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KMFDM's 15th full-length album, WWIII, marks a return to form for the veteran industrial/rock group and founder Sascha Konietzko. Following last year's Attak, WWIII brings newcomers Andy Selway, Seve White and Joolz Hodgson along with long-time contributor, Raymond Watts, into the fold. With them came a unified vision and a rededication to an unbridled contempt long since forgotten. This isn't rock with a heart. This is rock with a conscience. KMFDM is doin' it again, this time harder, faster, and stronger than never, ever before.

After the problematic recording sessions of the #$%^& album, Tim Skold seemed like the only person interested in working under the KFMDM moniker. Did his involvement have any effect to prolong KMFDM?s lifetime for Adios before the inevitable break up in 1999?

Konietzko: It delayed it by about a year. The Adios album took about eight to nine months to make, so all in all if we came off the tour in ?97, it was supposed to come out in August of '98 and we asked the label to postpone a bit. We announced the end of KMFDM and then it came out.

When you started MDFMK with Skold and Lucia, you wanted to work as a band. How does the current line-up compare as you are now working with more position players in Joolz, White and Selway?

Konietzko: The whole band thing prevailed although Tim got an offer from Manson to make some money. So at that point, I had to find a band, which I found easily in the Pigs. It was a no-brainer at that point.

It seems that it always takes KMFDM about a year between releases, but you still had to spend a lot of effort editing your live DVD and finding a new label. How difficult was the album-making process this time around for WWIII in comparison to past releases?

Konietzko: It was a piece of pie. After the Attak tour last summer, the WWIII title was coined. At the end of the tour Jules and Andy said they didn?t want to go back to London, we?d like to stay in the States for awhile. I said great, we will make this record and go from there. So things went quickly, got some stuff, came back to Seattle and started working. We didn?t have a label or any money at the time. We played it low and slow and started recording like a rock band would: drums, bass, guitar, things like that. We did the machine bits later on whereas in the past it was always the other way around as KMFDM was started as an electronically assembled outfit.

As you said, KMFDM started with the electronic parts which were your input. How different was it for you writing the album?

Konietzko: It was not much different. I just did the other stuff a little later on, the stuff I would usually start with. I did the bass playing and the drum recording with the guys from the get go. Plus, a nice surprise was discovering that Joolz isn?t just a really good guitarist, he is a really good recording engineer. He knows a lot of shit that I don?t know about hands-on approach ? how to record guitar, how to record drums ? shit we?ve never had to do since we always had electronic drums. So what we did is buy eight microphones for every kind of purpose and rented a room. We put a drum kit in there and just started to mic the drums till they sounded just the way we wanted.

WWIII also marks the return of your politically conscious message. Although, KMFDM has always been thought of as a politically fueled band, this album really shows some of your angst towards the current administration in Washington.

Konietzko: It is not only that narrow focus, it?s not all about D.C., it?s about the state of the world rather than the state of the United States. I don?t think as an American? 'cuz I'm not. I just live here, I observe things and the amount of mishaps since the Bush admin is just mind-boggling. Plus there?s always a drive to make a better record that the previous record. It?s a natural thing. So where Attak was a patchwork of material that partly involved Skold and stuff initially planned for Lucia?s solo album but then didn?t get used for that since it was too hard; all flowed into Attak. Where WWIII was like? start?. stop? one cohesive bit of work? forged. A theme record if you will.

There was a point in time when you had an ohGr song, Nina Hagen song, Skold song, Pig song, En Esch song, etc. all on one album. Is that level of collaboration over?

Konietzko: I don?t know. I will never say never. Things tend to change and often times repeat themselves. But looking at it now and how the band interacts... and I say band, and not project... it feels that it should stay that way. It?s working out really well. It?s actually a lot of fun. We don?t just work together, we drink together

With the repeated delays of Lucia?s Land of Volcanoes, were any of her ideas originally slated for her album dumped into Schwein or KMFDM?

Konietzko: Well it didn?t really get dumped. It was more like, the label said, "We want Lucia to make a pop record." So we realized that "Superhero" and "Attak/Reload" are not songs that can be on a pop record. They are still good songs though. That created the same old thing. With the old KMFDM there was, like you said, a bit of here, bit of there a bit of this and a bit of that. On this record it was remarkably fun to actually follow through and not mix and match. There was a focus involved that I have not experienced previously.

The role of producer is a term often thrown about. Can you talk about your role in Lucia?s solo efforts and the new Watts project?

Konietzko: No, that isn?t correct. I co-produced a couple of songs on the Lucia album and I was not involved at all on the Watts album. Although it was planned to be that way, it never happened. Raymond took on a different direction and we took a different direction. So what we originally had planned just never materialized.

So originally you were planned for the new Pig release and while you were in Seattle, Raymond was in England working as Watts on Pigmartyr.

Konietzko: That is correct.

With so such an entourage of people performing 36 shows in 40 nights, it seems like a KMFDM tour is a logistical nightmare. What have learned now that you are on your tenth U.S. tour?

Konietzko: Is it the tenth? [counts] Holy shit, you're right. [laughs] It?s not a logistical nightmare, it?s a tightly run ship and since we don?t have days off, people don?t straggle too much. We just make sure we have everyone on the bus when we leave. A day off usually introduces a slacker mentality, even if it?s for 24 hours, its harder to get back into the swing of things. Once you're rolling you're rolling.

So you prefer having those shows tightly together?

Konietzko: Yea, I like it. I prefer it.

In terms of touring Europe, KMFDM hasn?t had a presence there since 1997 and has seemingly been the second priority since you?ve moved to the states. What changes will you have to make to be able to accommodate a tour across the Atlantic?

Konietzko: Not much really. We just need to tone down the equipment we fly over and maybe a bit of the personnel.

Will we see it this year?

Konietzko: Yea, 2004 hopefully in Japan, Australia and Russia.

A KMFDM world tour?

Konietzko: We just got an offer from Moscow that looks like we can actually do it. You are going to see KMFDM in front of the Kremlin.

When you realized that the future of KMFDM resided in the States, you moved to Chicago during Wax Trax!?s heyday. It was a short two years before the label was sold to TVT along with you and Sister Machine Gun. How was it that KMFDM blew up in the years following the Wax Trax! boon?

Konietzko: We owed to Jim and Danny from Wax Trax! and that marked the beginning of a difficult phase for TVT. They assumed rights they didn?t have. They bought the package and wanted to modify the terms of the sale. So in ?97 they started to be easy on KMFDM since we really had problems and their focus shifted to other things that they could make more money off. Which was fine with us. If we were in it for the money, we wouldn?t be here as KMFDM. We would be in a mansion producing pop music or some shit. This is a love affair.

After residing here in Chicago for five years at ground zero, what was calling you to Seattle?

Konietzko: I just needed to leave Chicago at that time. I was here for three years, went to Seattle, came right back because I hated it? moved back. Two years later I went back out to Seattle liked it? and then moved to NYC and then a third time to Seattle. Because I like it. [laughs] It?s a strange place.

After a decade living in the United States, it seems you are more annoyed than ever with America. Is your stay here indefinite with the current political climate as it is?

Konietzko: No, word has it that if George [Bush] gets re-elected, I'm gonna say adios.

Will you go over the ocean or a bit north to Canada?

Konietzko: I think I?ll go back over the ocean.

It?s been an honor and a pleasure. I can?t wait to see what you have in store for us on stage tonight.

Konietzko: Likewise. Thank you.