I knew that once we got to Mutter and Reise, Reise, it would be a struggle. The band truly defined their sound on this record, with a much more modern feel and an emphasis on emotional lyrics. Most of these songs would fit in anywhere on future recordings, and I found it difficult to place such excellent songs so far down the power ranking.
Mutter was released in 2001, and while it did not sell as well as its predecessor, it expanded the global reach of the group and immediately shot up many of the European charts.
Rammstein - Mutter
11. Adios
Is Adios (Goodbye) the worst Rammstein song? There are only a few others that I would put at the bottom of the pyramid below it, if any. I don't know what it is, but I dislike everything about this song. That's a rarity for R+ songs, but I suppose everyone drops a clunker then and again.
10. Rein raus
Sex, sex, sex. I wonder if the guys from Rammstein love to screw as much as they sing about it, of if it is simply a point of being grotesque to fit the image. It's kind of a dumb song outside of that, although I feel like Ollie Riedel's bass is clear and resonant throughout. Also, imagine any American band releasing a song, where the chorus is simply them chanting "In" and "Out" over and over again. Why does it work for Rammstein? I think because of the way Till rolls his R's... heh.
9. Nebel
Nebel (Fog) is another song that is beautifully done from a lyrical standpoint, and would probably be super emotional if they played it live. It's 100% a heart-breaker, which it seems like R+ love to do at the end of their albums. Other than it being as slow as it is, I really don't have any knocks on the song. Someone had to be #9 I guess.
8. Mutter
I guess we're getting the beautiful, sorrowful songs out of the way early on Mutter (Mother). The title track is one of the stranger offerings on the record, seemingly about a test-tube baby who never knew his mother. The protagonist simultaneously years for her love while wanting to kill her. The giant chorus and agonizing screams of "MUTTER!" are enough to help the listener both feel the pain and the anger. Again, great track, there are just better here.
7. Links 2 3 4
In my head, I always think of Links 2 3 4 (Left
2, 3, 4; a military marching cadence) as a better song than it is, just
because it's fun to chant out and stomp along to. I guess drummer
Christoph Schneider really hammers the point home on this one, which is
absolutely necessary. I probably listen to it more than others on this record simply because of that, but I never really think of it as a fantastic song after listening to it. It's still a bop, just the 7th best bop out of 11. Lol.
6. Ich will
Talk about a great guitar riff and key combo. Musically, Ich will (I want) is a masterpiece, and the lyrics take it to another level. The band chose 5 massive singles on this album, and they nailed every single one of them. Gosh, I dunno, it's just a really great song. Words fail me other than that the song just keeps pounding on and driving the band's point home.
5. Spieluhr
Yes, I'll take "fucked up songs about children" for 200 please, Alex. As someone who lived through a somewhat fucked up childhood, songs like Spieluhr (Music box) always resonate with me. Probably one of my favorite actual choruses on any R+ song - definitely from this album. The creepy vocoder voice singing "Hoppe hoppe Reiter, Mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter" is enough to stir up the goosebumps all over my body, and the way the keys are synchronized with the guitars on the first two verses just make the song sound so much bigger than it actually is. The surreal ending where the child is saved also sparks chills throughout. Whew, what an exhaustingly amazing song.
4. Feuer frei!
I never though that a song as big, loud and explosive as Feuer frei! (Fire at will!) could be the 4th best song on a record. It'd probably be 2 or 3 on just about any other disc. The song is a live staple at FleischgewehR (our local Rammstein tribute act) shows, and their guitarist Steve once told me that while they like to mix things up from show to show, Feuer frei! is one that will be played at every show. The crowd always goes bananas, for good reason!
3. Zwitter
No song on the first 3 records gets me more amped up than Zwitter (Hermaphrodite). I used to walk around work just humming "Zwitter, zwitter" to myself, and the post chorus of "Eins für mich, eins für dich, Gibt es nicht für mich, Eins für mich, eins für dich, Eins und eins das bin ich" makes me laugh harder than anything else they've ever written. It's just a song on steroids, ripping through your veins and banging your head in every direction. It's messed up and majestic all at the same time. Someone once told me that if this was one of my favorite R+ songs, I was obviously not a fan... I'll wear that hat, thanks.
2. Sonne
Big. This song is BIG. Big as the friggen Sun its title mentions. Sonne is just an explosion - a perfect meld of the dancier side of the band found on the first two records, and the polished, riff-banging side from the next two. Two thoughts on this one... firstly, who doesn't love counting in a foreign language? And secondly, lyrics about celestial beings and the battle between light and darkness are some of my favorites. A poll was taken from R+ fans on their Facebook page a few years ago (After LIFAD but before the untitled record) and Sonne was ranked number one.
1. Mein Herz brennt
Gun to my head, this might be the best of all Rammstein songs. Any time the sextet delves into old German culture (poetry, news headlines, and in this instance an old television show), they end up leaving tons of ambiguity for the listener to absorb. Mein Herz brennt (My Heart burns) features a string arrangement that has been played live by legendary cellists Apocalyptica, and they give the topic of nightmares an extra jolt. There is absolutely nothing in this song that I do not love. Lyrics, heaviness, keys, bass, guitars, you name it. It's one of those choruses you have to SCREAM along with to fully appreciate. Ah, so good.
Whew, that was a tough one. Reise, Reise is my favorite R+ album, so tomorrow's assignment will surely suck the life out of me. Hope you enjoyed!
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