WWIII (World War III) [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

KMFDM

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Original Release Date: September 23, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B0000CABGD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,910 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. WWII

2. From Here On Out

3. Blackball

4. Jihad

5. Last Things

6. Pity For The Pious

7. Stars & Stripes

8. Bullets, Bombs & Bigotry

9. Moron

10. Revenge

11. Intro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About the sound, and not the line up, October 2, 2003

By	S. Nix (Victoria, AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

KMFDM is a band whose line up is rarely consistant from one album to the next. As such there is a tendency to focus on this or that member joining or leaving the band, and how that has made, or conversely ruined the most recent release.

But let's talk about WWIII in terms of sound and atmosphere.

The immediately noticable difference between WWIII and ATTAK is the band's rediscovery of that trademark humour we assumed had tapered off after 1996's XTORT. 'Intro' particularly, is the most shameless self-referential song KMFDM recorded since 'Inane'. It might seem odd that humour should resurface amongst such serious subject matter as globalisation and the War on Terror, but wry cynicism wrapped in a cohesive concept is more than welcome. ATTAK's major weakness was that while technically dazzling, it didn't have the feel of an album constructed from a core idea. It wasn't ABOUT anything particular. In WWIII, Sascha makes a b-line for the 'axis of morons', and it is effective. The title track itself is an act of defiance; Konietzko violently frothing war on everything, from corporate dotcoms to Britney Spears. You can just about read his mind; 'while we're declaring war on things, here's MY list'. If Bush can do it, it seems, KMFDM can do it too. With some very heavy guitar.

The female vocals, care of Lucia, have improved and are best utilized in Last Things, and the backing in Stars & Stripes. Since working on her still yet to be released solo album, Lucia's singing has gained strength and lost that propensity for the interesting yet somewhat excessive falsetto and vocal acrobatics of her earlier Drill work (such as 'What You Are').

And what can be said about Raymond Watts's contribution to WWIII other than 'how can he DO that?'. Songs like Blackball give the impression that Pig has been holding out on us, and yet, it is possible Watts may have shot himself in the foot. Nonetheless, the studio sound is positively mindblowing, and should it be one third as compelling live, no fan will be disappointed. Once again, Raymond pulls his weight and then some.

Relative newcomers Steve and Joolz provide some very mean guitar throughout, and Andy's live drum over drum loops gives WWIII a kind of menace not heard from the band since ANGST.

The album is definitely not a retread of old turf, but there is a wealth of long dormant KMFDM that has been revived and assimilated into the more hi-tech noise of the Skold era. The result is hard to dislike.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical KMFDM album, September 23, 2003

By	Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I personally enjoyed last year's KMFDM comeback album "ATTAK". I thought the drum & bass influences added another dimension to the band's traditional industrial sound, not to mention sounded different for the band. I have been eagerly anticipating "World War III" for the past month or two. Like "ATTAK", I just had to buy the band's new album on the day it was released. I must admit that I miss Tim Skold's presence on the new album. I always loved it whenever he had the opportunity to sing on past albums (i.e "Anarchy", "Save Me", "Risen"). Nevertheless, his absence wasn't going to rain on my parade. When I first looked at the tracklist for "World War III", the first thing that came to my mind was our dear ol' president, especially songs like "Moron", "Pity For the Pious", and "Revenge". Totally appropo considering the current events in the past several months and certainly describes our current commander in chief IMO. Despite Tim Skold being gone, I enjoyed "World War III" immensely. I am just glad to see Lucia is back on board again for the band's new album for Sanctuary Records. And of course Sascha, Raymond, and the rest of the KMFDM gang. On my initial listen to the cd, my response was merely lukewarm but as I am listening to the cd for the second time at the office, I find myself getting more and more into the music. The tracks that did stand out for me the first time I listened to the cd are "Stars & Stripes", "Revenge", and "Intro". I especially loved "Intro" given the wicked sense of humor that KMFDM is well known for. When I threw in "WWIII" again into my PC, I started getting more into songs like "From Here On Out" and "Blackball" in particular. The overall sound on "WWIII" is certainly is a lot more tighter than on "ATTAK". I think the touring really helped the band to tighten up their sound after a brief break up. The music certainly has become more aggressive. I was not disappointed whatsoever with "WWIII". It is certainly one of the best albums of this year, and the best industrial record of 2003.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars KMFDM - now a heavy metal band?, November 27, 2003

By	Mike Peele (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Another fun-filled album from KMFDM! While the songwriting can be immature at times, the music is loud, fast, heavy, and hard-pounding. Not a single track on this album is boring. ALL of the songs are great, with the exception of "Revenge," which I thought to be simply "okay." I enjoy all of KMFDM's past releases, with the exception of "Attak," but I like the new heavy metal direction that the band is taking. Absolutely scrumptious and delightful!

I'm honestly surprised that KMFDM can pull off such excellent music without En Esch & Guenter Schulz. This proves to me that while they added a nice touch, they weren't necessary catalysts for KMFDM. However, we DO have some great musicians from Pig, including our favorite Raymond Watts (I can't wait for his next release, "Pigmartyr") with his usual sick vocals, and Jules Hodgson with his superb guitar skills

If the album had better lyrics, this WOULD earn five stars. That was the major weakness of the album. WWIII is very political, but the political ramblings are very immature and whiny. Which is a disappointment, considering that their political ramblings in past albums such as Angst were extremely thought-provoking and intelligent. That, and the subject matter on this album probably won't be relevant in 5 to 10 years, as it is mainly about George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.

Nonetheless, this an incredible album that would easily blow a fuse in your speakers or headphones. Definitely the best album since Nihil! (my favorite KMFDM album.) Highly recommended.