View source for KMFDM

{{short description|German industrial rock band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = KMFDM
| image               = KMFDMerforminglive2022.jpg
| landscape           = yes
| caption             = KMFDM live in 2022
| background          = group_or_band
| origin              = [[Hamburg]], Germany
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Industrial rock]]
* [[industrial metal]]
* [[electro-industrial]]
}}
| years_active        = {{flatlist|
* 1984–1999
* 2002–present
}}
| label               = {{flatlist|
* KMFDM
* [[Metropolis Records|Metropolis]]
* Z
* Skysaw
* [[Wax Trax! Records|Wax Trax!]]
* [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]
* [[TVT Records|TVT]]
}}
|spinoffs=[[Excessive Force]]
| website             = {{URL|kmfdm.net}}
| current_members     =
* [[Sascha Konietzko]]
* [[Lucia Cifarelli]]
* [[Andy Selway]]
* Andee Blacksugar
| past_members        =
* Rudolph Naomi
* Jennifer Ginsberg
* [[Mark Durante]]
* [[Günter Schulz]]
* [[En Esch]]
* [[Tim Sköld]]
* [[William Rieflin|Bill Rieflin]]
* [[Raymond Watts]]
* [[Steve White (guitarist)|Steve White]]
* Jules Hodgson
| module           = {{Infobox
| child           = yes
| header1         =
| headerstyle     = background:#b0c4de
| data2           = [[File:Kmfdm logo.svg|190px]]
}}
}}
'''KMFDM''' (originally '''Kein Mehrheit<!--DO NOT CHANGE THE TRANSLATION OR NAME WHATSOEVER, THIS IS HOW THE BAND OFFICIALLY INTENDS IT TO BE (REGARDLESS IF IT'S GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT OR NOT). THE EXPLANATION IS BELOW IN THE MAIN ARTICLE.--> Für Die Mitleid''', loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority")<ref name="1997 History"/> is a multinational [[industrial rock]] band from [[Hamburg]] led by [[Sascha Konietzko]], who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project.
The band's earliest incarnation included German drummer [[En Esch]] and British vocalist [[Raymond Watts]], the latter of whom left and rejoined the group several times over its history. The trio recorded the band's earliest albums in Germany before Konietzko and Esch moved to the United States, where they found much greater success with seminal industrial record label [[Wax Trax!]]. German guitarist [[Günter Schulz]] joined in 1990; both he and Esch continued with the band until KMFDM broke up in 1999. Konietzko resurrected KMFDM in 2002 (Esch and Schulz declined to rejoin) on [[Metropolis Records]], and by 2005 he had assembled a consistent line-up that included American singer [[Lucia Cifarelli]], British guitarists Jules Hodgson and [[Steve White (guitarist)|Steve White]], and British drummer [[Andy Selway]]. Konietzko and Cifarelli moved back to Germany in 2007, while the rest of the band stayed in the U.S. Hodgson and White moved on to other pursuits between 2015 and 2017, leaving the band a working trio unofficially. In addition to these core members, dozens of other musicians have worked with the group across its twenty-two studio albums and over two dozen singles, with sales totaling in excess of two million records worldwide.
Critics consider KMFDM one of the first bands to bring industrial music to mainstream audiences, though Konietzko refers to the band's music as "The Ultra-Heavy Beat". The band incorporates [[heavy metal (music)|heavy metal]] guitar riffs, [[electronic music]], samples, and both male and female vocals in its music, which encompasses a variety of styles including [[industrial rock]] and [[electronic body music]]. The band is fiercely political, with many of its lyrics taking stands against violence, war, and oppression. KMFDM normally tours at least once after every major release, and band members are known for their accessibility to and interaction with fans, both online and at concerts. Members, independently or working together and with other musicians, have recorded under many other names, primarily Watts' [[Pig (musical project)|Pig]], Konietzko's [[Excessive Force]], and Esch and Schulz's [[Slick Idiot]].
==History==
===<span id="Origin (1984)"></span>Origin (1984)===
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KMFDM was officially founded in Paris, France, on February 29, 1984, as a [[performance art]] project between [[Sascha Konietzko]] and German painter and multimedia artist Udo Sturm at the opening of an exhibition of young European artists at the [[Grand Palais]].<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> The first show consisted of Sturm playing an [[ARP 2600]] synthesizer, Konietzko playing bass guitars with their amplifiers spread throughout the building,<ref name="WDYKD">{{cite AV media notes | title=What Do You Know, Deutschland? | title-link=What Do You Know, Deutschland? | others=KMFDM | year=2006 | type=CD booklet | page=2 | publisher=[[Metropolis Records]] | id=MET439 | location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}</ref> and four Polish coal miners (whom Konietzko had met at a [[bordello]])<ref name="RS740"/> pounding on the foundations of the Grand Palais.<ref name="1997 History">{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/history.html | title=KMFDM History| publisher=KMFDM Inc | access-date=April 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970408173452/http://www.kmfdm.net/history.html |archive-date=April 8, 1997}}</ref>
====Name====
<!--***PLEASE read ALL of this paragraph AND the talk page before changing to "Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit"***-->
[[File:SaschaKonietzkoin2022.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sascha Konietzko]] performing in 2022.]]
KMFDM is an [[initialism]] for the nonsensical and grammatically incorrect [[German (language)|German]] phrase ''Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid'', which, keeping the same word order,  literally translates as "no majority for the pity", but is typically given the loose translation of "no pity for the majority".<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/><ref name=deseret-may-1995/><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/outcast-clique-proud-role-article-1.830051 | author=Kennedy, Helen | title=Outcast Clique Proud of Role | work=[[New York Daily News]] | publisher=[[Mortimer Zuckerman]] | date=April 21, 1999 | access-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref><ref name=CMJ-604/> In the original phrase, the articles preceding the nouns ''Mehrheit'' and ''Mitleid'' are [[inflection|inflected]] for the wrong [[grammatical gender|gender]], as the proper [[declension]] would be ''Keine Mehrheit für das Mitleid.'' Swapping the two nouns yields the grammatically correct ''Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit'', which translates directly as "no pity for the majority". In a 2003 interview, Konietzko explained the origins of the phrase:
{{blockquote|text="On the morning of February 29th, 1984 I woke up and went down to breakfast at a hotel in Paris. We had a show that night opening for an exhibition for young European artists.&nbsp;... we needed a motto for the night so that we could make up some fliers and post them around. There was a German newspaper on the table and so I started cutting out words and threw them all into a cap. We picked a few of them out and it read "Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid". It's kinda improper German in regards to its translation but in the [[Dada|DA-DA]]-esque{{sic}} mindset of the early morning it made perfect sense. So when I was on my way back to Hamburg I'd mentioned it to [[Raymond Watts|Raymond [Watts]]]. He liked it but he was having difficulty pronouncing it correctly. So finally he said, 'Why don't you just call it KMFDM?' So that was it. We were KMFDM."<ref name=mk/>}}
The initialism has jokingly been said to stand for "Kill Mother-Fucking [[Depeche Mode]]", coined by the band on their first U.S. tour and used as recently as ''Kunst''.<ref name=hybrid/>
===Early years in Germany (1984–89)===
Sturm left early on,<ref name=AllMusic-bio/> but Konietzko continued performing, at one point having twenty people in his troupe, which by then was engaged in antics such as [[fire eating]] and throwing entrails at audiences.<ref name="RS740">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.waste.org/~alone/kmfdm/rsinterview.html | title=KMFDM make industrial music the old-fashioned way. They trash their hardware. | author=Wiederhorn, Jon | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | issue=740 | page=24   | date=August 8, 1996 | access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> Konietzko then returned to [[Hamburg]], where he joined up with [[Peter Missing]] in his new band [[Missing Foundation]].<ref name=AllMusic-bio/> Drummer Nicklaus Schandelmaier,<ref name="Miami">{{cite news | url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1995-10-26/music/kmfdm-blows-your-top/ | author=Cardenas, Georgina | title=KMFDM Blows Your Top | work=[[Miami New Times]] | page=2 | date=October 26, 1995 | access-date=March 1, 2010 | archive-date=January 7, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107024217/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1995-10-26/music/kmfdm-blows-your-top/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> who had recently moved to Hamburg from Frankfurt, joined the group, and took the stage name [[En Esch]]. Although the group did some live performances,<ref name=AllMusic-bio>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/artist/missing-foundations-mn0000501531 | author=Huey, Steve | title=Missing Foundation Biography | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref> Konietzko and Esch dropped out of Missing Foundation before any recordings were made and went back to work as KMFDM,<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> collaborating with Hamburg-based studio owner [[Raymond Watts]].<ref name="1997 History"/>
Cassette copies of the band's demo album, ''[[Opium (KMFDM album)|Opium]]'', began circulating through the underground clubs and bars of Hamburg in 1984.<ref name="1997 History"/>{{Dubious|date=November 2023}} KMFDM released its debut album, ''[[What Do You Know, Deutschland?]]'', in December 1986.<ref name="1997 History"/> It was recorded from 1983 to 1986, with some of the songs recorded by Konietzko and Watts before Esch was a member of the band,<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> and indeed, before the band officially existed. Skysaw Records gave the album a second UK release in 1987 and introduced the band to visual artist [[Aidan Hughes]], usually credited as ''Brute!''. Hughes redesigned the album's cover,<ref name="1997 History"/> and went on to design almost every KMFDM album cover.<ref name="AllMusic Bio">{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/artist/kmfdm-mn0000359062 | title=KMFDM Biography | author=Prato, Greg | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref>
Watts left the group after working on just three songs on 1988's ''[[Don't Blow Your Top (album)|Don't Blow Your Top]]''<ref name=AllMusic-dbyt>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/dont-blow-your-top-mw0000198442 | author=Hinds, Andy | title=Don't Blow Your Top Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref> to start his own project, [[Pig (musical project)|Pig]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.raymondwatts.com/interviews/convulsionmagazine.html | title=Raymond Watts Interview | magazine=Convulsion Magazine   | year=1992 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227133704/http://www.raymondwatts.com/interviews/convulsionmagazine.html | archive-date=February 27, 2012}}</ref>  After working the Hamburg underground music scene and releasing albums on European labels, the band began its long-standing relationship with [[Wax Trax! Records]] when ''Don't Blow Your Top'' was licensed to the label for US distribution.<ref name="1997 History"/> The album was produced by [[Adrian Sherwood]], and was described by [[AllMusic]] critic Dave Thompson as "[highlighting] the producer as much as the band".<ref name="IGC"/>
===Success in the US (1990–94)===
{{multiple image
| total_width = 320
| footer = [[En Esch]] and [[Günter Schulz]] were instrumental in the success of the band in the 1990s.
| image1 = En esch 5 23 2006 arb.jpg
| image2 = Günter Schulz.jpg
}}
{{listen | pos=right | filename=More & Faster 243.ogg | title="More & Faster 243" | description=The chorus of "More & Faster 243" off ''UAIOE'', a song called KMFDM's "first classic" which "shows some early glimpses of the band's sense of humor".<ref name=uaioe/>}}
KMFDM recorded and released its third album, ''[[UAIOE]]'', in early 1989 for distribution in both the U.S. and Europe,<ref name="1997 History"/> arrived in America for the first time on December 16,<ref name="Chicken">{{cite web | url=http://www.tlchicken.com/article.php?ARTid=1640 | title=A Completely Different Chicken: KMFDM's Sascha K. | work=Tastes Like Chicken | date=November 10, 2007 | access-date=March 6, 2010 | archive-date=July 16, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112944/http://www.tlchicken.com/article.php?ARTid=1640 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and commenced touring the U.S. with [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]].<ref name=AllMusic-bio/> During KMFDM's first US tour, band members started using the phrase "Kill Motherfucking [[Depeche Mode]]" for the initialism to tease journalists who did not understand German.<ref name=hybrid/> The band signed directly to Wax Trax! to distribute its fourth album, ''[[Naïve (album)|Naïve]]'',<ref name="1997 History"/> which was recorded in Europe and featured the debut of guitarist [[Günter Schulz]], known at the time as Svetlana Ambrosius. A [[Naïve/The Days of Swine & Roses|remix of the album's title track]] was the group's first hit, reaching No.&nbsp;21 on [[Hot Dance Club Songs|''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Club Play Songs Chart]] in March 1991.<ref name="KMFDM singles"/>
Konietzko moved to Chicago in 1991,<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/1999-04-28/music/guns-n-records/ | title=Guns n Records | newspaper=Seattle Weekly | author=McCarthy, Jackie  | date=April 4, 1999 | access-date=January 13, 2017}}</ref> and Esch followed a year later. KMFDM quickly became a part of the Chicago industrial music scene that included Ministry, [[My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult]], and [[Revolting Cocks]].<ref name="nash">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mw4EAAAAMBAJ&q=jim+nash&pg=PA10 | author=Rosenblum, Trudi Miller | title=Jim Nash Dies at 47; Founder of Wax Trax! | page=10 | magazine=Billboard  | date=October 21, 1995 | access-date=February 9, 2011}}</ref> Konietzko later remarked, "We came from Germany and we all had to have day jobs and work our asses off to afford to be KMFDM and all of a sudden we're in the states and we're selling thousands of thousands of {{sic}} fucking records!"<ref name=hybrid/>
The band's next club hit was "[[Split (KMFDM song)|Split]]", which was released in June 1991 and reached No.&nbsp;46 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Club Play Songs Chart in July.<ref name="KMFDM singles">{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kmfdm|chart=Dance/Club Play Songs}} | title=KMFDM Dance/Club Play Songs | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]  | access-date=March 6, 2010}}</ref> During 1991, Konietzko collaborated with [[Buzz McCoy]] of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult to record an album under the name [[Excessive Force]] titled ''[[Conquer Your World]]''.<ref name=AllMusic-x-force>{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p12895|pure_url=yes}} | title=Excessive Force Overview | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=April 7, 2010}}</ref> Konietzko and Esch then began work on their halves of the intended fifth album, ''Apart'', which was eventually released as two separate albums.<ref name="Money 2006">{{cite AV media notes | title=Money | title-link=Money (album) | others=KMFDM | year=2006 | type=CD booklet | pages=2–3 | publisher=[[Metropolis Records]] | id=MET463 | location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}</ref> Esch's half became his solo album, ''[[Cheesy (album)|Cheesy]]'', while the official KMFDM album used Konietzko's material and was renamed ''[[Money (album)|Money]]''.<ref name="Money 2006"/> This album spawned two more club hits in 1992: "[[Vogue (KMFDM song)|Vogue]]", which reached No.&nbsp;19 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart in April, and [[Money (KMFDM song)|the title track]], which reached No.&nbsp;36 on that same chart in July.<ref name="KMFDM singles"/>
After touring in 1992 with drummer [[Chris Vrenna]],<ref>{{cite magazine | title=Band News | magazine=KMFDM/Excessive Force Newsletter | page=3 | issue=1 | year=1991 }}</ref> the then-core of KMFDM (Konietzko, Esch, Schulz, and second guitarist [[Mark Durante]]) returned to Chicago and found that Wax Trax! had filed [[Chapter 11]] bankruptcy to begin corporate reorganization in November 1992.<ref name="1997 History"/><ref name=morristrib>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/03/11/the-morrissey-the-merrier/ | title=The Morrissey The Merrier | author=Kot, Greg | date=March 11, 1994 | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | page=2 | access-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref> The band went into the studio in 1993 as a group to record its sixth album, ''[[Angst (KMFDM album)|Angst]]'', which sold more than 100,000 copies over the next two years.<ref name="Miami"/> Esch said after the album's release, "I like this album way more. ''Money'' was done in a hurry, and I was doing a major [[Pigface]] tour, so I didn't have much influence on the album. I really like ''Angst''. I'm totally down with it. We've tried to involve guitar players, we tried to be like a real band, especially in the creative kind of aspect."<ref name=magnet>{{cite magazine | url=http://glennk.org/~c510292/kmfdm/magnet.interview.html | author=Sutton, Jeneveve | title=Laff Mich Glucklich Seim | magazine =[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]]  | date=January 1994 | access-date=July 19, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226040214/http://glennk.org/~c510292/kmfdm/magnet.interview.html | archive-date=December 26, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> After the release of ''Angst'', Wax Trax!/TVT Records launched a promotion in which fans were encouraged to devise as many alternate meanings for KMFDM as possible, with more than a thousand submissions resulting.<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/>
Konietzko released a second album under the Excessive Force moniker in 1993 titled ''[[Gentle Death]]''.<ref name=AllMusic-x-force/> KMFDM received its first exposure to the mainstream with its single "[[A Drug Against War]]". Despite the band's anti-[[MTV]] stance,<ref name=hybrid/> the video of "A Drug Against War" received airplay on MTV<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> and was shown on the MTV cartoon ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tv.com/shows/beavis-and-butthead/mr-andersons-balls-58234/ | title=Mr. Anderson's Balls Episode | publisher=[[CBS]] | access-date=February 28, 2010 | archive-date=September 16, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916222936/http://www.tv.com/shows/beavis-and-butthead/mr-andersons-balls-58234/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> The track "[[Light (KMFDM song)|Light]]" reached No.&nbsp;31 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart in May 1994.<ref name="KMFDM singles"/>
The song "Liebeslied" from ''Naïve'' originally contained an unlicensed sample of "O Fortuna" from [[Carl Orff]]'s ''[[Carmina Burana (Orff)|Carmina Burana]]''.<ref name="2002 History">{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/history.html | title=KMFDM History on December 10, 2002, from archive.org  | access-date=February 1, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021210104941/http://www.kmfdm.net/history.html |archive-date=December 10, 2002}}</ref> Orff's publisher threatened the band with legal action,<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=en6jizvGCTgC&q=kmfdm+orff&pg=PA91 | author=Eddy, Chuck | title=Essentials | magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] | page=91 |  date=April 2010 | access-date=July 27, 2012}}</ref> and the album was withdrawn from production in 1993. A new version of the album, titled ''Naïve/Hell to Go'', was released the following year.<ref name="1997 History"/> It contained new mixes of several songs, including a version of "Liebeslied" with the offending sample removed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/na%C3%AFve-hell-to-go-mw0000623828 | author=Hinds, Andy | title=Naïve/Hell To Go Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref>
Wax Trax! was saved from bankruptcy by an infusion of funds from [[TVT Records]],<ref name="1997 History"/><ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> and in March 1994 announced plans to release the compilation set ''[[Black Box – Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years]]'',<ref name=morristrib/> which includes the KMFDM songs "[[Virus (KMFDM song)|Virus]]" and "[[Godlike (song)|Godlike]]",<ref>{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r209175|pure_url=yes}} | title=Black Box: WaxTrax! Records – The First 13 Years | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref> two songs which Thompson called "defining".<ref name="IGC"/>
===Peak popularity (1994–99)===
[[File:Chris and Ogre.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Chris Connelly (musician)|Chris Connelly]] (right) and [[Nivek Ogre]] in 1991. Both contributed guest vocals for KMFDM in the 1990s.]]
The mid-to-late 1990s were KMFDM's most successful years in terms of album sales and mainstream awareness. Konietzko moved to Seattle in 1994, while Esch moved to New Orleans.<ref name="2002 History"/> Watts rejoined the band to work on its seventh album, ''[[Nihil]]'', which peaked at No.&nbsp;16 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers chart<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/nihil-mw0000175076/awards | title=Nihil: Charts and Awards | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref> and sold 209,000 copies, making it the band's best-selling album.<ref name=billboard2016>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7503681/kmfdm-milestones-rocks-reloaded-interview | first=Katy | last=Kroll | title=KMFDM Reflect on 3-Decade Career & Hating Their Biggest Hit | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=September 12, 2016 | access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> It marked the first contributions by drummer [[Bill Rieflin]], who worked with the band on its next five albums. ''Nihil'' featured KMFDM's most widely known song, "[[Juke Joint Jezebel]]", versions of which appeared on both the ''[[Bad Boys (soundtrack)|Bad Boys]]'' and ''[[Mortal Kombat (soundtrack)|Mortal Kombat]]'' soundtracks, the latter of which peaked at No.&nbsp;10 on the Billboard 200<ref>{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=soundtrack|chart=all}} | title=Mortal Kombat Soundtrack | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]  | access-date=March 2, 2010}}</ref> and sold over 1.8 million copies.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.raymondwatts.com/interviews/unhip.html | title=Raymond Watts Interview | magazine=Unhip | year=1999 | issue=1 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227133711/http://www.raymondwatts.com/interviews/unhip.html | archive-date=February 27, 2012}}</ref> Their song "Ultra" was used in the English version of ''[[Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie]]''.
Commenting on the rotating cast of musicians shortly after ''Nihil'''s release, Konietzko said, "It's as if En and I are the suns and the other musicians at the time come and revolve around us."<ref name=deseret-may-1995>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/1995/5/5/19173610/no-political-rage-just-life-normal-stuff-for-kmfdm/ | author=Iwasaki, Scott | title=No Political Rage, Just 'Life, Normal Stuff' for KMFDM | work=[[Deseret News]] | page=1  | date=May 5, 1995 | access-date=July 11, 2012}}</ref> Regarding the duo's dynamic, Konietzko said, "En Esch and myself have always been the cornerstone of KMFDM's existence. And we are diametrically opposed as writers. The angsty stuff generally comes from him. The poppy, hard stuff comes from me."<ref name=daily-press/> Esch commented in 1994, "Sascha and myself are different, of course. But that's why we can still make things happen. Our best and worst qualities are contrary. To put it simply, he's more organized and stable, I'm more complicated and abstract."<ref name=magnet/>
{{listen
| filename=Juke Joint Jezebel chorus.ogg
| title="Juke Joint Jezebel"
| description=The "snarling guitars <nowiki>[</nowiki>wrapped<nowiki>]</nowiki> in spiky synth barbed wire"<ref name=keyboard>{{cite magazine | title=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]] | magazine=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]] | page=120 | volume=21 | year=1995 }}</ref> and "swooping, gospelish chorus"<ref name=tribune>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/05/26/industrial-arts/ | title=Industrial Arts | author=Kot, Greg | date=May 26, 1995 | work=[[Chicago Tribune]]  | access-date=August 4, 2012}}</ref> from "Juke Joint Jezebel", KMFDM's biggest "hit"<ref name=AllMusic-nihil/>
| filename2=KMFDM Power.ogg
| title2="Power"
| description2=Konietzko wrote the "dumb and catchy"<ref name="Aquarian"/> song to satisfy the label's demand for a song for radio play, but hired [[Cheryl Wilson]] to lend "soul-mama vamping"<ref name="billboard-may 96">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pw0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA84 | title=Reviews and Previews: Singles | author=Flick, Larry | volume=108 | issue=21 | page=84 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=May 25, 1996 | access-date=March 10, 2010}}</ref> to the chorus because he had heard "radio didn't like big female choruses".<ref name="Aquarian"/>}}
In late 1995, close friend and president of Chicago's Wax Trax! Jim Nash died of an illness complicated by AIDS,<ref name="nash"/> and Seattle became the official headquarters of KMFDM.<ref name="1997 History"/><ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> Watts toured with KMFDM throughout 1995 in support of ''Nihil'', but then left the group to return to recording under the Pig moniker. Esch separated from the group, and ''[[Xtort]]'' was created in 1996 almost entirely without his input.<ref name=MacDonald-96/> Konietzko instead brought in a number of other industrial artists such as [[Chris Connelly (musician)|Chris Connelly]] to assist with the album.<ref name=MacDonald-96/> ''Xtort'' was the first KMFDM album to chart on the ''Billboard'' 200 and the highest-charting album in the band's history, reaching No.&nbsp;92<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kmfdm|chart=all}} | title=KMFDM Billboard 200 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]  | access-date=February 28, 2010}}</ref> and selling more than 200,000 copies.<ref name="Blog Critics">{{cite web | url=http://blogcritics.org/music/article/kmfdm/ | title=KMFDM Profile | work=[[Blogcritics]] | author=Olsen, Eric | author-link=Eric Olsen (writer) | page=3 |  date=October 5, 2003 | access-date=February 28, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605181237/http://blogcritics.org/music/article/kmfdm/ | archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref> "Power", the album's first single, was the most heavily promoted song in the band's history, with almost 100,000 copies included in a free Wax Trax! sampler album in mid-1996.<ref name=borzillo/> Konietzko later said ''Xtort'' was his favorite album of the 1990s.<ref name="Xtort 2007">{{cite AV media notes | title=Xtort | others=KMFDM | year=2007 | type=CD booklet | publisher=[[Metropolis Records]] | location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}</ref>
Esch returned for the ''[[Symbols (album)|Symbols]]'' album, which was released in 1997 and featured [[Abby Travis]] and [[Skinny Puppy]]'s [[Nivek Ogre]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.kmfdm.net/discography/albums/symbols.htm| title=Symbols Credits| work=KMFDM | access-date=February 28, 2010| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308020043/http://www.kmfdm.net/discography/albums/symbols.htm| archive-date=March 8, 2010}}</ref> ''Symbols'' reached No.&nbsp;137 on the Billboard 200.<ref name="Billboard"/> Its first track, "[[Megalomaniac (KMFDM song)|Megalomaniac]]", was featured in the film ''[[Mortal Kombat Annihilation]]'', and was the first song from its soundtrack to receive radio airplay.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mortal-kombat-getting-ready-to-annihilate-america-19971015 | author=Bendersky, Ari | title=Mortal Kombat Getting Ready To Annihilate America | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=October 15, 1997 | access-date=July 21, 2012 | archive-date=August 15, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815234840/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mortal-kombat-getting-ready-to-annihilate-america-19971015 | url-status=dead }}</ref>  [[Tim Skold]], formerly of the band [[Shotgun Messiah]], made his first appearance as a band member, writing lyrics and performing vocals on "Anarchy".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metropolis-records.com/artist/skold | title=Artists: Skold | publisher=[[Metropolis Records]] | access-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref><ref name="allbiz"/> Looking back on ''Symbols'' in 2002, Konietzko said, "I listened to the ''Symbols'' album and heard exactly why KMFDM broke up in the first place. It told me the story of what went wrong. There were maybe two (good) songs on that album and the others were just a bunch of compromising tug-of-wars. That was something I was not going to do again."<ref name=deseret-2002>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/6/28/19663158/kmfdm-back-together-after-strife | last=Iwasaki|first=Scott | title=KMFDM back together after strife | work=[[Deseret News]] | page=1  | date=June 28, 2002 | access-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref>
The band released a pair of [[compilation albums]] in 1998. The first, ''[[Retro (KMFDM album)|Retro]]'', was a greatest hits compilation which included most of the singles released up until ''Xtort''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/retro-mw0000601614 | author=Boldman, Gina | title=Retro Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 23, 2012}}</ref> The second, ''[[Agogo (album)|Agogo]]'', was a collection of rarities and previously unreleased tracks, including a cover of [[U2]]'s "[[Mysterious Ways (song)|Mysterious Ways]]".
===''Adios'' (1999) and the Columbine High School massacre===
The album ''[[Adios (KMFDM album)|Adios]]'' was written and performed almost exclusively by Konietzko and Skold.<ref name="cmj july 1999"/> Ogre again provided vocals, as did German musician [[Nina Hagen]].<ref name="cmj july 1999">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sikEAAAAMBAJ&q=kmfdm+adios&pg=PA51 | title=Reviews: KMFDM-Adios | magazine=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]] | author=Jarman, David | date=July 1999 | issue=71 | page=51 | access-date=March 29, 2011}}</ref> Originally the fulfillment of the band's ten record contract with Wax Trax!/TVT,<ref name="cmj april 1999">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H8S0WdfdaJQC&q=kmfdm+adios+-wikipedia+-mp3+-lyrics+contract&pg=PA14 | title=Wax Trax!-TXT Offers KMFDM's Final Statement With 'Adios' | magazine=[[CMJ New Music Report]] | author=Sciaretto, Amy | issue=612 | page=14 | date=April 5, 1999 | access-date=March 29, 2011}}</ref> ''Adios'' later signaled the breakup of the band itself,<ref name="cmj july 1999"/> which Esch's and Schulz's limited participation foreshadowed.<ref name="cmj july 1999"/>
KMFDM disbanded, albeit temporarily, on January 22, 1999, with only Konietzko and Skold remaining together.<ref name="allbiz"/> Konietzko said the split was due to "lots of stress and pressure, as well as differences in vision and drive".<ref name="allbiz">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oRAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14 | title=Kmfdm Is Back With 'attak' On Metropolis | author=McCormick, Moira | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]  | volume=114 | number=14 | page=14 | date=April 6, 2002 | access-date=April 4, 2012}}</ref> Esch said "There was a lot of negative energy between Sascha and Günter Schulz and myself and we all decided on the phone to call the band quits."<ref name="DML">{{cite web | url=http://deutschmusikland.com/RN/monamur_eneschinterview.php | title=Mona Mur & En Esch Interview | work=Deutschmusikland.com. Radio Nietzsche | date=March 2009 | access-date=April 29, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808010230/http://deutschmusikland.com/RN/monamur_eneschinterview.php/ | archive-date=August 8, 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Adios'' was released three months later, and reached No.&nbsp;189 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name="Billboard"/> Its title track was called "a bitter goodbye".<ref name=AllMusic-adios>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/adios-mw0000034498 | author=Boldman, Gina | title=Adios Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref>
In the wake of the [[Columbine High School massacre]], it was revealed that lyrics to KMFDM songs ("Son of a Gun", "Stray Bullet", "Waste") were posted on the website of shooter [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold|Eric Harris]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nF8YAQAAIAAJ&q=KMFDM+songs | author=Wilson, Scott | title=Great Satan's Rage | chapter=Columbine | pages=138–139 | publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] | year=2008 | access-date=January 31, 2011 | isbn=978-0-7190-7463-9}}</ref> and that the date of the massacre, April 20, coincided with both the release date of the album ''Adios''<ref name="MTV-speakout">{{cite web | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427256/kmfdm-rammstein-speak-out-about-columbine.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209222140/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427256/kmfdm-rammstein-speak-out-about-columbine.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 9, 2012 | title=KMFDM And Rammstein Speak Out About Columbine | publisher=[[MTV Networks]] | date=April 23, 1999 | access-date=January 31, 2011}}</ref> and the birthday of [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DN&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI%7CDN&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB5CE474D7991CD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | title=Music Linked To Killings? | work=[[Philadelphia Daily News]] | date=April 22, 1999 | access-date=January 31, 2011}}</ref> Some journalists were quick to jump on the possibility that the actions of Harris and the other shooter, [[Dylan Klebold]], were inspired by the violent entertainment and [[Nazism]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/april99/suspects042299.htm |author1=Duggan, Paul |author2=Shear, Michael D. |author3=Fisher, Marc | title=Shooter Pair Mixed Fantasy, Reality | newspaper=[[Washington Post]] | page=A1  | date=April 22, 1999 | access-date=January 31, 2011}}</ref> though one wrote, "Lyrically, the band has written some songs that could easily be misconstrued by anyone lacking an ear for irony and looking for an excuse to commit violence."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54473896.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325041728/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54473896.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 25, 2016 | author=Finn, Timothy | title=Record Industry Lets the Beat Go on Because Sex, Angst and Violence Sell | publisher=[[Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service]] | date=April 26, 1999 | access-date=August 30, 2013}}</ref> In response, Konietzko issued a statement:
:"First and foremost, KMFDM would like to express their deep and heartfelt sympathy for the parents, families and friends of the murdered and injured children in Littleton. We are sick and appalled, as is the rest of the nation, by what took place in Colorado yesterday.''<ref name="MTV-speakout"/><ref name="KMFDM1999">{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/ | title=KMFDM.net on April 27, 1999 from archive.org | work=KMFDM  | date=April 27, 1999 | access-date=April 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990427193333/http://www.kmfdm.net/ | archive-date=April 27, 1999}}</ref>
:"KMFDM are an art form—not a political party. From the beginning, our music has been a statement against war, oppression, fascism and violence against others. While some of the former band members are German as reported in the media, none of us condone any Nazi beliefs whatsoever."<ref name="KMFDM1999"/><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/an-old-debate-emerges-in-wake-of-shooting-19990422 | author=Boehlert, Eric | title=An Old Debate Emerges in Wake of School Shooting | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=April 23, 1999 | access-date=March 31, 2010 | archive-date=July 14, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714124258/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/an-old-debate-emerges-in-wake-of-shooting-19990422 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
===MDFMK, Slick Idiot, and reformation (2000–02)===
[[File:LuciaCifarelli2022.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Lucia Cifarelli]] performing in New York, New York in October 2022]]
After the group disbanded, Schulz and Esch formed the band [[Slick Idiot]],<ref name="regenSI">{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111133749/http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-1972-Slick-Idiot-Sucksess.html | url=http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-1972-Slick-Idiot-Sucksess.html | title=Reviews: Slick Idiot – Sucksess | author=Yücel, Ilker | work=ReGen Magazine |  date=October 22, 2009 | archive-date=January 11, 2010 | access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> while Konietzko and Skold regrouped as [[MDFMK]], adding singer [[Lucia Cifarelli]] to form a trio.<ref name="MDFMK">{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p419913|pure_url=yes}} | title=MDFMK Overview | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=March 28, 2010}}</ref> MDFMK released one [[MDFMK (album)|self-titled album]] with [[Republic Records|Republic/Universal Records]], and toured North America.<ref name=mdfmk-mtv>{{cite web | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/871608/mdfmk-rock-us.jhtml | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129050305/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/871608/mdfmk-rock-us.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 29, 2013 | author=Moss, Corey | title=MDFMK Prepare For Sonic Assault Of U.S. | publisher=[[MTV Networks]] | date=May 4, 2000 | access-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref> After being released from his contract with Universal due to a disagreement over who would produce the next album, Konietzko said he called [[Metropolis Records]] and asked if they'd be interested in signing KMFDM. The label agreed, although at the time only Konietzko himself was certain to participate.<ref name=mk/>
Konietzko announced the return of KMFDM in early 2001, due to "public demand", with Skold, Cifarelli, and former collaborators Watts and Rieflin joining him in the studio;<ref name="allbiz"/> he said at the time, "I talked with the usual KMFDM suspects to see if they were interested, and what we came up with was something better than what we had before."<ref name=deseret-2002/> Recalled Esch in 2009, "I was happy about my new creative freedom at that time and so I refused the concept of a fast reunion of the original KMFDM."<ref name="DML"/> Konietzko said of the reformed band, "Not only is it fun again, but it's devoid of all the personal confrontations due to egos and fractions that were once a part of the band,"<ref name=deseret-2002/> but said, "I really miss En Esch," in 2003.<ref name=mk>{{cite web|url=http://www.mk-magazine.com/interviews/archives/000123.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826191155/http://www.mk-magazine.com/interviews/archives/000123.php |author=Curry, Chris |title=MK Magazine Interviews: KMFDM |work=MK Magazine |date=November 1, 2003 |archive-date=August 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> KMFDM released its first album in three years, ''[[Attak]]'', in March 2002. The album was on the ''Billboard'' Independent Albums Chart for four weeks, peaking at No.&nbsp;11.<ref name=kmfdm-ind>{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kmfdm|chart=Independent Albums}} | title= KMFDM Independent Albums Chart | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]  | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref>
===New line-up (2003–07)===
Skold left after ''Attak'' to join [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/75601/twiggy-ramirez-exits-marilyn-manson | title=Twiggy Ramirez Exits Marilyn Manson | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | year=2002 | access-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> Over the next few years, Watts' bandmates from Pig joined KMFDM one by one. Jules Hodgson had already done guitar work for 2002's ''Attak''.<ref name=jules>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/bio/jules_pr.htm | title=Jules Hodgson Profile | work=KMFDM | access-date=February 28, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904034954/http://www.kmfdm.net/bio/jules_pr.htm | archive-date=September 4, 2012 }}</ref> [[Andy Selway]] first played drums for KMFDM on ''[[WWIII (album)|WWIII]]'' in 2003,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/bio/andy_pr.htm | title=Andy Selway Profile | work=KMFDM | access-date=February 28, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204071432/http://www.kmfdm.net/bio/andy_pr.htm | archive-date=February 4, 2012 }}</ref> and [[Steve White (guitarist)|Steve White]] contributed to 2005's ''[[Hau Ruck]]'' after touring with the band.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/bio/steve_pr.htm | title=Steve White Profile | publisher=KMFDM  | access-date=February 28, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804224226/http://www.kmfdm.net/bio/steve_pr.htm | archive-date=August 4, 2012 }}</ref> All three, along with Watts and Cifarelli, were mentioned as band members on "Intro", the final track on ''WWIII'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/intro.htm | title=Intro Lyrics | publisher=KMFDM | access-date=July 19, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710160643/http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/intro.htm | archive-date=July 10, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> although that was to be the last album on which Watts performed. ''WWIII'' was on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart for seven weeks, and peaked at No.&nbsp;3.<ref name=nu-kmfdm-chart>{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kmfdm|chart=Dance/Electronic Albums C}} | title= KMFDM Dance/Electronic Albums Chart | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]  | access-date=March 6, 2010}}</ref>
''Opium'' was re-released in 2002 as KMFDM001 on the band's new label, KMFDM Records,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/discography/albums/opium.htm | title=Discography: Opium | publisher=KMFDM | access-date=May 24, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402003247/http://www.kmfdm.net/discography/albums/opium.htm | archive-date=April 2, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[84–86|a collection of songs recorded between 1984 and 1986]] was released in 2004.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.future-retro.com/kmfdmspotlight.html | title=Artist Spotlight: KMFDM | work=[[Future Retro]] | publisher=Jered Flickinger | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311184059/http://www.future-retro.com/kmfdmspotlight.html | archive-date=March 11, 2012}}</ref> Shortly after the release of ''WWIII'', Konietzko began work on the soundtrack for 2004's [[Spider-Man 2 (2004 video game)|''Spider-Man 2'' video game]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/discography/webmp3.htm | title=Discography: Web/MP3s | publisher=KMFDM  | access-date=July 22, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702111336/http://www.kmfdm.net/discography/webmp3.htm | archive-date=July 2, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Hau Ruck'' performed about as well as ''WWIII'', appearing on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart for eight weeks but only hitting No.&nbsp;5.<ref name=nu-kmfdm-chart/> Unlike ''WWIII'', ''Hau Ruck'' showed up on the ''Billboard'' Independent Albums chart for a single week at No.&nbsp;48.<ref name=kmfdm-ind/> A companion EP, ''[[Ruck Zuck (EP)|Ruck Zuck]]'', was released in 2006.
Konietzko took a new approach for ''[[Tohuvabohu (album)|Tohuvabohu]]'', released in 2007. "Principally in the past, there used to be 2 people that would start songs: me and Jules. On this record I said to the other 2 guys, Andy (Selway) and Steve (White), 'Why don't you guys come up with something?'"<ref name=ult-guitar/> ''Tohuvabohu'' was on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart for just three weeks and peaked at No.&nbsp;4.<ref name=nu-kmfdm-chart/> It appeared on the Independent Albums Chart for one week at No.&nbsp;29.<ref name=kmfdm-ind/>  ''Tohuvabohu'' had a companion, ''[[Brimborium]]'', a full length remix album released in 2008 that barely made it onto ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart, hitting No.&nbsp;20 for a single week.<ref name=nu-kmfdm-chart/>
Metropolis Records announced in mid-2006 it would reissue KMFDM's entire Wax Trax!-era studio album back catalog, which had been out of print since the early 2000s. The albums were released in chronological order in groups of two or three from September 2006 to May 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdmrecords.com/news/ | title=News | publisher=KMFDM Records | access-date=February 9, 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713161114/http://www.kmfdmrecords.com/news/ | archive-date=July 13, 2011 }}</ref> Konietzko said the remastering was done over concerns about losing the rights to the back catalog after TVT defaulted on a loan, explaining, "The original agreement was that the catalog would have reverted back to me in 2008, anyway, but TVT and Rykodisc were thinking of just making a KMFDM compilation, which would have eliminated my catalog, and I didn't want that."<ref name=deseret-2006>{{cite news | url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650192580/KMFDM-playing-until-fun-stops.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020172734/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650192580/KMFDM-playing-until-fun-stops.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 20, 2012 | author=Iwasaki, Scott | title=KMFDM playing until fun stops | work=[[Deseret News]] |  date=September 22, 2006 | access-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> Konietzko commented in 2006 that the current line-up was the best he had worked with,<ref name=deseret-2006/> and said in a separate interview that his former bandmates were "looking at me for handouts".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/seattles-kmfdm-is-a-clown-free-zone/ | author=Scanlon, Tom | title=Seattle's KMFDM is a clown-free zone | work=[[Seattle Times]]  | date=October 27, 2006 | access-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref> Konietzko announced in October 2007 that he was packing up and moving back to Germany in the next three months.<ref name=hybrid/>
===Return to Germany (2007–2016)===
[[File:Tim Skold of Marilyn Manson, live in Florence 29052007 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Tim Skold]] performing with [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]] in 2007]]
Following the Finnish [[school shooting]]s of [[Jokela school shooting|2007]] and [[Kauhajoki school shooting|2008]], media reports again attempted to draw a connection between the shooters and KMFDM, and noted that both listed the band among their favorites.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/08/school.shooting/index.html | access-date=October 13, 2008 | first=Phil | last=Black | date=November 8, 2007 | title=Finland in mourning after fatal school shooting | work=[[CNN]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219170829/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/08/school.shooting/index.html |archive-date=February 19, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/gunman-kills-10-in-finnish-school-2100588 | title=Gunman kills 10 in Finnish school | date=September 24, 2008 | work=TVNZ | publisher=Reuters}}</ref> In an interview with Norwegian broadcaster [[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|NRK]] shortly after the 2008 incident, Konietzko responded to these claims by saying the recent shootings were a by-product of the [[copycat crimes|copycat]] mentality and the Finnish shooters' desire to emulate the lifestyles and actions of the Columbine shooters. "One of my biggest concerns immediately following this incident [the Columbine shooting] was that there would be copycats repeating such things in the future, as there often are when people commit heinous crimes and acts of violence. I was, unfortunately, right."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/1.6241067 |author1=Fredriksen, Alexander  |author2=Moen, Siri Narverud | title=Don't Shoot Up the School | publisher=NRK – Norsk Rikskringkasting | date=September 30, 2008 | access-date=April 7, 2010}}</ref>
KMFDM re-released all of its old singles and hard-to-find tracks from before the 1999 breakup in a series of three double albums called ''Extra''—''[[Extra, Vol. 1|Vol. 1]]'', ''[[Extra, Vol. 2|Vol. 2]]'', and ''[[Extra, Vol. 3|Vol. 3]]''—in mid-2008. KMFDM Records released ''[[Skold vs. KMFDM]]'' in early 2009, which was a collaboration that Skold and Konietzko conducted over the Internet while on separate continents from June to October 2008.<ref name=anti-svk>{{cite web | url=http://www.antimusic.com/news/09/feb/10Skold_vs._KMFDM.shtml | title=Skold vs. KMFDM | work=Antimusic | publisher=Iconoclast Entertainment Group | date=February 10, 2009 | access-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref> A follow-up is planned, but is not a high priority.<ref name=terror-2010>{{cite magazine | title=[[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]]: Dominion | magazine=[[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]] | issue=5 | page=11  | date=August 2010}}</ref>
KMFDM's sixteenth studio album, ''[[Blitz (KMFDM album)|Blitz]]'', released in March 2009, showcased further collaboration with Skold, but less input from the band members not living in Germany. It reached No.&nbsp;4 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart, and was on the chart for four weeks.<ref name=nu-kmfdm-chart/> Its companion remix album, ''[[Krieg (album)|Krieg]]'', was released in early 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/kmfdm-krieg-cd-review | author=Burkart, Gregory | title=KMFDM: 'Krieg' – CD Review | work=FearNet | date=March 31, 2010 | access-date=June 22, 2012}}</ref> Two compilation albums, ''[[Würst]]'' and ''[[Greatest Shit]]'', were released in September that same year.<ref name=metrokmfdm>{{cite web | url=http://www.metropolis-records.com/artist/kmfdm | title=Artists: KMFDM | publisher=[[Metropolis Records]] | access-date=May 7, 2012}}</ref>
On December 14, 2010, the official KMFDM website was changed to include a single image with the text "All Systems Have Been Ripped. The Internet Has Been Shut Down."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kmfdm.net/DoS/|title=All System Have Been Ripped. The Internet Has Been Shut Down|work=KMFDM.net|access-date=January 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324232152/http://www.kmfdm.net/DoS/|archive-date=March 24, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A new song titled "Rebels in Control" became available for listening and download on the site, posted in support of [[Julian Assange]] with regards to the controversy over [[WikiLeaks]].<ref name="SideLine">{{cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=45590_0_2_0_C |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906083516/http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=45590_0_2_0_C |title=KMFDM Wikileaks tribute song gets over 75.000 streams in 48 hours |work=SideLine News  |date=December 23, 2010 |archive-date=September 6, 2011 |access-date=January 10, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="KMFDM news">{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/news/news.htm | title=KMFDM News | publisher=KMFDM  | access-date=January 10, 2017 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212202902/http://www.kmfdm.net/news/news.htm | archive-date=February 12, 2012 }}</ref>
Former band members Durante, Esch, Schulz, and Watts appeared with [[Mona Mur]] at the April 2011 Wax Trax! Retrospectacle in Chicago,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://regenmag.com/interviews/done-with-the-past/ | author=Ilker, Yücel | title=Done with the Past | work=ReGen Magazine| date=December 11, 2011 | access-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref> a charity event celebrating the industrial music label.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2011/02/16/wax-trax-records-retrospectacle-anniversary-concert-chicago/ | title=Wax Trax! 'Retrospectacle': Front 242, Thrill Kill Kult, members of KMFDM, RevCo | work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] | publisher=in this world, among all others | date=February 16, 2011 | access-date=July 23, 2012}}</ref> The group performed KMFDM songs from the Wax Trax! era, including "Juke Joint Jezebel", "Godlike, "[[Brute (song)|Brute]]", and "[[Don't Blow Your Top (song)|Don't Blow Your Top]]".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/04/wax_trax_retrospectacle_annive.php | author=Bodine-Fischer, Diamond | title=Wax Trax! Retrospectacle: 33 1/3 Anniversary with Front 242, Thrill Kill Kult, members of KMFDM, Revolting Cocks and more | newspaper=[[LA Weekly]] | page=2| date=April 18, 2011 | access-date=July 23, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820161220/http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/04/wax_trax_retrospectacle_annive.php | archive-date=August 20, 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Konietzko expressed a desire to perform with the current band line-up, but was turned down by event organizers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/weekend/4817008-421/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010182544/http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/weekend/4817008-421/story.html |author=Conner, Thomas |title=Where's Al Jourgensen? |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]  |date=April 14, 2011 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 |access-date=April 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{listen | filename=Krank sample.ogg | title="Krank" | description=Part of the chorus from "Krank", which critics called "adrenalin-pumping"<ref name=terror-2011>{{cite journal | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/press/print/dominion-2011.jpg | journal=Terrorizer: Dominion | author=Hoon, Ross | title=Digital Evolution | issue=9 | page=7 | publisher=Dark Arts Ltd | date=March 2011 | access-date=March 12, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319221111/http://www.kmfdm.net/press/print/dominion-2011.jpg | archive-date=March 19, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and "an aggressive stomper in the best KMFDM tradition".<ref name="reflect">{{cite web | url=http://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/artists-k-o-cdreviews-133/9221-cd-review-kmfdm-krank.html | title=CD Review: KMFDM – Krank | author=Uhlenbruch, J. | publisher=Reflections of Darkness | date=March 21, 2011 | access-date=March 26, 2011}}</ref>}}
KMFDM released ''[[WTF?!]]'' in April 2011, featuring what Konietzko called "a slew of guest musicians"<ref name="noise">{{cite news | url=http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/03/19/kmfdm-are-neck-deep-in-new-material-will-feature-guest-musici/ | title=KMFDM are Neck Deep in New Material | author=Sciarretto, Amy | work=Noise Creep | publisher=AOL  | date=March 19, 2010 | access-date=May 8, 2010}}</ref> including Rieflin, [[Koichi Fukuda]], [[Free Dominguez]], and [[William Wilson (vocalist)|William Wilson]].<ref name=terror-2010/><ref name=wtf>{{cite AV media notes | title=WTF?! | others=KMFDM | year=2011 | type=CD booklet | pages=5, 11 | publisher=[[Metropolis Records]] | id=MET708 | location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}</ref> The album's first single, "Krank", charted in both Germany and the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php?id=46416_0_17_0_C+KMFDM |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502100418/http://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php?id=46416_0_17_0_C+KMFDM |title=KMFDM – WTF?! (CD – Dependent/KMFDM Records) |work=SideLine News |publisher=SideLine |date=June 20, 2011 |access-date=January 13, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''WTF?!'' was on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Dance/Electronic Albums Chart for one week at No.&nbsp;8.<ref name=nu-kmfdm-chart/>
Work on KMFDM's eighteenth album began in February 2012.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/blogs/kaptain.htm | title=Käpt'n's Korner | author=Konietzko, Sascha | author-link=Sascha Konietzko | publisher=KMFDM  | date=January 31, 2012 | access-date=May 8, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425081119/http://www.kmfdm.net/blogs/kaptain.htm | archive-date=April 25, 2012 }}</ref> Titled ''[[Kunst (album)|Kunst]]'', it was released on February 26, 2013.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3201992/kmfdm-announces-new-album-release-date-and-reveal-nsfw-album-cover/ | title=KMFDM Announces New Album, Release Date, AND Reveal NSFW Album Cover | author=Barkan, Jonathan | publisher=Bloody Disgusting | date=November 5, 2012 | access-date=November 5, 2012}}</ref> The band toured the United States in March and Europe in April 2013, as well as a second leg across the SW, CA and PNW parts of the US in the fall of 2013 entitled "We Are KMFDM" (subsequently filmed for a commemorative release), with direct support from Texas's own primal 2-drummer band CHANT, performing a 30 year career-spanning set.<ref name=2013-tour>{{cite web|url=http://www.kmfdm.net/tour/tour.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316125417/http://www.kmfdm.net/tour/tour.htm |title=KMFDM Tour Dates |publisher=KMFDM  |archive-date=March 16, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> KMFDM reissued ''Opium'' and ''WWIII'' in October 2013.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://exclaim.ca/News/kmfdm_reissue_opium_wwiii_announce_north_american_tour|title=KMFDM Reissue 'Opium' and 'WWIII,' Announce North American Tour|date=August 19, 2013|access-date=November 9, 2013|magazine=[[Exclaim!]]}}</ref>
On May 24, 2014, Konietzko announced on the band's [[Facebook]] page that a new album, titled ''[[Our Time Will Come (album)|Our Time Will Come]]'', would be released on October 14, 2014. A new live album titled ''We Are KMFDM'' and a single called "Genau (The German in You)" were also announced.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.facebook.com/officialkmfdm/posts/10152469403757658  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/269147047657/10152469403757658 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited| first=Sascha | last=Konietzko | author-link=Sascha Konietzko | title=KMFDM Facebook Post May 24, 2014 beginning 'Käpt'n here...' | publisher=[[Facebook]] | date=May 24, 2014 | access-date=May 24, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  ''Our Time Will Come'' was released on October 14, 2014, on both CD and vinyl.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.sonic-seducer.de/index.php/1224-eine-bessere-zukunft-mit-kmfdm-details-zum-und-snippets-vom-neuen-album.html|title=Eine bessere Zukunft mit KMFDM: Details zum und Snippets vom neuen Album|magazine=Sonic Seducer|date=September 29, 2014|access-date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> The "Genau" single was not released, with a single for "Salvation" from the same album coming out instead in 2015. Another run of the US on the 'Salvation Tour' commenced in the summer of 2015.
===Another line-up shift (2017–present)===
[[File: AndeeKMFDM2024.jpg|thumb|right|Andee Blacksugar performing with KMFDM in 2024.]]
In April 2017, KMFDM revealed a new EP titled ''Yeah!''; an album called ''[[Hell Yeah (KMFDM album)|Hell Yeah]]'' was released in August, with a U.S. tour planned in support of the releases for October.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.antimusic.com/news/17/April/25KMFDM_Return_With_New_EP,_Album_and_US_Tour.shtml | title=KMFDM Return With New EP, Album and U.S. Tour | work=AntiMusic | date=April 25, 2017 | access-date=April 25, 2017 }}</ref> On June 23, ''Yeah!'' was released, followed by the release of ''Hell Yeah'' on August 18. Guitarists White and Hodgson were unavailable, so Konietzko recruited Chris Harms from [[Lord of the Lost]] to record the guitar parts. Harms, along with Lord of the Lost bandmates Pi (guitar) and Gared Dirge (keyboards), had been slated to perform as the live band for KMFDM's late 2017 tour. Lord of the Lost were unable to secure work visas to enter the U.S.,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/lordofthelost/photos/a.406845721658.186216.120287666658/10154966184376659/?type=3&theater |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/120287666658/10154966184376659 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Lord Of The Lost|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=October 3, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> so Andee Blacksugar was tapped to handle guitar tasks instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/officialkmfdm/posts/10155792910757658 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/269147047657/10155792910757658 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=KMFDM|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=October 3, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Various highlights of the tour were captured live and can be heard on their fourth live album 'Live in the USSA', released the following year in 2018. The album sonically presents the band in a more stripped-down, drum laden heavy metal style containing their obligatory cutting guitar riffs, melded with the traditional keys, samples, programming and additional percussion courtesy of band mainstay Sascha Konietzko.
The new quartet of Konietzko, Cifarelli, Selway, and Blacksugar announced the album, ''[[Paradise (KMFDM album)|Paradise]]'', for release on September 27, 2019. The band features a variety of guest appearances, including KMFDM co-founder [[Raymond Watts]] for the first time since 2003.<ref name=regen-paradise>{{cite news | url=https://regenmag.com/news/kmfdm-announces-details-of-latest-album/ | first=Ilker | last=Yücel | title=KMFDM announces details of latest album | work=Regen Magazine | date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> In July 2022, the band announced a brand new album, ''[[Hyëna]]'' was released on September 9. The title track was revealed as a promotional single at the end of August.<ref name=release-magazine>{{cite news | url=https://www.releasemagazine.net/kmfdm-returns-with-hyena/ | first=Johan | last=Carlson | title=KMFDM returns with Hyena | work=Release Magazine | date=July 12, 2022}}</ref>
A new album commemorating KMFDM's 40 year anniversary (having formed on February 29, 1984) was released on February 2, 2024, entitled ''Let Go''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theprp.com/2024/01/12/news/kmfdm-stream-title-track-from-their-new-album-let-go/|title=KMFDM Stream Title Track From Their New Album "LET GO"|publisher=ThePRP|access-date=January 15, 2024|date=January 12, 204}}</ref>
==Musical style, influences, and lyrical content==
[[File:Kmfdm jules starlite.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Jules Hodgson performing in Edmonton, Canada in October 2004]]
KMFDM's earliest output was [[performance art]],<ref name="KMFDM news"/> as Konietzko incorporated not only visuals such as burning beds and exploding televisions,<ref name="Miami"/> but also non-musical devices used as instruments, e.g. vacuum cleaners.<ref name="Miami"/><ref name="dunedin"/> The 1980s albums featured heavy use of [[sample (music)|sampling]] and studio manipulations, and the primary instruments used were [[synthesizer]]s and [[drum machines]]. Konietzko has cited [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]], [[David Bowie]], and [[Frank Zappa]] as inspiration in the early stages of KMFDM.<ref name="Chicken"/><ref name="Blog Critics"/> Before forming the band, he listened to [[punk music]] like [[GBH (band)|GBH]] and "true industrial" bands such as [[Throbbing Gristle]].<ref name=daily-press>{{cite news | url=https://www.dailypress.com/1995/10/20/moral-minority/ | author=McDonald, Sam | title=Moral Minority: German-born Industrial Rock Group Kmfdm Has 'No Pity For The Majority' | work=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]] | date=October 20, 1995 | access-date=July 14, 2012 | archive-date=June 26, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626174735/http://articles.dailypress.com/1995-10-20/features/9510200261_1_kmfdm-sascha-konietzko-en-esch | url-status=live }}</ref>
The band's music has been described as [[industrial music|industrial]],<ref name=amg-guide>{{cite book | title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul | first=Stephen Thomas | last=Erlewine | page=627 | year=2002 | publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]] | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&q=kmfdm+industrial&pg=PA627 | isbn=978-0-87930-653-3| access-date=July 27, 2012}}</ref> [[industrial rock]],<ref name=CMJ-604>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9uYwm-dwInwC&q=kmfdm+industrial&pg=PA4 | magazine=[[CMJ New Music Report]] | title=Top Stories: KMFDM Calls It Quits | editor=Mitchel, Wendy | volume=57 | issue=604 | page=4 | date=February 8, 1999 | access-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref> [[electro-industrial]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/angst-mw0000114024 |title=Angst – KMFDM |website=[[AllMusic]] |last=Hinds |first=Andy |access-date=May 17, 2017}}</ref> [[industrial metal]],<ref name=DiPerna>{{cite magazine |author=Di Perna, Alan | title=Jackhammer of the Gods | magazine=[[Guitar World]] | volume=15 | issue=6 | page=69 | year=1995 }}</ref> and [[industrial techno|techno-industrial]].<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | title=CMT Spots a 'Turn On'; KMFDM Cries Censorship | last=Atwood | first=Brett | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mw4EAAAAMBAJ&q=kmfdm+industrial&pg=PA93 | volume=107 | issue=42 | page=93  | date=October 21, 1995 | access-date=July 27, 2012}}</ref>
While recognized along with Ministry, [[Nine Inch Nails]], and [[Skinny Puppy]] as pioneers in introducing industrial music to mainstream audiences,<ref name="IGC">{{cite book | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHP-r9-eqdAC&q=sascha+konietzko&pg=PA70 | title=Alternative Rock | chapter=The Industrial Gothic Complex | pages=70–71 | author=Thompson, Dave | publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]] | year=2000 | access-date=September 9, 2010 | isbn=978-0-87930-607-6}}</ref> KMFDM describes its sound as "The Ultra-Heavy Beat".<ref name="dunedin">{{cite web | url=http://dunedinfreepress.com/kmfdm2.htm | author=Brennan, Frances | title=KMFDM | work=The Dunedin Free Press | publisher=Dunedin Free Press/Brennan Ink | year=2009 | access-date=December 29, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815080351/http://dunedinfreepress.com/kmfdm2.htm | archive-date=August 15, 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Konietzko once stated, "If I was to give myself a label it would be industrial-alternative-electronic-crossover-rock and danceabilly."<ref name="IGC"/>
The band has made heavy use of guitars since its inception,<ref name="IGC"/> and pioneered their use during the band's early days in Germany.<ref name=daily-press/> Although not a metal fan, Konietzko said his "infatuation with ripping off metal [[Lick (music)|licks]]" stemmed from his experiments with [[E-MU Systems|E-mu]]'s [[E-mu Emax|Emax]] [[Sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]] in late 1986, adding, "What I always hated most about heavy metal was that the best riffs came only once and were never repeated. So the fascination, actually, was to sample a great riff, [[Music loop|loop]] it, and play it over and over again."<ref name=DiPerna/> While the album ''Don't Blow Your Top'' was more sparse in content, due to the influence of producer Sherwood,<ref name="IGC"/><ref name="robbins 369">{{cite book | author=Robbins, Ira A. | title=The Trouser Press record guide | url=https://archive.org/details/trouserpressreco002269mbp | page=[https://archive.org/details/trouserpressreco002269mbp/page/n388 369] | year=1991 | isbn=978-0-02-036361-3 | publisher=[[Collier Books]]}}</ref> it was the exception rather than the rule. Ministry founder and frontman [[Al Jourgensen]], on tour with the band in 1989, described KMFDM as "a battalion of guitars marching through Europe."<ref name="IGC"/>
{{listen | filename=What Do You Know sample.ogg |title="What Do You Know?" | description=This song, from the band's second album, features "scathing political commentary&nbsp;... that helped define the group's subversive identity",<ref name=AllMusic-wdykd/> sampling a speech by former U.S. president [[John F. Kennedy]].}}
KMFDM's music has since been a fusion of [[electronic music|electronic]] and [[heavy metal (music)|heavy metal]],<ref name="IGC"/><ref name="robbins 369"/> with occasional elements of [[dub music|dub]],<ref name="robbins 369"/><ref>{{cite magazine | title=KMFDM: Money | magazine=Option Magazine |issue=42–47 | page=111  | year=1992}}</ref> as well as orchestral samples<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nH9oejneZtQC&q=%22Beastie+Boys+with+grand+orchestral%22 | author=Robbins, Ira A. | title=The Trouser Press guide to '90s rock | page=398 | year=1997 | publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] | access-date=April 4, 2011 | isbn=978-0-684-81437-7}}</ref> and live horns.<ref name="Aquarian">{{cite news | url=http://www.beermelodies.com/interviews/kmfdm-ready-to-%E2%80%98xtort%E2%80%99-2/ | title=KMFDM Ready to 'Xtort' | author=Fortunato, John | work=[[The Aquarian Weekly]]  | year=1996 | access-date=April 23, 2010}}</ref> Many songs feature prominent backing vocals by female singers<ref name=AllMusic-nihil>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/nihil-mw0000175076 | author=Hinds, Andy | title=Nihil Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 15, 2012}}</ref> such as [[Dorona Alberti]],<ref name="Hinds Angst">{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r203823|pure_url=yes}} | title=Angst Review | author=Hinds, Andy | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=April 4, 2011}}</ref> Travis, and Cifarelli. Many of the musicians who have played in the band are [[multi-instrumentalist]]s, so there is a degree of versatility and freedom in the music.<ref name=hybrid/>
Many albums feature one or more songs in which the band lampoons itself, notably in the lyrics to "Sucks"<ref name="Hinds Angst"/> and "Inane".<ref name=MacDonald-96>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9CwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT39 | title= Reviews | author=MacDonald, Heidi | page=40 | magazine=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]] | date=September 1996 | access-date=April 4, 2011}}</ref> The band's "cynical detachment" has been compared to [[Steely Dan]].<ref name=MacDonald-95/> Lyrics often express political concerns<ref name=AllMusic-nihil/><ref name="Hinds Angst"/> and call for the rejection of and resistance to terrorism, violence, oppression, censorship, and war.<ref name=terror-lyrics>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/terror.htm | title=Lyrics: Terror | publisher=KMFDM  | access-date=July 22, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704220552/http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/terror.htm | archive-date=July 4, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/glory.htm | title=Lyrics: Glory | publisher=KMFDM  | access-date=July 22, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414230043/http://www.kmfdm.net/lyrics/glory.htm | archive-date=April 14, 2012 }}</ref> In the 1995 song "Terror", Konietzko specifically warns, "[[Fundamentalist]] forces are undermining the integrity of [[liberalism|liberal]] and democratic political structures".<ref name=terror-lyrics/> Samples of news broadcasts and speeches by political leaders are sometimes featured in songs.<ref name="robbins 369"/> Konietzko has said that while the 2003 album ''WWIII'' is critical of then-president [[George W. Bush]], who was sampled extensively for the album,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.splendidezine.com/review.html?reviewid=106497585768161 | title=Reviews KMFDM: WWIII | author=Zahora, George | work=Splendid Magazine | date=October 15, 2003 | access-date=June 8, 2012}}</ref> "It's not an anti-Bush record per se, it's an anti-stupidity record", and, "If we had a message, it would be: Think for Yourself and Don't Believe the Bullshit."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=100&story_id=895 |title=KMFDM bring sound of 'WWIII' |author=Chernov, Sergey |newspaper=[[The St. Petersburg Times (Russia)|The St. Petersburg Times]] |issue=928 |volume=50  |date=July 2, 2004 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614062518/http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=4&photo_id=147 |archive-date=June 14, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Reception==
As of July 2007, KMFDM had sold approximately two million records worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.revolvermag.com/news/kmfdm-return-with-new-album.html | title=KMFDM Return with New Album | work=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] | date=July 12, 2007 | access-date=July 24, 2012}}</ref> Critics have been widely positive of KMFDM, though less enthusiastic about the band's earliest work. ''What Do You Know, Deutschland?'' was called "less energetic" and ''Don't Blow Your Top'' was called "a little flimsy" in comparison to later albums by AllMusic critics Andy Hinds and Vincent Jeffries, respectively.<ref name=AllMusic-dbyt/><ref name=AllMusic-wdykd/> ''UAIOE'', when the band's sound began to develop, was called "more assured" by Hinds and "more representative of KMFDM's true motives" by Thompson, who added that KMFDM's guitar-heavy sound inspired Ministry's own embrace of the instrument after the bands toured together in 1990.<ref name="IGC"/><ref name=uaioe>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/uaioe-mw0000206538 | author=Hinds, Andy | title=UAIOE Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref>
[[File:KMFDM Castle Party 2009 13.jpg|thumb|left|[[Steve White (guitarist)|Steve White]] performing in Bolków, Poland in July 2009]]
The first major breakthrough in the band's critical reception was 1990's ''Naïve'', called "one of their strongest releases" by [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[AllMusic]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bgn9SGmA4dkC&pg=PA627 | title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul 3rd Edition | last=Erlewine | page=627 | publisher=Backbeat Books | first=Stephen Thomas | isbn=978-0-87930-653-3 | year=2002 | access-date=July 27, 2012}}</ref> "brilliant" by fellow AllMusic critic Ned Raggett,<ref name=am-naive>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/na%C3%AFve-mw0000262101 | title=KMFDM Naïve Review | author=Raggett, Ned | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=March 12, 2010}}</ref> "superb" by Hinds,<ref name=am-angst>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/angst-mw0000114024 | title=Angst Review | author=Hinds, Andy | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref> and "the most fun 'industrial dance' album ever" by ''Spin'' critic Chuck Eddy.<ref name="spin">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hQxGHrtDC0C&pg=PT74 | title=KMFDM Money Review | author=Eddy, Chuck | magazine=Spin Magazine | page=71 | date=July 1992 | access-date=March 12, 2010}}</ref> The subsequent albums released in the 1990s were described as some of the band's strongest by AllMusic critic Greg Prato,<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> with their metal guitars, industrial beats, and dance floor sensibilities praised by Ira Robbins and ''[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]'' critic Heidi MacDonald.<ref name="robbins 369"/><ref name=MacDonald-95>{{cite magazine| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LC0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 | title=Best New Music: KMFDM Nihil | author=MacDonald, Heidi | magazine=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]] | page=15 | date=May 1995 | access-date=March 10, 2010}}</ref> Michael Saunders of the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' said of the band: "It's a small field, but KMFDM is tops in it: makers of dense, danceable, post-industrial torrents of noise. The German band specializes in fabricating aural assaults that can be intimidating to the uninitiated."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8329021.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409231908/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8329021.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 9, 2016 | author=Saunders, Michael | title=KMFDM turns up the noise | work=[[Boston Globe]]   | date=May 23, 1995}}</ref> MacDonald said in 1996, "With Ministry gone grindcore, Skinny Puppy just gone, and Nine Inch Nails a brand name, KMFDM is now the standard bearer of industrial",<ref name=MacDonald-96/> though Erlewine and Hinds felt the band was losing some steam towards the end of the decade.<ref name=AllMusic-xtort>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/xtort-mw0000648344 | author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas | title=Xtort Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name=AllMusic-symbols>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/symbols-mw0000028951 | author=Hinds, Andy | title=Symbols Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref>
Greg Rule declared in 1999, after its temporary disbandment, that KMFDM had "produced nine high-impact records that have earned them a large, loyal fanbase strewn across the planet."<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8jXbBgHKNsC&q=kmfdm&pg=PT220 | title=Electro Shock!: Groundbreakers of Synth Music | author=Rule, Greg | chapter=4: KMFDM | page=211 | year=1999 | publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation | isbn=0-87930-582-7 | access-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> Erlewine called the band "one of Wax Trax's first industrial superstars", "an underground sensation", and "one of the major industrial bands of the '90s."<ref name=amg-guide/> Most of the band's albums released in the 21st century have been well-received, although Prato has commented on the sameness from one album to the next.<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/hau-ruck-mw0000396597 | author=Prato, Greg | title=Hau Ruck Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref> Recent albums ''Blitz'' and ''WTF?!'' have been described as moving in an electronic, less guitar-focused direction by Trey Spencer of ''Sputnikmusic'' and AllMusic's David Jeffries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=29996 | author=Spencer, Trey | title=KMFDM – Blitz (staff review) | work=Sputnukmusic | date=March 25, 2009 | access-date=August 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/wtf!-mw0002112356 | author=Jeffries, David | title=WTF?! Review | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 21, 2012}}</ref>
==Touring and fanbase==
[[File:Andy Selway.jpg|thumb|right|[[Andy Selway]] performing live with KMFDM]]
KMFDM has released on average an album every year and a half, and usually tours at least once in support of each album. At most concert venues, KMFDM mingles with the fans before and after the show to sign autographs, pose for photos, and answer questions.<ref name=hybrid>{{cite web | url=http://www.hybridmagazine.com/music/0702/kmfdm.shtml | title=KMFDM Reloads with: Attak | author1=Freedland, Israel | author2=Schneider, Justin | work=Hybrid Magazine  | access-date=May 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020810170201/http://www.hybridmagazine.com/music/0702/kmfdm.shtml|archive-date=August 10, 2002}}</ref> Konietzko, who keeps in contact with fans via e-mail and the band's website,<ref name=borzillo>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA9 | title=Wax Trax!/TVT's KMFDM Rides Industrial Revolution with 8th Set | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | author=Borzillo, Carrie | volume=108 | number=25 | pages=9, 97 | date=June 22, 1996 | access-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> and band representatives have experimented with ways for fans to interact more directly. KMFDM launched "Horde" in 2002, an exclusive fan club which gave members the opportunity to attend a private meet-and-greet with the band before every show, and allowed access to members-only music and footage online. A featurette on the Horde fan club appears on the ''[[WWIII Live 2003]]'' DVD.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=1929_0_2_0_C | author=Van Isacker, Bernard | title=World Tour 2003 KMFDM sees DVD/CD release in June and July | work=SideLine News  | date=June 10, 2004 | access-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref>
In the 2004 ''Fankam'' project, an audience member was selected at each concert to record that night's show, as well as some back-stage antics, with a hand-held digital video camera. The resulting footage was incorporated into the following year's ''20th Anniversary World Tour'' DVD, which included fan photos submitted to the KMFDM official website. KMFDM encouraged fans to call a special "FanPhone" and leave a voice message in March 2007.<ref name=ult-guitar>{{cite web | url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/sascha_konietzko_of_kmfdm_i_actually_am_not_a_musician.html | title=Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM: 'I Actually Am Not A Musician' | date=November 10, 2007 | work=Ultimate Guitar | access-date=March 3, 2010 | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305142033/https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/sascha_konietzko_of_kmfdm_i_actually_am_not_a_musician.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> The song "Superpower" from 2007's ''Tohuvabohu'' includes sound-clips from these messages.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.revenantmedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1193&Itemid=37 | title=KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko Part 1 | author=Cooper, Christina | work=Revenant Media | date=August 28, 2007 | access-date=March 2, 2010 }}</ref> The band used the Fankam project again for its 2011 "Kein Mitleid" tour in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/fankam/ | title=Fankam | publisher=KMFDM | access-date=May 8, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401032205/http://kmfdm.net/fankam/ | archive-date=April 1, 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
===List of tours===
{{Main article|List of KMFDM concert tours}}
All tours featured KMFDM headlining, except where noted.
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of KMFDM tours
|-
!scope="col" |Date
!scope="col" |Name
!scope="col" |Location
!scope="col" |Notes
!scope="col" |Source
|-
!scope="row" |1989–90
| "The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste"
| United States
| opening for Ministry
| <ref name="1997 History"/>
|-
!scope="row" | 1990
| "Naïve"
| Europe
| with My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
|<ref name="1997 History"/>
|-
!scope="row" | 1991
| "Split"
| United States
|
| <ref name="1997 History"/>
|-
!scope="row" | June 1992
| "Aloha Jerry Brown"
| United States
|
| <ref name="1997 History"/><ref name="Money 2006"/><ref name=newsletter-2>{{cite magazine|title=Newsletter Issue 2 |magazine=KMFDM/Excessive Force Newsletter | publisher=KMFDM | issue=2 | page=2 | year=1992}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | October–November 1992
| "KMFDM Sucks Money"
| United States
|
|<ref name="1997 History"/><ref name=newsletter-3>{{cite magazine|title=Newsletter Issue 3 |magazine=KMFDM/Excessive Force Newsletter | publisher=KMFDM | issue=3 | page=5 | year=1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA82|title=Popular Uprisings|editor1=Geoff Mayfield|editor2=Paul Page|editor3=Roger Fitton|magazine=Billboard Magazine|date=June 13, 1992|volume=104|issue=24|page=82|access-date=November 15, 2017|postscript=. The tour was referred to as "KMFDM Money Sucks Tour" in the source.}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | 1994
| "Angstfest"
| United States
| Support: [[Sister Machine Gun]] and [[Chemlab]]
| <ref name="1997 History"/>
|-
!scope="row" | May 1995
| "Beat by Beat"
| United States
| Support: [[Dink (band)|Dink]]
| <ref name="1997 History"/><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22476746.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329111917/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22476746.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 29, 2015 | author=Staple, Arthur | title=KMFDM Mixes Uplifting Tones into Its Dark Lyrics | work=The Records | location=Bergen County, New Jersey | date=May 23, 1995 | access-date=November 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/1995/5/10/19174599/kmfdm-and-dink-lay-alternative-music-to-rest/ | first=Scott | last=Iwasaki | title=KMFDM and Dink Lay Alternative Music to Rest | work=[[Deseret News]] | date=May 10, 1995 | access-date=August 4, 2015}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Fall 1995
| "In Your Face"
| United States and Europe
| Support: [[God Lives Underwater]] and [[Genitorturers]]
| <ref name="1997 History"/>
|-
!scope="row" | 1997
| "Symbols"
| United States and Europe
|
| <ref name=jules/>
|-
!scope="row" | 2002
| "Sturm & Drang"
| United States
| ''[[Sturm & Drang Tour 2002]]'' live album, 16volt opened
|
|-
!scope="row" | 2003
| "WWIII"
| United States
| ''[[WWIII Live 2003]]'' live album
|
|-
!scope="row" | 2004
| "20th Anniversary"
| United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, and Australia
|
| <ref>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511213352/http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-389-KMFDM-20th-Anniversary-World-Tour-2004.html | url=http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-389-KMFDM-20th-Anniversary-World-Tour-2004.html | title=KMFDM 20th Anniversary World Tour | author=Yucel, Ilker | work=ReGen Magazine  | archive-date=May 11, 2008 | date=March 29, 2006 | access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | 2005
| "Hau Ruck"
|
|
| <ref name=metrokmfdm/>
|-
!scope="row" | 2006
| "Hau Ruck Zuck USSA"
|
|
| <ref name=metrokmfdm/>
|-
!scope="row" | 2009
| "Kein Mitleid"
| United States, Canada, and Europe
|
| <ref name=metrokmfdm/>
|-
!scope="row" | 2010
| "Für die Mehrheit"
| Europe
|
|<ref name=metrokmfdm/>
|-
!scope="row" | August 2011
| North American tour
| United States and Canada
|
| <ref name=slicingup>{{cite web | url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2011/06/28/kmfdm-tour-dates-wtf-north-america-europe/ | title=KMFDM announces North American, European tours in support of new album 'WTF?!' | work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] | publisher=in this world, among all others | date=June 28, 2011 | access-date=May 7, 2012}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Fall 2011
| European tour
| Europe
|
| <ref name=slicingup/>
|-
!scope="row" | Summer 2012
| European tour
| Germany, Belgium, and France
|
| <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/tour/tour.htm | title=KMFDM Tour Info | publisher=KMFDM | access-date=May 7, 2012 | archive-date=March 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316125417/http://www.kmfdm.net/tour/tour.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | March 2013
| "I (HEART) YOU USSA Tour"
| United States
|
| <ref name=2013-tour/>
|-
!scope="row" | April 2013
| "I (HEART) YOU Europe Tour"
| Europe
|
| <ref name=2013-tour/>
|-
!scope="row" | Fall 2013
| "We Are KMFDM"
| United States & Canada
| Support: Chant
| <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmfdm.net/tour/tour.htm | title=KMFDM Tour Info | publisher=KMFDM | access-date=April 13, 2015 | archive-date=March 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316125417/http://www.kmfdm.net/tour/tour.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Summer 2015
| "Salvation Tour"
| United States & Canada
| Support: Chant
| <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.facebook.com/officialkmfdm/app_123966167614127 | title=KMFDM – Bandsintown &#124; Facebook | publisher=Bandsintown Inc. | access-date=April 13, 2015}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Fall 2017
| "Hell Yeah Tour"
| United Kingdom & United States
| Support: Lord of the Lost & Inertia, DJ Ritual & ohGr (select dates)
| <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.flagpromotions.co.uk/events/kmfdm-rock-uk-tour/ | title=KMFDM – Bandsintown &#124; Flag Promotions | publisher=Flag Promotions | access-date=February 6, 2017 | archive-date=February 7, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207113126/http://www.flagpromotions.co.uk/events/kmfdm-rock-uk-tour/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | September–October 2022
| "Hyena Tour"
| United States
| Support: Chant
| <ref>{{cite web | url=https://nextmosh.com/kmfdm-announce-2022-us-tour-with-chant/ | title=KMFDM – Bandsintown &#124; Next Mosh | date=April 21, 2022 | publisher=Next Mosh | access-date=October 5, 2022}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | March 2024
| "Let Go Tour-40 Years of KMFDM"
| United States
| Support: Cyanotic, Morlocks, Sour Tongue
| <ref>{{cite web | url=https://evolradio.net/2024/01/13/kmfdm-unleashes-let-go-a-decades-long-sonic-evolution-from-the-underground-to-the-ultra-heavy-beat-announce-2024-north-american-tour-with-cyanotic/ | title=KMFDM – Evolradio | date=January 13, 2024 | publisher=Evol Radio | access-date=January 23, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|}
==Album artwork==
[[File:Kmfdmmoney.jpg|thumb|[[Aidan Hughes|Brute!]]'s album cover for ''[[Money (album)|Money]]''. The man on the left is a self-portrait.<ref name=best-art/> Hughes' artwork has become closely associated with the band's image.<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/>]]
KMFDM has a long-standing relationship with commercial artist [[Aidan Hughes|Aidan "Brute!" Hughes]], who creates the artwork adorning almost all of the band's albums and singles,<ref name="AllMusic Bio"/> which has been called "one of rock music's most memorable cover art collections".<ref name=AllMusic-wdykd>{{cite web | url=http://www.AllMusic.com/album/what-do-you-know-deutschland-mw0000204960 | author=Jeffries, Vincent | title=KMFDM: What Do You Know Deutschland? | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref> Hughes' artwork is featured in KMFDM's music videos for "A Drug Against War" and "Son of a Gun", and on the band's promotional T shirts.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bruteprop.co.uk | title=Brute! Propaganda | author=Hughes, Aiden | publisher=Aiden Hughes | access-date=March 8, 2011}}</ref> Art critic [[Brian Sherwin]] said Hughes is probably best known for the collection of KMFDM artwork he has created.<ref name=sherwin>{{cite web | url=http://myartspace-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/art-space-talk-aidan-hughes.html | author=Sherwin, Brian | author-link=Brian Sherwin | title=Art Space Talk: Aidan Hughes | date=December 31, 2008 | access-date=August 4, 2012}}</ref>
All of his work, which has been called "striking",<ref>{{cite book | author=Larkin, Colin | title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music | page=219 |date=May 2000 | publisher=Virgin Paperbacks | isbn=978-0-7535-0427-7}}</ref> shares a distinct visual style inspired by [[Golden Age of comic books|Golden Age comic]] artists, [[Constructivism (art)|Russian Constructivists]], Italian [[Futurism|Futurists]], and [[woodcut]] artists.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blog.bruteprop.co.uk/?page_id=2 | title=About the Man | author=Hughes, Aiden | publisher=Aiden Hughes | access-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> In an interview with Sherwin, Hughes stated, "KMFDM have cornered the market in industrial post-modern angst and so my work reflects that."<ref name=sherwin/> Hughes said that initially he based his work on the music, which caused "artistic block".<ref name=best-art>{{cite book | author=Drozdowski, Ted | title=The Best Music Cd Art + Design | page=130 |date=September 1997 | publisher=Rockport Pub | isbn=978-1-56496-367-3}}</ref> Konietzko gave him more freedom to use whatever themes he wished, resulting in the cover to ''Money'', which Hughes said "was based upon my disillusionment with the street lifestyle I was experiencing at the time, and the art carries with it the implication that no matter what temptation lies in your path, you still gotta pay!"<ref name=best-art/>
The only studio album covers not designed by Hughes are ''Opium'', which consists of a black-and-white photo, and ''Nihil'', which was designed by [[Francesca Sundsten]], wife of drummer Rieflin.<ref name=bruin>{{cite news | url=https://dailybruin.com/1995/05/02/kmfdm-delves-deeper-into-metal | author=Gopalan, Nisha | title=KMFDM delves deeper into metal-industrial | work=[[Daily Bruin]] | date=May 2, 1995 | access-date=February 28, 2023 }}</ref>
==Members==
{{Further|List of KMFDM members}}
'''Current line-up'''
* [[Sascha Konietzko]] – vocals, guitars, bass, programming, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, drums (1984–present)
* [[Lucia Cifarelli]] – vocals, keyboards (2000–present)
* [[Andy Selway]] – drums, programming (2003–present){{efn|name=Selway|group=main}}
* Andee Blacksugar – guitars, backing vocals (2017–present)
'''Key former members'''
* [[Raymond Watts]] – vocals, programming (1984–1988, 1994–1995, 1997, 2002–2004){{efn|name=Watts|group=main}}
* [[En Esch]] – vocals, drums, guitars, programming, percussion (1985–1999)
* Rudolph Naomi – drums (1985–1986, 1988–1991)
* [[Günter Schulz]] – guitars, programming (1989–1999)
* [[Mark Durante]] – guitars (1992–1997){{efn|name=Durante|group=main}}
* Jennifer Ginsberg – vocals (1994–1996)
* [[Bill Rieflin]] – drums, programming, percussion, bass (1995–1999, 2002–2003; <small>died 2020</small>){{efn|name=Rieflin|group=main}}
* [[Tim Sköld]] – vocals, guitars, bass, drums, programming (1997–2002, 2009)
* Jules Hodgson – guitars, bass, keyboards, programming (2002–2016){{efn|name=Hodgson|group=main}}
* Steve White – guitars, programming (2003–2015){{efn|name=White|group=main}}
==Discography==
{{main article|KMFDM discography}}
<!-- Please do NOT add singles, remixes, soundtracks, videos, etc. here. -->
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[What Do You Know, Deutschland?]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Don't Blow Your Top (album)|Don't Blow Your Top]]'' (1988)
* ''[[UAIOE]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Naïve (album)|Naïve]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Money (album)|Money]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Angst (KMFDM album)|Angst]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Nihil]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Xtort]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Symbols (album)|Symbols]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Adios (KMFDM album)|Adios]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Attak]]'' (2002)
* ''[[WWIII (album)|WWIII]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Hau Ruck]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Tohuvabohu (album)|Tohuvabohu]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Blitz (KMFDM album)|Blitz]]'' (2009)
* ''[[WTF?!]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Kunst (album)|Kunst]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Our Time Will Come (album)|Our Time Will Come]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Hell Yeah (KMFDM album)|Hell Yeah]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Paradise (KMFDM album)|Paradise]]'' (2019)
* ''[[Hyëna]]'' (2022)
* ''[[Let Go (KMFDM album)|Let Go]]'' (2024)
{{div col end}}
==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist|group=main|refs=
{{efn|name=Selway|Touring member in 2002–2003}}
{{efn|name=Watts|Studio guest in 2019}}
{{efn|name=Durante|Touring member in 1989 and studio guest in 1990}}
{{efn|name=Rieflin|Studio guest in 1990 and 2011}}
{{efn|name=Hodgson|Studio guest in 2022}}
{{efn|name=White|Touring member in 2002–2003}}
}}
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.kmfdm.net/}}
* {{AllMusic|id=mn0000359062}}
{{KMFDM}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Good article}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kmfdm}}
[[Category:KMFDM| ]]
[[Category:Dependent Records artists]]
[[Category:Electro-industrial music groups]]
[[Category:German electronic music groups]]
[[Category:German heavy metal musical groups]]
[[Category:German industrial music groups]]
[[Category:German musical quartets]]
[[Category:German rock music groups]]
[[Category:German industrial rock musical groups]]
[[Category:German industrial metal musical groups]]
[[Category:Metropolis Records artists]]
[[Category:Political music groups]]
[[Category:Musical collectives]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1984]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:TVT Records artists]]
[[Category:Wax Trax! Records artists]]