CD Review

RAMMSTEIN
Mutter
Motor/Universal

Remember the time when parents were shocked by Elvis and his pelvic gyrations? Remember the invasion of the KISS Army into Saturday morning cartoon schedules and the trading card industry? And of course you know about the Columbine high school shootings that were blamed on Marilyn Manson’s nefarious musical influences. Well, parents everywhere, beware: Rammstein is back on the job with their latest Mutter, a seemingly more well-rounded and melodic effort (not to mention less complicated), compared to when they first broke out in the U.S. via the sickening, wonderful track "Du Hast" That monster single had listeners sitting up, both mystified and blown away with the combination of hard industrial drum beats and compressed monster guitar riffs that made them forget the impenetrability of the German lyrics.

In fact, it never would’ve mattered if they were in English, since music so incredibly pounding doesn¹t need song lyrics to go with it. As for shock value, these sons of neo-Nazi rock carry plenty without even trying. If KISS were a comic book/horror house kind of nightmare and you had to be a Catholic to fear Marilyn Manson, Rammstein just scares everyone without prejudice. With a sound as fearsome as a whole battalion of Nazi soldiers closing in for the slaughter of innocents, Rammstein are a bunch of guys out to show listeners that truth is definitely scarier than fiction, as pictures of suffering and agony begin to visualize in your head as the main track "Mein Herz Brennt" hypnotizes your brain into fearing what you don¹t understand. It definitely doesn¹t stop there "Links," with its marching beat, has larger-than-life rock guitar riffs that bring you back to the Judas Priest/Heavy Metal heyday we all secretly miss. It gets most industrial in on this specific track, with transitions in beat from droning to pulsating to a slow, almost apocalyptic feel.

As usual, the vocals are almost a sinister whisper, and the guitars act mostly like a special effects box from some sci-fi movie. A German sci-fi movie that is, and Rammstein takes it further still when they proceed with "Sonne," reminiscent of Marilyn Manson’s 1995 release Mechanical Animals. Small wonder why both acts shared the stage at tours like Ozzfest and the Tattoo The World tour. The closest the band comes to a ballad is on the title track, "Mutter," a haunting tune complete with eerie wails from a woman who¹s gone totally loco. Interestingly enough, it sounds a lot like Metallica’s "The Unforgiven" with its minor-ish progression, but it still is a fine track, with its slow build-up to a crashing finale. Rock music has always been blamed for social ills by organized religion and misguided parents gathering for a witch-hunt.

Rammstein present the best counterargument there is against the narrow-minded: not a mewling apology, but a powerful punch in the face. - Joey Dizon of Pulp Magazine