Driving, technical guitars; pulsating electronics; and some angry vocals. Sound intriguing?  I thought so as I considered latest CD from Rammstein, a German industrial band that has been getting some attention here in the States.  And with good reason.

Rammstein has a solid industrial sound, nothing too different or out of the norm for the genre. They also have some definite pop leanings, as far as song structures and radio accessibility are concerned. Album track "Du Hast"  has been getting attention over here--my local radio station has been playing it and MTV has started to show the video.

The best songs on this disc are the ones that seem to push the band's ability, while there are a lot of okay songs, only two, the aforementioned "Du Hast" and "Engel," seem to stretch the band. "Du Hast" is one catchy song, from the first time I heard it I was singing along.  "Engel," the other stand-out song on the disc, has a really cool steel guitar riff in it, reminiscent of something I heard in an old Clint Eastwood movie, but with the band's industrial fingerprints clearly visible.  The rest of the songs are pretty much filler for these two, a suspicion confirmed by the fact that these two are the only ones that have English versions.

As far as production is concerned, there are no real problems, although the German vocals can start to sound really harsh and gravely after a while.  Now, before you get your hopes up, let me warn you, Rammstein is not a "Christian band."  Several songs talk about sexual situations and one even mentions 'bdsm.'  Lyrically "Engel" ("Angel") is again a standout:

Just as the clouds have gone to sleep
Angels can be seen in heavens keep
Alone in fear they question why
Goddamn not an angel when I die

Angels live, they never die
Apart from us, behind the sky
They're fading souls who've turned to ice
So ashen white in paradise

By Joseph Rockstroh