(Universal)
Total Playing Time: 46:20

In the last 25 years, no other metal band has been quite so unique and uncopied as RAMMSTEIN. The self-titled seventh studio album of the Germans, was released through Universal Music on 17 May 2019.  Ten years after their previous studio release, it is their first without Jacob Hellner as the producer; instead, it was produced by Olsen Involtini, a band member of EMIGRATE.

This album has, as is the case with every RAMMSTEIN record, 11 tracks, kicking off with the first single ‘Deutschland’, a nine-minute opus of the German history, as the  vocalist Till Lindemann played the part of a storyteller and provocateur with references to the Third Reich, Weimar Republic and Hindenburg disaster in a way that only he could do. The single ‘Radio’ is a highlight –it’s catchy as hell. ‘Sex’ is another killer! The final standout ‘Puppe’ is awesome and designed for playing in heavy traffic, with the car windows down. ‘Was Ich Liebe’ is a lovesong perhaps the most wick song of the album.

RAMMSTEIN and their unshakable sound have remained tethered to their originality, having sarcastic catchy lyrics with humorous sense and serious industrial power strikes. For that, they should be recognized around the world, because this album was made with care and craft, taking the best mixture of the last few decades and putting it all in one recording, which is undoubtedly a resounding triumph and keeps their legacy alive!

7/10

Nikos Mathiopoulos