REVIEWS:
KMFDM were one of the original industrial acts. They pretty much covered every level of electronic music since their debut in 1986. They played some metal, some faux-disco, some strang experiments, some spoken word, some techno, and some stuff that's completely undefinable. Their lyrics were always very important to the music, too. Their early lyrics seem to be pretty random, or else they would take words directly from Frank Zappa (notably from "Dirty Love", "I'm the Slime", and a few others). However, as their music improved, so did the lyrics. They became a very political band, with an impressive command of political knowledge. Occasionaly, they would do a self-parody (intentionally) that made sure we knew that they still knew how to have fun.
The original line-up was German friends Sascha Konietzko and En Esch, plus English singer Raymond Watts (in fact, the band got their name from Raymond - the band's original name was "Kein Mehrheit Fur Die Mitleid", which means "No pity for the majority", but Raymond couldn't pronounce it, so he shortened it to its acronym). Raymond left after Don't Blow Your Top to persue a solo career as Pig. After that, the band basically became a revolving door with Sascha and En Esch as constants. Eventually, Sascha became the only member who was on every track. On their Symbols album, Tim Skold joined as a guest vocalist for one song. Sascha and Tim hit it off really well, though, and Tim became a permanent member. After their album Adios, Sascha decided that the band was too far from its original incantation to really be called KMFDM anymore, so he and Tim became MDFMK (which isn't an acronym for anything).
--Philip Maddox
Post your comments about KMFDM
COMMENTS
Philip,
KMFDM actually has been around since 1984. They have just celebrated their 20th anniversary. Thier 1st album was Opium. See
http://www.djmaharaja.com/kmfdm/disc.html
Jason
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This was KMFDM's first official release, and it really isn't all that great. The songs were recorded very cheaply, so the sound quality isn't that good. Also, the band didn't have many ideas yet, so over half the record is just endless drum loops. The actual songs on here are pretty good - "Me I Funk" is a really good song. It's got a creepy vibe going through it. "Conillon" is really good, too. It has that same creepy vibe going through it. Both of these songs are very slow and draggy, and basically consist of bass and drums plus vocals, with an occasional sound effect playing an odd counter melody. I'd give this record a better review if everything sounded like those two. The rest of the real songs are all good - not great, but still good.
The second half of the record is pretty dull, though. Tracks like "Deutche Schuld", "Sieg Sieg", and "Positiv" are basically drum loops. "The Unrestrained Use of Excessive Force" is just Sascha screaming the title over and over again over ambient synths. There aren't even any drums. That one is, unquestionably, the dullest thing KMFDM ever recorded. There's only one really good loopy song, and that's "What Do You Know?". It has little snippets of military speeches and war sounds. It's one of KMFDM's anti-war songs. It's a good sound collage. It's also the only one on the first half. It seems that the band knew which songs were good and which weren't, because all the good one are at the beginning. If you only listen to the first 5 songs, you'll like this album fine. Unfortunatelly, there are 6 more songs... oh, and one of them is a remix of an earlier song that sounds NO DIFFERENT!!!
Post your comments / reviews about this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This is the same style as the last one, but it's much better. It follows the same format as the last one, but the actual songs are better, and the drum loops and sound collages are just as good. "No Meat - No Man" isn't as suggestive as it sounds - in fact, the lyrics just seem kind of random ("I took my girlfriend out tonight/ But we got drunk and had a fight/ No meat - no man!"). It's a great song. So is the title track, with all the words taken from various Frank Zappa songs ("The Orange County Lumber Truck", "Are You Hung Up", "Dirty Love", and more). It's not as good as the Zappa songs the words come from, but it's still good. "Killing" sounds like the best songs on the last album, and it's all in German. "Disgust" is pretty good, too, but isn't anything special.
After these four songs, the weirdness begins. Tracks include "Oh Look", which is a drum and bass song with voice overs about an old movie interrupted by the government to inform you that the U.S. is under nuclear attack. You also hear a strange chorus of voices saying "Duck and cover - Duck.... and Coooverrr" a lot. It's actually pretty effective. "No News" and "What a Race" are neat sound collages, too. There's a long, kinda dull instrumental song called "Tod Durch Bongo Bongo", and unnecessary instrumental remix of "Killing" (called "Killing For Your Sampling Kit" - It's too long, but still ok.), and a couple more only ok experiments (like the strange reworking of the title track called "Oh Shit" for some reason), but they're forgivable, because the worst of these are better than the best of them on the last album. KMFDM still hadn't found their style yet, though. This is a pretty good album all in all. Give it a try if you're in the mood for something weird.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This one is one step forward, two or three steps back. Raymond Watts (who was a good singer) left after the last one, so Sascha replaced him with some weird musicians that never appeared on any record ever again (even Sascha doesn't know where they are now). They brought a reggae type sound into some of the songs (like "Ganja Rock"). Reggae and industrial does not a good combination make - "Ganja Rock" is actually pretty laughable. There are also a couple or remakes of old Raymond-sung songs, performed faster and sung by Sascha one of the other musicians ("Thumb Thumb" is a remake of "Kickin' Ass", "Loving Can Be an Art" is a remake of "Conillon" - both from the first album). Both of these songs were highlights of the first album - they flat out suck here.
"Rip the System" introduces a KMFDM catchphrase ("Black Man/ White Man/ Rip the System!"), but it sounds like something from side 2 of Deutchland (which isn't good). The rest of the stuff on this album, however, is good. "Murder" is almost a rap song, but it sounds unique. "Thrash Up" and "En Esch" (named after, you guessed it, En Esch) are both metal songs, and they both are really cool. Also, the absolute classic "More and Faster 243" is on here. Lots of people think it's the best KMFDM song. I don't think it's the best, but it's definately up there - it's got a great groove and lyrics that bash hollow politicians and the band themselves. This song points to the stuff KMFDM would do later. In fact, this album sounds more like their later stuff. Unfortunately, they started the new style as mediocre-ly as they started their old style. Things did get much better after this, though.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This has been out of print for years, and not many were made in the first place, so if you see it somewhere, buy it. This one has the orange cover (there is a readily available remix CD called Naive - Hell To Go, which has a green cover, but I'll review that separately). It was taken out of print because the band used a sample in "Leibesleid" without permission, and the original company threatened to sue. You can find this on Ebay, but it often goes up to about $60, which it isn't worth (it only has about 3 songs not available elsewhere). Anyway, the album itself is great. It has a much more metallic sound than earlier KMFDM, and it has absolutely NO weird sound experiments. Well, the title track is a simple dance tune, and "Disgust - Live" is just a faster live version of the song that was already on Don't Blow Your Top, and "Virus - Dub" sounds like the weaker songs on UAIOE, but the rest is all very hard sounding.
"Godlike" is the best example - this song is hard enough to really thrash around to. It has a great, sloppy guitar riff with lots of cool screaming on top. THIS is how good metal should sound. There are more great songs on here, too, like "Go to Hell", which is about God knows what, "Piggybank", with some of the strangest words KMFDM ever wrote ("Let me be your Piggybank for nothing but your smell" - what?). In fact, this is probably the least political album KMFDM ever did - aside from "Godlike", nothing is very political. Well, there are a few songs in German, but since I have no idea what they mean, I really can't judge. All the German songs are pretty good, too. This is also the first really consistant album KMFDM ever made - "Virus - Dub" is the only weak song on here. It is worth hearing, though - it's a shame it's so hard to find.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
Sascha must have gotten tired of the metal sounds of Naive, because this isn't very metallic at all. This one seems to be more dance oriented - there are less guitars, and most of the songs are built on layered synths. The songs are really great, too. The songs are still rock oriented enough to make for a good listen, even when you can't dance - it's a good album to listen to in the car. The title track is a great song. It has a looped guitar rhythem playing a simple six-note pattern. Sascha sings about the sorry state of things ("I went to school for six years/ but I never graduated/ 'cuz my parents are poor/ now I'm undereducated/ like so many others/ all over the nation/ 'cuz the government's saving up all the education"). This was also the first album where Sascha's lyrics really start getting good - "Vogue", "Sex on the Flag", "Help Us Save Us Take Us Away" and others are all about freedom from all sorts of oppression.
This album also features a remix of "Godlike" from the last album, here titled "I Will Pray". It sounds completely different than the original, but just as good (KMFDM are expert remixers - they make singles with enough remixes on them to be albums, and all the mixes sound different - KMFDM singles are usually good buys). There is some weird stuff on the second side, like in the old days - "Under Satan" is a strange mix of old lyrics pasted together over a new beat, "We Must Awaken" has a groovy beat going on over preachers saying things like "We are God's chosen people - children of darkness, children of light". It's all pretty entertaining. The album ends with remixes of "Money" and "Vogue" that aren't really great, but it doesn't hurt the album much, as the songs aren't really bad, either. KMFDM achieved a rare feat here - this one sounds nothing like the last one, yet is exactly as good. And this one is easy to find.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This album came out of nowhere. This album has none of the dance beats of Money. This album has a metal sound, but it has none of the oddball beats of Naive. This is KMFDM playing hard and direct. It's also one of their absolute best albums. It opens with two of the strongest songs KMFDM ever recorded - "Light" and "A Drug Against War". "Light" has a smooth, distorted guitar line running throughout it, while Sascha sings in a monotone voice about all sorts of weird stuff. The chorus is one of the catchiest choruses ever written - "catchy" and "industrial" are two words you usually don't see together, but there they are. It last six minutes and doesn't get long at all. "A Drug Against War" is punk rock... KMFDM style! The guitar goes at about a hundred miles per hour iin the background over a loud, repetitive drum beat. Sascha shouts about the pointlessness of warfare ("Line after line/ Round after round/ Empty shells/ Fall to the ground") and drug abuse ("No need for needles/ No injections/ The substance substitutes love and affection"). The words are among the best KMFDM ever did, and the tune is so energetic, it's hard not to get into it.
The last song on here is excellent, too. It's called "The Problem", and features vocals by Dorona Alberti, who is one of the best vocalists that I've ever heard - her voice fits the music extremely well. The music isn't heavy, either - it's a slow, piano driven tune with quiet bass and drums in the background. The lyrics are about problems with the American system of government and life ("If there is a problem, there's a problem with the system/ The system of home and family/ Of school and community"). This album is the first lyrical masterpiece by the band - all the lyrics here are great!
"Sucks" is another heavy song, with Sascha singing about how "KMFDM Sucks!" ("We don't have no lyrics/ Our message is nil", "Our music is sampled/ Totally fake/ It's done by machines/ 'cuz they don't make mistakes). The rest of the songs are purely political (well, I don't know about "Lust" - it's all in German - it's also the only song on this album that's remotely danceable). "A Hole in the Wall", the English translation of "Leibesleid", is the only song on here that's not really great. This album came very close to getting a ten, but there are a couple of songs that are a little long, and "Hole" is only pretty good. I still recommend this album wholeheartedly.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This is a collection of some songs that were on Naive in their original form, and others in remixed form. This was released to compensate for the original being taken out of print. "Welcome", "Naive, "Piggybank", "Achtung", "Friede", and "Disgust" are all exactly the same as before. The others ("Go To Hell", "Virus", "Godlike", "Leibesleid", and "Die Now Live Later") have all been remixed. Some remixes ("Go To Hell", "Die Now Live Later") are almost identical to the originals, but not quite. "Virus" has a guitar riff now (it was originally just bass, drums, and a synthesizer) and is much, much better than before.
Without the illegal sample, "Leibesleid" isn't as cool as it used to be, but it's still good. The "Godlike" remix on here is the most famous song KMFDM ever did. It has the original guitar riff, but while the original has a fast guitar run after the verses, this one has a small child trying to speak. This one also has excerts from political speeches inserted into it ("...and I know that we were right to do what we did/ when asked 'Am I happy?'...Absolutely not...Absolutely not"), which actually add to the feel of the song's strong "Be your own god" lyrics. Anyway, this is very easy to get, unlike the original, so you should probably settle for this - I like 'em about the same, and half the material is identical, anyway.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This is a brief, 5-song EP released as a reunion between KMFDM and Raymond Watts (A.K.A. Pig), the original singer. I'm glad they got back together, as I always liked Raymond's singing better. This album has 2 real songs, two loopy songs (like in the old days), and a longer version of the opening track. The normal songs, "Secret Skin" and "Fuck Me" are good, fast rock songs. It's really nice to hear Raymond again. "Secret Skin" is REAAALLY good, in fact. It's one of KMFDM's better songs. I like the extended version, "Secret Sin (Sex and Salvation)", even better. There's just more of the song to like. "Fuck Me" is pretty good, but the lyrics are pretty dumb, as you could probably tell by the title. The other two tracks, "Rape Robbery and Violence" and "Fuck Me Hoghunter" are the first voice over, loop songs we've heard since 1988. These songs aren't great, but as good as this type of song was pulled off on Don't Blow Your Top. All in all, this one's pretty good and pretty short. It's worth a try. Even if you don't really like it, it's cheap, so what have ya got to lose?
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
Now THIS is more like it! This is everything you ever wanted from a KMFDM album - the lyrics are all sung by Sascha, En Esch, or special guest RAYMOND WATTS! When Raymond isn't just doodling around with sound collages, he really adds a whole new element to KMFDM's music. He's the best singer industrial music's got (ever better than Trent Reznor). Sascha and En Esch pull off their vocals really well, too. On top of that, every song here is first rate, top of the line, A+ quality industrial. The opener, "Ultra", has the coolest synth line KMFDM ever wrote (before or after), the lyrics are great and sung well, and it never lets up. All of the songs have something groovy goin' on - some have ultra heavy guitar riffs ("Flesh", "Beast"), some have excellent synths (the previosly mentioned "Ultra", "Juke Joint Jezebel"), and they ALL sound great! The lyrics are at an all time high here, too. "Terror" is a spoken piece raving about how we can overcome the tyranny of the government. The songs are all either political, songs of heartbreak, or about freeing your mind from oppressors. The lyrics never got better than this. Either way, as reviously noted, every song on this album is great. You see this rating? It's a 10. Buy this record if you have ANY interest in hard rock or industrial. This ranks with some of Metallica's better stuff, and that says something. It's easy to get into, too - I loved it the first time I heard it. Give this one a whirl.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
Another year, another high quality KMFDM release. This one's not quite as good as Nihil, but it's still damn good. This one sounds a little bit more normal in some places, but some parts are really freaky and noisy (ever hear Zappa's "Help I'm a Rock/ It Can't Happen Here/ The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet"? Well, some of the stuff on here is that weird and noisy, although it doesn't last 20 minutes like on the Zappa album). The opener, "Power", is actually very commercial sounding. It probably coulda been a hit if KMFDM didn't hate the radio and mainstream press so much. It's a fast, repetitive song that uses some old song titles, lines from Sascha's "Excessive Force" side product (which isn't too bad), and a few new lines for lyrics. It's not exactly stunning, but it's still really good. In fact, that sums this album up - nothing's stunning, but everything's good - not a bad song to be found.
Some songs are indeed better than the others - "Dogma" is a sequal of sortsd to "Terror", and it's just as good, with Nicole Blackman giving a good counter-culture narrative (not hippie counter-culture, more of a totally independant counter-culture). "Rules" has a groovy, dark melody with grunted vocals by special guest Chris Connelly. "Inane" is great, too - it name checks a lot of old KMFDM album and song titles ("KMFDM - Nihilistic and free/ UAIOE for you and me/ Help us, Save us, Take us away/ KMFDM - make my day!"). It's pretty fun. The rest is all good, but not spectacular.
The CD ends with "Wrath", which starts pretty normally, but turns into the aforementioned musical freak out, with loud squealing, drums, and shouting. After this is about 30 seconds of silence, which is followed by a hidden track. The hidden track is a mellow piano playing a creepy melody, while someone reads a seemingly normal songs about fairies that becomes ludicrously obscene - it's a riot, and I still crack up when I hear it. Basically, though, if you liked Nihil, you'll like this, and vice versa - they have the same basic style. This one's not quite as fresh, though, but still pretty good. Recommended.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
Actually, this one doesn't have a title, sort of like Led Zeppelin's fourth album - the title is a series of pictures - an explosion, a skull and crossbones, a bomb, a spiral, and a fist. Most people call this one KMFDM, Anger, or Symbols. I call it symbols, 'cuz I think it fits the pictures best. Anyway, this one sounds different than the last few have. The guitar rock element of previous albums is being slowly fazed out on this album, and dance grooves take their place. This record still has plenty of guitars, though. They just aren't as prominent as on the last one. Actually, this album is slightly better than the last one - this one's also extremely even, but the overall song quality is better. "Megalomaniac" kicks things off with the new synthesizer-heavy sound and a set of string-of-conciousness lyrics. It's definitely a classic - better than anything on XTORT, which wasn't bad to begin with.
Raymond is back on this record (Yay), and he sings two really strong songs - the "I'm a tortured soul" anthems of "Spit Sperm" and "Unfit". Those are both really good, dark, sinister songs. Raymond's tuneful snarling fits the tunes perfectly (Raymond is great in KMFDM - his solo stuff's not quite so good). "Waste" is a perfect album closer - it describes closed mindedness leading to problems. It's really fast and loud. Tim Skold makes his KMFDM debut on this album (he made a self-titled solo album first, which is out of print - it's pretty good, too) with "Anarchy", a song about religious oppression. The lyrics on this album are still great - KMFDM have some of the best lyricists to ever come out of the industrial movement (not bad considering they used to just rip Frank Zappa's lyrics off). Anyway, this one's a bit of a transitional album - it sounds like a cross between Nihil era KMFDM and the new style they would play on their next and final album, Adios. It's probably my third favorite KMFDM album, and that ain't too shabby.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This is a compilation album that was supposed to be promotional only, but demand was so high that it was released officially (I got a promo copy, which is exactly the same as the official release, except it says "Promotional - Not for Sale" in the corner). As far as compilations go, this is another one - a handy-dandy 65 minute collection of some of KMFDM's best stuff. There's lots of great songs, like "Godlike", but there are a couple that shouldn't be here - who needs "Rip The System"? There's lots of good songs left off, but KMFDM's got too many good songs to cram onto one album. The music here is great, but I prefer the original albums - buy this if you're broke - everybody should hear most of these songs at some point in their lives. It only goes up to XTORT, though.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Philip Maddox)
This is KMFDM's last album (though I can't imagine MDFMK will sound too different), and it takes the new style of the Symbols album and runs with it. This album is VERY electronic. Only a couple of guitars pop up on this album, but the songs are so good, they aren't really missed. The opening title track is one of the songs featuring guitars, and it's great - it's a song that amounts to an angry Sascha telling someone that he's done with them because they used him ("It's been too many times that I've stuck out my neck for you" ... "Apathetic crap is all I can find in you"). This is one of the only personal songs Sascha ever wrote - he usually sings about politics or freedom. I love that song - it totally original and new. Also, there are a lot more Skold songs on this album - he joined full time to make this. He does some great songs - it's like he was KMFDM the whole time - he fits right in.
There are also 2 gothic styled songs (!) on here. "Today" and "Full Worm Garden" are both really dark - the darkest songs KMFDM ever wrote. I love these songs to death (ha ha... little gothic joke there). I mean, they aren't REALLY gothic like Therion of In Flames or Opeth or anything, but they're more gothic than anything else KMFDM ever did. "DIY" is another "Hey, we're KMFDM" song, and again, it's good, but not as good as "Inane" or "Megalomaniac". "Witness" is a really long, loopy song about aliens - it sounds neat, but a lot of the lyrics are dumb, and I mean REALLY DUMB ("Surrender...Surrender... Bend Over!!!" - come on now, really...). The rest of the album is still really good - it almost equally good to Symbols, which was great anyway. This is a rarity - a farewell album that doesn't suck at all. By the way, if you bought this directly from KMFDM mailorder, Sascha and Tim personally signed the disc - so I have both of their autographs! KMFDM mailorder has shut down now, though. It just shows that they care for the fans that they would personally sign THAT MANY CDS!!!! Then again, KMFDM ain't exactly as popular as the Backstreet Boys, now are they?
Post your comments / reviews for this album
Index | Main band/artist reviews page