Background
The history of Reise, Reise is an interesting one. After Mutter’s release back in 2001, those among the fan community began to notice that the band looked like they were going to spilt. The band themselves also noticed this, as the tension between the various members was high at the time. In an unexpected move, Rammstein decided instead to take a break for a couple years to ease the tension between, and hopefully rejuvenate them. This break lasted until late 2003/early 2004 (I’m not sure which), when they announced that they were back in the recording studio created music for their next album. After a couple months, they had completed Reise, Reise, which was released on September 27, 2004, and released all over Europe shortly after, and was also released in the U.S. on November 16, 2004.
The second interesting aspect of this album was it’s cover. Designed to look like a black box from an airplane, grey-black lettering was displayed promptly on the front in the form of the phrase “Flugrekorder Nicht Offnen”, which translates into “Flightbox: Do Not Open”. In addition to looking like a black box, there is also the final 30 seconds of Japan Airlines Flight 123 on the CD as well (More on this in a moment. The European releases have it at the end of the disk, while the U.S. release has it at the beginning).
The Japanese release of Reise, Reise is also interesting. Release on April 21, 2005 (much later that the European & U.S. release dates), this version was a bit different than it’s earlier counterparts. The cover art was different (it used earlier, modified artwork that would be modified again, and used on Rosenrot later in the year), the 30 seconds of audio was cut, and two remixes were added to compensate for the missing audio. Those of you who read my original review will know why this happened, and don’t necessarily need to read the next paragraph unless they want a refresher. For those who don’t know, read on.
On the evening of August 12, 1985, the rear pressure bulkhead of Japan Airlines Flight 123 suffered from explosive decompression 12 minutes into the flight, and caused the aircraft to crash into Mt. Fuji, 32 minutes later. 520 out of the 524 people on the flight had died, making it the deadliest single-craft accident, and the second-deadliest accidental plane crash in history (behind the infamous Tenerife Airport Disaster). The final 30 seconds I mentioned before was 30 seconds of the pilot (and maybe the co-pilot) yelling, panicking, and trying to keep the plane aloft.
Due to this horrific disaster, Rammstein changed the album so that it wouldn’t offend their Japanese audience. As I stated above, the original black box cover was replaced with an earlier, modified artwork that would be modified again and used for Rosenrot, and the final 30 seconds of the black box was removed entirely, and two remixes were put in it’s place. Despite the changes, the songs on the album remain the same as it’s European & U.S. counterparts. In perhaps a strange twist of fate, the album was once again released in a limited edition in 2009, with it’s original cover, and the 30 seconds from Japan Airlines Flight 123's black box was place back on the CD.
Songs
Reise, Reise (Arise, Arise/Journey, Journey/Travel, Travel): We begin our journey through this album with this song. Before the lyrics come into hearing range, you hear waves crashing back & forth, and a group of sailor chanting while they work. If you couldn’t tell, this is a modern-day sailor’s song: it speaks about traveling on the open sea, braving it’s dangers, and encountering the unknown. When the vocals are over with, the chanting returns, accompanied by some appropriate accordion instrumentation.
Mein Teil (My Part) (Remix: ***): Next up is Mein Teil, which is perhaps one of their more disturbing songs to date. It’s based off of the Armin Meiwes cannibal case, perhaps one of the most sickening cases ever to appear in a foreign court. Basically, Armin has posted up on a blog that he wanted the following:
“Looking for a well-built 18- to 30-year-old to be slaughtered and then consumed”
Incredibly, someone (who’s name I will not mention to protect his identify) had actually responded to the post, and on March 9, 2001, this person went to Armin’s house, and without going into all the gory details, had become this man’s food for 10 months. Luckily, the authorities captured Armin, and is currently serving life imprisonment for the deed.
Dalai Lama: We return to the traveling theme of this album with Dalai Lama, which is partially based off of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem, Der Erlkönig. In that poem, a father and his son are riding on a horse towards a farm, with a spirit chasing behind them. The spirit eventually reaches the child, and kills him. The father does not know that his son is dead, until he turns around to see him. The fundamental feeling of this poem is still within the song, but instead of riding on a horse towards a farm, the setting instead is a father & son on an airplane, with the spirit in the sky following the plane. The spirit attacks the plane, and in response, the father holds his son tightly. In an shocking twist, the father holds his son so tight, he accidentally suffocates him to death.
Keine Lust (No Desire): Written as a way to display their displeasure towards their lives in the music business at the time, Keine Lust also has the distinction of being one of their funnier songs. With lyrics like “I don't feel like not hating myself/Don't feel like touching myself
I would feel like masturbating/Don't feel like trying it/I would feel like getting undressed/Don't feel like seeing myself naked”, it’s hard to not laugh. The video also adds to the humor of the song, as the whole band (with the exception of Flake the keyboard player, who was in a wheelchair the whole time) was dressed up in fat suits trying to play their instruments.
Los (Less): A very smooth, almost jazzy song, Los never gets massively heavy. Instead, there’s nothing but guitars played in a jazz-like style, and drums played loudly, but with a soft undertone. The lyrics of the song is nothing more that a big play on words: the title itself can me a variety of thing depending on the translation that doesn’t necessarily work in English. As a suffix, Los means “less in English”, as a adjective it means either “off” or “loose”, and finally means “Go” when it’s used like a command.
Amerika (America) (Remix: ***): If there was a song that irritated people in the United States, it was this one. Dealing with the United States’s cultural influence throughout the world, Amerika is more of a slamming song than anything supportive. The video itself also lends to the whole slamming vibe, as the band is dressed up in NASA suits, and singing on the moon (in a parody of the lunar landing conspiracy theorists). I was offended at first when I realized that this song was insulting the country I was living in, but after getting some flashbacks of what happened the years before (I realized this was an insult song in either 06 or 07), I was okay with it.
Moskau (Moscow): A loud & brutal song, Moskau is nothing more than Rammstein’s love for one of their most favorite cities in the world. Equal parts sensual, painful, & insulting, Moskau is the perfect song to listen to in a club. It’s got fast beats & brutal drums, coupled with the fact that it can get quite steamy at parts, makes for an interesting song to listen to.
Morgenstern (Morning Star): Dealing with the stars above, Morgenstern is a hauntingly beautiful song. Till Lindemann sing about the beauty of the night sky and the stars that populate it, but he also sings of their cowardice when they “hide” during the day, and their illumination on people so their ugliness fades away. The drums & guitar, notice to mention the occasional usage of a choir, draws out the beauty of this song, and can draw out a tear or two in the right person.
Stein Um Stein (Stone on Stone): A very haunting song, Stein Um Stein is definitely something you shouldn’t listen to in the dark. Based off of a story who’s name escapes me at the moment, the slow pacing of the music (including the keyboard), and the slower signing of Mr. Lindemann adds to the whole sinister feeling of the song. To put it basically, the story is that the singer has a plan to build a house for his “friend”, but in actuality he’s building a house so he can bury said “friend” in the foundation.
Ohne Dich (Without You): Singing about the loss of a loved one, Ohne Dich is unique in that it is one of Rammstein’s few power ballads, and it’s a very beautiful ballad. To put it bluntly, we’ve always felt horrible after the death of someone we love, and some of us don’t recover completely after it happens (myself included). The instrumentation is not fast in this song, but slow, drawn out, yet intimidating at the same time. Till Lindemann also draws out his voice in Ohne Dich, adding more beauty to the song. Also...the video rocks!
Amour (Love): We conclude this album with Amour, a song that can truly be considered a heavy metal love song. Unlike Ohne Dich, Amour is a loud, fast paced, raunchy song that somehow manages to convey some real emotion. Although the instruments eventually end up loud, it actually begins a little softly, and gradually rises up to the brutal sounds that finish the song. Till’s vocals also work the same way, and the end result is a song that appropriately ends the journey through this album.
Overall Impression & Rating
Just like the U.S. release that I own (I bought it long before I receive this edition), the Japanese edition of Reise, Reise effectively conveys the feelings of travel & journeying, and the occasional moments of hell that one might run into. Listening to the album is both fun & strange: fun in the fact that the music was great, but strange in the fact that I’ve heard all of this before, minus the two remixes. It’s still great to listen to, but at the same time I get a feeling of deja vu.
Rammstein: Reise, Reise the Japanese Edition gets a 7 out of 10. The modifications are interesting, it’s cool to hear the original songs again as well as the remixes, but (without the obvious) it’s all the same in the end.
See you all later this week, when I’ll be doing another first for you. Until then, stay Otaku!
* Update (9:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time, 6/10/2013): I found these yesterday. The first video is the last two minutes of Japan Airlines 123's flight box (The audio that was used in the American/European editions starts in at around the minute mark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue1RDLWLIGc
The other video is a documentary about the incident. It's quite tragic, but it's fascinating as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87korQMhDzE
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