Rammstein - 'Liebe Ist Für Alle Da'

More Teutonic madness from hybrid metal/industrial band.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Nope, I don’t understand a single word of German outside of Beck’s. But that hasn’t stopped me from listening to Rammstein and attending their pyrotechnic-enhanced shows. The Teutonic rockers have always produced music that worked for both headbangers and Goths on an industrial dance floor. While the latest album Liebe Ist Für Alle Da shows little musical growth from previous efforts it’s vintage Rammstein nonetheless: beefy power chords; precise keyboards and vocalist Till Lindemann’s mesmerizing trill and Germanic bark.

Rammstein is one of the few German metal acts besides The Scorpions and Accept to find any sort of mainstream acceptance in the United States. The only issue is that fame was primarily for the single "Du Hast," a radio regular and a staple in spinning classes to this day. Many listeners missed out on what Rammstein produced in the years after Sehnsucht, including their excellent album Mutter. Hopefully this album will get Rammstein back in the mix as there are several tracks that deserve attention and would entice mainstream listeners. “Waidmanns Heil” marches like a modern barbarian anthem and “Wiener Blut” has Lindemann’s voice trading between shouts and monologues with overpowering guitars and synths.

The track guaranteed to get the band the most attention is “P—sy,” which features English lyrics that appear transcribed from a bathroom wall on the Jersey Turnpike. The gist is that the band can’t get laid in Germany (unlikely) and needs someone to help them “do it quick.” The X-rated video also includes the band indulging in live sex acts. It’s hard to tell if this is genuine artistic statement or calculated publicity stunt. I suspect the latter. As for the song? It’s not the best track on the album, but is catchy, if puerile. It might detract from the other good songs but help Rammstein sell albums. And plenty of bands won’t be able to call themselves transgressive when Rammstein engaged in pornography to help promote an album.

Rammstein will always be best experienced live, where band members play with fire as a fierce backbeat rages. But Liebe Ist Für Alle Da shows a still energized band that's unafraid to push their music past the boundaries of acceptability.