by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

XTORT doesn't sound markedly different than KMFDM's other releases -- there are still the bruising mechanical drum beats and numbingly drilling guitars, combined with barked vocals. What's noticeable about XTORT -- their first album since industrial broke into the Top 40 with Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral -- is how the band made no concessions to the pop/rock mainstream whatsoever. They are still the same grimy, dank heavy dance band they were in the '80s. For some listeners, that means they're keeping the flame burning and, to a certain extent, they'd be right -- KMFDM sounds as good as they ever have, and several tracks rank among their best. But, over a decade into their career, it would be nice to hear the band branch out and start to experiment a little bit more.