KMFDM

German kings of subtlety KMFDM are back in action and boy are they miffed. Seems old Dubya has lit a few fires (beyond those in Iraq) in the bellies of this bunch and how could they resist returning the favour with one big, aggro single-fingered salute? From the Bush Jr. samples and banjo pickin’ that open the disc to the poetic word-smithing of numbers like "Stars and Stripes” ("mobilize outrage/muzzle dissent/send in the troops/strike to pre-empt”) their intent here is pretty clear. Politics has always been the kindling for their hotheadedness and here, as always, they go at it but not without a healthy sense of humour. They manage to slap us out of complacency regarding despotic world domination and do it all to a background of stompy good beats and power chord mayhem. Guitar heavy and energetic, they attack these songs with an even more organic approach than before. While still full of synths and programming, drums and guitar drive the whole show. So as not to leave you too heavy, the gang goes all out with their usual nod to themselves, this time in the form of the entire song "Intro,” where each verse is a tongue-in-cheek introduction of each band member. After 15 studio albums, these guys prove they still are the blueprint for industrial rock.