EMIGRATE – Emigrate

Richard Z. Kruspe is probably best known for his current day job, that being lead guitarist for Industrial Metal titans Rammstein. Deciding to take a shot at a solo album in between Rammstein recordings, Kruspe assembled some fellow musicians to record the disc Emigrate, under the band name… Emigrate. Released towards the end of 2007, Emigrate consists of 11 tracks (13 on the digipak version), and is seeing release in territories like the United States and Australia in early 2008. Kruspe handles guitars – surprise surprise – and vocals on the album.

Shockingly, Emigrate sounds something like Rammstein would do: stomping guitar riffs, deep grooves, keyboards, distorted vocals, and heavenly – but sparing – backing tracks on some of the choruses; busy and loud, but still melodic and catchy. The most obvious difference is with the vocals and lyrical content: Kruspe’s vocals are all in English, and the subject matter is much less darker than what you’d hear on a Rammstein album. As a singer, Kruspe does okay, but he’s hardly a vocal powerhouse.

Emigrate sounds a lot like Rammstein for the first handful tracks at least: “Emigrate,” “Wake Up,” and “My World” are solid chuggers, with strong momentum and lots of in-your-face riffs. These three songs get things off to a good start.

Around the middle of the album things take a bit of a turn towards Pop, with songs like “In My Tears,” “Babe,” and “New York City” being rather radio-friendly in nature. These songs are good, but they lack a bit of the drive and power of the tracks that preceded them. “Babe” is a pretty good shot at an epic power ballad, though.

From the middle of the album on, Emigrate alternates between atmospheric Pop-like Industrial Metal and regular strength Industrial Metal; needless to say the heavier stuff works better. Still, even the heaviest songs here aren’t as weighty as some of Rammstein’s biggest stompers. Kruspe and company do deserve a lot of credit for keep things listenable and enjoyable throughout the disc, though; you won’t get bored while listening to Emigrate. Kruspe cranks out lots of cool riffs and guitar passages, and while his vocals aren’t great, they’re catchy and well-performed. The choruses put some of the songs over the top; just try not to sing along to the big chorus of “This Is What,” for example.

The two bonus tracks on the digipak edition of Emigrate are solid: the vampiric “Blood” has some strong riffs and a cool chorus, and “Help Me” mines the Pop vein once more, but it’s a fun, catchy tune with a good main riff; kudos on the memorable chorus too.

If you’re a Rammstein nut who can’t wait for the band’s next release, Emigrate is probably the next best thing. Industrial Metal fans will probably enjoy it too, even though it’s not as heavy as the typical Rammstein opus. Still, it’s good.