From out of the blue comes a comeback album from someone I haven't thought about in a long, long time; Die Krupps! Remember Die Krupps? They were the German industrial band who did a Metallica cover EP sometime during the early nineties. This was completely unheard of, of course - sacriledge! But, listen, Lee Altus (Heathen/Exodus) played with them for quite some time for christssake! There must have been something to it, eh?
There was indeed. Die Krupps was probably never really one of my favourite bands, but they did leave their mark on my notion of what extreme music could also be about. Just like Ministry also did back in the day. Between 1992 and 1997, Die Krupps released the beforementioned EP 'A Tribute to Metallica', the albums 'I', 'II: The Final Option', 'III: Odessey of the Mind' and 'Paradise Now', all powerful statements of electronically induced near-metal and some which opened the eyes of many metal fans in terms of the crossover possibilities between machine music and metal. Mind you, this was a time before Rammstein was a factor! Anyway, after 1997, there was suddenly a big silence from Die Krupps. Until now.
The guitars haven't died out on 'The Machinists of Joy', even if the electronic sounds are more dominant that I recall they were on the old albums. It's hard to rule Krafterk of any equation were electronic music is a factor, and the same is the case here. You can sense the influence everywhere on 'The Machinists of Joy', but it goes without saying that Die Krupps speak in a more powerful tone than their forefathers of electronic sounds.
The three gentlemen Engler, Dörper and Zürcher aren't exactly spring chicks, but they have nevertheless managed to spit out an album which sounds fresh and vital. The topics are dark and serious, all songs apart from two are in German, but still, it really...rocks! You feel like moving when you listen to these songs where sounds of the eighties and nineties come together with the occasional heavy rock guitar.
One of the best and most positive surprises of 2013, methinks.
