Liebe ist für alle da signaled a return for the German titans, after a 5 years hiatus where the band almost self-destructed. Fortunately (for all of us fans) they found a way to get along and operate as a six-headed monster, and found their back to recording a new record.
On this offering, the band kicked their absurdity to a new level, premiering the first single on a porn site and offering a deluxe bonus edition of the record with fuzzy handcuffs and dildos molded after each member and their genitalia. The album's booklet also features a lot of graphic and gruesome scenes, with a heavy lean towards nudity. The album was released in 2009 and was the band's last disc before an extended period of inactivity.
Rammstein - Liebe ist für alle da
11. Wiener Blut
Okay, I lied on the last ranking. Wiener Blut (Viennese Blood) is absolutely the worst Rammstein song. There are absolutely zero redeeming musical qualities, and the fact that the story it is based around is true makes it even more horrifying.
10. Pussy
What do you do after disappearing from the map for 4+ years? You write a lead single that alternates between German and English lyrics, specially about sex. A lot of what R+ do is specifically for shock value, and making a video that had to be released on a porn site... because it's straight up porn. I dunno, even if the lyrics were totally in German, I don't think they could've ironed the cheese out on this one. Musically, it rollicks along as if it is not supposed to be taken seriously, which makes it even more amusing as a single.
9. Roter Sand
Roter Sand (Red Sand) is a lovely song that opens with singer Till Lindemann whistling before he sings about two lovers who have an old-fashioned pistol duel for a woman. The unnamed woman loves the protagonist more, but he is not quick enough and perishes. It's fairly bland other than the great lyrical work, otherwise. Sometimes their softer songs hit the mark, and sometimes they fall a little short.
8. Haifisch
Haifisch (Shark) is an interesting song, because it seems to be about the members of Rammstein and their love for each other as well as the fans, It's kind of a follow up to Ein Lied in that regard, and was released as the last single on the record. It has an upbeat mix of Flake Lorenz' keys and Christoph Schneider's pounding snare and tom work and is well strung together, if not standing out against the rest of the record. The video is a hat-tip to all of their previous work as well, with Till's mysterious death being shown committed by different members in scenes from old music videos.
7. B********
What would a Rammstein record be without confusing lyrics that can be translated or twisted into several different meanings? B********, or Bückstabü is never explicitly spelled out in any translation, and any time they are asked the band members say it can mean whatever you want it to mean. The lyrics are wholly ambiguous too - could be about sex, could be about anything you want it to be. The guitars are blistering and the song punches hard, so I guess take it for whatever you want?
6. Liebe ist für alle da
Christoph's drums immediately announce that you're about to go through a thrill ride on Liebe ist für alle da (Love is there for all), and with the strings joining in, you're pushed into a tidal wave of aggression and might. Curiously, it's the only album title that is more than 2 words (in fact, Reise, Reise is the only other album title that is more than 1), but this album is a little short on single word titles. Like many songs, this one is about longing for a sexual encounter with a woman, in which the protagonist dreams up a rape fantasy. I'm not sure how the band keeps making this lyrical plot device stick, but if they keep writing songs that hit this hard, I'm sure they can keep doing whatever they want!
5. Ich tu der weh
Easily the most controversial of the songs on this record, Ich tu der weh (I hurt you) is about S+M, plain and simple. Even the opening guitar riff feels like a whip cracking against willing skin. The line "Du liebst mich denn ich lieb dich nicht" obviously points to a master and servant relationship, and the lyrical content led to the song being banned in Germany. The group had to release a version of the album with this song omitted to make up for the fact that they were placed on the naughty list. The song itself is outstanding from a sonic standpoint, with Flake's keys shining brightest and the guitar work mirroring several songs from the Herzeleid/Sehnsucht era.
4. Mehr
I was honestly surprised when I pulled up Spotify and saw that Mehr (More) was one of Rammstein's least streamed songs. The song speaks of the singer's desire for excess in every aspect of his life, with a chorus that calls back to the bands earlier days of belting out the same word over and over again. The chorus guitars are crunchy and punchy, and Flake's keys help carry the song to completion. It's really just a solid song top to bottom, with a lot of different riffs and timing patterns thrown together to make another banger.
3. Rammlied
I don't think I've ever seen a band that likes to make up words as much as Rammstein does. Rammlied literally translates into "Ramm-song", and the band again uses it to incorporate their name into their lyrics. That's what, the 5th or 6th song to do so? They're giving KMFDM a run for their money in that regard. Anyways, Rammlied is about how the band is back - didja miss em?! That's pretty much it. "Wenn die Freude traurig macht, Keine Sterne in der Nacht, Bist du einsam und allein, Wir sind hier schalte ein" is one of my favorite verses in any R+ song. The guitars blend into the synths and the song feels like it wouldn't be out of place on any Rammstein record or live show. A truly titanic anthem about, well, themselves!
2. Waidmanns Heil
Waidmanns Heil (Hunter's Greeting, or Good Hunting) is one of those songs where you're immediately transported to a better place the moment the music starts. That faux bugle horn at the beginning immediately gets me jacked, and Till screaming "Die Kreatur muss sterben!" only serves to ramp the adrenaline level to 10. It's another one of those classic R+ tracks that just sounds and feels big. Lyrically, it could be thought of as a song about hunting for wild animals, or for a potential mate. I was honestly kind of surprised that this one never made it as a single, because it hits as hard as anything they've ever released.
1. Frühling in Paris
Well, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that my favorite song off of this disc is another beautiful one. Seemann, Mein Herz brennt, Wo bist du, and almost Engel. Somehow the band is equally skilled in throwing massive hammers and blasting out tremendous ballads. Like Wo bist du, Frühling in Paris (Springtime in Paris) has a screaming keyboard solo from Flake that helps to cement the song together. Driving acoustic guitar, hard-hitting snare and a sneaky bass-line that you might not notice on the first listen. It's just a fantastic song and was immediately my favorite when the album first dropped. Till speaks of a fling in Paris on this one - fairly straightforward without any of the usual R+ frills. Just another beautiful one with a soaring chorus and fantastic wordplay.
Well, that's about it. I wanted to do the first six albums because I've had over a decade with each of them, whereas the newest records were released in the last 3 years. I honestly haven't listened to the untitled record in the last year - I spun it so much after it came out that I needed a break. If I had to rank the albums, it would probably go like this:
6. Liebe ist für alle da
5. Herzeleid
4. Sehnsucht
3. Rosenrot
2. Mutter
1. Reise, Reise
The bottom half of LIFAD is just too weak to balance out the stronger songs, whereas Herzeleid is just more timeless at its peak. Sehnsucht has a load of good songs, but the big ones on Rosenrot just feel better. Mutter... well, what can be said? The fact that they followed it with Reise, Reise is incredible - how do you pack that much good music into such a short amount of time?
Anyways, thanks for following along if you took the time to read these. Below a link to each album's power ranking breakdown. If you don't already... have a good one!
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