Album Review: Die Krupps - The Machinists of Joy

In the '80s and early '90s, «The Krupps» absolute cult and with «Machineries Of Joy» and «Metal Machine Music» they delivered milestones. After that, they moved more and more away from the electronic sound and tried to break new ground with a stronger use of guitars. No other album has been released since the turn of the millennium. Now the band, which has been called Electro, EBM, Industrial, Crossover and even Metal and is a classic in electronic music history, is back with a new album. As if that weren't enough of a surprise, this one is entitled «The Machinists Of Joy», which raises hopes. But what the first studio album of this millennium actually offers, I would never have dared to dream of in this form. After several years of maintenance work, the band around singer Jürgen Engler has reopened their factory gates, dusted and lubricated the machines and with "The Machinist of Joy" a new prototype goes off the assembly line. "The Krupps" have been an institution of Industrial Electro since the early 80s. Since then, the Düsseldorfers have made groundbreaking albums and amazing changes in style. How does the band sound in 2013?

With their first album of this millennium, "Die Krupps" heave themselves out of grandma's clothes box and knock the dust off the machines. "The Machinists Of Joy" throws its electronic shadows ahead, that is, the name says it all and this program in turn is electro-pregnant. Anyone who was already in the 80s musically in the electronic area as a spoiled listener and connoisseur will not only find their well-known and no. 10 Billboard hit from 1989 "Machineries of Joy" by name, but also musically and lyrically the hard-working factory guys have remained true to themselves. The album title already provides a guide and signals that it is again more the electronics than the guitar that dominates the Krupps sound. Nevertheless, guitarist Marcel Zürcher's assertive riffs are purposefully placed in the songs.

The opener «Ein Blick zurück im Zorn» offers wonderfully intensive and fast-paced beats paired with driving guitars, so that you actually feel reminded of the band's most successful times. The perfect crossover symbiosis of EBM and metal is offered here again, with the former clearly having the upper hand here. Instead of an overloaded, electronic piece of music, Krupps mastermind Jürgen Engler serves a tasteful fusion of two emotionally charged musical styles. The following piece "Schmutzfabrik" is musically and lyrically so much EBM, more is hardly possible. Hard, biting beats, sophisticated sequencer sounds, deliberately placed "hammer-on-anvil" sounds and rock-hard, cold vocals. That's called machine music! In their new album, "Die Krupps" present a lyrically grown piece of work, musically rounder and more appealing. The Electro-Express continues to pick up speed and a cool-tinged chant meets staccato-like synth beats. The beat of the guitar and the "steel phon" remains electronic, stands out and drives even the dance-shy listener onto the stage, in order to work hard and surrender to the rhythm.

DIE KRUPPS - Risk Factor (Official Music Video)

From the song "Risikofaktor" onwards, the Krupps' electro sound, which dominated the early years, dominates the sound and fans of the band's early years will be very happy about this. Those who only later got to grips with the music of the Düsseldorf band might now be a little put off. With «Robo Sapien» the musicians go a little towards reconciliation, but then turn the electro switch up to the limit. Here at the latest the album begins to become hard to digest for late fans of the troupe, true Krupps fans will be delighted. Love it or hate it! The catchy tune factor is enormously high with «The Machinist of Joy», the album's best title of the same name, and thanks to the pounding beats, a shiver of happiness runs down your spine. Another hit for the clubs and a treat for every lover of hard electronic music. In the songs, "The Krupps" suspect the war and industrial machinery ("Nazis on Speed", "Dirt Factory"), the increasing dehumanization ("Robo Sapien") or the conditions in their home country ("In the wrong country") - but they are also full of joy at work («Machinist of Joy», «Part of the Machine») and in togetherness («Ice Cold Angel», «Industry Girl»). The only drawback, because they want to open up to a broader spectrum of listeners, is the danger that die-hard electro fans will be reminded of normal pop music more than pure electro.

Even if "The Krupps" are sometimes located in the black scene, they still speak their own language and, thanks to their long history and the many musical phases they have gone through, have a wide range of listeners - the new recording offers the whole spectrum. There are songs here that are not only suitable for the industrial dance floor, but also for company parties and protest marches, on the barricades and in the factory canteens, where "Kraftwerk" sang from neon lights and mannequins, "Die Krupps" sing from a dirt factory and angels Steel and in German and partly in English. The essence of the Krupps could be described as follows: machine music, hard, danceable, sometimes epic, peppered with targeted guitar attacks and the eternal hammering of the "steel phone", paired with contemporary critical lyrics that confidently set themselves apart from the mass of what is unfortunately the norm these days. Listening to «The Machinists of Joy» gives the impression that the band is stronger than ever, as all the songs are of a high standard. The work is pleasingly dynamic, produced in a modern way, but without sounding as clean as so many re-releases of the past. Anyone who used to like «Die Krupps» must have the album, and anyone who likes EBM anyway!

Tracklist:

1. A look back in anger
2. Dirt factory
3. Risk factor
4. Robo Sapien
5. The Machinist of Joy
6. Essenbeck
7. In the wrong country
8. Part of the machine
9. Ice-cold Angel
10. nocebo
11. In the shadow of the rings
12. BONUS: Nazis on speed
13. BONUS: Industrial girls

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