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KMFDM
Blitz

Metropolis Records / KMFDM Records

Posted: Friday, March 20, 2009
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

25 years and still going strong, the Ultra Heavy Beat powerhouse known as KMFDM has maintained an impressively prolific pace, often churning out multiple releases in a single year. From the Skold vs. KMFDM release in early 2009 to the continuing stream of reissues from the band's back catalog, the band has been in no shortage of material to offer the fans as they wait for a brand new album. Now, the wait is over as Blitz lives up to its title with a vicious assault of industrial rock as only KMFDM can deliver. All of the hallmarks of the band's sound are present, from the vitriolic vocals to the guttural guitars to the searing synthesizers, all backed by that Ultra Heavy Beat that fans have come to know and love for a quarter of a century. What makes Blitz stand out is that unlike the last several albums, the live lineup's involvement was noticeably minimal, with Sascha Konietzko producing the album almost entirely on his own, making for a predominantly electronic album the likes of which has not been heard since the band's early history, bringing to mind albums like Naïve and Money, albeit with an updated sheen.

From the opening samples of a launch countdown, the mood is set for KMFDM to take listeners into the stratosphere with "Up Uranus." Funky electronic bass lines and drums reminiscent of modern dubstep backed by Jules Hodgson's chugging guitars, and topped off by Konietzko's ever cynical and aggressive vocals and lyrics make for an expansive track that screams classic KMFDM, especially with the refrain of "Last call on planet fucked!" Other tracks like "Potz Blitz!" and especially "Davai" will undoubtedly please longtime fans, with the former track being the requisite German-sung bout of marching rhythms and grinding guitars with subtle vocoder accompaniments to add depth to Konietzko's menacing tone, while the latter track is one of the more classically industrial KMFDM songs with pounding metallic percussion, sparse bass lines, sliding guitars, and Konietzko actually singing in Russian, expanding on the band's recent experimentation with other languages. Another song that will likely remind some listeners of the KMFDM of old is "Bitches" with its venomously humorous indictment of fans that indulge in illegal file sharing coupled with a healthy dose of self-deprecation as Konietzko proudly proclaims that all they want is your cold hard cash.

One notable aspect to Blitz is Konietzko's vocal abilities, for on songs like "Bitches" and the cover of Human League's "Being Boiled," he displays the full range of his voice, almost bellowing out a subtly operatic tone that is in stark contrast to his usual distorted and raspy approach. He continues to share the spotlight with Lucia Cifarelli, whose command of in-your-face attitude and melodic lyricism sets fire to songs like "Bait & Switch" and "Never Say Never," two tracks that are already infectiously danceable and perfect for any modern DJ's set list. On the other end of Lucia's vocal spectrum is "Me & My Gun" as she unleashes the riotgrrl fury many have come to associate with her since her bygone days in Drill overtop some hard-hitting drum & bass beats and subsonic synth stabs, while "People of the Lie" is much slower and low-key, though no less intense in its diatribes against the religious right. Perhaps the song that will garner the most attention from the fans, both through their speakers and on the dance floor, is "Strut;" sung by longtime collaborator Cheryl Wilson, and the only song featuring the entire live lineup, including former member Tim Skold, "Strut" is pure disco energy and reminds of "Juke Joint Jezebel" almost too clearly.

Blitz is everything one could want from a KMFDM record: it's danceable, it's heavy, and it's industrial, marrying the old school with the new school to create what is perhaps the most quintessentially KMFDM-sounding record Konietzko and crew has released in the last decade. Still completely devoted to conceptual continuity and pursuing ideas even further each time around while also returning to the musical modes and bearing more of the collaborative spirit that defined them for a generation, KMFDM shows with Blitz that 25 years has only made the band a much stronger entity in the world of modern music.