Rammstein - Zeit (2022) {Russian Deluxe Edition}

After a relatively quick turnaround, German metal masters Rammstein added another highlight to their discography with eighth album Zeit. Like many other artists around the world, a postponed tour during the COVID-19 pandemic forced the band back to the studio to funnel their creative juices into a new album, erasing any fears that it'd be another decade before hearing a follow-up to 2019's Untitled. Much like that catalog triumph, Zeit is yet another step forward in artistic growth and maturity; it might even be Rammstein's most thoughtful and poignant record to date. Yes, even with a song titled "Dicke Titten" ("Big Tits"). The title track is a towering accomplishment of power and restraint, an unexpected meditation on time and aging that finds hulking frontman Till Lindemann contemplating mortality against a swelling backdrop of angst and drama provided by guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Z. Kruspe, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph Schneider, and keyboardist Flake Lorenz. Similarly sprawling epics unfold throughout the set, from "Schwarz" ("Black") – an ode to the night that is woven with gorgeous piano – to "Meine Tränen" ("My Tears") – an unsettling snapshot of abuse that matches the heavy subject matter with appropriately dramatic string backing. The poignant theatrics are balanced by head-bangers so raucous that longtime fans will immediately envision Lindemann on stage smashing the hell out of his knees as towers of flames threaten to burn down the venue. The "Zwitter"-esque "Giftig" ("Poisonous") takes Rammstein's classic chugging riffs, frenzied synth stabs, and horror-choir dread and updates that delivery with a surprising Auto-Tune break (those effects later appear on the frenzied "Lügen" ["Lies"]). "Zick Zack" ("Zig Zag") settles into a deep groove as scuzzy guitar lends a "Keine Lust" energy to this biting social commentary that's both slyly smart and as icky as the accompanying music video. Flake works overtime on the keyboards as Landers and Kruspe summon a riff storm on the arena-metal "OK," while Lindemann roars his way through the mighty "Angst" ("Fear"). Along with "Zeit," "Giftig," and "Zick Zack," the album's grand opener, "Armee der Tristen" ("Army of the Dreary"), is a standout, a synth-heavy epic that recalls the best of Sehnsucht or Mutter. Stately and almost elegant, Zeit is a haunted, pensive work that faces life's inevitabilities with an appropriate rage, heart, and sense of humor that only Rammstein can deliver.