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KMFDM's Hau Ruck...crusade in the days of rage

Eddie Lancekick | Pacific Northwest | 06/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A little recap of KMFDM. In my own words, they are perhaps the best-kept underground secret of the music world in the last 20 years. Their mixture of dance, pop, synth, metal guitars, industrial, and techno among other disciplines at their beck and call has helped their music stand the test of time, and also become anthemic in the modern times we live in. To read their lyrics or look at their colorful and bold album covers, you would think they were a group of rebels trapped in some virtual reality world that has George Orwell's "1984" as the backdrop, with the tankers from Tiananmen square closing in. Defiance against oppression, exposure of corruption, and voice of youth all come to mind when hear their music. Driving beats, parody filled quips from presidential speeches and dictators of the past, and electric synergy blend with a sonic boom that makes their most powerful songs something to behold. Just when you think they are formulaic, they slow it down with odd, circus type sounds or bouncy techno beats that blend in the female vocalists voice with conviction. It's more than a band, it's a unit. A team. And although the team has changed some via free agency over the years, it works. Unlike other bands that have played the swapping game, with KMFDM, the center DOES hold.



Their music has often been deemed political, however, everything about their message is apolitical. Again, they're the guys in the 1984 big brother landscape that are standing up to the tanks, not driving them! Speaking of 1984, that's the year this band was founded, so by now they have nothing left to prove, simply more great music to make!

KMFDM's albums usually use a mixture of German and English. On this album, for the first time, they feature three different languages. Here, they added a touch of French on the song titled "Mini Mini Mini".



Hau Ruck means "Heave Ho" and this is adamant within the familiar artwork of their album covers, which are a mixture to me of some 1930's gangster landscape and Sin City. The artist for these album covers is Aidan Hughes.



The Album: We see a good mixture of slow songs and driving rockers, and within it all there is a good familiarity from songs and sounds of old without dubbing the band "formulaic" or having them scare us into thinking they are "experimenting". Many bands say the latter, but usually it's to bend to corporate pressure to stay alive. Not these guys, again, they're throwing Molotov's at the stoic guardsmen bent on their destruction, not aiding them.



The first track is "Free Your Hate" and starts out with the intro by the lead singer "ladies and gentleman...Hau Ruck". This leads us immediately into a crescendo of driving guitars belching out mad beats of controlled, precise, yet edge filled sound. The lyrics are poignant and meaningful, not to complex, just simple enough to get the point across. Its got a great sound with the chorus of ""Free your hate/Crusade in the days of rage/Perilous folly/Rise up against your fate". The beats and rhythm alternate with varying sounds as we're introduced to something more complex than say, a riff from an AC/DC tune.



Hau Ruck is track 2 and comes in with a hammer like crusher of a tune. This is truly what makes KMFDM special, or at least well liked! Intro of a digitally altered sound that is nearly robotic, Hau Ruck comes at you like an arena fist-in-the-air foot stomping rocker. Alternating small electronic drumbeats along with the chorus, the main riff drives home a message in German that though I don't understand it, is still communicated through powerful bass and guitar.



You're no good is track 3 and is a slower pop/synth tune with female vocals that starts out sounding like something similar to say, the concrete blondes, but soon explodes into another thrash laden ditty before returning to the melodic female vocals for the original chorus. A great song because it shows the mixture of different styles and approach that this band can deliver in their musical vision.



New American Century is track 4 and starts off with some low, almost haunting synth that starts to speed up before breaking into a great driving sound from the drums. In the background you can hear an organ sounding melody, like an old pipe organ from an old scary movie. The rest of the song (sang in English) also features some of the female vocals with great alternating techno beats. Towards the end of the song they include some of the national anthem before continuing to mock and at the same time expose a different side of things. By this time you may figure out that these guys attack anything to do with the government. It's pretty apparent in the lyrics as they say:



"Fight the power

That chokes your speech

Fight the power

That makes you bleed

Fight the power

That propogates lies

To keep you weak

Keep you in line

Fight the power that reigns you in

Divides and conquers

Defines your sin

Fight the power

For one and all

Before the power swallows us whole"



Track 5 is "Real Thing" and clocks in at over five minutes. It's another slower paced tune that is perhaps the best on the whole album. Groovy, hypnotic, and fun, it's a less thrash/more class tune that fits in well with the diversity that this album represents with its 11 total tracks.



Track 6 is "Every days a good day" and though it has some cool electronic beats coupled with some small thrash splits here and there, its really not a song that sticks out to me much. Sang in English, it's not a rocker nor a slow tune, it falls somewhere in the middle, but the execution of it overall just doesn't seem as powerful as the rest of the songs on this album. Easily overseen given my high rating for the album as a whole, and probably enjoyed by other fans as a favorite song all the same. For me the song seems to become way to repetitive with chorus and lyrics towards the end.



Ahhh, track 7 is Mini Mini Mini and it's a great one. It rolls along with a steady beat and has some driving drums in the background to help set the tone. Catchy lyrics and some even catchier guitar work make this one a fun one. The chanting in another language is great even if you don't know how to translate it. That's one thing I'll say about the language differences, even though some newcomers might feel put off by a language they cant understand, it still is a great musical experience to be had and doesn't take away from the feeling that you get from these tracks. Its not just music you hear, this stuff is heavy and deep.



Track 8 is "Professional Killer" and is a professional rock anthem as well. Bopping electronic beats carry through to a swift and fast crescendo of guitars. Meanwhile, the female vocalist sings with a sound that is serious but not sad, driven but not dire. A great section of pounding electronic beats really makes PK a moving track, and one you can crank when your flying down the road with your windows down. Track 9 is "Feed our Fame" and starts off with some crowd chanting before breaking into a slayer-like thrash that seems to use some cymbals and heavy guitar riffs at breakneck pace before slowing down for some lyrics. Overall another great song that does distance itself somewhat from the other mentioned rockers for the fact that it seems to have a lot more focus on the guitars as the core of the sound.



Track 10 is "Ready to Blow" and its intro has some strange, spooky sounds that creep in before breaking into a solo drum beat of sorts. In come the vocals with not much going on in the background till the second female vocal chorus comes in to kickstart it into a full-blown techno speed laden dance type tune. Track 11 is "Auf Wiederseh'n" and starts off with a great hypnotic "carnival" sound. I called it circus sounds earlier, but it's really like a carnival scene. It has a great crescendo beat to it and also introduces some worldly (India? Tonga?) Drum sounds in and out of the track. A multitude of sounds, beats, rhythms and chorus, this track is another example of how KMFDM works extremely hard at what they do to make even one single song include a plethora of sounds.



The overall structure of this band, from the vocals and lyrics to the music within and even the album covers of their bold and brash themes, makes KMFDM's Hau Ruck one for the ages. After 20 years, I don't think anyone has to tell these guys to keep it going!"

Electrocution is pop? Pun intended.

Michigoon | Mid-MI | 09/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First up- just because I saw it in a few other reviews online- nothing about Hau Ruck is pop, and longtime fans should have nothing to worry in regards to that. Figuring out why these tracks have been labeled with "pop" at all is a mystery to me- but we'll cover that in a second.



For the rest of us, Hau Ruck starts out with an English track proudly proclaiming "the beatings will continue, until morale improves" in "Free Your Hate". The tone of the album is quickly set as you hear sounds delving a little into the experimental and near-techno, offset by a strong offering of Lucia's kickass metal growl, in addition to all the usual KMFDM staples. The title track, "Hau Ruck", follows up with a wide array of treats. German lyrics, an incredibly hooking chorus, and just a hint of classic militaristic sounds, all lead up the proud declaration of "Hau Ruck" (Heave-Ho!). Sascha, as if it needs to be said, is still ever-present and delivers most of the main kicks.



From there, the album delivers on all of KMFDM's classic notes. Songs like "New American Century" and "Professional Killer" follow up on the usual political notes. It's interesting to note that more than one person has associated "...Killer" with pop sound- a good portion of the song is a hard beat delivered behind a real-life narration of a man being put to death via electric chair. If narrating a state killing and calling the executioners professional killers is pop- then yes, I'd say things have gone pop here. I seriously doubt this is the case, however. Perhaps more people are really referring to Lucia's lusty interludes as she takes away the growl and leaves the sultry remnants, but her softness is just a counterbalance for the everpresent beat. Girls can rock too, and Lucia delivers.



"Mini, Mini, Mini" is a nice turn as KMFDM delves into a French cover, and it's one of the album's top tracks. "Feed Our Fame" journeys into a sound that seems to be the band's take on American older-school rock with heavy double-bass drumming, and it still kicks on all cylinders all the way through. The final track, "Auf Wiederseh'n" includes bongo-esque percussion, trumpet anthems, metal guitar, and a brief scream used for intense effect. Some say that all this mashing of musical tastes is a bit off-putting, but KMFDM has always played with sound in generating its industrial vibe, and this track alone is proof that they haven't let up. If anything, the mash has included more influences, and is all the better for it. Personally, "Auf Wiederseh'n" is a perfect, celebratory end to a great album.



To dip into the cliche, "Hau Ruck" is a tour de force. Lucia makes a splash with her screaming rage in "Feed Your Hate" and through her lusty vibes in "Professional Killer". Tracks like "Mini, Mini, Mini" and "Feed Our Fame" break new ground. And of course, you've got "Free Your Hate" and "Hau Ruck" with hardcore KMFDM sound. It might not be "Nihil", but for me at least, nothing ever could be. "Hau Ruck" rocks."

Every day's a good day

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 09/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Hau Ruck" is one of the few albums I had been eagerly anticipating all summer long. Despite being a bit disappointed in the band's last studio effort "WWIII" (it's good but it is no "Nihil"), I was still excited to hear new KMFDM. This time KMFDM delivered with "Hau Ruck". The aggressive track "Free Your Hate" kicks off the cd with its myriad of samples and ferocious synthesized beats. The industrial beats hammers into the listener's ears as if it was a jackhammer. Just a great song to blast your stereo to. I love this song. It reminds me why I fell in love with industrial music, especially KMFDM's music to begin with. The title track "Hau Ruck" is another personal favorite track off the album for me with its throbbing industrial beats. I especially dug the crushing sounds of the chorus with Sascha empathazies the song title. Of course Lucia sounds as wonderful as ever. I especially dug her on "Professional Killer" which sounded like it could have been on her solo album "From the Land of the Volcanoes". It had a nice pop sheen to the song yet it retained that trademark KMFDM sound with its minimalist industrial beats. While "Hau Ruck" may not be near the classic status of "Nihil" or "Angst", the album is one of the band's better albums in recent years."