If you have gone through life thinking KMFDM stands for “Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode” instead of meaning “no pity for the majority (Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid)” then you might have missed a few inside jokes over the years. But it is easy to catch up as the band continues its forty years of conceptual continuity. Granted, even the continuous concept has changed, which can be heard on their newest offering ENEMY (Metropolis Records), yet even with the more rock n roll vibes that open the album, you can still check off all the boxes you expect from the long-running electro-industrial band. Their new guitarist knows what the job description calls for, and Sascha Konietzco continues to steer the ship in the right direction.

An ominous stomp that fulfills the dystopian obligations when it comes to “L’ETAT”. It casts a darker mood over things, while Lucia Cifarelli crooned “VAMPYR,” finds them conscious of their goth-leaning fan base. Her delivery is aggressive as needed on the rousing chorus. She is not the only female voice on the album as Annabella Konietzko takes the mic for “YOU,” which is a great deal more poppier than what we expect from this band, but it works pretty well.

This album might be their strongest work in a decade. Lyrically, it does not feel as overtly political as some of their more recent efforts. However, the first hints creep in on “OUTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION,” which might be about aliens stepping in to sort through things on Earth. There is a more Gary Numan-like synth pulse to “A OKAY” when coupled with the vocal melody here, creating an almost K-pop sound. They bring the dub back with “Stray Bullet 2.0.” Not the first time they have flirted with this sound. Given the title “Catch & Kill” was not what I expected, which would have been more along the lines of a “Light’ style thrashing, there is very little of it on this album, but the melodic direction they go here works well enough. The highest doses of heavier guitar might be found on the instrumental.”GUN QUARTER SUE.”

This album sounds best when listened to with headphones at high volumes, not sure if it has the kind of club-oriented bass thump, so request it at your local goth nite and see what happens. Overall, it can be said that this album grows on you with each listen as it stacks up pretty well against their other stuff and is less poppy than their last album. Long-time fans who have been paying attention to where the band has been heading will eagerly hop on board. As they continue to be the most consistent industrial adjacent band to emerge from the eighties, not bad to fan service nostalgia, the songs speak for themselves to prove this band still matters these days, perhaps more than ever, as cyber-punk next week’s dystopia.

Buy the album here:
https://kmfdm.bandcamp.com/album/enemy

9 / 10
WIL CIFER
Follow his work here: