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Unrestrained - Canada - Rosenrot Review - December 2005

Rammstein - Rosenrot (Universal)

Rosenrot, the fifth album from this grandiose German sextet, is an album of contrasts. Members of the band have stated in the past that they enjoy blending elements that don't fit together, and this is, if one is to call it anything, a testament to that attitude. But before delving into the meat of the matter, perhaps some brief background on Rosenrot is in order. During the recording of their prior album Reise, Reise so much material was produced that it could have been released as a double CD, with this album comprising the second volume, or the "part two" (the band had wanted to name this recording Reise, Reise Vol. 2, but were vetoed by their label.) Due to this, some have already dismissed Rosenrot as Reise... leftovers, and while at least half the songs contained herein are from those sessions the most obvious being the album opener and homage to pyro "Benzin," which loudly proclaims the virtues of fire and accelerants in many forms while sounding at times extremely similar musically to "Dalai Lama" off Reise that in no way detracts from the cohesion and quality of Rosenrot.

Both lyrically and musically, Rammstein show themselves to have matured and evolved into a band who are not afraid to depart from their trademark aggression to bring forth a quieter, gentler version of themselves. Oh yes, the force and aggression remain, with such provocative songs as the aforementioned "Benzin," "Zerstören" (Destroy) which seems to be a pointed commentary on America's current political and social mindset, and features the most scintillatingly abrasive guitar sound of the album courtesy of founding member/guitarist Richard Kruspe and guitarist Paul Landers "Mann Gegen Mann" (Man Against Man), which will likely make some uncomfortable with its ambiguous lyrics and forceful refrain of "Schwulah" (meaning "gay").

Bombast is also present, as one would expect: "Spring" (Jump) tells the tale of a man forced to jump to his death in order to redeem himself from his shame pushed, it would seem by our narrator and "Hilf Mir" (Help Me), inspired by the Struwwelpeter story Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug (The Dreadful Story of Pauline and the Matches) are both songs that wander into the musically melodramatic territory familiar to any Rammstein fan.

There's also the expected hiccup, the track that doesn't quite fit: "Stirb Nich vor Mir" (Don't Die Before Me), a duet performed by vocalist/lyricist Till Lindemann who demonstrates with this track that he can indeed sing nicely and singer Sharleen Spiteri. Spiteri's vocals don't quite mesh with Lindemann's, and the fact that her parts are sung in English somehow detracts from the flow of the song. It's rumored that there exists an entirely German version, with vocals courtesy of Bobo (featured on "Engel" from Rammstein's Sehnsucht album), which we can hope will one day see release. Even so and despite the song's un-Rammstein nature I'm not completely ready to dismiss it, as it certainly has the ability to charm.

That minor quibble aside, there are quiet, even beautiful moments contained herein again, a testament to Rammstein's ability to blend contrasting elements successfully. Take title track "Rosenrot" (Rose red) the text of which was reportedly inspired by both the Brother's Grimm tale of the same name and Goethe's poem Heidenröslein a song that combines more aggressive moments with quiet passages to create a brooding sounding mix of heavy guitar and bass that matches Lindemann's words perfectly.

Another track showcasing the blending of calm and impassioned moments is "Wo Bist Du" (Where are You), which allows keyboardist Flake Lorenz time to demonstrate his craft while retaining the heavy guitar sound one would expect it's a brooding and almost depressive tune, yet a sinister aura permeates it throughout. "Feuer & Wasser" (Fire and Water) lyrically put me in mind of Lindemann's poetry contained in his published collection Messer (Knife) matched to what begins as delicate music, leading up to an impassioned and stirring finale. The level of artistry achieved with this song is so high it was something of a surprise to hear it for the first time, the blending of word and music creating an atmosphere of unfulfilled longing and bittersweet sorrow. And yet, as delicate and quiet as these tracks are at certain points, "Ein Lied" (A Song) is even more so. Again, lyrically it brings to mind Lindemann's poetry an almost constant theme on this album, his skill with words being very apparent on nearly every song. It's decidedly one of the more un-Rammstein songs of the album, but it stands as a shining example of musicians being able to create outside of their perceived boundaries. The refrain, "We are the servants of your ears / We were born for music / Whenever you're sad / We play for you," may be a moment of insight into the group's longevity and determination to continue creating increasingly well-defined and matured recordings.

This brings to the fore another obvious factor about Rosenrot: it's a recording by a band who have grown and developed much over the years, becoming a group of musicians whose level of quality is raised each time out. These songs are obviously well thought out and carefully crafted; much time must have gone into them before they've become what we hear now, and each member is allotted moments of brilliance. This is an album where angry and brash, vibrant and mournful, sublime and beautiful texts meet melodies of ingenious precision and shimmering brilliance. Rammstein have once again proved that they are indeed worthy of their success.

© 2005 Synthema