Rammstein - Liebe Ist Für Alle Da
Universal Music Group
Industrial Rock/Metal
11 songs (46:04)
Release year: 2009
Rammstein, Universal Music Group
Reviewed by Goat
Major event

The most important thing for underground Metalheads to remember when listening to Rammstein is that they are not an underground band, and if treated as such the listener is bound for disappointment. Thirty million records sold worldwide attests to their popularity, if coming across their music in the likes of Vin Diesel vehicle XXX wasn’t enough. You can’t really call Rammstein listener-friendly, however, various extremities ranging from live flamethrowers (Till Lindemann is a professional pyrotechnician) and squirting dildos (earning them a $25 fine and a night in jail after simulated sodomy at a 1999 concert in Worcester, Massachusetts) to being accused of NeoNazi sympathies, one reviewer famously calling Mutter “music to invade Poland to”, leading to the song Links-2-3-4 being written as a response to such claims. Columbine high school murderers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were photographed wearing Rammstein t-shirts, and Pekka-Eric Auvinen (perpetrator of 2007’s Jokela School Shooting) noted them as being one of his favourite bands. The band’s videos have always flirted with controversy, from bank-robbings to nudity, and it seems that this will continue with the video for Pussy, the first single from Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, featuring hardcore pornography, the band pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable from mainstream musicians as never before.

It says a lot for these internet-friendly times, however, that most of the comments that I’ve read about the video are more concerned with criticising the music than the pornographic content itself. This is unfair; Rammstein as the most successful member of the Neue Deutsche Härte movement are influenced by the likes of Laibach, Einstürzende Neubauten and Ministry, all of which are more than capable of being heavily ironic, the woefully obscure Laibach especially. Pussy, a catchy stomper of a tune with a chorus that can only be removed from your head with surgery, deals with Germanic attitudes to sex, and the band’s dark sense of humour is obvious from the fact that it’s placed directly next to the Josef Fritzl-related song in the tracklisting. The one thing people have right about Pussy is that it’s not the best song on the album – the tracklisting is packed with killers. Opening blast Rammlied alone is jaw-droppingly good, Ministry-esque guitars and Faith No More-esque keyboards doing amazing things before switching to a typical Rammsteinian call and response style, Till duelling with a female choir before the explosive gang-shouted chorus of RAMM! STEIN! announces the band’s arrival in style.

In my view, it’s the band’s best since Mutter, crushing Rosenrot and beating even the very good Reise, Reise. Songwriting is tight and focused whilst being surprisingly complex at times; above all else, the guitar riff is back at the centre of the band’s sound, and the likes of Ich Tu Dir Weh (I Hurt You) use it to great effect, coupling on a killer chorus that shows Till’s voice off at its best. Waidemanns Heil (Hunter’s Hail) is infused with the energy of the hunt and features yet another great chorus, whilst the upbeat Haifisch concentrates more on the synths without losing a drop of catchiness. B******** has Till practically growling in a heavy Feuer Frei!-esque stomper, albeit with added orchestral motifs, whilst Frühling In Paris is an epic tribute to Édith Piaf, the ‘non, je ne regrette rien’ line given pride of place in the uplifting Industrial anthem. Wiener Blut (Viennese Blood), a look at the Josef Fritzl case, makes Mein Teil look like the height of sensitivity as the chorus’ roars of “wilkommen in der dunkelheit!” are as disturbing as the childish keening elsewhere in the track – as I mentioned before, that this is followed by Pussy is funny in a typically distasteful fashion. Frankie Boyle has nothing on Rammstein.

If I noticed anything about Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, it’s the slight similarity to Fear Factory’s poorly-received Transgression album. The title track here is practically Thrashy, the pounding guitars and aggressive percussion very reminiscent of the American pioneers, but where they sounded limp Rammstein are more alive than ever. An injection of Metallic aggression was sorely needed after Rosenrot, and this more than does the job – coupled with the improved songwriting, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da is a serious contender for the top albums of the year. The likes of Mehr (More) are amongst the best songs the band has ever written, a big heavy Industrial blaster with cathartic shout-along chorus. Heck, even closing ballad Roter Sand (Red Sand) is a whistle-ridden grandiose melancholic joy.

I got into Rammstein early in my Metal journey yet just as quickly fell out of love with them after discovering the heavier fare that the Industrial world has to offer. They’re an easy band to like, however, considering that the most they’ve ever ‘sold out’ is by not singing in German; appealing to the mainstream would be easier than ever for them at this stage of their career, but Rammstein have heard the voices of their fans and stepped back to what made everyone fall in love with them in the first place – that subtle Germanic humour more evident than ever. Ultimately, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da is truly love for everyone; another classic, well-balanced Rammstein release full of kickass songs that is certain to make my ex-colleague Danny’s kids enjoy car journeys once again, and will cause more than a few smiles on the faces of those who gave up on the German nutters. It won't persuade the haters, but it's more than enough reason for the lovers to keep the fire burning - probably the best Industrial release of the year, all in all.

MySpace
Killing Songs :
Rammlied, Ich Tu Dir Weh, Waidemanns Heil, Wiener Blut, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, Mehr, Roter Sand
Goat quoted 90 / 100
Other albums by Rammstein that we have reviewed:
Rammstein - Zeit reviewed by Goat and quoted 75 / 100
Rammstein - Untitled reviewed by Goat and quoted 80 / 100
Rammstein - Mein Land (single) reviewed by Aleksie and quoted no quote
Rammstein - Rosenrot reviewed by Danny and quoted 60 / 100
Rammstein - Lichtspielhaus DVD reviewed by Jay and quoted no quote
To see all 11 reviews click here
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