Rammstein Liebe Ist Für Alle Da Review by Gary Hill
I’ve always liked anything I’ve heard by Rammstein, but this is the first full album I’ve listened to from them. I have to say, I’ll be digging into their catalog because this band is great. The album showcases their style – kind of techno and industrial meets metal with hints of their countrymen Kraftwerk thrown into the mix. If I had one quibble with this album it would be using the mellowest track on show to close it off. It should be noted that with the exception of one song, all the lyrics are in German, but if you know anything about Rammstein, that should go without saying.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Rammlied There is a mellow, keyboard oriented introduction that builds gradually, creating a sense of drama. As the first lyrics come over the top of this, it feels almost like some kind of electronic music. Then they pound in with some seriously heavy metal. It's obvious that they are not fooling around. It gets more melodic on the verses, but gets very extreme on the choruses. The chorus features the band's name. It drops to a mellower, melodic metal movement around the four and a half minute mark. They fire back up into the chorus from there.
Ich Tu Dir Wen There are ambient moments here, including on the introduction, but overall it’s a more straightforward cut than the previous one. I’d also say that it’s less metal and more industrial. It’s a scorching rocker, though, no matter how you slice it.
Waidmanns Heil A symphonic flourish opens this and then the group launch out into another smoking slab of music. This is more pure metal than the previous piece, but it still has some of that industrial bent to it.
Haifisch There’s a bouncy, keyboard based texture to the opening section here. It’s not metal at all. As they pound out after the first verse, though, it becomes more of the group’s mix of techno and metal. Yet it drops back to the catchy little motif for the next verse. The keyboard oriented instrumental section on this is quite tasty. We even get some acoustic guitar and Hawkwind-like chirps at points when they move out to vocal territory from there. Eventually we get a return to the heavier grind. A short acoustic guitar based interlude closes the piece.
B******** Ultra-heavy (or should I say “Uber heavy?”) this is pure modern metal. Then again it’s pure Rammstein, showing just how much they have influenced the genre. It does drop back for some of the vocals. This is some really powerful music. The keyboards take a more prominent role later in the cut and I’d probably peg this as one of my favorites on the set.
Frühling in Paris Alternating between and almost balladic sound and a heavier anthemic one, this is really Rammstein’s version of an epic metal ballad. The thing is, with all the keys, there’s a little hint of a progressive rock texture to the track.
Wiener Blut A keyboard dominated section leads this off, but they fire out into some serious metal on the track, too. This is quite brutal in its delivery and yet it’s contrasted with returns to the keyboard based mellower motif.
P***y This one really feels like a metal version of Kraftwerk. It’s a real screamer. Most of the lyrics are in English and a parental advisory should come with this.
Liebe Ist für Alle Da Another killer Rammstein jam, this is more straightforward than most of the stuff here. That said, there’s a great, rather neo-classical, keyboard segment in the midst of the track.
Mehr This alternates between a mellower acoustic guitar and keyboard based segment and a more traditional Rammstein industrial meets metal approach. It’s a good song, but not really a standout.
Roter Sand Whistling starts this and holds it for a few measures. Then acoustic guitar enters and after a time vocals come in over the top of this. Keyboards and other elements come in over the top to fill out the arrangement, but this doesn’t power up into metal. In fact, this is the only cut that never fires up into such a style. It stays purely balladic, although the arrangement does intensity. I’m not sure it’s the best choice to close the set for that reason.
