50. Rammstein - Zeit

Rammstein don’t actually need to make any more records. They have forged a reputation as the most incredible live band on this planet and they have enough bangers already to soundtrack their utterly bonkers presentations. They are a foreign language band headlining stadiums in the United States, they have made it. They do not need to do anything else. And to be honest they were not planning to. Their current stadium show is a piece of pure and utter genius. A behemoth of a stage that is designed to create a warm and intimate experience for all punters.

They were merrily dragging it around the world when the pandemic hit, and the aforementioned stage had to be mothballed for two consecutive summers. Instead of twiddling their thumbs, they got creative and the album that wasn’t meant to happen, happened.

“Zeit” does not stray too far from what makes Rammstein, Rammstein. Big choruses, easily chantable lyrics, and lots and lots of lavish keyboard flourishes. It is all wonderfully over the top and is all wonderfully Rammstein. But they have not stagnated, “Zeit” doesn’t feel like a filler or a “will it do” moment. There is real evolution here and the overriding sense is of a band that is still creatively thirsty.