I knew that when I saw the album cover, that it was going to be extremely symbolic of KMFDM’s unwavering cynicism towards politics, religion, and society. Just look at the album cover, death and destruction awaits the man and he’s taking a selfie on his smartphone to capture the moment. It really shows how ridiculous Western society and culture has gotten, and KMFDM conjures and capitalizes on these thoughts with today’s release of their latest album entitled “Hell Yeah”, which was released via earMusic as of today, August 18th.
KMFDM has continued to stay ahead of the curve since 1984 and now they have taken a look at various Orwellian and draconian references and imagery with this latest album. “Hell Yeah” starts off with the title track and “Freak Flag”. Their electronic beats, vocals, and social commentary shows that KMFDM continues to stay one step ahead of the game. It is a collective toast to society to celebrate diversity and differences, and the songs point to a celebration of people finally accepting the LGBTQ movement.
I love the interludes in the two parts entitled “Oppression”. In between “Oppression Part 1” and “Oppression Part 2”, that ties in nicely to “Total State Machine”. “Total State Machine” is a total call to arms in regards to the United States government and the Presidency of Donald Trump. The song talks about how liberty is stripped. “Our governments hate us because we are not afraid” is a telling lyric that we need to stand up to oppression and the hate that the government has towards its people. The beats and synths, and the industrial power shows that after 33 years, KMFDM still keeps it relevant and fresh.
There are often various social commentary moments that show that KMFDM has a ton to say. They critique the FDA and how they are profiting and exploiting the people in “Rx For The Damned”. They take jabs at Donald Trump for how every negative story that is reported on Donald Trump, he says, “fake media” in the track “Fake News”. The industrialized sound of KMFDM is darker than ever in “Burning Brain”.
After 34 years, KMFDM stays ahead of the game and continue to rewrite the blueprint on how to create massive sounding industrial/electronic sounds as they continue to be one of the most genre bending artists in the game today. They explore new sounds that have more of a techno feel in “Murder My Heart”, they trailblaze in “Burning Heart”, and they set a manic pace in “Freak Flag”. This record deserves 9 out of 10 stars. It is rare for a recording artist/band to still sound brand new after 34 years, yet KMFDM has mastered that craft. Here is the track listing below:
- Hell Yeah
- Freak Flag
- Oppression 1 of 2
- Total State Machine
- Oppression 2 of 2
- Murder My Heart
- RIP The System
- Shock
- Fake News
- Rx 4 The Damned
- Burning Brain
- Only Lovers
- Glam Glitz Guts & Gore
“Hell Yeah” by KMFDM
Check out KMFDM tour dates below:
Tuesday, September 5th- Think Tank? at Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Wednesday, September 6th- Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Thursday, September 7th- The Ruby Lounge in Manchester, United Kingdom
Saturday, September 9th- O2 Academy Islington in London, United Kingdom
Sunday, September 10th- The Fleece in Bristol, United Kingdom
KMFDM 2017 Hell Yeah Tour with Ohgr and Lord Of The Lost:
Sunday, October 1st- The Metro in Chicago, Illinois
Monday, October 2nd- Delmar Hall in St. Louis, Missouri
Tuesday, October 3rd- The Vogue Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana
Wednesday, October 4th- Agora in Cleveland, Ohio
Thursday, October 5th- The State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia
Friday, October 6th- Underground Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Saturday, October 7th- Irving Plaza in New York, New York
Sunday, October 8th- Brighton Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts
Monday, October 9th- Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland
Wednesday, October 11th- The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia
Thursday, October 12th- House Of Blues in New Orleans, Louisiana
Friday, October 13th- Mohawk in Austin, Texas
Saturday, October 14th- Gas Monkey Live! in Dallas, Texas
Sunday, October 15th- White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas
Tuesday, October 17th- The Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Arizona
Wednesday, October 18th- Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona
Thursday, October 19th- Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada
Friday, October 20th- House Of Blues in San Diego, California
Saturday, October 21st- Cloak & Dagger Festival at Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California
Sunday, October 22nd- The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California
Tuesday, October 24th- Metro Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah
Wednesday, October 25th- Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado(w/DJ Ritual)
Thursday, October 26th- The Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, October 27th- Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota
Saturday, October 28th- The Rave/Eagles Club Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Find KMFDM at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/officialkmfdm
