Bare Knuckle
'Mann Gegen Mann' (Man Against Man) is the second single from Rammstein's recent Rosenrot album. Previous single 'Benzin' saw them sticking to very familiar territory and whilst 'Mann Gegen Mann' is not a radical departure it does see them branch out a little.
'Benzin' was very much leaning towards the industrial side of Rammstein and by comparison this single has much more of a straight rock feel to it. Having said that it still has the huge Rammstein powerhouse behind it, it's just that here it all comes across as instantly more accessible. The effect of the chorus is heightened by the quieter verse, which gives way to a massive rolling riff fest. The tune is more melodic than much of their output and although it's been said many times before, it's a fact that this would probably do much better sales wise over here if it were sung in English. Rammstein however continue to disregard popular opinion and it doesn't seem to have had much of a detrimental effect on their career!
With a great middle section featuring an almost theramin sound, 'Mann Gegen Mann' is more than a relentless thrash and just serves to show why they are regarded as pioneers of their genre.