Just when you think you have a grasp of what to expect from the German industrial metal act Rammstein, they decide to shake up the formula a bit on their fourth full-length release Reise, Reise.

Stifled and crippling under the weight of their own restrictions and egos, Rammstein decided that the pressure and difficulties faced while making 2001’s Mutter had to be addressed, and the sound result on Reise, Reise is one of Rammstein allowing experimentation into their song writing, progression and one of having fun while doing it.

The six piece act (Who are vocalist Till Lindemann, guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein, bassist Oliver Riedel, keyboardist Flake Lorenz and drummer Christoph Schneider) lay on the dramatics with the slower paced brooding title track ‘Reise, Reise’ (Translated as either ‘Journey, Journey’ or ‘Voyage, Voyage’, and featuring some rather different instrumentation such as the accordion) before shifting to familiar territory with the heavy and aggressive first (And controversial) single ‘Mein Teil’ (‘My Tool’, based around the true story of cannibalism).

The darker sounding ‘Dalai Lama’ utilizes choir harmonies, but tends to lag a little through repetitiveness. On the other hand, the militaristic march of ‘Keine Lust’ (‘No Desire’) helps balance the equation with more traditional Rammstein material.

Rammstein’s newfound freedom is best exemplified in the acoustic/harmonica dominated ‘Los’ (‘Let’s Go’, a track which will certainly divide long-time fans) and the trivialisation of American culture on the second single ‘Amerika’ with a mix of German and English choruses (Not to mention a tribute to Public Image Limited’s ‘This Is Not A Love Song’ mid way through).

‘Moskau’ is reminiscent of a slowed down version of a K.M.F.D.M. track with the addition of Russian vocalist Viktoria Fersh, while ‘Morgenstern’ takes on a riskier move with the weight of a full choir added to heavier guitars, but the risk inevitably pays off.

The slower and morose sounding ‘Stein Um Stein’ is a little too unimpressive (Apart from the guitar solo and some great keyboard work), while the ballad ‘Ohne Dich’ (‘Without You’, and the first song to feature Riedel on backing vocals) and the equally down sounding ‘Amour’ finish off the album. Perhaps ending the album in such a manner (Two slower songs) may not have been the wisest decision (Separating the two would have helped in the consistency), but they’re good tracks none the less.

Rammstein have embraced change on Reise, Reise, and no doubt some will be resilient to the change of sound of old, the album still has all the feel of the older albums (Dark, heavy and brooding), along with some twists that will retain most fans interest.

Rammstein’s journey is far from over by the sounds of Reise, Reise, and that’s only a good thing.

Related Link: rammstein.de