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.
It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.
Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.
Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.
“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.
“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”
You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…
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