Symbols (album)
| Symbols | ||||
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| Studio album by KMFDM | ||||
| Released | September 23, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Industrial rock, electro-industrial, electronic | |||
| Length | 56:34 | |||
| Label | Wax Trax!/TVT, Metropolis | |||
| Producer | KMFDM, Chris Shepard | |||
| KMFDM chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Symbols | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Chicago Sun-Times | positive |
The tenth album by German industrial group KMFDM is titled with a string of five unpronounceable, non-alphabetic symbols (see cover art), but usually cataloged as Symbols. It was released on September 23, 1997, on Wax Trax!/TVT Records. A digitally remastered reissue of Symbols was released in 2007 on Metropolis Records.
Recorded in Seattle, Washington, Symbols marked the introduction of Tim Skold. While his contribution to this album was as a guest, he would become a full-fledged member for Adios and Attak. Sascha Konietzko, the frontman of KMFDM, said the title had no special meaning, and was just an idea for a title the group had very early on, before a single album had been released. En Esch said the idea for the album title came from the symbols used for curses in comic books. The symbols appear in the printed lyrics of "Down and Out"; the corresponding point in the song is covered with a censor-like beep in the song, and is replaced with "(SYMBOLS)" on the official KMFDM lyrics archive.
Symbols was released on September 23, 1997. "Megalomaniac", "Anarchy", and "Leid und Elend" were included on the soundtrack of the video game Test Drive 5. "Megalomaniac" was also featured in the film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and was the first single from its soundtrack. "Anarchy" appeared on the European version of the soundtrack to the 1998 film Lost in Space.
Andy Hinds of Allmusic gave a mixed review, calling some of the band's ideas repetitive while praising the programming. He also commented that the band keeps its sound fresh by bringing in new contributing artists for each new album, and noted the presence of Tim Skold and Nivek Ogre. He called the production top quality and the album "a fine place for newcomers to start," but said that Symbols offers people that have been following the band few surprises. Kevin Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times called "Megalomaniac" an "incredible, irresistible opener" and said the album "could result in a KMFDM takeover of electronica."
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