As an accompanying single to Rammstein’s upcoming best-of album Made in Germany 1995–2011, ‘Mein Land’ does a good job of summing up their musical power and ‘oomph’. Rammstein’s wonderfully humorous style is put to good use in a video which contrasts the dark, industrial metal Germans with a sunny beach setting, parodying Baywatch and The Beach Boys hilariously. Blue skies and sand, dancing girls, grinning band members and singalong lyrics are set ridiculously to their heavy beats and singer Till Linderman’s deep tone. It’s not too long until they descend into their favourite gimmicks of fire, sex and chaos. The video’s humour improves the song greatly and gives a semi-light tone for this single, which seems not to show the depth or ingenuity that they have proven themselves capable of.
Rammstein fail to offer anything new here; they depend upon the catchiness of their stomping beats and repetitive guitar riffs and lyrics, without challenging their well-worn formula. It doesn’t stand out very well against their impressive back-catalogue on Made in Germany, being a predictable filtration of some far better work. That said, perhaps they realised that it would take a considerable effort to beat such intense classics as ‘Du Hast’, ‘Sonne’ and ‘Mein Teil’, and settled for a safe crowd-pleaser instead. The single works for that reason, and though it may leave a slight yearning for more originality, Rammstein have still managed to deliver a fantastically catchy, thumping song that reminds you of their unique and incredible talent – exactly what will be on the album.
Rating: 7/10
