Rammstein: Mutter

Artist: Rammstein
Album: Mutter
Year: 2001
Line-Up:
                Till Lindemann- Vocals
                Richard Kruspe- Guitars
                Paul Landers- Guitars
                Christoph Schneider- Drums
                Christian Lorenz- Keyboards
                Oliver Riedel- Bass
Sub-Genre: Industrial Metal

Controversial German industrial metal band Rammstein's full length, Mutter, is a collossal effort full of powerful and bombastic songwriting which is energetic, catchy and as a whole is a barell of fun to listen. The music on this album, though heavier than the last record, is typical for Rammstein; a crossover of groove metal with synthesizers and some elements of dance music. Where this might not be among the better news to begin with, the band absolotely burns its way through into your ears with a set of 11 meticulously written and powerfully executed tracks. The high point of the album is the simple yet energetic approach of songwriting which remains consistently high throughout the duration of the album. The highlight among the performances is vocalist Till Lindemann who with his powerfull operatic baritone voice gives the band its unique identity. He breathes fire into the stellarly composed songs increasing the power of the music multifold. The songs are short, cachy, to the point and are given full room to develop. Mostly the songs tend to be midpaced with around four or five riffs providing their backbone. The riffs are arranged in a manner so cogent that rarely does a track feel repetitve or insipid. The lyrics, though in German, are very deeply written, if some effort is taken to have them translated.

Highlights, if I start listing them out, will turn out to be the entire record. Never-the-less, the ones that really stand out from the bunch are the bombastic opener Mein Herz Brennt featuring a strong vocal performance from Till and an epic synthsizer melody in the chorus, the groovy, moody and haunting Ich Will, the darkly sarcastic Spieluhr, and the raging Adios. The thrashy blitzkrieg of Adios might just be one of the best tracks they have written. The title track is a sad and depressing song featuring a very emotive performance by Lindemann. The closer Nebel is a softer song, a stark contrast from the rest of the album which once again features some of the finest vocal work by Lindemann. Rein Raus and Zwitter are the low points for the record, at-least compared with the highlights.

The album is yet another stellar addition into the Rammstein cataloque. The record, with its simple and energetic compositions, is a must listen for all fans of heavy metal music especially for the fans of the more melodic spectrum of the genre. The german lyrics might be a put of for some, but it is an aquired taste and adds to the teutonic aura of that album.

Final rating: 96/100