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Rating: One evening I find myself watching a disgustingly bad Japanese animated film of which I can't remember the name; maybe Street Fighter, maybe Cyber City, frankly I don't know. The Anime from the Land of the Rising Sun promises nothing good. And I'm bloody difficult when it comes to feature films of this kind. But... wait a second; the soundtrack is not bad at all.
Many rock tracks, including one by Alice in Chains that I already knew at the time. But something sounds off amidst this predominantly grunge soundtrack. In a very pulp scene, 4 and a half minutes of an industrial song of unheard-of violence start. An acoustic assault like nothing I'd ever heard before. Perhaps even something that could make Trent Reznor tremble in his prime. After a series of record store searches (in 1995 I didn't even know the internet existed), I begin a frantic search for this band that I then realize is made up of half German and half American members.
But KMFDM is not a real band. It is indeed a one-man-band, somewhat like Nine Inch Nails. The violent man is Sascha Konietzko, the founder of the group (the first album dates back to 1986). But let's leave the discography aside and talk about the masterpiece that is 'Nihil'. (oh, I forgot... the song from the Anime made in Japan is the first on this album and it's called "Ultra"). This album was released in 1995 and takes a lot of cues from Ministry and NIN while still maintaining its own original line that matches well with techno and speed metal.
Electronics that scratch, hurt, and are on the verge of tolerance for the more purist ears. For many, they might recall the old Skinny Puppy of 'Too Dark Park', a bit less demonic and more "dancy". To others, some sounds might be reminiscent of the 80s dance music. There are indeed female choirs in the CD, perfectly styled in the 80s fashion, but don't get any strange ideas. Often the choirs culminate in simulations of orgasms and screeching shouts, especially in the last albums, which are decidedly more "assaultive" and technically superior.
Konietzko's voice is grotesque and without too many pretensions. Special attention deserves the guitar of Guenter Schultz, at times melodic, and the next moment it becomes as heavy as a hatchet on the skull. If you start listening to this band, start with this CD (if you can find it in circulation) otherwise enjoy the last 2 CDs: "Attak" (where in the first song you hear the kamikaze planes crashing into the WTC) or "WWIII".
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Ultra (04:33)
When you peel back my eyes
I see the pain and feel alive
My hatred heaps upon this fire
That burns inside and you blow higher
But I don't need you anymore
You cannot hurt me anymore
Keep it away from the fire
Unless you want it to burn
It burns, wildfire
Give it to me
Wildfire
Don't take it from me
Wildfire
Give it
And when you take me in your mind
Into this dirty sodden shrine
I do not need you anymore
You cannot hurt me anymore
Keep it away from the fire
Unless you want it to burn
It burns, wildfire
Give it to me
Wildfire
Don't take it from me
Wildfire
Give it to me
Set on fire
Don't take it from me
Wildfire
Take it
And when you peel back my eyes
I see the pain and feel alive
My hatred heaps upon this fire
That burns inside and you blow higher
Keep it away from the fire
Unless you want it to burn
It burns, wildfire
Give it to me
Wildfire
Don't take it from me
Wildfire
Give it to me
It burns, wildfire
Don't take it from me
Wildfire
Give it
Give it, give it to me
On fire
I do not need you anymore
Fire
You cannot hurt me anymore
Fire
I do not need you anymore
Fire
You cannot hurt me anymore
Fire
You cannot hurt me
02 Juke Joint Jezebel (05:40)
I Can't Reject This Empty Hole
I Cannot Count The Bloody Cost
I Can't Believe This Wretched Soul
Come Penetrate All This Loss
Come On And Kill This Sense Of Life
And Be The One Who Is Denied
Now Show Me One More Upturned Knife
And Fill The Emptiness Inside
Be Mine Sister Salvation
Juke Joint Jezebel Is Coming For My Cremation
Be Mine Sister Salvation
Closer Now- See The Revelation
If I Could Leave My Burning Skin
That Has Been Used Up In Your Sin
Is There A Tiny Part Of Me
Untouched-Unsoiled By Misery
Be Mine Sister Salvation
Juke Joint Jezebel Is Coming For My Cremation
Be Mine Sister Salvation
Closer Now- See The Revelation
I Am The City That Will Lie
You Are The One That Blame Passed By
This Is The Place Where I Will Weep
The Loneliness Of Sweet Conceipt
Be Mine Sister Salvation
Juke Joint Jezebel Is Coming For My Cremation
Be Mine Sister Salvation
Closer Now- See The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
See The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
See The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
The Revelation
See The Revelation
03 Flesh (05:01)
Into this void I will give my self-control
Inside this noise is a weak and Godless soul
Give me what I know
Feel this ego
There's a rusty halo on my head
It must have been something that I said
This is the dome of my betrayal
This is the final broken nail
Fill this hole
Suck this soul
I am the thing that I can't control
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Flesh
These eyes are twitching like a cup of squirming flies
When I'm on my knees you can do just what you please
Give me what I know
Feel this ego
There's a rusty halo on my head
It must have been something that I said
This is the dome of my betrayal
This is the final broken nail
Fill this hole
Suck this soul
I am the thing that I can't control
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Flesh
Flesh
Flesh
Inside this noise is a weak and Godless soul
There's a rusty halo on my head
It must have been something that I said
This is the dome of my betrayal
This is the final broken nail
Fill this hole
Suck this soul
I am the thing that I can't control
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
There's a rusty halo on my head
It must have been something that I said
This is the dome of my betrayal
This is the final broken nail
Inside this noise is a weak and Godless soul
Fill this hole
Suck this soul
I am the thing that I can't control
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Press my flesh
Flesh
Flesh
04 Beast (05:06)
My Youth Is Wasted- I'm Evasive And Vague
I'm A Headless Beast- I'm A Subtle Plague
I'm A Cheatin' Liar- I Am Naked Terror
I Hurt- I Wound- I'm A Fatal Error
I'm A Non-Believer- I Refuse And Resist
I Don't Play No More- I'm A Terrorist
I'm A Radical Pig- I Exploit And Abuse
I Am Total Chaos- Strange And Abstruse
I Don't Make Sense
I Got My Pride
Don't Need No Meaning
I Feel No Shame
I Will Not Believe
I Got No Choice
I'm Out Of Control
And I Love It
I'm A Man Who's Sick- But I Got Class
'coz You Only Get Respect- When You're Kickin' Ass
Non-Compliance, Non-Aggressive, Non-Contagious, Non-Involvement
Non-Productive, Non-Religious, Non-Resistant, Non-Subjective
05 Terror (04:49)
Some people call them terrorists
These boys have simply been misguided
(Chorus)
I tried to keep my faith alive
I'm close enough to trip the wire
I cannot keep my hate inside
I'm gonna set myself on fire
I get closer beat by beat
To get the thing i really need
I'm fucking terrified
Will you be ever satisfied?
Day after day innocent people are being deported, interrogated and tortured - put through the third degree
Fundamentalist forces are undermining the integrity of liberal and democratic political structures
Radical anarchists, fascists and terrorists are responsible for the violence
(Chorus)
Our socities are saturated with bloodlust, sensationalism and violence as a result of alienation from oneself's reality
How much longer do we tolerate mass murder?
I tried to keep my faith alive
I'm close enough to trip the wire
I cannot keep my hate inside
I'm gonna set myself on fire
Hand-cuffs and shackles won't frighten us
Neither cattle-prod nor electrical-whip will silence us
We shall use all peaceful means to overcome tyranny
Persist and march on
They can't use our shame against us
Regardless of race, social status or gender we're all affected
I tried to keep my faith alive
I'm close enough to trip the wire
I cannot keep my hate inside
I'm gonna set myself on fire
I get closer beat by beat
To get the thing i really need
I get closer beat by beat
To get the thing i really need
I get closer beat by beat
To get the thing i really need
I'm fucking terrified
Will you be ever satisfied?
06 Search & Destroy (03:26)
Will we close our eyes
Will we fall for those lies
Or will we make the conclusion
That this life's a delusion
Will we do what we're told
'til the day that we're sold
Or will we raise our voices
Make alternative choices
What's up!
Our silence is death - We shall resist the violence
And we'll never give up - Only death is silence
Are we victims or winners - Believers or sinners
Do we sit in the saddle - Or are we just cattle
Are we wretched or bold - Are we garbage or gold
Can we make the right call - Can we change it at all
Acceptance is surrender - Vile and vicious slander
We don't want to be ruled - By a handful of fools
07 Disobedience (04:42)
This is the throne where hatred keeps
What is sown is never reaped
This is the blindness that you need
This is the vein on which you feed
Surrender
It's just one twist
I will surrender
My aching wrist
I can't remember
It's never enough
I will surrender
It's never enough
Oh my darling
One for all and all for one
Give me reason
The quest for truth
Give me something
Disobedient yet responsive
To believe in
Out of darkness there will be light
Close your eyes
Close your eyes
This is the dignity that you felt
This is the gutter where you have knelt
Surrender
It's just one twist
I will surrender
My aching wrist
I can't remember
It's never enough
I will surrender
It's never enough
This is your wretched, heavin' high
These are the shamed, the damned, the blamed
I can smell the slowly spreadin' stain
Oh, the burden of shame
Surrender
It's just one twist
I will surrender
My aching wrist
I can't remember
It's never enough
I will surrender
It's never enough
Oh my darling
It's a war with no winners
Give me reason
When violence hits home
Give me something
Ignorance is your religion
To believe in
Take this spear and heal thyself
Close your eyes
Close your eyes
Disobedient
One too many lies
Disobedient
It's the greatest swindle
Disobedient
Everything falls into place
Disobedient
Take these words and feel thyself
This is your wretched, heavin' high
These are the shamed, the damned, the blamed
I can smell the slowly spreadin' stain
Oh, the burden of shame
Oh my darling
Give me reason
Give me something
To believe in
08 Revolution (04:26)
In Fear Of My Life
I Went Suddenly Crazy
Surrounded By Beasts
In A World Of Disease
I'm In Fear I'm In Anger
I'm In A Desperate State
I Will Be Careful Now
And I Will Make No Mistake
If There's A Hard Way
It's Gotta Be Mine
But I Learned My Lesson
And I'm Gonna Be Fine
What's Gonna Happen
I Need To Kow
I Don't Want To Suffer
Is It Yes Or Is It No
It's The End Of This World
Something's Gone Wrong
Give Me One Last Kiss
Revolution Has Begun
It's The End Of This World
Something Must End
Time Is Right For A Change
It Is All In Our Hands
09 Brute (04:25)
Between The Liquor, The Bed And The Noise In My Head
Between Your Mind And My Crime
And Me In The Grime
Between The Gun, The Lead And The Lies That I Said
Through Your Sweet Breath Comes The Dawn Of My Death
Touch Me- Hate Me
Give Yourself To Me And Break Me
Cut These Eyes
And I Will See
Kiss These Lying Lips For Me
Stroke This Skin
And Will Kneel
Brutalize Me
I Will Heal
Between The Bullet And My Lip
And The Lies You Let Slip
Between The Dirt Of This Soul
And Your Heart That's A Hole
Between The Place Where You Hit
And This Face Where You Spit
Through Your Sweet Breath Comes The Dawn Of My Death
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Other reviews
By CUNTGRINDER
It is one of the most extreme albums I have ever listened to, and you find yourself taken aback when the notes of Ultra, Flesh and Juke Joint Jezebel enter your ear.
The reincarnation of nihilism expressed in music is nothing short of realistic, because those guitar notes really make one think of that sense of indifference and outrage.
