Rammstein

Untitled

BY Lukas WojcickiPublished May 16, 2019

8
It's has been almost a decade since Rammstein last released a full-length record — but you would never know it. The internationally beloved German rockers have been generating just as much hype for this upcoming release as any of its predecessors — not to mention the requisite amount of controversy for a Rammstein release.
 
Untitled's first single, "Deutschland," has already amassed 50 million YouTube views in a month. The song's popularity has been matched by controversy, as Rammstein came under fire for using Nazi imagery to condemn chauvinistic nationalism.
 
Regardless of your stance, Rammstein have made an illustrious career out of inciting shock, and while the use of Nazi imagery is debatable, the band's success and popularity over the last 25 years are not.
 
For fans who have stuck with Rammstein over the last quarter century, the band stick to form on Untitled. The album's 11 tracks are anthemic, rhythmically driven, and infectious, perfectly blending industrial and electronic elements with hard rock and heavy metal in a distinctly unique way.
 
The album kicks off with "Deutschland" and "Radio," both of which have some of Rammstein's most memorable and easily recited choruses. The sparsely delivered and frequently repeated lyrics may not warrant a Pulitzer, but will have you belting out the words halfway through your first listen.
 
The two singles are followed by "Zeig Dich" which sounds like a metal cover of "Duel of the Fates" from The Phantom Menace, when Obi Wan and Qui Gon battle Darth Maul. The live orchestra and choir employed by Rammstein perfectly complement the band's over-the-top theatrics, adding a touch more drama than their virtual counterparts would have.
 
Perhaps in somewhat of a sequencing mishap, the ensuing track is decidedly the most poppy on the album. While "Ausländer" is not a bad song, its intensity pales in comparison to its predecessor, causing it to fall a little flat.
 
The next two tracks, "Sex" and "Puppe," are absolute bangers. The former sounds like it could fit snuggly onto 2004's Reise, Reise, while the latter offers one of Till Lindemann's rawest and most guttural vocal performances to date.
 
Rammstein's Untitled is believed by many to be the band's swan song, as each member's age hovers around 50. Considering the band hadn't released an album in ten years, a retirement announcement would not have come as a surprise, but instead we got one final album and at least a couple of years of touring to follow. For this reason, this album is a welcome addition to Rammstein's discography and one that will be chanted with equal fervour when they come to a city near you.
(Universal)

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