KMFDM

Our Time Has Come

(Metropolis Records)

This latest in a long line of nearly twenty KMFDM releases shows a slight return to the sound of the band’s earlier works like Nihil, Symbols and Naïve, but it still seems to be lacking something. Perhaps it’s just the fact that these tracks don’t seem quite as inspired as their predecessors and ultimately don’t really add anything new to the KMFDM repertoire. I’ve been a fan of the band since What Do You Know Deutschland? and have noticed that there’s been a slight decline in the quality of their music shortly after the release of 2009’s jaw-dropping Blitz. “Genau” seems like a good enough opening track related to embracing the German in you, but it also comes off a little hokey and I figure there might be more interesting things the band could be talking about these days. For a world teetering on the brink of disaster, I’m noticing that their voice has been slightly silenced. They’re still talking about important issues, but aren’t going into detail as much as they did on previous albums. It’s still there in spurts, like on album highlight “Shake The Cage” which is definitely one of the best songs I’ve heard from them in years; but it rounds out to a simple all-around protest song that doesn’t quite outline the corruption as well as on previous records. At least on WWIII they outlined the topics of consumerism and government corruption, which was the very album that sort of woke me up to a lot of these things. Before I’d really heard that album and dug into some of the topics that KMFDM and Ministry were talking about at the time, I was still under the assumption that our military were doing the right thing and that George W. Bush was a good president. Oh, how wrong I was.

Returning to the album, you’ve got “Respekt” next on the list which had me completely and utterly lost. I get the satire here, where the lyrics dictate “I will punch your head until you say, I respect you” but it doesn’t really seem to be as potent as tracks like “DIY” or “New American Century” for example. The title cut “Our Time Will Come” is an interesting one, which focuses on subtle electronics and features a somewhat sensual vocal performance from longtime frontwoman Lucia Cifarelli, but “Salvation” really brings back the early muscle of the band. It’s odd that the band would be singing about anything even remotely related to salvation after the anti-religious nature of Blitz, but perhaps I’ll have to dig further into it. Regardless, this is definitely right up there with “Shake The Cage” and even samples some of the classic “Naïve.” It almost seems like a sequel to the classic track, which should make longtime fans (like myself) very happy. “Blood Vs. Money” works well enough, with its electronic rock feel that sees frontman and mastermind Sascha Konietzko at his best, but I guess it’s due to the fact that I’ve heard this done so many times before that it doesn’t quite click with me. Then Lucia jumps back into the album in the form of the dance-track, “Get The Tongue Wet” which threw me for a major loop. I guess the track would work in an electronic dance club of sorts, but it didn’t work for me at all. Oddly enough, in terms of composition this is definitely the best work that KMFDM have delivered in years. It definitely shows their style of “ultra heavy beat” at its finest, but I’m just not feeling this as much as I did with some of major cuts from Attak or WWIII even though it’s obvious that they’re really trying to bring back the classic nature of the band. “Brainwashed” actually features a few metal riffs in addition to its electronics as it rolls partway into tremolo territory, yet I’m also having a hard time getting into it. There are many songs on Our Time Will Come that I want to like, but for some odd reason they are just not gelling properly with me. “Playing God” however comes off rather catchy, showing that the engine isn’t quite out of steam yet. It’s definitely still in the tone of classic material and manages to come across with a strong vocal performance. The last cut on the disc is “Make Your Stand” which is unreasonably long, but considering the overall electronic compositions, I can understand why the track needed room for what amounts to a tribute to the classic sound of German industrial music. I think that this one will really grab the attention of fans of the band’s earliest releases, before they had really added the rock elements and were more of a slightly industrial electronic act.

All in all, Our Time Will Come seems like a throwback to the band’s classic sound, and in that regard, it’s one of their strongest albums. It’s obvious that the band have been working their way back to the sound of their most heralded releases, but there are still a few kinks that need to be worked out before the transformation of this neo-retro era of KMFDM is complete. However, the band has so many releases behind their belt that if you’re finding yourself even one bit interested in this album, it would definitely be a good idea to start working backwards as you’ll eventually run into WWIII, Attak, Adios, Symbols, Naive, Nihil, Xtort, Angst and several more. With eighteen other albums far behind this one, it’s safe to say that a legacy has been written in the industrial rock archives and it’s one that current electronic acts are taking influence from today. But like Sascha said on WWIII closer “Intro”, “I am the father of industrial rock and if you don’t like it then you can suck my…” which I think pretty much explains everything. (Eric May)

Purchase Our Time Has Come here: http://kmfdm.fulfillmentmerch.com/