The story of Rammstein is a fascinating one. Whereas most internationally successful rock acts, from The Scorpions down through Lacuna Coil, have sung in English, these German industrial-metallers have almost always kept to their native tongue. The language issue doesn't seem to have hurt them stateside, though they have yet to repeat the massive success they had with 1997's "Du Hast." (The album on which that song appeared, Sehnsucht, is the only 100 percent German-language album ever to go platinum in the U.S., or at least so says Wikipedia.)With Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da ("Love Is for All"), the band serves up more of its trademark sound: mechanical drums and keyboards; razor-sharp, simple metal guitars; ethereal synthesized strings; catchy choruses; a touch of vaudeville here and there; and the occasional choral vocal -- all topped by Till Lindemann's super-deep, ominous voice. Their homeland hasn't taken well to the record, banning the display of its sadomachism-depicting artwork and indexing it with the "Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons" for its offensive lyrics. Awesome, right?
Pretty much. Don't let the absolute clunker of a first single, the English-language track "P****," confuse you. It's unclear whether the band writes better lyrics in German (hopefully they do), but who cares when you can't understand them? For Americans, Rammstein stands out for its unique sound and strong sense of atmosphere, and these elements are on full display here. At a lean eleven tracks, this album is an almost front-to-back winner.
"Rammlied," a solid track that ties together most of the band's signature stylistic aspects, begins the record. The entire group fires on all four cylinders, and the whole mess of computers and instruments and singing comes together perfectly. Lindemann even harmonizes with himself in the song's intro. "Ich Tu Dir Weh" follows in much the same vein, but the 6/8 time signature gives the music more of a swing, the guitar-less verses are positively creepy, and the chorus is a lot catchier.
The songs here stand out most, however, when they feature just a touch of Rammstein's more outlandish influences. The sounds of classical brass instruments introduce and recur in "Waidmanns Heil," and "Haifisch" captures the vaudeville spirit better than Marilyn Manson did on The Golden Age of Grotesque. The verses of "B********" are sparse and intense, with occasional keyboard tinkling, and break into a chorus with death-metal vocals. "Fruhling in Paris" begins as a classical guitar ballad. The strings and spoken-word vocals that begin "Wiener Blut" sound downright cinematic. "Roter Sand," the record's conclusion, has some wonderfully dramatic vocals against a gentle backdrop (with whistling – hey, remember "Engel"?).
This isn't the perfect album – again, the first single is awful. But very few bands can combine so many influences into such a coherent and accessible record. For fans of Rammstein, even the ones who haven't paid much attention since "Du Hast," this is a must-buy.
Robert VerBruggen is a writer living in New York.
