Rammstein
DEUTSCHLAND
Vertigo/Capitol
A decade after the release of Liebe ist für alle da [Love is For Everyone] in 2009, German industrial metal juggernauts Rammstein have finally announced the release of a self-titled seventh studio album, due May 17. Fresh out the studio is epic lead single, DEUTSCHLAND.
In signature Rammstein obscureness, DEUTSCHLAND opens with a somewhat trance-y keyboard intro before things ramp up into an industrial battleground. A punchy bass takes over, followed by synchronic drums and metallic rhythmic guitars, then it’s full-on chaos. Till Lindemann’s signature booming, orchestral-esque vocals create the feeling of a superior being speaking down from above, as echoing backing vocals subtly trickle around them.
The powerful industrial blend of sound and those towering celestial vocals create an atmosphere that engulfs everything around you, eventually consuming you entirely. Welcome (back) to the empowering and emotive world of Rammstein. Throughout, DEUTCHLAND builds to peaks of aural euphoria. Infectious energy builds to the point of expulsion when vocal and body involvement can’t be contained.
Though lyrically minimalistic, the track describes the band’s love-hate relationship with their home country, in a cathartic tit-for-tat intermixing of words battling superiority vs. inferiority. Combined with an epic nine-minute music video, they certainly make an eye-opening point.
Not to shy from controversy, the DEUTSCHLAND music video is an all-out in-your-face cinematic experience, having already received criticism from various government and religious officials. It depicts various snippets from some violent and contentious times of human conflict in Germany’s history, with some scenes seemingly taking place at present and into the future.
Among the many hidden, and not-so-hidden, Easter eggs throughout is Germania (played by Ruby Commey), the personification of the German people. Depicted as a strong, battle-ready woman, she is the defined centre point of Rammstein’s confronting exploration of the country’s national identity. Most controversial and eye-opening are the scenes showing enactments of the Holocaust and Nazi regime, including band members in concentration camp prisoner uniforms awaiting hanging (intricately detailed down to different members’ badges).
One thing’s for sure, when Rammstein drops, it’s most definitely going to be the hard dose of Neue Deutsche Härte [New German Hardness] we’ve been longing for the past decade. If DEUTSCHLAND is anything to go by, we’re in for something special, and hopefully a tour to boot.
RYAN ELLIS
