Reise, Reise

One of the more unlikely success stories in music-business history, German heavy-metal collective Rammstein creates a totally uncompromising and wildly (some would say ridiculously) dramatic sound that combined elements of goth, industrial, Wagnerian opera, and progressive rock, with lyrics sung almost exclusively in German. Rammstein's concerts were even more over-the-top than the ensemble's recorded output, matching the performance art-inspired wackiness of Devo with the gross-out antics of Gwar.

On its fourth album, REISE, REISE, the group continues on its mission to be one of the heaviest, spookiest, and most bizzare acts in rock, delivering one bone crunching, sci-fi/monster-movie-like epic after another. The title track mates effects-laden My Bloody Valentine-style guitars with Dream Theater-like twists and turns, while "Morgenstern" features a chorus that sounds straight out of an Alpine beer hall operated by Freddy Krueger. The most significant break with the classic Rammstein sound, however, comes with "Los," which is driven by a surprisingly bluesy acoustic guitar. Often sounding less like a band and more like the disembodied product of a haunted, demon-possessed recording studio, REISE, REISE will undoubtedly please any fan of extreme music.

What the critics say…

CMJ (p.16) - "[S]ung completely in Rammstein's native German, accompanied by harsh riffs that are punctuated by blips, samples and sprawling synths."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.52) - "Pulverizing and beautiful at the same time."