Ranking All the Rammstein Studio Albums

Rammstein is a German band that formed in 1994. Genre-wise, they make Neue Deutsche Härte, which is a kind of crossover music that incorporates influences from rock, techno, and others. Something that is unsurprising when the term means “New German Hardness.” In any case, Rammstein is notable for being pioneers of Neue Deutsche Härte. Moreover, they have been very successful, as shown by how they are known far beyond their native Germany.

7. Rosenrot

Rosenrot was Rammstein’s fifth studio album. It can’t be considered a bad release. However, the process by which Rosenrot came into existence showed very clearly in its content. For those who are unfamiliar, it was released just a year after its immediate predecessor Reise, Reise. As such, six of its songs were songs that had been omitted from its immediate predecessor, which is why it was once called Reise, Reise Volume Two. It would be an exaggeration to say that Rosenrot felt like a collection of B-sides, particularly since much of its content was rather memorable in their own right. Still, the fact that it was made in just a year’s time shone through from time to time. Something that made it less capable of contending with the rest of Rammstein’s body of work.

6. Herzeleid

The making of Herzeleid was complicated by a whole bunch of things. To name an example, Rammstein ran into issues when they were told to look for a producer because it was unusual in East Germany. Initially, they wanted either Bob Rock or Rick Rubin, with the result that they were told to be less ambitious. Instead, Rammstein winded up with Jacob Hellner. The two sides didn’t have a common language, so the band had no way of communicating that they weren’t happy about the way that Hellner was making them sound. Fortunately, Rammstein and Hellner were eventually able to communicate with the assistance of a Dutch engineer named Ronald Prent, thus enabling them to get past that particular hurdle. In the end, Herzeleid managed to be an excellent launchpad for the band’s career. The characteristics that make Rammstein who they are can be found here, though they would be further refined in subsequent releases.

5. Reise, Reise

Reise, Reise became much talked-about for a number of reasons. For example, English speakers might remember it because of “Amerika,” which was a criticism of American imperialism close to the start of the Iraq War. However, it should also be mentioned that the lead single was called the “Cannibal Song” in Germany because it was about a real incident involving exactly that. Regardless, Reise, Reise was a solid release with a fair number of memorable songs. It experimented a bit, but in a lot of respects, it remained true to what had come before. As such, the studio album was far from perfection but still worth listening to.

4. Sehnsucht

Sehnsucht was just Rammstein’s second studio album. Even so, it was quite successsful in a commercial success. For proof, consider the fact that it managed to sell more than 500,000 copies in Germany, which was enough for it to be certified platinum in said country. Furthermore, Sehnsucht also has the distinction of being the one Rammstein studio album sung 100 percent in German to be certified platinum in the United States. In fact, English speakers might remember it because of “Du Hast,” which showed up in The Matrix as well as other movies. Having said that, Sehnsucht didn’t become so successful through pure coincidence. Instead, it earned it by being both playful and powerful, with the result that it went on to become influential on industrial metal as a whole. It can’t be called the best of Rammstein, but a lot of its songs continue to stand as Rammstein staples even in the present time.

3. Untitled

There are a lot of bands that fade out over time as though they had a limited supply of creative energy that was lavished upon their earlier releases with nothing remaining for their subsequent works. Rammstein can’t be considered one of these. After all, the band’s releases have been received well by the critics with considerable consistency as well as consistent controversy. Something that remained true for the untitled Rammstein studio album that came out in 2019. This release was particularly interesting because a decade had passed since the release of its immediate predecessor, showing that the band retained their music-making skill in spite of the passage of so much time. Nothing served as better proof of this than how its lead single “Deutschland” became the band’s second song to hit the number one position in Germany.

2. Liebe ist für alle da

By this point, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Rammstein’s sixth studio album was the subject of considerable controversy as well, particularly since the band are quite good at making decisions designed to attract it. Indeed, this release winded up being restricted to being sold to adults in Germany, with the result that it had to be re-released absent a song as well as absent a picture for the German market. Even so, the sixth studio album was well-received in both a critical sense and a commercial sense.

1. Mutter

There have been a lot of bands with short-lived success and there will continue to be a lot of bands with short-lived success. However, Mutter made it very clear that Rammstein wouldn’t be going away anytime soon after the success of Sehnsucht. The release proved itself with its masteful execution, so much so that it became regarded as one of the greatest industrial metal albums ever made. Naturally, this also meant that Mutter was extremely influential, thus cementing Rammstein in the musical landscape.