Issue #92: Rammstein – Sehnsucht

Released:  August 25th, 1997

Recorded:  November 1996 – July 1997

Genre:  Industrial Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte / Tanzmetall

Record Label:  Slash

Duration:  43:51

Producers:  Jacob Hellner, Rammstein

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Sehnsucht is One of My Favorites

Most people above a certain age can usually remember when Rammstein burst onto the scene.  They made waves on MTV with “Du Hast” and fans of rock and metal instantly latched onto the gruff German vocals and the chainsaw-on-sheet-metal guitars.  And who wouldn’t?  It was an amazing sound that built on the popularity of industrial metal at the time and introduced people to what was happening in  music elsewhere in the world.

Within Germany, the growing popularity of this style of music was dubbed “Neue Deutsche Härte,” or “New German Hard.”  Lindemann himself coined the term “Tanzmetall,” or “dance metal” to describe it, though it all comes pretty close to describing what we in America call industrial metal.  It has the aggression and heaviness of metal combined with synthetic instrumentation  to give the music a noticeable electronic quality.  Think KMFDM (also German) with a slant towards metal instead of dance music.

It’s funny how, by hearing something over and over, it becomes easier and easier to repeat, even if the actual sounds have little to no meaning.  I’ve gotten used to many of the songs on this album to a degree where I can “sing along” with them, even though I have no idea what they’re saying.  I’ve never looked much into translations, though I did find the English versions of “Engel” and “Du Hast” a bit less interesting than their German counterparts.  I suppose part of the appeal is the mystery, and the fact that German has an inherently hostile sound too us.

Back to the KMFDM reference, “Sehnsucht” starts off an awful like a typical guitar driven track from the industrial giants.  However, instead of the sometimes flat and sampled guitars, Rammstein’s are robust and as metallic as any guitars I’ve heard.  The booming of live drums gives the music a fuller feel than traditional electronic-based compositions.  Several mechanical noises fill the air and the choir-like vocals of the chorus become one of the band’s defining characteristics.

“Engel” is much more industrially centered with its slinking bassline and mildly atmospheric synths.  Crunchy guitars drive the song forward at a steady pace while the female vocals and the “old west” whistle add a nice touch.  “Tier” kicks off like a slowed down song from Slayer (who’s riffs were an influence on KMFDM) and indeed this may be the most KMFDM-esque track on the album with its dancey feel.  “Bestrafe Mich” has a Ministry feel to it, at least until the uplifting, almost operatic choruses that tend to be more reminiscent of metal acts like Helloween (also German).

“Du Hast” is what everyone remembers, and while the entire album has a great overall sound, “Du Hast” is the strongest distillation of these elements into a single song.  Right away the song kicks off with big, hollow drumming and a killer riff.  Sparse synth carries the verses right up to the dramatic entrance of the chorus with the choral “oohs” and “ahhs” and Lindemann’s best singing voice.  “Bück Dich” continues the hard hitting trend with a pounding industrial beat and the relentless slamming of guitars.  And when they stop, the frantic sounds of machines fill the air while the lyrics choppily land between eats.  It’s a creepy, unsettling song, but a great follow up to the hard to follow “Du Hast.”

“Spiel Mit Mir” is another strong track.  Guitar and piano-like synth engage in an exchange as Lindemann’s vocals rhythmically chug along.  There’s a slightly martial element to it, reminding me a little of Laibach’s work on Opus Dei.  A wonderfully creepy guitar solo is thrown in as well; this is definitely one of the most unique songs on Sehnsucht.  “Klavier” starts off as a relatively slow piano “ballad,” or as close to a ballad as this type of music can get, and then bursts into a wall of guitar fuzz complete with string arrangements and horn accents.  It’s a bit like a cross between something from a movie score and older, traditional doom metal a la Candlemass with the addition of symphonic elements.

“Alter Mann” brings us back to more straightforward guitar driven music with more of the killer riffing and the tight, crunchy guitar tone that these guys nailed so well on this record.  “Eifersucht” introduces more blistering guitar grinding alongside some interesting synth that could’ve been pulled from an NES game.  The effect works well, and it’s another fine example of the album’s ability to fuse light electronics with crushingly heavy rhythms.  “Küss Mich” closes the album proper with a plethora of sound effects over an almost chaotic mass of distortion, letting some of the more calculated aspects of the album unwind in a blanket of noise.  For the American release, 2 additional bonus tracks were tacked on – English versions of “Engel” and “Du Hast.”  Instrumentation is identical to the originals and only the vocal tracks have been changed.  As I said early, the English pieces lack some of the punch of the German versions.

There are only so many ways that I can describe booming drums and grinding, abrasive guitar riffing, but truly it’s these sounds that lie at the heart of the album.  I’m not complaining; this exactly the type of guitar noise I love to hear.  Their cold, steely quality makes them stand out even more.  The sounds are tightly focuses and there’s not a lot of excess noise floating around despite the distortion.  It definitely gives the music a more clean and technical quality that fits in well with the precision synth additions.

Lindemann’s deep, growlish vocals and the constantly unfamiliar sounds of German help distinguish Sehnsucht and the larger body of Rammstein’s work.  Juxtaposed with the harshness are his more melodious moments, which come off as hymnal and choral more than traditional rock or metal singing.  There’s a regality and grandeur to be found in the band’s sweeping choruses.  Some cuts are borderline experimental, such as “Bück Dich,” “Küss Mich,” and “Klavier” though they remain grounded with the rest of the album’s material and stand out as merely “diverse” rather than out of place.

Some people may find the music a tad repetitious but those who like this style will be more than satisfied.  Rammstein certainly kept in touch with the “metal” aspects of their sound, and Sehnsucht contains far less repetition than the more electronically geared industrial acts like (as I’ve already mentioned) KMFDM and Skinny Puppy, and even guitar-driven Ministry.  This record has the unmistakable sound of industrial metal without falling into the trap of so many mid-90s NIN copycats.  Besides, it’s the only German language album to ever achieve platinum certification in the U.S.!

Written by The Cubist

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Written by The Cubist

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I collect as much video gaming paraphernalia as I can get my hands on, especially when it comes to hardware. With over 40 systems including oldies like the ColecoVision and Intellivision, obscurities like the CD-i and 3DO, and the latest and greatest including the Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, and PS Vita, I get easily overwhelmed. Most of the time you can find me firmly nestled sometime between 1985 and 1995 when it comes to my games of choice, but I’m also having a great time seeing what the 8th generation has to offer.

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