Unitron
[symbols] is the tenth studio album from industrial metal band KMFDM. The actual name of the album is five unpronounceable symbols, hence why it is often referred to as simply Symbols in brackets. While Xtort marked the end of the band's string of amazing albums that began with 1992's Money, KMFDM wasn't finished with releasing industrial metal/rock of high quality afterwards.
Xtort showed the band experimenting more, especially on the electronic end of the spectrum. [symbols] continues developing that sound, with less of a focus on the thrash side of their sound than previous offerings. Opener "Megalomaniac" for example, still has metallic guitars, but the techno and various electronic elements begin to come upfront here. It could be called a remix of "Light" from the band's seventh album, Angst, as most of the guitar riffs are somewhat glitched versions of the ones from the aforementioned song.
The majority of the album actually follows in this fashion with the guitar, despite being aggressive, quite often sounding buried under the electronics. That's not to say there aren't some really great tracks here. "Stray Bullet" is on the more melodic side of things, with some quite nice laid-back guitar work that contrasts well with the catchy upbeat techno breakbeats. "Mercy" is another highlight, which has bit of a electro industrial-vibe to it and an infectiously catchy and groovy chorus.
The band does thrash on a few tracks, the two most notable being "Spit Sperm" and "Waste". Both songs pack quite a punch, but the latter especially beats you over the head with chugging riffs. The best part of "Waste" is bassist Abby Travis's vocal performance, which is of a total old-school thrash delivery. It makes me wonder why she was never in a thrash metal act, her vocals just kick so much ass on the aforementioned track.
While a bit inconsistent and a bit of a step down from masterpieces like Angst, Nihil, and Xtort, [symbols] still holds some really great tracks and is certainly no weak album. If you're looking for some industrial metal that relies more on the electronic end of the spectrum, [symbols] would be a great choice. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!