RAMMSTEIN: Sehnsucht (INDUSTRIAL METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After a very successful first album which generated a very strong repercussion within the Metal and Techno scene, the Germans of Rammstein come back with this "Sehnsucht" (Desire) which has been with "Mutter", probably one of their best realizations so far.

Everything that had made the success of their first opus is still present here, but with more resources and maturity. This results both in a production that captures in a much more dynamic way the power and modernism of the band, but also in a greater diversity and richness of the tracks. This is notably the case with the title "Engel" (Angel) which is endowed with a female vocal and whistles going with the melodic line.

If the base of Rammstein's style is the same, that is to say powerful guitar riffs, an ultra present and very direct rhythmic (some would say basic), and a low and guttural vocal in German, we can however see some new elements appearing - or asserting themselves - such as the keyboards, which are much more present and elaborated than in the past, and an atmosphere which, if it is still centered on a pure and raw power, is now a bit darker and more sinister. And this, as much on the level of the texts, as on the level of the musical content, as illustrated marvelously by "Spiel Mit Mir" (Play with me), which, just like "Tier", deals with incest. In addition, the sense of melody having considerably developed, the album is full of small ritornellos whose simplicity is matched only by their effectiveness.

If there are no, or few, average songs in this opus, we can all the more put forward some tracks like "Engel", "Tier (Animal)", "Klavier" (Piano) or "Du Hast" (You have), which are from now on some classic songs of the band. This last song represents the universe of Rammstein perfectly. It is hard indeed to make more effective and more immediate than this small bomb which mixes skillfully Heavy Metal and Techno. The text has only 21 different words (as a comparison, AC/DC's "Back In Black", which was not written by Shakespeare, has all the more 69 words), but the riffs and the chorus are unbeatable.

But be careful! It would be although a mistake to reduce the band's lyrics to this level of simplicity. If it is right to say that this one still proposes a little "easy" lyrics or showing little interest ("Habe ich dein Weib dann, Töte mich und iss mich ganz auf, [...], Doch leck den Teller ab", "I've got your wife so kill me and eat me whole, [...], but lick the plate well"), we can also see him proposing much more poetic or profound lyrics. However, Rammstein's favorite style remains the double meaning texts for which an interpretation with sexual innuendo is not to be excluded ("Sehnsucht", "Küss Mich").

Rammstein thus signs here an album which manages to preserve the initial power of the group while starting a successful evolution towards more diversity and emotion. In a very justified way, the commercial success will be there ! - Official website

RAMMSTEIN

SEHNSUCHT

MERCURY

INDUSTRIAL METAL