- Nihil
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Nihil 
Studio album by KMFDM Released April 4, 1995 Recorded 1994[1] Genre Industrial rock, industrial metal, industrial dance Length 49:03 Label Wax Trax!/TVT, Metropolis Producer Sascha Konietzko
Chris ShepardKMFDM chronology Angst
(1993)Nihil
(1995)Xtort
(1996)Singles from Nihil - "Juke Joint Jezebel"
Released: February 28, 1995 - "Juke Joint Jezebel - The Giorgio Moroder Mixes"
Released: May 30, 1995 - "Brute"
Released: October 31, 1995 - "Trust/Juke Joint Jezebel"
Released: October 31, 1995
Nihil is the eighth album by the German industrial rock band KMFDM, released in 1995. It was recorded in Seattle, Washington. It sold over 120,000 copies.[2]
Nihil is one of only two KMFDM studio albums (Opium being the other) that does not feature cover artwork by pop-artist Brute!. Instead, the cover was designed by Francesca Sundsten, wife of drummer Bill Rieflin. The band would return to using Brute!'s work on the next album, Xtort.
A digitally remastered re-release of Nihil was released on March 6, 2007, along with Xtort.
Contents
History
KMFDM had finished their "Angstfest" tour in support of Angst in 1994.[1] Sascha Konietzko and Günter Schulz worked with former KMFDM member Raymond "Pig" Watts on an EP entitled Sin Sex & Salvation, and Watts stayed with the group to begin work on Nihil.
Production
Nihil featured a core group of Sascha Konietzko, Günter Schulz, Raymond Watts, and En Esch, along with some input from Mark Durante and Bill Rieflin. A handful of other studio musicians were brought in to help in a very limited capacity. Konietzko stated that the band overused guitars on their previous album, Angst, and that for Nihil, the guitars were mixed in last.[3] He also described the album as being entirely foreplay, without any resolution.[4]
Critical reception
Nihil received very favorable reviews. Heidi MacDonald of CMJ New Music Monthly calls Nihil "a superb album that takes no prisoners from beginning to end,"[5] saying that the first three tracks are "nearly flawless"[5] and calling "Disobedience" a "real standout."[5] Andy Hinds of Allmusic also praised the album, calling "Juke-Joint Jezebel" "an enduring and indispensable dancefloor favorite at goth/industrial clubs around the world."[6] He further said that the production on Nihil was "state of the art"[6] and that KMFDM's sound was "quite polished and tight."[6] Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post said the album "manages to stay fresh through the use of assorted sonic spices,"[7] adding that the album has "some canny accents."[7]
Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Ultra" Mark Durante, En Esch, Sascha Konietzko, Günter Schulz, Chris Shepard, Raymond Watts 4:34 2. "Juke Joint Jezebel" Esch, Konietzko, Schulz, Watts 5:40 3. "Flesh" Esch, Konietzko, Schulz, Watts 5:02 4. "Beast" Konietzko, Schulz 5:06 5. "Terror" Durante, Esch, Konietzko, Schulz, Shepard, Watts 4:50 6. "Search & Destroy" Esch, Konietzko, Schulz 3:26 7. "Disobedience" Durante, Esch, Konietzko, Schulz, Shepard, Watts 4:43 8. "Revolution" Esch, Konietzko, Schulz 4:27 9. "Brute" Esch, Konietzko, Schulz, Watts 4:25 10. "Trust" Konietzko, Schulz 3:43 11. "Nihil" (hidden at the end of "Trust" on the Wax Trax!/TVT release) Konietzko 2:04 Total length:48:00 Personnel
Musicians
- Sascha Konietzko – electronics, vocals (1-7, 9, 10), bass (6), drums (10)
- Günter Schulz – guitars, vocals (2, 6), bass (5)
- En Esch – vocals (1-3, 5-8), guitar (1, 3, 6), drums (6, 9), hi hat (2), cymbals (3), backing vocals (3, 5), harmonica (5)
- Raymond Watts – vocals (1-3, 5, 7, 9), bass (5), drum programming (5)
- Mark Durante – steel guitar (1, 7), guitars (5, 7, 9)
Additional personnel
- Dorona Alberti – vocals (4, 8, 10)
- Jim Christiansen – trombone (7)
- Jennifer Ginsberg – vocals (2)
- Jeff Olson – trumpet (7)
- Bill Rieflin – drums (1, 3, 7)
- Fritz Whitney – bari sax (7)
Production
- Producers – Sascha Konietzko, Chris Shepard
- Engineer – Chris Shepard
In pop culture
- "Ultra" was featured in the U.S. release of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, and was the theme song for Manga Entertainment's anime catalog trailer.
- "Juke Joint Jezebel" was featured in the film Bad Boys, and "Juke Joint Jezebel (Metropolis Mix)" was featured in the film Mortal Kombat.
References
- ^ a b "KMFDM History on April 4, 1997 from archive.org". KMFDM.net. Archived from the original on April 8, 1997. http://web.archive.org/web/19970408173452/http://www.kmfdm.net/history.html. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (August 8, 1996). "KMFDM make industrial music the old-fashioned way. They trash their hardware.". Rolling Stone (Jann S. Wenner) (740): p. 24. http://www.waste.org/~alone/kmfdm/rsinterview.html. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ Roberts, Jamie (1995). "Interview: KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko". http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1995/April19.1995/revkmfdm.html. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ^ Powell, Eric (1995). "KMFDM". Hypno Magazine. http://my.inil.com/~cwphish/EPOWELL_.HTM. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c MacDonald, Heidi (May 1995). Best New Music: KMFDM Nihil. Robert K. Haber. p. 15. http://books.google.com/books?id=LC0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ a b c Hinds, Andy. "Nihil Review". Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r210002. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (May 19, 1995). "KMFDM Keeps Industrial Fresh". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-834134.html. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
Categories:- 1995 albums
- KMFDM albums
- Albums recorded in Seattle
- "Juke Joint Jezebel"
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