When I first heard that melodic death metal Hypocrisy front man Peter Tägtgren and Rammstein’s Till Lindemann were teaming up to create an album, I couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical and overly excited. Rammstein, being the first band to really launch me into the world of metal in my early teens, after being introduced to AC/DC and ZZ Top by my father my whole life, they were a band to finally hit a home run with me during my first exploration into the metal world. In fact you can say in 2011 when Rammstein came to the All-State Arena in Chicago, and then a year later in the closer city to me in Cleveland, that these experiences for myself were a bucket list check off. The Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da and Made in Germany tours will be ingrained into my memory as one of my most memorable experiences. So there is a lot of sentiment for the band for me, mainly when I was younger desiring for something heavier and angrier from industrial hard rock scene, which helped me deal with the death of my mother when I was 14. Now we have Lindemann, a dark and twisted album with the instrumental backings of Tägtgren to give it a Pain and Rammstein mix of madness. Lindemann is not the first Rammstein member to go solo, as Richard Z. Kruspe released his second album Silent So Long from his project Emigrate just last year, so seeing another member branch out is a delight, though this time around, it’s more of a shock rock approach than his band mate Kruspe. But still, Skills in Pills was definitely a grower on me.

A lot of people probably cringed over the fact that Lindemann is singing English on Skills in Pills which is understandable. His vocals thankfully are framed well; of course some work better than others. The opening title track Skills in Pills came off as a complete surprise to me, a song that goes through the list of pills the singer takes at his age, done so in a humorously dark fashion. The chorus here is actually evokes a great catchy vibe, and quite frankly the best song found on the album. Ladyboy continues down a touchier subject for some, lyrics saying, “I burn for dicks and holes,” giving this piece an interesting choice of subject matter, but being a Rammstein fan, there isn’t much shock after you read the translations from Rammstein albums.

Fish On takes on a different sort of sexual subject matter from Ladyboy, this time using fishing as a an analogy for “getting tail” as some would say. It’s a good mix of some Rammstein sounding techno with Peter crunching the guitars heavily to a simple groove. The chorus is a bit less attractive this time but still works well within the track. Children of the Sun that follows a bit more serious subject, delving more into the man’s Atheism, proclaiming we only have one life and better make it a heaven for ourselves. A concept I can relate to, but also this song is a heavily induced one, a true neck breaker. But Lindemann takes a slower approach on this album as well with Home Sweet Home, introducing more orchestral keyboards and a softer tone. But it does not take long for this album to explore even more twisted themes, such a Golden Shower which needs no explanation to where his mind was going to with this one. Not something you probably should be playing around the children if you have them, especially the song Praise Abort found near the end of the Lindemann album. The YouTube video generated enough views and reaction that I probably need refrain from going further. Though one of the most ridiculous songs, I found myself extremely doubtful that other tracks would be different from this way before I got the album. However, I can’t help but grin to the ludicrous lyrics that definitely could be offensive to those not used to this sort of comedic approach.

This review was long overdue for me, and after sitting on it for some time now, it became a grower. Although this will not keep the Rammstein haters from backing down, destroying this album in probably every aspect, I came to have a lot of enjoyment with this one. Fans of Rammstein should at least give this one a shot. Lindemann’s twisted sense of humor is worth exploring alone and with Tägtgren thrown into the mix, though very reserved from sounding anything like Hypocrisy and more Pain, this turned out to be a solidly fun time.