Rammstein - Benzin

*=Staff's pick	Benzin* Benzin (Combustion Remix by Meshuggah) Benzin (Smallstars Remix by Ad Rock) Benzin (Kerosini Remix by Apocalyptica)*

Genre	Industrial Metal	Till Lindemann	Vocals
Tracks	4	Richard Z.K.-Bernstein	Guitar
Runningtime	16 Min.	Paul H. Landers	Guitar
Label	Universal	Oliver Riedel	Bass
Release	07 Oct. 2005	Christoph Schneider	Drums
Country	Germany	Christian Lorenz	Keyboards
Similar artists	Ministry, Clawfinger

Heroin, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine… Spot the connection? These are just a few of the addictive drugs that Till Lindemann sings about on Rammstein's new single. But what has "benzin" (gasoline in English) got to do with all of this? Well, according to Rammstein, the whole world is addicted to gasoline. It goes through our veins, it flows from our eyes when we cry, and we swim in it. Scary, and you have to admit that they make a strong point.

Never the ones to be afraid to reveal what's one their mind, Rammstein's "Benzin" definitely seems to have a political message to it. One theory is that the song is all about a certain, powerful nation in the west, trying to "liberate" a country in the Middle East, taking control of the petrol in the process. The amusing video of "Benzin" (which features the band members as firemen, sadly causing more damage than they are helping) backs this interpretation up, in a way.

As usual when it comes to a new release by Rammstein, Jakob Hellman is doing the producing. The production feels like a slight development of the rather organic sound of Reise, Reise. It starts out with a spooky melody, followed by electronic beats and finally a horde of crunching guitars that gets the track going. The musicians are as solid as always, but "Benzin" is Lindemann's show. He snarls, snorts and grunts like the engine of a juggernaut, getting his message through with bravura.

The three remixes feels like a diverse bunch. The "Combustion Remix" by Meshuggah is slower than expected, and could easily have fitted on doom-masters Candlemass' latest album. The "Smallstars Remix" by Ad Rock sounds like Depeche Mode on one of their less inspired days, while Apocalyptica's version is the one resembling the original the most, with the patented strings in the background.

"Benzin" might not be as hard-hitting as neither "Sonne" nor "Mein Teil", but it nevertheless gets the blood pumping as a warm-up for the forthcoming album Rosenrot.

See also review of: Liebe Ist Für Alle Da , Rosenrot , Mein Teil , Reise Reise , Live Aus Berlin

Production	Vocals	Compositions
9	9	8

Summary
8 chalices of 10 - Niklas