The Bottom Line Sometimes it's just best to let all your aggression out. Rammstein is here to help with their second album, Sehnsucht.
Full Review
Germans kick…errr…no…that’s not quite right.
Germans are damn fine folks. Heck, I’m married to one whose ancestry is German. But their music? Well, sometimes it can leave something to be desired. Germans tend to be rather serious—much too much so for their own good. Plus, with all the built in guttural grunts of their language it makes the music somewhat less than palatable more often than not.
Funny thing is, though, that occasionally a band manages to end up “popular” stateside (at least as far as German bands go). In the case of Rammstein, their moment of particular glory happened following the release of the 1998 album Sehnsucht. Formed in 1993 by former East Germans, the band was named after the location of a 1988 air show tragedy that resulted in the immediate death of forty (that number later rose to sixty-nine) onlookers and the injury of hundreds of others. The six-man lineup consists of Richard Kruspe-Bernstein (guitar), Paul Landers (guitar), Till Lindemann (vocals), Oliver Riedel (bass), Christoph Schneider (drums), and Christian Lorenz (keyboards).
Sehnsucht (which translates as “longing”) was the band’s second album and brought introduced their dark prog-metal sound to the United States. The loud, driving force that is Rammstein actually even had a hit single—you remember Du Hast, right? That was Rammstein. Anyway, the album that accompanied that single is surprisingly decent. Maybe not for folks who have an aversion to the German language, but entertaining nonetheless. Heck, I’m even pretty sure that it’s not necessary to actually speak Deutsch to appreciate it.
While Rammstein’s sound is definitely serious, their songs themselves are still incredibly fun. Unrelenting and heavy-hitting, this effect can be immediately felt with the opening title track. The song is both heavy metal and operatic at the same time. This contrast is what really interests me about Rammstein’s sound on the whole. Lindemann’s voice is what might be termed “traditionally German.” It’s pushed from the depths of his gullet in a staccato manner. But somehow it all goes together perfectly—guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals, it’s great on Sehnsucht and elsewhere on the album by the same name.
The strange blend of elements continues on to track two, Engel. I’m immediately reminded of the opening whistling of the classic hokey TV show Lassie. Of course, nothing could be further from the eventual reality of the song, but still I can’t help but be drawn in. In fact, for the entire first half of the album I find myself incapable of turning it off. Heck, I can listen to it on repeat from Sehnsucht through about Bück Dich. The really is no question that the album’s strong points are concentrated in the first half.
Tier is a sneaky song. For the first moment or two, it seems as though maybe the band will be headed in another direction—possibly even a lighter sound. Of course, Rammstein wouldn’t disappoint those looking for a headbanging good time. Bestrafe Mich is also a great tune which is particularly “progressive” with almost classical arrangements. Of course, since there aren’t any strings and the like it’s not exactly “classical” but still, the arrangement reeks of prog-metal.
There is little question that Du Hast is the centerpiece to Sehnsucht. It is also slightly different than the other offerings. It is definitely a dance-techno track for much of the time. Even when the dense electric guitars kick in the beat and melody shine through. Again, Lindemann’s voice is distinct and perfectly suited to the rich song. Unfortunately for US audiences, they were exposed to a crappy translation of the song. In truth, the proper translation is something like this:
You
You have
You have me
You have asked me
You have asked me and I have said nothing
Will you until death
Remain faithful for all days?
No
Will you until death
Love even on bad days?
No
Bück Dich is the final song I can say I really like. Once again loud, once again driving, and once again exciting Rammstein shoves the song down your throat. Fortunately, it tastes pretty damn amazing. This song among others have a definite sexual undertone—actually, homosexual undertone. Spiel Mit Mir may be less perfect than the opening six songs, but the theme is still rather dark—homosexual incest to be precise. Klavier is a bit better. In fact, it is the lightest offering on the entire album but truth be told it really just doesn’t fit into what I expect from Rammstein (likely a result of ignorance about German prog-metal). It is truly operatic.
As the album nears an end, the songs lack the drive and energy of the earlier offerings. I do like the synth beats of Alter Mann fine enough, but once the song really gets cranking I just lose interest. Eifersucht is also definitely a turn toward techno. There are moments it’s pretty damn cool, but it grows old much too soon. The novelty wears off, I guess. Finally, Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch) just annoys the living hell out of me. Stupid samples from stupid cartoons are unnecessary and the song itself lacks any interesting aspects.
My particular album also features alternate versions of both Engel and Du Hast. To be honest I’m not keen on either as the translations are horrible. I understand their existence entirely—English speaking folks want to understand what they are listening to. Unfortunately I prefer the originals. This isn’t to say that these versions are musically any worse; they just don’t interest me nearly as much.
Sehnsucht is a surprisingly decent album. It’s not for pop fans or even necessarily rock fans, but if you liked Du Hast or if you have any appreciation at all for German metal or prog-metal you should probably check it out.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Sehnsucht [Longing]
02. Engel [Angel]
03. Tier [Animal]
04. Bestrafe Mich [Punish Me]
05. Du Hast [You Have]
06. Bück Dich [Bend Down]
07. Spiel Mit Mir [Play With Me]
08. Klavier [Piano]
09. Alter Mann [Old Man]
10. Eifersucht [Jealousy]
11. Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch) [Kiss Me (Furry Frog)]
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