Review Summary: Whose patience do they even test anymore?
Breaking the two-year cycle to celebrate the 30th anniversary, KMFDM bring us a brand new collection of songs meant to serve as a testament to their legacy and why not, a gateway to their discography. The band succeeds more or less, mainly because they haven't changed at all ever since they decided to include the distorted guitars on a regular basis on
Angst, all the way back in 1993. Starting then, we have received a couple of classic records and subsequently, loads of hits and misses. When you use the same sonic formula, you do not only become very predictable, but also depend solely on the hooks you come up within the respective production year. This is why from 2001 (the year they ended the hiatus and existence as MDFMK), have surfaced some better albums (like
WTF!?,
Hau Ruck or
Blitz - yes, I really dig it, no matter what others say about it) and subpar/boring ones (see last year's
Kunst,
WWIII or
Tohuvabohu - which have some cool tunes, yet failed overall). What matters most at this point is that you either continue to listen to what these guys deliver and wait for the occasional reward or give up and stick with the 90s material.
One might think expectations should be higher this time only because
Our Time Will Come is supposed to be a cornerstone in the discography. However, it ends up a rushed effort simply because it was finished earlier for this anniversary. Needless to say, you get the same political manifestos (which, thankfully, are updated every year, Kapt'n K and crew being very aware of the issues that haunt the world today) and that eternal self celebration laid over the guitar-pumped beats. The opener, 'Genau' is the same song as 'Krank' or 'Kunst', a militant anthem that will most likely heathen the audience during the upcoming tour. Sometimes you have to wonder if the band is just messing around with their fans or mocking haters by coming up with the same recycled stuff. Either way, it doesn't help the listener. Luckily, as we move forward, there are some interesting moments, mainly on the industrial, goth club-ready 'Shake The Cage' and the slow-burning, 'Brainwashed', which cuts the electronics in favor of brooding chugs and screeching guitar solos. They make for an interesting change of pace, but it's nothing new, so don't get too excited about it.
Nevertheless, Sasha K and co. found a way to save this record from being a total failure by bringing back some of the electronic elements that defined their early 90s material. These little changes feel like a breath of fresh air within the album. The title track is the highlight, focusing on the atmosphere, while Lucia's often sensual vocals create a more visceral setting amid the dubstep-influenced instrumental. Think of the whole thing as a nice KMFDM-How To Destroy Angels collaboration. Also, 'Get The Tongue Wet' and 'Make A Stand' share some vintage sounds and push the sequenced synthesizers and vocoders in front, much like all the industrial bands did back in the golden days (and still do). This throwback culminates with the use of 'Naive''s chorus on 'Salvation', an attempt to fuse the two eras for the fans. All efforts are appreciated, although in this case, I'd rather go back and listen to that album instead.
I have given up a long time ago on believing KMFDM will ever wake up one day and move forward (I mean does anyone still have such expectations?). Each effort shares the same story: there's always an EP worth of songs that grab your attention, while the rest are just the same parts with different structures and lyrics (which get dumber every year). I understand they have reached a certain standard and can't actually fail, but other veteran acts have managed to reinvent themselves or at least experiment to find a new approach to the original sound.
Our Time Will Come will not change your opinion of them, so at the very best, take what you like from it and add it to your playlist.
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