Has it really been barely 16 years since German pyromaniacs Rammstein burst onto the industrial metal scene and changed the status quo of Music Performing 101? With the release of the best of collection, Made In Germany: 1995-2011, that would most certainly seem to be the case.
If you don’t know Rammstein yet, then I really have to ask: Where have you been for the last 16 years? I mean, really? Even if you’re not a fan, “Engel” and “Du Hast” were everywhere in the mid-’90’s. They’ve had music in dozens of movies, hell, they were even in XXX. My point? They’re not just music icons, they’re pop culture icons. Embrace this fact people.
Not to be outdone in the Greatest Hits department, Rammstein have made available a variety of formats for Made In Germany. For your average fan, there’s the 1-disc edition featuring 15 classics along with the killer new stomper “Mein Land”. As for the new song, it just proves that Rammstein are getting better with age. 2009’s Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da was stellar embracing the eeriness of Sehnsucht and the crunch of Reise, Reise. “Mein Land” gives great hope towards what’s coming in 2012 with a sound reminiscent of Rosenrot’s “Benzin” but heavier.
Next there’s the 2-disc edition featuring a bonus disc filled with remixes by the likes of Devin Townsend, Meshuggah, Junkie XL, and Pet Shop Boys among others. Finally, there’s the “Super Deluxe Edition” which you can buy me for Christmas if you’d like. It’s a 2-CD/3-DVD set limited to 1200 copies in the US and includes the entire Rammstein video catalog (Even those naughty ones!) and all the “Making Of” videos including 8 never-before-released. Oh, and it comes with a 240-page booklet and is housed in a steel box. Yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds.
If you already have the albums, then investing in the 2-CD or “Super Deluxe” version is certainly the way to go. However, whichever version you eventually go with (Last I looked online, you’re probably going to have to stick with the first two versions), you’ll still end up with a great collection of Rammstein songs. There’s the “Engel”‘s and “Du Hast”‘s of course but then the lesser known greats like “Keine Lust” and my personal favorite, “Ich Will” and the pummeling “Mein Teil”.
This is all in preparation for 2012 when Rammstein finally return to the U.S. for a proper North American tour. I remember seeing them at the Worcester Palladium during their last headlining tour in 1999 at the Worcester Palladium and it was definitely worth the price of admission. Their show has only gotten bigger since so it’s an understatement when I say this a show not to be missed.
Made In Germany: 1995-2011 is out now in all its’ glorious formats through Vagrant.
Grade: A+
Rammstein 2012 North American tour:
April 20 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – BankAtlantic Center
April 21 – Tampa, FL – St. Pete Times Forum
April 23 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena
April 25 – Baltimore, MD – 1st Mariner Arena
April 26 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
April 28 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Coliseum
April 29 – Worcester, MA – DCU Center
May 01 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
May 03 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
May 04 – Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
May 06 – Detroit, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills
May 08 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
May 10 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
May 13 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
May 14 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
May 17 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
May 18 – Glendale, AZ – Jobing.com Arena
May 22 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
May 24 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
May 25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center