Review Summary: A solid effort for album number two.
It would be hard to talk about Emigrate without mentioning the obvious. And for many people still waiting for that new Rammstein album, it seems they could be waiting awhile longer. With the current hiatus still very much in full effect and with Richard saying in interviews he wouldn’t lose sleep if the band never did anything again, it would be wise not to place bets on anything new coming from the Rammstein band camp anytime soon.
So in the absence of Rammstein, Emigrate is here again. The band is effectively Richard’s breather band. A band where he can write the songs he wants with little hassle and just have fun. Emigrates debut used Richard’s signature styles of Industrial Metal and had the man himself doing lead vocals. And while it was a little rough around the edges, it was a promising first album.
It’s been 7 years since the release of the self-titled debut and 5 years since Rammstein’s ‘Liebe Ist Fuer Alle Da’ was released, leaving plenty of time to reflect before jumping back into the studio. And after the large time gap in albums Emigrate - Silent So Long turns out to be superior to its predecessor in almost every way. Vocally Richard has improved tenfold; you really get a sense that Richard has a much better understanding and handling of his voice, and he sounds great for it.
Musically the album strays away from its Industrial Metal roots and goes for the more Rock sounding record. Industrial elements are still very much present here, but they aren’t as prevalent as they once were. Songs like ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Eat You Alive’ are pretty straight forward Rock tracks, but they offer a kind of energy you won’t have heard from Richard before. It’s very refreshing to hear.
But if you’re put off by the change in style, don’t be, because there is plenty of variation with the songs thanks largely to the guest vocalists that are scattered around the album. You’ll come across songs like ‘Get Down’ - a surprisingly great song - which features Peaches as the guest vocalist, while the track plays an undeniably sexy groove that brings the song together well; and then come to a song like ‘Hypothetical’ featuring Marilyn Manson which has a hard-hitting Led Zeppelin-esque riff. The tracks the band does are great, too, but the added artists add spice and breaks up any kind of monotony the album could have had.
Overall, there aren’t any real issues with the album, but it’s one of these albums that never excels or ups the game at any point. You won’t find anything original here. The most promising track, ‘Born On My Own’, is a worthy mention as it shows a new window the band could take their sound with future albums, but everything else is just solid, easy listening. And you can’t ask for much else really?
Worth Checking Out.
