Additional personnel includes: Khira Li (spoken vocals); Gunter Joseck (condutor); Film Orchestra Babelsberg (strings); Florian Ammon (programming); Bobo (background vocals).

Engineers include: Ulf Kruckenberg, Michael Schubert.

Recorded at Miraval, France; Galaxy, Belgium; Nukleus, Saal 1 Studios, Berlin, Germany.

Personnel: Till Lindemann (vocals); Richard Kruspe (guitar); Florian Ammon (programming).

Audio Mixer: Stefan Glaumann.

Recording information: Galaxy Studios, Belgium; Haus Weimar, Heiligendamm, Germany; Nukleus Studio, Berlin, Germany; Studio Miraval, France; Studio Saal 1, Berlin, Germany.

With the first Rammstein album you hear, it's hard not to be slightly amazed by the sheer chutzpah of it all. The German lyrics, the prog rock tendencies, the classic metal guitars, and the ridiculous basso profundo vocals -- you either fall for it, spurn it, or are utterly bemused by the extremeness of it all. Unless you're a fanatic, it wears a little thin the second time around. And for most listeners, Mutter, the group's third album and sequel to their inexplicable commercial breakthrough Sehnsucht, will be the second time around since it's their first release since becoming a high profile act. Thing is, if you've heard that record, you've pretty much heard Mutter, since all the trademarks are in place, without much noticeable variation. Yes, there are slight differences, chief of which is the cleaner production, which streamlines everything so the guitars don't seem as heavy, the songs not as epic, and the whole enterprise not as ridiculous. That's not the same thing as stripping the group to the basics, however; it's more like wrapping up the music in nice, shiny paper and putting a ribbon on it. That's not really good for a group like Rammstein, but it doesn't dilute their impact, either, because they are what they are and no amount of polish will make them mainstream (nor will it make it possible to take them seriously). So, that does mean that Mutter isn't as good as Sehnsucht, but it isn't a stumble either -- and if you liked the first, you'll like this (not the same thing as being amused by the first -- in that case, this will try your patience). That still doesn't answer the question whether anybody outside of diehards needs more than one Rammstein album, but that's just a question of personal taste. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

With the first Rammstein album you hear, it's hard not to be slightly amazed by the sheer chutzpah of it all. The German lyrics, the prog rock tendencies, the classic metal guitars, and the ridiculous basso profundo vocals -- you either fall for it, spurn it, or are utterly bemused by the extremeness of it all. Unless you're a fanatic, it wears a little thin the second time around. And for most listeners, Mutter, the group's third album and sequel to their inexplicable commercial breakthrough Sehnsucht, will be the second time around since it's their first release since becoming a high profile act. Thing is, if you've heard that record, you've pretty much heard Mutter, since all the trademarks are in place, without much noticeable variation. Yes, there are slight differences, chief of which is the cleaner production, which streamlines everything so the guitars don't seem as heavy, the songs not as epic, and the whole enterprise not as ridiculous. That's not the same thing as stripping the group to the basics, however; it's more like wrapping up the music in nice, shiny paper and putting a ribbon on it. That's not really good for a group like Rammstein, but it doesn't dilute their impact, either, because they are what they are and no amount of polish will make them mainstream (nor will it make it possible to take them seriously). So, that does mean that Mutter isn't as good as Sehnsucht, but it isn't a stumble either -- and if you liked the first, you'll like this (not the same thing as being amused by the first -- in that case, this will try your patience). That still doesn't answer the question whether anybody outside of diehards needs more than one Rammstein album, but that's just a question of personal taste. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Where Germany's Rammstein explored a sinister, electronic-oriented sound in their previous work, MUTTER finds the doyens of doom turning more "organic," if no less ominous. In place of techno beats and synthesizers, this album offers crunching electric guitars and pounding drums, offset by operatic backing vocals and orchestral washes. The whole affair is awash with an almost Wagnerian sense of grandeur and an undeniable darkness.

The unsettling aspects of MUTTER are underscored by Rammstein's vocals, which highlight the most guttural aspects of the German language, and the gloomy industrial-rock feel that pervades the album. It's clearly the band's intention to disturb, an agenda achieved with flying colors on this album, which looms large with barely suppressed rage and other ugly emotions rising to the sonic surface.