CoC : KMFDM - KMFDM : Review

KMFDM - _KMFDM_
(TVT Records, 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)

Why review KMFDM in Chronicles of Chaos? Why not? For one, our beloved editor-in-chief Gino Filicetti is a :huge: KMFDM fan, and I myself have a few copies of their past LPs (_Nihil_ and _Xtort_) here at home too. I even think CoC's black metal warrior Steve Hoeltzel may have a soft spot for KMFDM too?! [Think again. --S.H.] And second, the band creates interesting and aggressive industrial/techno music that shouldn't be ignored by the masses (even though it has been, as KMFDM have made much of their success via the underground). If you're at all into branching out a bit with your musical tastes, then read on. For the last decade or so, led by singer/programmer Sasha Konietzko, KMFDM have crafted the world of industrial/techno music into an aural assault. It has metamorphosed itself over the years, bringing many new styles into its musical domain: techno, hard industrial and ambient sounds. While not straying too far away from the band's industrial sound or other albums' ideas, with _KMFDM_ Sasha and his crew bring the music down to more of a simpleton status. In other words, one style seems to dominate, rather than an amalgamation of styles. The music seems to have taken on more of a techno/ambient feel this time out: while the industrial element rages on throughout numerous tracks, it's the techno/ambient feel that does most of the grooving here. The key to the success of _KMFDM_ is that the 10-tracks of the LP flow within a fixed pattern, feeding off each other and leading us onto each new track with the greatest of ease. Though much like past material, as stated above, Sasha's imagination and vision have never seemed so vibrant.

(article published 16/10/1997)