If you used to fraternise all the second-hand CD and Record shops across the land (remember them?) you can’t fail to have noticed all those distinctive sleeves by artist Aiden Hughes for the band KMFDM. I wish I had picked them all up as by now I would have one hell of a collection but excuses aside I probably just didn’t know where to start. Active albeit with some gaps the group helmed essentially by Sascha Konietzko have racked up a whopping 22 studio releases and have completely outgrown any simple ‘industrial’ tags that they 1st became known for. Hyëna is no exception to this and listening to it things are evident that the group have embraced a staggering array of genres that change and shapeshift not only from song to song but even within each individual track. The group have gone from strength-to-strength lately, partly due to the volatile vocal performances from both Sascha and Lucia Cifarelli and also due to the musicianship which moves from electronic bombast, juggernauting guitars and pounding beats. The cover here is again a stand out aspect that would easily catch the eye in what few record shops are struggling to survive. Mocking the state of affairs that challenge not just this but all the world’s tragic events which are unquestionably spiralling out of control right now, who is going to have the last laugh here? Well, with “no pity for the majority,” probably the band themselves.
Motors roll and a bike chugs off as the acerbic beats of ‘All 4 1’ bounce us around. There’s some ‘crazy horses’ kinda sirens, mass electro bombardment designed to get everyone dancing and vocals from both our hosts. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on yer mush. If you have never heard the band before it probably isn’t going to change preconceived ideas but after it, well take nothing for granted. ‘Rock’ N Roll Monster’ has sleazy riffs that wouldn’t be out of place on a ZZ Top song, hip-hop sounding vocals and beats swinging straight back to the sounds of Wax Trax and a healthy dose of funk. This has big brass balls and totally struts its stuff, pimping up the aforementioned ride and giving you a fun one for good measure. With Lucia taking the controls ‘Black Hole’ is a bit like Nashville Pussy at the last liquor bar in town, grab a shot and duck the fists that are just about to start swinging along to the beat. As for the title track it is a chugger that swings between New Order due to bass twang and ‘Vision Thing’ era Sisters Of Mercy; a solid rocker by any name.
‘All Wrong – But Alright’ is the song that I just couldn’t wrap my head around at first. It’s got an Iko Iko type jungle telegraph beat about it as if it had been warped by The Cramps. Yes, I said there’s a bit of everything in the cooking pot and this is a dish best served gumbo. Guitar surfing is also a necessary here, wild solo man! Riot grrrl, DRI style hardcore blast next with the short but volatile ‘Blindface’, I’m stage diving off the sofa. What haven’t we had yet? Reggae, complete with yodelling, cuckoo clocks via Caribbean dance-hall with bluesy brass. It’s called ‘Déjà vu’ and with Big Audio Dynamite styled samples that’s what it gives you. By now your heads going to be just a little mashed and your body twitching telling you to just go along with the ride. The cowboys around a campfire farting beans that is ‘Deluded, Desperate and Dumb’ actually has a in important message for you to work out and then we get the diva pop song in the form of ‘Immortally Yours’ to swoon along to. Liquor Fish And Cigarettes sounds like an odd mix and not a good one for a hangover so drink deep and enjoy. Like the first number perhaps expectations have been slightly restored.
I had no intention of mentioning every song but things are so diverse and everything has a huge amount of identity about it, it’s impossible not to. Still I’ll only fleetingly mention the bonus number, a treat for older fans and dub enthusiasts finishing an album that has proven to be Fun with a capital F. KMFDM doing it again and again and again; not half!
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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