Mutter

I remember taking a German course in high school, and the teacher asked if anyone knew any German bands/artists who only spoke in their native language. I felt like the coolest motherfucker in there when I was the only one who had an answer.

On the flip side, I practically remember nothing from that class. Real proof that I peaked in high school

Anyways, I haven't listened to Rammstein in a bit, so seeing that Mutter came out 25 years ago, better time than any to revisit it. Holy molly this was much better than I remember it being.

The major reason for this is due to the fact that no other band really sounds like Rammstein. You have the hard-hitting riffs with some great production, a big presence of syths and some really weird vocals that are performed entirely in German.

For as weird as unusual as the album is, it comes together extremely well and is just a great time to listen to. The riffs especially go hard, and are some of my favorites from the 2000's.

I will say some aspects haven't aged well for me. Sonne is a great song, but after hearing it 50 billion times on social media, I have started to become sick of it, but it's not really the fault of the music.

I also find the last few songs to not be as exciting as what came before it, as it begins to feel like the band is retreading on ideas explored earlier in the album. Still, this is a great, unique album and a real standout in a year already stacked with amazing metal releases.