This summer I studied German, and lived with a German family for six and a half weeks in the city of Kassel. My guest mother, a tall, sturdy blond woman in her thirties, drove up in a Ford hatchback with two small children in tow, and claimed me at the train station. And after I had run out of German phrases and the silent awkwardness began to creep in, Mrs. Schumacher suggested we listen to some music. She turned on some Rammstein.

Before my trip, I had jokingly wished that my host family would fulfil every German stereotype imaginable, so that I could experience true German life. Unfortunately we did not eat bratwurst and sauerkraut for dinner every night, but thankfully, the most unlikely stereotype had come true in the first five minutes. Wizzing along the narrow German streets, I was introduced to Rammstein's most recent release, Rosenrot.

Like many North Americans, my first exposure to Rammstein was by way of their song "Du Hast" ("You Have") on their 1997 record, Sehnsucht ("Longing"). A dark and visually captivating video garnered "Du Hast" heavy rotation on Much Music and earned them an international fan base. Rammstein gained acclaim around the world in the 1990s, and, in 2004, became the greatest selling German language band of all time.

With most things, if you listen to them enough, they will grow on you, and Rosenrot does just that (not just because of my host family's staggering enthusiasm for them). Rosenrot's songs are varied in tempo but for the most part are united in their aggressiveness. Metal guitar riffs and electronic synthesizers coupled with explosive vocals that are sung eloquently rather than screamed (a common misconception is that all metal is screamed) makes Rosenrot worth a listen.

For a taste of Rammstein's Rosenrot, check out "Mann Gegen Mann" ("Man Against Man") and one of my guest father's favourite songs, "Te Quiero Puta" ("I Love You, Whore"), a song in which Till Lindemann (lead vocalist) strays from his native German to sing in Spanish. Lindemann, who is already known for his exquisite alveolar trill (rolled R's), makes it a memorable song that I will always connect to my banger German host parents.

Listen to "Mann Gegen Mann" and "Te Quiero Puta" at Rammstein's MySpace web page.

Thomas Rasmussen studied International Relations at the University of Calgary and is currently pursuing a media empire to match Conrad Black's, minus the fraud.