KMFDM
ADIOS ALBUM WAX TRAX! RELEASE: APRIL 20, 1999 REVIEW: MAY 22, 1999 
When KMFDM say goodbye, they do it with style. "Adios" is without any doubt the best album of their whole fifteen year carrier, alongside the 1995 masterpiece "Nihil". Who could have known that Tim Sköld, once the singer of Swedish L A style sleaze rockers Shotgun Messiah, would end up in KMFDM? But "Adios" sees him and Sascha Konietzko doing the main work behind the KMFDM wheel. The two of them have managed to make "Adios" sound classic KMFDM style, and still incorporate a new, inventive touch. It sounds more electronic than ever before, the live drums not present, and the guitars more integrated into the music. Most of the songs are so brilliant that it does not even matter that much that Raymond Watts does not contribute to the album. "D.I.Y" might be the ultimate KMFDM song, with bombastic orchestral samples, splendid guitar work, and lines like "Rip the system, blow it away" and "The world rotates to the Ultra-Heavy-Beat". "Sycophant" sees them returning to the dub and reggae influences that characterized the 1989 album "UAIOE", but here it is much more refined, with crazy echo effects on Günter Schulz' guitar and Cheryl Wilson's fabulous wailing. It may be due to Sköld's presence that "Adios" sees KMFDM display a melancholic side, that previously only has been hinted at in the Raymond Watts sung "Unfit" of their last album. Here Sköld sings "when you leave it's like I disappear" and "everytime you go it feels like/.../a month of Sundays coming up" in "Today", accompanied by mellow electronics. "I couldn't even begin to understand where KMFDM stands politically", Nivek Ogre said with a laughter when I interviewed him last October. Regardless of that, he stands for the lead vocals on "That's All" and "Full Worm Garden", two of the absolute highlights on "Adios". The former being an electro rock hit in the way only KMFDM can make them, while the latter is a sadder, guitar free song. "Adios" also has the trademark female wailing and political statements, and contributions from German punk rock legend Nina Hagen. And the new Konietzko/Sköld project MDFMK should hit the stores this autumn. Do not miss it! KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN |
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