Rock – art for cheap

RAMMSTEIN by Rammstein

RAMMSTEIN (or the untitled album) is the seventh studio album from German metal band Rammstein. It is composed of six members– Till Lindemann, Richard Z. Kruspe, Paul Landers, Oliver Riedel, Christoph Schneider, and Christian Lorenz. Needless to say, this is not the band’s first rodeo, as they have been making music for the last 25 plus years. Though they are famous for their controversial lyrics, themes, and performances, it would be a mistake to discount the German band as mere mindless shock metal. Combining elements of dancehall metal, gothic, and symphonic metal, Rammstein’s latest album is a testament to this.

The Bad: The most glaring error in RAMMSTEIN is the far weaker second leg of the album. Excluding the finale, “HALLOWMANN”, the last half is underwritten and rather boring compared to the dynamism displayed in the first half. The energy seems lost by “WAS ICH LIEBE”, and Rammstein never seems to fully regain their footing. The drumming on many songs is rather underwhelming, especially on the otherwise great “ZEIG DICH” and the less fun “TATTOO”. Many songs drag on for a bit too long (only two songs clock in shorter than four minutes), leaving a few good choruses and instrumentals feeling a bit dry by the third visit.

The Good: It is hard to not nod along to any of the infectiously aggressive songs of RAMMSTEIN. Lindemann’s vocals border on operatic at times, his deep-throated voice carrying many instrumentals to their landing point. I really enjoy his cocky, masculine inflections—the songs really wouldn’t feel the same without it. His emotionally charged performances on “DEUTSCHLAND” and “PUPPE” are high points on the album. The instrumentals, especially on the first leg, are majestic and surprisingly catchy. “DEUTSCHLAND”, “RADIO”, and “AUSLANDER” are immensely satisfying tracks that employ synths and keyboard well. The bass is clear but gritty, adding a sense of blunt sharpness. Guitars snarl and vibrate, taking their time to sink in. But the most surprising, and most commendable aspect of RAMMSTEIN was its lyrical and thematic depth. Far from the run of the mill shock rock lyricism, Lindemann paints vibrant and dark pictures of issues like nationality, abuse, religion, and hypocrisy. The band never shies away from their truth, a trait I find impressive. “DEUTSCHLAND” is a great example of this. The band looks at their country in shades of gray, presenting a conflicted feeling of pride, guilt, and anger toward their motherland. “ZEIG DICH” is another great cut that really displays the atypical poetry of Rammstein. “ZEIG DICH” displays a saddened disgust for the hypocrisy of modern day religion in an interesting way. Instead of condemning it as a whole, Lindemann seems to really attack the hypocrisy of much of the clergy. As a catholic, it is not hard to admit the failures of my church’s authority in recent years. An echoing choir accompanies the song throughout, creating not only an interesting statement lyrically, but also sonically.

Conclusion: Throughout RAMMSTEIN’s 46 minutes of vocal aggression and thundering instrumentals, there were many standout moments. I only wish they didn’t all appear in the first 25. I found myself returning to “AUSLANDER”, “SEX”, and “RADIO” more than the rest of the track list. It is disappointing that Rammstein’s combination of NDH, Gothic, and industrial could not keep pace throughout the album. I really did enjoy this album, and I hope that next time, Lindemann and company can summon the same bravado and masochistic magnetism through a whole project.

I give this album 7 UBERS out of 10. Thanks for reading.

Review: Ok I’m Sick by Badflower

OK I’M SICK by Badflower

Ok I’m Sick or OK I’M SICK is the first full length album from Los Angeles alternative rock quartet Badflower. The group is composed of singer Josh Katz, guitarist Joey Morrow, bass guitarist Alex Espiritu, and drummer Anthony Sonetti. Back in 2018, their single ‘Ghost’ popped onto my radar, a punchy alt rock cut with a lot of dramatic vocals and a tight instrumental. I didn’t think much of it then, but I went into Ok I’m Sick without many expectations. Their debut is a healthy 13 song, 55 minute long endeavor that employs elements of alt-rock, pop-punk, and emo with confidence—a misplaced confidence unfortunately.

The Bad: Josh Katz’s vocal and lyrical performances range from a tad overdone to insufferable. His overdramatic crooning on tracks like ‘x ANA x’ and ‘We’re In Love’ gets old fast. Then, songs like ‘Promise Me’ and ‘24’ dial it back considerably for a more melodic pop-punk take that is similarly fence-hugging and uninspired. The vocals on ‘Murder Games’ were so similar to the small amount of Evanescence I’ve heard, I had to do a double take. Getting into the lyrical elements of the record, Badflower cannot be called unambitious. The song topics range from drug abuse on songs like ‘x ANA x’ and ‘Heroin’ to severe depression and self-harm like on ‘Ghost’. However, the way these topics are treated, I get about as much emotional depth from them as I do from reading the angst-ridden slam poetry of a middle schooler. This is not to say none; it is, however, a little difficult to take them seriously at some points. Katz slams you over the head with his unsubtle songwriting and that is, to me, very off-putting. Compared to the intricate, intriguing approach other emo pop-rock bands like Arrested Youth and Twenty One Pilots take approaching the same topics, Badflower might as well spoon feed their opinions to you. Additionally, some songs just sound preachy—there is a song about how we should kill Donald Trump (‘Die’) and another about veganism (‘Murder Games’). Politics and opinions aside, Badflower’s writing is juvenile on these tracks.

The Good: Now, not every song’s lyrics elicit a cringe. Some sound genuinely painful, in a very good way for emo rock. There are moments on ‘Ghost’ that shocked me pretty well, and ‘Girlfriend’ is depressing and hilarious at the same time. Both are overall pretty enjoyable songs. ‘Daddy’ is a story about abuse and violence that manages to not sound entirely tasteless. It honestly is one of the best points of the album, making me uncomfortable in a brutally honest and up-front way. The vocals are considerably better as well, with Katz’s little falsettos toward the end of the track really popping out to me. In terms of the instrumentals, there is not much room for improvement. It is common for alt rock or emo-pop bands to fall into a trap of overproduced and over mixed blandness. Shinedown’s and Fall Out Boy’s last few records are abysmal for those exact reasons. Badflower manages to avoid this pitfall though. While I don’t exactly love the style in general, Badflower legitimately commands attention through their instruments, with songs like ‘24’ and ‘Heroin’ sounding majestic.

Conclusion: OK I’M SICK is instrumentally tolerable, but Katz’s songwriting really distracts from an otherwise punchy album. The vocals are overblown, and when the topics darken the lyrics can come close to childish. It’s not terrible, buts it’s not great. And it is most certainly not something I’d recommend to anyone not already knee deep in the genre.

I give this album 4 plastic murder bags out of 10. Thanks for reading.