Rammstein – "Zeit"

Alte Deutsche Härte

Though I was hugely into Rammstein around the turn of the century, they kinda lost me around 2004's "Reise, Reise". The stuff I've heard since then has mostly been either acceptable, but not exciting ("Mein Teil"; "Keine Lust") or silly and a bit annoying ("Pussy"; "Amerika").

This is also largely the impression I'm left with after a coupla spins of their long-awaited new album "Zeit" (= "Time"). It sounds like Rammstein alright, and that's probably all for the better. But that doesn't mean it's overwhelmingly brilliant or even very interesting.

While Rammstein is officially a metal band, on songs like "Schwarz", "Meine Tränen" and the title track, the guitars are hardly playing anything but long, drawn-out power chord blocks during the chorus. They might as well have been played by horns or keyboards. From the band that gave us concrete-heavy machine riffs like the ones in "Engel", "Sehnsucht", "Feuer Frei" and "Wollt Ihr das Bett in Flammen Sehen", I'm expecting more.

It sounds like Rammstein alright, and that's probably all for the better. But that doesn't mean it's overwhelmingly brilliant or even very interesting.

Sometimes it all does come together, mind you. The album's best song, the uptempo "Giftig" (= "Toxic") with its steadily pounding rhythm and eerie synth theme could have easily been on one of the band's earliest albums. The same thing goes for the anti-racist statement "Angst" (= "Fear") with its heavily syncopated headbanger figure.

Then there are songs like "Dicke Titten" ("Fat Tits"), "Zick Zack" (= "Zig Zag"), and the earworm "OK" (= short for "Ohne Kondom" – "No Condom") that rock impeccably, but are just more or less silly. And it's not in a way that's actually very funny, like, say, with Steel Panther or Tenacious D, or in a way that's wonderfully self-aware and over-the-top like with Cannibal Corpse or certain Manowar tracks. It's more like it seems a bit too easy.

It's like Rammstein are sometimes being serious and a bit predictable, and other times trying a bit too hard at being cheesy without really succeeding.

In their early days, Rammstein were successfully balancing a dark, serious expression and an equally dark tongue-in-cheek humor. Here, however, it's like they're sometimes being serious and a bit predictable, and other times trying a bit too hard at being cheesy without really succeeding.

"Zeit" isn't downright mediocre, though. Songwriting-wise, and especially production-wise, it's meticulously professional. If you're into everything the band has released so far, you probably won't be disappointed, and I'm sure several of the songs here will have their merit on stage. – Which, by the way, is where Rammstein should be experienced. Those of you who haven't been there yet should catch them on tour this summer. You won't be sorry.

Hell, even though I don't find this output very interesting, I might do the same.

Rating: 3.5 out of 6

Genre: Heavy metal (yes, with a bit of synth, and no, that doesn't make them "industrial")
Release date: 29/4/2022
Label: Universal
Producer: Olsen Involtini + Rammstein