Rammstein: Rammstein (2019, Universal Music)
Rammstein vuelve con nuevo álbum, un disco olvidable que de momento pasa a ser el lanzamiento más flojo en lo que va de año.
Ten years have had to pass since german industrial act Rammstein published their acclaimed Liebe Ist Für Alle Da until we have been able to enjoy new music with the homonymous Rammstein, an album that, for a change, is surrounded by controversy. Something usual in the band if we go back to their spontaneous and direct criticism, through their politically incorrect lyrics and their provocative designs, but this is something that a band like Rammstein cannot ignore.
Nowadays it is difficult not to identify some German song in any room, bar or nightclub and Rammstein has known how to take great care of its sound throughout its career, a sound that it has kept fresh and its own since its beginnings. Many of us dare to call Rammstein a product that combines elements that Ministry had already known how to shape long before, and we could even compare some of the riffs and sounds of both bands where the Germans would clearly lose out, a case similar to the so-called commented and alleged “plagiarism” between Exhorder and Pantera. But today we are not going to talk about that.
Today we are faced with one of the band’s most complicated albums, an album that has been long-awaited and that has generated a lot of expectation among its followers, who have been demanding a new album since its previous release in the already distant month of October 2009. And realistically, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da was not Mutter, it could not be Sensucht, much less Reise, Reise, but it had a good handful of hard-hitting songs, very direct lyrics and a lot of bad temper. such as Rammlied, the song that opens the album, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da which was presented as the first official preview or the horny and at the same time strongly criticized Pussy, whose video was grotesque and shocking in equal parts.
At the outset we come across a minimalist cover. A declaration of intentions? It’s possible. A white background and a match, simple and attractive. But it hides something else. The band does not want to tell us that it has relaxed, that it no longer needs to shout to the heavens with a provocative cover, but that it already comes with its homework done at home. What he had to say he already did at the time. Now things are more relaxed. We will not talk about any of the video clips published about the new album, both speak for themselves and there they continue to light the candle of controversy, but that is another story. Let’s get to work.
The album opens with Deutschland, the first preview of the album, a simple song with little start. It is a simple song with few pretensions, one of those normal songs that could well have been included in any of their previous releases but with little soul. Although the music is worked and the guitar is good, the rest of the song seems a bit weak to open an album. Radio is the second song, a little more crushing and punchy than the previous one, but it follows the same path. A simple and repetitive riff that repeats throughout the song without completely taking off.
In Zeig Dich we are welcomed by some pretty cool songs to give way to a pretty accomplished instrumental that, without being original, brings some freshness to the album. The chorus, simple and direct, seems short due to its forcefulness. Something similar happens with Ausländer, an unconvincing song despite its festivity and ability to move the staff. The same thing happens to Sex, an unremarkable song that abuses those catchy riffs that have characterized the Germans since their beginnings, which continue to sound decaffeinated halfway through the album.
With Puppe they try to straighten out a weak album by abusing a hoarse Lindemann but they stay halfway. It is a heavy and unconvincing topic. Nothing can be done with Was Ich Liebe, it is a song of absolute filler and zero relevance, something that they could have saved by watching the rest of the album. Diamant is a typical ballad, one of those that the Germans know how to carry out but lacks spirit. The good thing is that it lasts two and a half minutes, so it doesn’t feel long. They counteract the move with Weit Weg, a slower and more worked song, where they dare with some more eighties and striking synthesizers, but they fail to take flight.
In Tattoo we are greeted by an aggressive and catchy riff, which is greeted by forceful drums with which Lindemann expands at ease. It is a song that brings us to the most classic Rammstein, but that does not surprise anyone. Finally we find Hallomann, which has a certain aftertaste of new-wave post-punk, but which quickly dies due to its lack of pretension and following a path that is too easy. They could have explored this genre a little more, something they have done before but which has gotten little recognition.
Anyway, the album is finished and I don’t feel like listening to it again. I think it has been a pretty exhausting trip for me to want to go back the same way, I’d better go do something else. But Rammstein has followed the easy path, they have followed the formula that they believe to be inexhaustible and in my opinion they have done the worst thing a band can do, trusting in the success they already enjoy to give birth to another album from the pile that few will remember the day of tomorrow.
I have not particularly enjoyed any topic, it has left me as cold as the end of Game of Thrones, which I will not discuss in here. They have simply put out something to put out. But I say, ten years is a long time, they could have worked a little harder on their new album and left something up to par, but that hasn’t been the case.
