Whittled down to a twosome, German industrial group
KMFDM (Sasha Konietzko and
En Esch) produced their third album,
UAIOE, in 1989. Fleshing out the primitive ideas established on their previous album,
Don't Blow Your Top, the duo sounds a bit more assured this time around. The music lacks the depth and definition of what industrial peers
Ministry and
Skinny Puppy were doing at the time, but the album still has plenty of merit. "More and Faster," mixed by
Adrian Sherwood, is probably the first
KMFDM classic (which would become even more powerful in future remixes) and shows some early glimpses of the band's sense of humor. "Rip the System," a simple populist chant, displays the band's budding political views. And the disco-diva backing vocals on "Thrash Up" would become a
KMFDM signature. Heavy metal fans may notice the sampled scream of
Slayer's
Tom Araya in "En Esch." ~ Andy Hinds