, Rammstein
label: Universal Music - nationality: Germany
Track highlights: 1. "Deutschland" - 2. "Radio" - 3. "Zeig dich" (live) - 4. "Ausländer" - 6. "Puppe" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 8. "Diamant"
7th studio album by Rammstein - also referred to as [untitled] - released almost a full decade after Libe ist für alle da (2009). For the first time a studio release is without Swedish producer Jonas Hellner - instead Rammstein has co-produced the album with German guitarist, producer, and engineer Olsen Involtini (aka Olsen Olic), who arranged strings on Mutter (2001) and Reise, Reise (2004) and furthermore is guitarist in the American / German band Emigrate [founded by Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe].
2011 saw the best of compilation album Made in Germany 1995-2011 featuring one new track, but other than that, the following 9 years saw Rammstein members engaged with live tours and individual projects including Till Lindemann's collaboration, Lindemann, Richard Z. Kruspe's band Emigrate, and the production on a new Rammstein album was announced on several occasions from 2013 - '17.
A decade is a long time in the music business and even longer than many bands survive together, but for Rammstein time hasn't made the band less popular - all thanks to the widely spread conception of being one of the most fascinating live acts around. Two months before the album release, Rammstein released an extended music video for the first track, "Deutschland" in cinematic proportions, and the single attracted much attention and also peaked at #1 on the national singles chart list. Also the second track, "Radio" was issued prior to the album release - peaking at #4, and following the album, the single "Ausländer" was released as the so far third and last single from the album, peaking at #2. The new album replicates their previous albums by topping the German albums chart list, which was followed in a number of other countries - especially around Europe. It has already been met by international acclaim as one of the band's absolute best studio albums, which I too find very understandable.
The album opens up with four strong tracks, and with the composition, "Puppe" - as a contender to their best song ever - the band reaches new heights of energetic brutality and they successfully explore new territories within industrial metal. On "Diamant" the angry music is exchanged for a surprisingly soft emotional brake. There are so many strong tracks here, and the best thing about it is the sense of revitalisation of a band, which many thought had peaked with Mutter some 18 years ago, but here they produce one of their best albums on which they primarily sound like Rammstein but also by adding new dimensions to its strict stylistic repertoire. They are sort of widening the genre by adding new elements to it, like a sense of humour, sentimentality, and a display of trust in own abilities.
Highly recommendable.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Kerrang!, Exclaim!, NME, Clash 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
2019 Favourite releases: 1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Ghosteen - 2. The Cranberries In the End - 3. Rammstein Rammstein
