Rammstein, “Zeit.”

At this point, fans of Berlin hard rock heroes Rammstein know to expect the unexpected. The band typically takes years to record and release new material. Case in point, a decade passed between the sixth album Liebe its für alle da and the band’s seventh, untitled, record. The natural assumption would be that new material would again take time, but that assumption was false. Rammstein turned around its eight album, Zeit, just three years later.

The band is a force to be reckoned with, even in America, despite the language barrier. Its live shows are its true calling card. The band has sold more than 1 million tickets across about two dozen shows worldwide, filling stadiums across the planet with fiery and apocalyptic industrial sets.

The eight offering sits neatly between conventional and unexpected. All the elements are there—the crunchy guitar riffs, the pulse-pounding beats and dramatic orchestral metal. But also present is the reverse: a slow and brooding intimacy that builds to the album’s highest moments.

The record opens with “Armee Der Tristen,” which translates to “Army of the Dreary,” which immediately sets the tone from the driving guitar riffs to the underlying synths that round out this wall of sound.

“March in step against happiness,” Till Lindemann sings (obviously, in German). Despite being nearly 60, Lindemann’s vocals remain as strong as ever, delivering the jarring but also full and warm low end. What’s impressive about Rammstein, at least for the average American listener, is how the exact lyrical context of a track isn’t necessarily a prerequisite. The band’s sound is so musically evocative that it’s possible to paint your own portrait about the message of a given song based on the musical mood built around it.

The title track actually starts on a very quiet note. Lindemann sings with solely a piano accompaniment and just the slightest hint of strings. As it builds, so does the drama, leading the song to crescendo in a thrilling chorus-driven attack before falling back down into the calm.

“Schwarz” (“Black”) continues on a similar subdued moody rocker path. The track opens as a brooding mid-tempo grunge number before kicking into a soaring but heavy melodic rocker.

Many songs on Zeit fuse heavy guitar riffs with piano, creating an exercise in contrast that works in conveying the musical message successfully. “Giftig” (“Poisonous”) entirely turns the mood, rolling out no-nonsense riff-laden industrial rock. It still offers some spacey synths and operatic overlays, but for the most part, it succeeds in its raw power. Then there’s the similarly rousing rocker “Zick Zock” (think the tick-tock of a clock).

Given the band’s propensity for live performance, it’s easy to imagine much of Zeit rocking onstage. “OK” leans into the musical ferocity for which fans have come to know the band.

Heavy power ballad “Meine Tränen” (“My Tears”) provides the first true departure on the record, an emotional track that hones in on a mother/son relationship gone awry. “Angst” hits the mark in delivering Rammstein’s trademark heaviness, while also tapping into its cinematic sensibilities. Lindemann pushes his vocals to the limit, even venturing into scream territory. “Dicke Titten” (“Big Boobs”) starts in a different place, opening with a nearly cartoonish jingle before the instruments kick in.

Similarly, “Lügen” (“Lie”) sounds like a hellish fairytale adventure before the riffs and rhythms kick in. The album closes out with “Adieu” that quite literally bids the record goodbye while blending the elements of the preceding songs into one final message.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.