Wednesday 14 October 2009

Review: Rammstein - Liebe ist für alle da



Love! For you! Indeed, Rammstein are back and they have brought you a basket full of love, but be warned - it's going to hurt...good! With a sound reminiscent of their earliest material and irony always the loyal friend on their side "Liebe ist für alle da" is here to blow your top. Witty and disturbing, original and cocky, cynical and yet a must-have this album demonstrates Till Lindeman and co's returned back to basics and still managed to explore in depth a new music horizon.

"Liebe ist für alle da" didn't bring love to censorship across the world as it unanimously defied the scandalous accompanying video to the lead single "Pussy" and banned it from virtually any TV station. In Germany the song "Ich tu dir weh" caused a major controversy because of its lyrical content that resulted in the official banning of the song. Rammstein spent no time apologizing and announced the song as the second single to be released, although it most probably will never see light in their homeland. The rest of the tracks keep up the ill-fated spirit of the album with heavy riffs, steady drums and Lindeman's unforgettable singing. The track list takes a journey from their best known Tanz-metal style, through pre-World War II nostalgia to a sinister heavy crossover.

If you felt let down by Rammstein's previous two albums ("Reise, Reise" and "Rosenrot") this is the great return you had been waiting for over the past few years. It's unlikely that their newest release will ever top the impact that "Mutter" and "Sehnsucht" had on mainstream heavy music, but it most definitely will rock your socks. Despite the adherence to the industrial scene this album is accessible for any open-minded people who have a broader taste in music and feel free to experiment. "Liebe is für alle da" is one of those multi-layered albums that might take years to explore as they always have something to pop out after every listen.

Songs to hear: "Haifisch", "Frühling in Paris", "Waidmanns Heil" and "B********"