Review: Die Krupps - 'The Machinists of Joy'

DIE KRUPPS 

'The Machinists of Joy' 

SYNTHETIC SYMPHONY 

Lurking away in the forgotten oil terminals of sin and iron works of rhythm, a hammer strikes again between man and machine, to deliver another gallon of sweet petroleum tones from Dusseldorf.  Die Krupps give out the heart of past and a message that the machinists of joy are not dead yet.

The old school noises of EBM are rough and raw in the first half of the album; sixteen tracks are awaiting the beholder to judge.

The melody of electronic pace and guitar strokes start the chant in ‘Ein Blick Zurück Im Zorn’ and we are off with a very instant thud to the chest. Frankly not what was seen coming, but I guess this oil refinery had to start up with the bang.

EBM electronica reigns supreme in the slow lather of ‘Essenbeck’ geared up in the grease back in tanzfabrik. ‘Im Falschen Land’ strips the head into trance and then Stop!

Noises are heard from the back of the factory; echoing of beat and bass creeps in with the snow outside…

The Slow scraping wood on metal beat makes for a dark dirty noise from ‘Part of the Machine’. The fuel from the heat cracks the muscles wide open into the black creature. Throwing gliding scrapes amongst the rhythm expels a heap of lead fumes from the body, allowing those besmirched sounds to grind in snowy rubber soles to feet.

Keeping the Carcinogens alive in the lungs as you breathe down the tar of the previous track, the light chime of a gelid wonderland of warm steelworks, snow and love is burnt in with ‘Eiskälte Engel’. The song could be described as a gentle waltz for an iron pumping machine in the winter. The rhythm is sped up and the backing of synthetic electronica makes it ever so more dark and crisp.

The guitars make their way back in ‘Nocebo’ against white tiles spiting vodka at an angry strobe light.

‘Sans Fin’ grinds back into that lush scent of heavy blast furnaces you walk past in the factory, but even the raging scold of melting iron ore can’t keep you warm . The melodic tones of a lost winter breathe in as you walk out into the snow and away from the factory.

The epilogue is made by ‘Industrie Mädchen’ returns to a hard beat to end the album, a bit blunt for the end of an album, as it feels more made for the middle.

Machinists of joy with its combination of two tone EBM electronica with a hint of winter destruction is an achievement. Taking aside the kick drum beginning and middle-feel ending, the feet of Jürgen Engler and his partners in crime still is worthy of those blades of grass that encompass the three rings of Die Krupps.

Review by Dominic Lynch (DJ LX-E)

Posted in: Die Krupps,Machinists of Joy,music