Till Lindemann : "Zunge"

 The singer from Rammstein debuted his solo album last month, He had help from Sky Van Hoff of Machinemade God who has also produced albums for Rammstein, as well as other German metal bands like Kreator and Caliban. Carach Angren keyboardist Clemens Wijers also lent a hand to things. The title track takes things slower to get warmed up than "Sport Frei" which bounces to life with a more orchestral backdrop. Guitars are present and synths drive things though the first two songs feel less industrial than Rammstein. "Altes Fleisch" has more of an industrial groove to it thanks to the synths. The song also flows better than the first two, which are still well-written, but get almost too grandiose.

"Ubers Meer" is somewhat anthemic. The vocals are more thoughtful. His delivery is consistent with what he normally does for his day job, though I am surprised he is not singing more since the songs were solely written to showcase him as a singer. Sometimes things move at more of a waltz and in case you did not know a waltz is not an industrial time signature, as the machine-like nature of industrial music requires it to be staccato. 'Tanzleherin" is more of a German folk song. It works off acoustic guitar, but the positive to this is he sings more. I can not fault him for wanting to explore other kinds of music when venturing out on his own. 

"Nass" almost sounds like a German take on Loud Reeds " Walk on the Wildside" before it kicks in. It goes in both a heavier and darker direction which works for me. We also get to hear him sing more forcefully. It might be the best display of his talents thus far. There are some more dramatic moments on this album where he sounds like Joel Grey in "Cabaret".  "Schweiss" finds a more grooving dynamic setting it, though dipped in the expected melodrama. "Lecker" packs a little more punch, but sounds like most radio rock when the hook comes in. 

Then the album drops into balladry. I mean I wanted to hear him actually sing more, but did not want the equivalent of "Home Sweet Home". I do not hate ballads, but it's easy for them to become boring. "Rodel" picks the pace up, almost to the point of sounding like something you might hear at the Germany exhibit in EPCOT. I will give this album an 8.5, it has some strong moments and more often than not delivers what you want from him even without Rammstein.