Rammstein
Liebe Ist Für Alle Da

Rammstein has always been one of those bands that as a young teenager I didn’t appreciate or worse, hated. One day I happened to see a video that managed to intrigue me and made me want to explore the band further. Ironically, with Rammstein, this happened when I started studying German, around my third year of high school. At the time, it was 2005, “Rosenrot” had just been released, which for many had disappointed expectations. Meanwhile, I consumed their entire discography in a short time and began to crave a new CD from them, not knowing I would have to wait another 4 years...

After the first CDs that came out in 2009, my first thought was: “This is going to be a great year” well, I was right. The album was announced with the single “Pussy” which many believed had already lowered the album's expectations... But in my opinion, after the experience with singles like “Amerika,” “Benzin,” and especially knowing the band well, it is well known that with them you should never judge an album by its single.

“Liebe ist für alle da” differs greatly from previous works such as “Rosenrot,” “Reise Reise,” and “Mutter” while retaining some characteristics. It is an album that undoubtedly holds various surprises, as well as being in some ways more of a return to the style of “Herzeleid” and “Sehnsucht” characterized by the typical riffs of those times that perhaps had been missed in the last two albums, but which were compensated by a greater epicness. Although the presence of dear Doctor Flake is quite veiled, playing a fairly secondary role that stands out in some songs, unlike past albums. But it is still a good album worthy of a listen.

The first phase of this album is characterized by violent and industrial songs, as we can see as soon as the album starts with the slow and pounding “Rammlied” (Ramm-song), a vaguely self-celebratory song like the namesake “Rammstein”. An excellent start with a touch of epicness for what seems to be a great album from the Berlin band. Thus, for the next 4 songs, we can leave ourselves to listen to these songs, starting with “Ich tu dir Weh” (I hurt you), a song that presents itself with a continuous build-up that restarts in every verse and has its peak with the chorus, quite catchy by the way. Subsequently, we can let ourselves loose in the frenzy of “Waidmanns Heil”, a song that can surprise with an excellent performance by Christoph Schenider on the drums, particularly the double bass, something he rarely used. A touch of epicness can be found in “Heifisch” (Shark). A slow song, characterized by various melodies, but at the same time characterized by a penetrating riff. To end the first phase of listening we have “B********”. The enigmatic title already intrigues us, making us wonder what the real title might be, well the answer is Bückstabü. A word invented by them, as Richard Kruspe says in an interview, to mean “Do what you want.” Here we can find an almost growl performance by frontman Till Lindemann.

After this first phase weighing two hundred pounds, we can take a moment to pause by listening to the ballad “Frühling in Paris” (Spring in Paris). A pause that seems to continue also with the beginning of “Wiener Blut” (Viennese Blood) but we will soon realize we are wrong.

Well, now we arrive at the heart of the album containing the single and the eponymous track.

The single “Pussy”, what to say, is the typical Rammstein single with a catchy chorus that may or may not please, but at least I hope this does not prejudice the listening of the album as mentioned earlier. A special note is that it’s the only song on the album where the main role is given to the keyboards, whereas in all the others they act only as a backdrop.

The eponymous track of the album must always be, at least in my opinion, something sensational, or at least attention-grabbing. And Rammstein uses a quite rough and crude method to communicate to us that love is for everyone.

We reach the conclusion of the album, which begins to take on slightly more delicate tones, but the band, not yet tired, shouts to us that they want “More.” Finally, as per the best Rammstein tradition, the album closes with a pleasant ballad “Roter Sand” or Red Sand. A song that can be a ray of sunshine coming out at the end of a furious and dark storm which has been this album.