"The Machinists of Joy" is DIE KRUPPS first all-new album of the millennium! After genre-defining releases in the 80s and 90s the band, which the media tried to categorise as electro, EBM, industrial, crossover and even metal, have opened the gates once again to their factory, after some years of running tests and high maintenance. The machinery has been oiled and greased – first works have already been delivered to an expectant fan base - both "Risikofaktor" (Risk Factor) and "Industrie-Maedchen" (Industrial Girl) reached pole position in the German Alternative Chart (DAC), where they stayed for several weeks
The album title hints at its content, referring to the KRUPPS´ Top 10 Billboard hit from 1989 "MACHINERIES OF JOY". As the title implicates, the electro machinery rules the new DIE KRUPPS sound, however, the rigorous riffs of guitarist Marcel Zürcher are well placed in the songs. DIE KRUPPS continue to deliver Metal Machine Music – an attitude which is underlined by the clever artwork quote.
It is not a LOU REED clone, but frontman Jürgen Engler, who is depicted on the album sleeve in an homage to the VELVET UNDERGROUND singer's seminal work, with "Metal Machine Music" being a major influence on the early DIE KRUPPS. But relax, the listener will not be exposed to proto-industrial noise, but can enjoy the pure essence of KRUPPS: Machine Music, hard, danceable, sometimes epic, spiked by well-aimed guitar attacks and the relentless hammering of the steelophone! The music is paired with often sarcastic lyrics, well ahead of what nowadays seems to be the standard norm of political correctness.
In their songs DIE KRUPPS take a critical stance on the war and industrial machinery ("Nazis auf Speed" and "Schmutzfabrik"), increasing de-humanisation ("Robo Sapien") and the conditions in their respective fatherlands ("Im falschen Land"). However, they also celebrate the joy of work ("Machinist of Joy" and "Part of the Machine") and the joy of intimacy ("Eiskalter Engel/" and "Industrie-Mädchen").
Although DIE KRUPPS can be easily located in the so-called 'dark' scene, they have a wide-spread base of appreciators due to the band's long history and various musical stages. The new record presents the full spectrum in all its facets. These 13 songs are not just for the industrial dancefloors, they should also be heard at rallies and protest marches, on the barricades and in the workers canteens!
This limited vinyl edition features a single LP in deluxe gatefold sleeve plus the CD included in a cardboard sleeve.
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