Kmfdm - Xtort (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Desire is NOT an Occupation

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 02/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Ask NOT what you can do for your country. Ask what your country DID to you."

Here we are, with KMFDM "the player." They've kicked out quite a few hits that rocked the public by this time in their career, have established themselves as Dogma when it comes to industrial music, and they've done it with quality. By now they've perfected a sound that they want to go with as well, pushing themselves toward a heavier flow that is more politically-oriented, and they've gotten good at it. This falls in right after the powerhouse release Nihil, and following that up was a hard task to accomplish. Still, Xtort did it pretty well.

I'll go on record as saying that Xtort wasn't one of my favorites in the beginning because it lacked Raymond Watts, but that wore off after a while because the album is good. I actually like how Sasha changed up the vocals a bit on this, making them a little gruffer, and I like having Cheryl Wilson/ Dorona Alberti/ Nicole Blackman on board as a back-up vocalist. I also like the fact that these were the En Esch days and that Gunter Schulz was on board, making a solid stable of players. and, yes, Chris Connelly was present a little, as was Mark Durante and a few others. And then there was the album itself.

I really liked the spoken word rant of Dogma, because it was quality stuff. "We don't live, we just scratch on day to day with nothing but matchbooks and sarcasm in our pockets." Yeah. It has a nice beat, damn good vocals, and a great message that keeps the mind breathing. "Desire is not an occupation." Rules is an addictive song as well, because it has a nice beat that flows, quality construction, and a change-up in the vocal style that gives them a less refined style. Couple that with lyrical quality and you have a nice track. I also like Power, with the barrage of political sounds meshing well with the change-up in vocals, because it reminds me of a staple KMFDM song. Lead vocals, female chorus = great work. Blame is an odd track for KMFDM but its also catchy, with alot of KMFDM flavor and yet a little beat switch, and Son of a Gun also has to be noted because its probably the most widely-recognized track on the album.

Over-all the album is a change of pace for KMFDM, but it still continues with the style that it was getting going on Nihil. Its still driven, heavily-En Esch oriented in the guitar realm, and a nice treat when given some spinning time.

"Industrial Soundtrack to the Holy Wars!""

Great place to start

Z. Simon | Poway, California United States | 09/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having been tentative about the band at first, only to eventually become a rabid collector, I understand how hard it is to recommend a starting point. This isn't my favorite album, but it offers the best mix of KMFDM's ever-changing but always driving marriage of humanism and egotism, action and pretention.

If you end up favoring the beat, look to ADIOS and MONEY.

If you end up favoring the ultra heavy, see WWIII and ANGST.

If you still aren't convinced, remember that if it seems corny it isn't an accident. If that fails, find how HAU RUCK provides the most perfectly blended sound to date."

Good follow up to a masterpiece

Brian Allen | Kansas, USA | 03/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"KMFDM's Nihil was and is one of the greatest albums ever, in any genre. Naturally, the band wanted to follow up with something similar, but like always they did things to make it feel new. It has more guests than any other KMFDM album, and that does a great deal to add to the variety. Yet, it still has the classic KMFDM feel. It's not quite as good as Nihil, but it's a worthy successor.

1. Power - 5/5

What we've come to expect of the band. Lyrically it's a reworking of the Excessive Force song Violent Peace, but musically it feels like a Juke Joint Jezebel part two, complete with the female vocals on the chorus.

2. Apathy - 5/5

Probably one of the heaviest songs KMFDM has done. Sounds a bit like Flesh, from Nihil, but with Sascha on vocals instead of Raymond.

3. Rules - 5/5

This one's a bit more laid back, and has Chris Connelly, of Ministry fame, on vocals.

4. Craze - 4/5

Another one with Connelly. Not quite as good as Rules, but still a good song.

5. Dogma - 5/5

A cool political song with spoken word artist Nicole Blackman on vocals. She seems to be a great lyricist, and they are the standout feature on this track.

6. Inane - 5/5

A classic kind of KMFDM song with a bunch of old lyrics inserted. Nostalgic for longtime fans; perhaps a bit annoying for newcomers. Luckily, this was the fourth album I purchased by them. It also features the album's only performance by En Esch on the guitar solo.

7. Blame - 5/5

The intro will throw you off thinking it's a ballad, but it ends up being a cool song with horns. I think Disobedience had better use of them, but it still sounds cool here. It has Connelly on vocals.

8. Son of a Gun - 4/5

Not one of my favorites, but it's still pretty good and the music video was pretty cool. Lyrics are kind of weak, though.

9. Ikons - 4/5

This is another song with Connelly. Again not one of my favorites, but it is another solid track.

10. Wrath - 5/5

The album ends on a high note. Probably the darkest track on the album.

11. Secret Track - 3/5

This isn't really part of the album, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. After a while on Wrath, Gunter Shulz will start playing piano, and some one starts telling some weird fairy story. It's a bit ammusing(it's a dark comedy about a fairy), but it wasn't really worth putting on the CD.

Overall, I'm torn between whether or not to give this 4 or 5 stars. As good as this album is, is Nihil is better, and this album could've used some help from Raymond Watts and En Esch(one guitar solo doesn't cut it). However the addition of Chris Connelly mostly makes up for the lack of Watts, and there's enough original stuff here to make it worth buying for any KMFDM fan. I'd give it a 4.5, if given the option."

Apocalypse Now, Walls of Flame...

Eddie Lancekick | Pacific Northwest | 10/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"XTORT stands out a bit from other collaborations in the KMFDM empire for the fact that this, their 10th album, has a more individual track base that brings to the forefront several harsh, edge laden tracks. Uplifting in a doomsday kind of way, XTORT brandishes the techno savvy and female backing vocals that are signature to many. From the opening speed rocking track called "Power" to the zippy, atmospheric frenzy that is "son of a gun", XTORT does not disappoint.

"Power" delivers a sonic furry of drums and guitar that never slows down. "Apathy" is an old school speed metal sounding track that really delivers some crazy pop elements here and there. They try to keep up, as lead vocalist Sascha sears in his vocal efforts, delivering the message through a flurry of great beats. "Rules" has another signature trademark for this band, and that's a fun, poppy beat that isn't too soft but edgy with emotion. "Graze" is a different track, as it implements static sounds and a harsh sound coupled with super fast vocals. To me it's almost over the top compared to the more calculated crushers that are on here, but its spooky background music nonetheless adds to its ability to fit within the track listing like a best friend. "Dogma" has an R & B kind of feel coupled with the communistic speech element added in throughout the song. "Inane" is an awesome rocking track that would shake an arena to its feet, and then take them to their knees! This song is a driving force that has a great changeup in beats and chorus. "Blame" is a slowed down track with some gruff vocal work and some crazy "carnival" sounding music for added atmosphere. The already mentioned "Son of a Gun" is superb as it has a clear message coupled with a good mix of rock beats and metal riffs. The chorus is catchy and memorable, and it only leaves the listener wanting more. "Ikons" takes a little build up before breaking into a fast techno rocker with an echo effect from the vocals.

The album rounds out with "Wrath". This track starts out with a spooky, orchestral opening that quickly breaks into some pop metal beats that are quickly joined by the lead singer with the usual intensity. Several changeups in tempo and structure make it another gem on an overall excellent album."

Solid, fun album

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 09/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Band founder Sascha K said the idea with this album was to contrast the previous album, Nihil, by being less poppy and less perfected, less endlessly rearranged and rewritten. The result is a record of signature KMFDM mid-90's brand of industrial rock infused with a bit more of a sense of fun, daring and experimentation.

Despite the lack of the irreplacable Raymond Watts, the line up on this album is great. Chris Connelly (the guy singing in Ministry's "Cannibal Song"), several great female vocalists, various programmers, and NO Skold! XTORT has more musicians involved than any other KMFDM album.

There's also plenty of the elements that make KMFDM unique and more than just industrial / EBM music- horns, organ sounds, bluesy rhythms and guitar, etc. The songs themselves-

"Power" has a great high end main riff reminiscient of stuff on Angst like "Blood (Evil Mix)" that's subtely dark while still managing to totally rock, but the chorus consists of a simple "We've got the power!" repeated ad nauseum. Thus, the song is pretty cheesy.

"Apathy" has a lot of totally awesome riffs, and is much darker than usual for this band. Stands in their catelogue as one of their most furious tracks and unusually serious.

"Rules" is one of KMFDM's best ever tracks, a bluesy rocker with Chris Connelly doing some unforgetable and strange monotone vocals. The female singers join in for the chorus. "I'm lying on the ground but I'm moving".

"Crazy" is a bizarre, frantic song with a kind of horror vibe. Nothing else like it in their whole discography. Chris Connelly again takes center stage. I personally like it, but I could understand people who don't. A good experiment.

"Dogma" is a rant by guest spoken word artist Nicole Blackman that strikes me as being particularly angsty and not backed up by any real fact. Example- "We don't run Washington and no one really does" "We don't live we just scratch on day to day" "Someone's writing down your mistakes" and so on and so forth. Paranoia and punk rock attitude. My response is "speak for yourself". While I find the words kind of immature and comical, the background music is very dense and creates a sense of being surrounded by it. It also samples early industrial group SPK's "Napalm (Terminal Patient)".

"Inane" begins with some dissonant synth noodlings and becomes an attempt to fit as many references to past albums and singles into one song as possible. Fortunately, it also totally rocks. It's also great live... fun to sing along to.

"Blame" is my favorite song on here. A classic rock vibe with horns, some unusually pretty guitar harmonizations, horn interludes and an anthemic chorus. Chris Connelly again. Surprisingly uplifting.

"Son of a Gun" in the grand tradition of "A Drug Against War" is a super-fast thrashy number with a great chorus. Very little melody and no particularly interesting riffs, but the energy makes up for it. The production is interesting- the vocals have a strange filter on them that sounds as if they're glitching. Also good live.

"Ikons" has a weird, ominous guitar hook and a march like rhythm but a pretty boring chorus with one chord repeated over and over and monotone distorted Sascha chanting. The 'solo' in the bridge also has so much distortion on it as to be practically earsplitting and disrupting. An ok song.

"Wrath" is catchy and has some interesting tympani and orchestral breaks, whether or not they're sampled I don't know. Has a lack of interesting riffs.

Overally XTORT is a good album but as consistent or special as Nihil that came before or the more electronic Symbols that came after. If you've already picked up those, this is a good choice.

KMFDM's whole catelogue up to Adios is out of print, but XTORT is one of the ones easier to find for a reasonable price. For this reason it might be a good place to start. However, this won't matter for long since KMFDM is rereleasing them all on their online store."

Search - Kmfdm :: Xtort

CD Details

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews