by Andy Hinds

KMFDM's unfocused industrial experiments of the late '80s finally blossomed on 1990's superb Naïve album, which displayed highly evolved production values and a cohesive blend of all the elements that have become the band's sonic trademarks: propulsive electro-industrial beats, shouted propaganda, and airtight heavy metal guitar riffing. The follow-up, 1992's inconsistent Money, continued in the same vein, but sounded uninspired, recycling many of the ideas on Naïve. On Angst, KMFDM finally reaches their full potential. Using unbridled aggression, boldfaced sloganeering, and constant self-reference (all imbued with a wonderful sense of humor) to make their points, KMFDM has created a singular voice in the often bland and cheerless genre of industrial music. Core members Sasha Konietzko and En Esch remain the band's central voices on Angst (both literally and ideologically), but the contributions of guitarist Mark Durante and vocalist Dorona Alberti are equally important to the group's sonic tapestry. "A Drug Against War" is the band's most over-the-top moment to date; racing along at about 320 beats per minute, it's got all the intensity of speed metal. And the hilarious "Sucks" ("our music is sampled/totally fake/it's done by machines 'coz they don't make mistakes") is a wonderfully irreverent blast of KMFDM's self-effacing sense of humor. Meanwhile, songs like "Move On" and "The Problem" (beautifully sung by Alberti) reflect the band's heartfelt political and social concerns. Angst is a great place for KMFDM newcomers to dig in.