The end of the 2010s was a bountiful time for
Rammstein fans. In addition to another set from guitarist
Richard Z. Kruspe's
Emigrate side project, the industrial metal titans returned with their first album in a decade. All the while, frontman
Till Lindemann was busy working on his own artistic endeavors, teaming with
Lindemann co-conspirator
Peter Tagtgren on 2018's modern stage adaptation of Hansel und Gretel. Songs from the appropriately dark and perverse retelling later found new life on
Lindemann's sophomore effort,
F&M ("Frau & Mann," German for woman and man). As on 2015's Skills in Pills,
F&M allows both men to spread their wings away from their main duties with
Rammstein and
Pain. However, unlike that shock-hungry and often absurd debut,
F&M balances the twisted camp that
Lindemann is especially known for and infuses it with emotional heft. Part of the appeal this time around might owe to the fact that
Till is in his natural element, performing and writing lyrics in his native German. Thus, the songs sound less forced and campy, while the lyrics benefit from his underrated poetry (Skills' "Yukon" and "Home Sweet Home" were just hints at what was to come). The most compelling of the bunch happen to come from Hansel und Gretel. These highlights include the pounding "Allesfresser" ("Omnivore"), the explosive "Knebel" ("Gag"), and the beautiful "Schlaf Ein" ("Go to Sleep"). Both theatrical and emotive, the tracks blend seamlessly with the songs written for the album, injecting atmospheric dread, touches of drama, and a depth that just wasn't found on Skills. For the
Rammstein fans, the non-Hansel und Gretel songs are familiar enough to pretend they are lost
Rammstein B-sides (the pulsing industrial-disco "Platz Eins" takes it all the way back to the synth-washed glory of Herzeleid), though
Tagtgren puts enough of his own wild spin on the production to separate this material from that of its much bigger cousin. The riotous title track -- which rides the repeated cries of "aye-ya-yay!" -- and the slinky tango of "Ach So Gern" ("Oh So Much") provide an interesting mid-stretch distraction, but overall,
F&M sticks to what
Till and
Tagtgren do best: crushing riffs and towering theatrics with a wink and a smirk. Taking the initial promise of such a musical union, the duo's collaboration finally pays off with
F&M. ~ Neil Z. Yeung