Rating: NNN
With the help of an online translator, I can now tell you that “rosenrot” roughly means “rosy red.” What that has to do with the album is beyond me, but what I do know is that the artsy German industrial band who became popular with that Du Hast song are back with a fifth album on which they deliver more standard pulsating, mechanical metal while also experimenting with less aggressive material. Where Spring delivers a fierce mid-tempo stomp with Vikingesque melodies, Stirb Nicht Vor Mir, in which singer Till Lindemann shares a duet with haunting female vocals, borders on darkwave pop. Lindemann’s deadpan, humourless delivery risks losing its effect by the midway mark, but the bizarre Te Quiero Puta! saves the show with bombastic mariachi trumpets and Latin melodies. Truly, a strange but interesting bunch of guys.
