In the ever ephemeral world of music there are many legends. Some rise to the heavens, flare up, and burn out quickly; leaving behind ash and bone that is quickly swept up by the sagacious whore-like wind we call ‘The Industry.‘ Others create monumental legacies -album after album, side project after side project --for their listeners that resonate through everything they do, causing a crystalline harmony that makes them more and more profound as they hum in our ears. Digital grapevines resonate and pulse with the susurrations of every nuance and movement these legends leave in their wake, lamenting the retirement of Al Jourgensen, laughing at the latest antics from Marilyn Manson, and reminiscing.
That same reminiscent spirit makes people line up night after night, all over the world, to bask in the glories -past and present --that these artists radiate. However, it’s a rare event for these legends to come together and create things that exceed their individual magnificence. As a listener, it’s even rarer to be able to sit at home, passively, and feel that power; that dominating pulse that washes over the senses and floods the pleasure centers like the first rush of an orgasm, or a line. But… I have an album that does that, and more, by two living legends that have an established record of creating epics together, and I’m here to tell you all about it so lean in close. The album of which I speak is a new release from the combined brilliance of legendary industrial music progenitors Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM/ MDFMK, Schwein, Excessive Force) and Tim Skold (Kingpin, Shotgun Messiah, Skold, KMFDM/MDFMK, Marilyn Manson). Its available now, released on the 26th of February, and is entitled ’Skold VS. KMFDM,’ in the spirit of the old Wax-Trax! days (KMFDM VS. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, ECT.). This is a significant moment for fans of KMFDM, as well as Skold, as this is the first time they’ve come together since collaborating on ‘02’s ‘Attak.’ True to past form, they are virtually magical together. In addition to creating a powerful release through this disc, Tim Skold is doing production and instrumental work on KMFDM’s new album, ‘Blitz,’ set for release on March, 24th. These albums are coming out as foreplay for KMFDM’s 25th anniversary tour, which will begin in Europe this spring then cross over to infest our clubs as well.
As if that’s not exciting enough, and to me -HOLY FUCK --it is, I have the pleasure of telling you about the grandeurs of this album, of which there are many to take in and savor. From the start, SvK. is a powerhouse. Its raw, angry, and driven through all of its twenty-two tracks and interludes. The way in which they approached that aspect of the album is cool; for every song there is an interlude that leads in, establishing a feel and dynamic without words to clear the table for the meat of lyrical additions. It doesn’t feel or sound like a KMFDM album either, which was my primary concern. I have a hell of a lot of faith in Das Capitan -he’s never failed my ears yet --but I had to wonder: will this sound like the remixes on the Extra releases? It was a genuine pleasure to hear how many diverse sounds this combination could create. There are a few moments where it sounds like something you might hear on a Marilyn Manson album, but that’s no surprise given the depth of penetration Skold has had in their sound. If anything could be said about that with a negative connotation it’s that Manson takes too much credit for his sound when in actuality it appears to have originated with Skold’s influence. Mall-goth… go figure.
The songs themselves are fucking riveting. They’re well-crafted and aggressive as hell through and through with the exception of the melodic guitar strains of the ‘Alkohol’ interlude, a pretty piece unto itself. For raw, unbridled and unapologetic aggressive vibes I was immediately drawn to ‘Antigeist,’ the third track on SvK. Defined by Wikipedia as “Geist is a German word that does not translate very well into English. It is usually translated as mind, spirit, or ghost but can also be associated with drive or motivation,” the premise of ‘Antigeist’ -in addition to it’s phonetic correlation to Anti-Christ --presents an interesting summary of the songs underlying message: nihilism. It’s an ode to agnosticism, apathy, and empowerment through emptiness. This song is soundtrack material without question, as is most of the album. The second, and easily most catchy song on this album, is the (dare I say) virtual pop song, ‘Love is Like.’ SvK. Offers two versions of the song, one that was featured on CBS’s television show, NCIS, and another that seems a little truer to the over-all form of the album. The difference is in the way the song was processed, the non-televised version sounding more aggressive and bass-heavy, and the lyrics. On the TV version, the chorus goes “Love is like a bullet in the heart, ” on the album, it’s a bullet in the head… Regardless, it’s a powerful song, and easily my favorite on the album.
Need I say more? Probably not, beyond…
Listen to it here: http://www.skoldvskmfdm.com/
And here: http://www.myspace.com/skoldvskmfdm
And buy it here: http://www.kmfdmstore.com/index.php?cPath=79
Review originally appeared at Darqpress
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