Rammstein – Zeit
7/10
It took ten years for Rammstein to follow up 2009’s ‘Liebe ist fur Alle Da’ with their big untitled comeback album in 2019. Many expectations were riding on that album, as Rammstein were seemingly following the same path as that of their metal peers Metallica and Tool; that new material should be increasingly more rare and treated with the same sanctity as a stone tablet of commandments descended from top of Mount Sinai. Still, much like contemporary Metallica and Tool, contemporary Rammstein can only occasionally hope to live up to the music that made them into one of the most notorious bands of modern metal. From their 2019 untitled album, lead single ‘Deutschland’ did just that, with its powerful music and remarkable accompanying video. However, while the rest of that album breathed of quality, it did not breath so much of the signature blend of humor and hostility that is their big trademark. A “safe” Rammstein album, intended for the masses of their newfound stadium audience.
To the surprise of many, it took less than three years for Rammstein to follow up with their new album ‘Zeit’. This seems like a very quick release schedule for a big band these days, and brings to mind how it used to be back in 90’s and 00’s when your favorite bands always had a new record out every other year. ‘Zeit’ also feels much more like the Rammstein we knew back when ‘Reise, Reise’ and ‘Rosenrot’ were released only with one year apart. Back are the fun and highly listenable comedic songs like ‘Zick Zack’ and ‘Dicke Titten’, and even though they are both outrageous and silly they fit rather well next to the sentimental melancholy of songs like ‘Schwarz’ and ‘Lügen’. Rammstein even manage to sound threatening again on ‘Angst’, with its biting social commentary on how the masses live their lives controlled by fear.
The stand-out track is once again the lead single, the title track ‘Zeit’. It’s one of those sad laments where singer Till Lindemann shines the most, and is a great proof why he must sing in German. Till is a highly passionate vocalist and poet in his own language, and you don’t need to know a single whiff of German to really feel the delivery in lines such as “So perfekt ist der Moment/Doch weiter läuft die Zeit/Augenblick, verweile doch/Ich bin noch nicht bereit” (“The moment is so perfect/But time moves on/Moment, wait a minute/I’m not ready”).
As a whole, the album is a very welcome addition to Rammstein’s catalogue and although it might not be as great as their 2001 landmark album ‘Mutter’, it sure feels like the same band and the same type of album. As such, ‘Zeit’ might be a good indication that Rammstein still have plenty more to offer than just their infamous live shows.
- Artist: Rammstein
- Title: Zeit
- Label: Universal
- Date of release: 29/04/22
- Rate: 7/10
- Stand-out track: Zeit
