Music
Album Review – RAMMSTEIN’s oh so Controversial ‘Liebe ist für alle da’ (2009)
So, Rammstein is back after four years with their newest effort, “Liebe ist für alle da”. These guys have consistently put out solid records and the metal community seems to have quite the fondness in their hearts for these German industrial rockers. But just two months ago, they released a video for their first single, “Pussy”, and the metal community recoiled in horror. “This is Rammstein? But this sucks!”. As a result, fans began to fear the worst. The only thing left to do was wait and see what the rest of the album was like.
On October 20th, “Liebe ist für alle da” was released in the United States. At least with this reviewer, all doubts flew out the window. Now, I’m not saying that this album is flawless, by any stretch of the imagination, but these guys still know how to rock. The album opens up with “Rammlied”, a driving heavy rock song where singer Til Lindemann strongly shouts out “RAMM-STEIN!”, letting us know that they are most definitely back with a vengence. There is no doubt, by the end of this song, that this album is coming on strong.
The rest of the album sounds just as large and pristine. The production on this album is spot on. The drums sound crisp and solid, offering a very solid thump. The bass rolls in a very satisfying way that doesn’t muddy up the low-end spectrum. The guitars sound huge and thick, yet are clearly defined and have a great sustain. The keys and other “ambient” effects come through clearly. Lastly, the vocals are crisp, clear and wonderfully mixed in. Til does several vocal harmonies that are perfectly synced up and arranged to make sure that there are no “off-notes”. As the album progresses, some songs just stand out as gems. “Ich tu dir weh” and “B********” stand out as some heavy hitters that just scream mosh pit. “Frühling in Paris” and “Roter Sand” come off as ballads and have some truly beautiful melodies and chord patterns, the latter being somewhat creepy and melancholic. Music aficionados will find a special Easter egg in “Frühling in Paris”: some of the lyrics are from the song “Non je ne regrette rien” by Edith Piaf.
Overall, “Liebe ist für alle da” is a truly solid Rammstein album. Previous fans should easily find themselves enjoying this effort and newcomers can find easily accessible, yet very exciting material to blast as you’re driving.
AMC has announced that The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE, the standing-room-only performance celebrating AMC’s premiere of its newly-released The Vampire Lestat at New York City’s iconic Beacon Theatre last month, will debut on streaming.
The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE begins streaming on AMC+ on August 23.
Ahead of its streaming premiere, fans can preview the concert event, featuring original songs from series composer Daniel Hart and performed by Sam Reid, in Hall H at Comic Con International on July 24.
Our own Daniel Kurland attended the special event, highlighting how electric the Immortal Vampire is on stage: “It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.”
Based on Anne Rice‘s The Vampire Chronicles book series, The Vampire Lestat is the rock and roll-centric third season of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire” created by showrunner Rolin Jones.
The Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.
Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle star with Reid. Executive producers include Jones, Mark Johnson, Hannah Moscovitch, the late Anne Rice, and her son Christopher Rice.
The series finale airs this Sunday, July 19, on AMC and AMC+.