Zeit (Rammstein Album)

''Zeit'' ( en, link=no, Time) is the eighth studio album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, released on 29 April 2022 through Universal Music. Produced by the band with Olsen Involtini, the album was unplanned and recorded as a result of the band's tour being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the band, the enforced lockdowns due to the pandemic spurred the band's creativity, resulting in spontaneous writing and recording sessions. Rammstein recorded the album in late 2020 and early 2021 at La Fabrique Studios in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, where they recorded their previous album. The album's title track was released as the lead single on 10 March 2022.

Background and recording

Following the release of their sixth studio album, ''Liebe ist für alle da'' (2009), Rammstein dedicated nearly a decade to touring and performing live at festivals, with band members Till Lindemann and Richard Kruspe releasing music with their respective side projects Lindemann and Emigrate during this period as well. Rammstein's untitled seventh studio album was released in May 2019, ending their lengthy recording hiatus. To support the album, the band embarked on their Stadium Tour. Kruspe originally predicted that the band would spend three to four years touring in support of the album. The band announced dates for two legs in Europe and one leg in North America. The first European leg concluded in August 2019, with the second leg having been originally due to begin in May 2020. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic began severely impacting both Europe and North America, resulting in lockdowns being enforced across both continents, the band delayed both remaining legs of the tour to 2021. They were both delayed once more to 2022.

During the initial COVID-19 lockdown in Germany, Rammstein began writing new music, leaving open the idea of recording a new album. The band chose to begin writing new music to fill the void created by the postponement of their tour. By September 2020, the band returned to La Fabrique Studios in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, where they had recorded their untitled seventh studio album, to begin recording new material. Keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz stated that the sessions were spontaneous and that the lockdown caused the band to "avemore time to think of new things and less distraction". Recording of the album concluded by February 2021. In October 2021, a song from the album was premiered when shared with astronaut Thomas Pesquet while he was onboard the International Space Station.

Promotion and release

Rammstein began posting clips to their social media accounts on 8 March 2022, teasing forthcoming new material with the hashtag "#ZEITkommt". The band announced their eighth studio album ''Zeit'' on 10 March alongside the release of its lead single, the title track, and the song's music video. On March 25, 2022, the band's website announced that 11 "''Zeit'' capsules" had been placed in 11 different cities around the world. Each capsule contained a code. The fan who found any of the 11 capsules should enter the code to Rammstein's website, revealing to the world the title to one of the unreleased tracks. The fan would also receive two tickets to any Rammstein concert of their choice, as well as travel and accommodations for the aforementioned concert. The band began teasing the release of the album's second single, "Zick Zack", in early April. They opened a telephone hotline that provided the song's release date as well as portions of the song's instrumental and vocals. The song was released on 7 April 2022, accompanied by a music video. A CD release that came with a teen-style magazine designed after the music video was released on 14 April, as well as a standard 7-inch vinyl.

''Zeit'' was released on 29 April 2022 through Universal Music, receiving both physical and digital releases. Physically, the album received both a standard and deluxe CD release, both housed as a digipak, as well as a double, heavyweight vinyl release. The album's release was preceded by a listening event, held at certain movie theaters around the world, on 28 April. The cover art for ''Zeit'' depicts the members of Rammstein walking down a staircase connected to the Trudelturm, a monument dedicated to aerial research, located at Aerodynamic Park in Adlershof, Berlin. The photograph used for the cover art was taken by Canadian musician Bryan Adams.

Accolades

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Rammstein

2022 albums
Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
German-language albums
Rammstein albums
Universal Records albums