Rammstein have been more than a mere industrial-metal ensemble during their eleven year existence. They have been a gimmick, a traveling freak-show, an institution and "one-hit-wonders". They have also become perhaps the most well-known German personality in American culture since Hitler himself. "Herzeleid" introduced Germany to the fiendish sextet, while "Sehnsucht" exposed them to the world. Fans decreed 2001's "Mutter" as the group's definitive release and yet it had much less of an impact. After a three-year hiatus that allowed the band to recharge their batteries, they have returned with their most ambitious album to date. "Reise, Reise" recaptures the absurd themes Rammstein have grown famous for while also documenting the band's attempt at embarking on a brand new voyage.

"Reise, Reise" delineates from Rammstein's decidedly repetitive course by amplifying the aural atmosphere with gothic charm. Though their gimmicky sado-masochistic tableau essentially remains the same, the band tend to lessen the purely riff-heavy industrial surge in favor of a moodier, synthesizer-driven sound. Rammstein quickly establish this modified direction with the album's title track, transforming a rather predictable song into a powerfully dramatic metal dirge. "Mein Teil" follows with an equally devastating blast of industrial-metal, turning a tale of homosexual cannibalism into one of 2004's most unusual anthems. Bassist Oli Riedel also chimes in with singing to underscore Till Lindemann's more acerbic chanting, exposing the band to a wider palette of musical colors.

This slight alteration in the band's vocal design opens their sound up enough to experiment with new textures. Some are surprisingly effective (the ghostly melody merged with such haunted arrangements on "Stein Um Stein" induce more chills than Poltergeist and the subdued trip-hop of "Ohne Dich" makes for one exquisite ballad); others are ambitious failures ("Moskau" finds Rammstein pairing with Russian tart Viktoria Fersh to create hilariously cheesy industrial-pop). The only time the album ever truly falls flat is the dreadfully boring "Amerika". The message is humorous but the execution is painfully formulaic, as even the alternating German/American vocals fails to rise above the numbing repetition of the track. Regardless, this is an album that has been taken to in droves around the globe and has, for the first time since "Du Hast", generated a buzz in the United States. Eleven years and still disturbingly strong, this Teutonic metal template proves to have a few tricks left up the sleeve, making "Reise, Reise" a guilty imported pleasure worth traversing if one's up for the journey.