Krank (song)

"Krank"
Single by KMFDM
Released	8 March 2011[1]
Recorded	2010
Genre	Industrial rock, electro-industrial
Label	Metropolis, KMFDM, Dependent
Songwriter(s)	Sascha Konietzko
Producer(s)	KMFDM
KMFDM singles chronology
"Day of Light" (2010) "Krank" (2011) "Amnesia" (2012)
Audio sample
"Krank" file help

"Krank" is a song by industrial rock group KMFDM, the first single from their seventeenth studio album, WTF?!. It was released in North America on 8 March 2011 on the KMFDM and Metropolis record labels,[1] and in Europe on 11 March 2011[2] on the Dependent label.[3] None of the tracks on the Krank release are on the album, as the album features a different version of Krank, and does not feature any version of Day Of Light.[1][4] The single features remixes by band leader Sascha Konietzko, former band members Tim Skold and Bill Rieflin, and Sebastian Komor of Icon of Coil.[1]

Cover art

The single's cover image was designed by longtime KMFDM cover artist Aidan "Brute!" Hughes,[1] who said that he was asked by band founder Sascha Konietzko to create an illustration of the entire band. He used a variety of photos from the band's last tour and individually sketched all the band members before layering them together[5] to create a caricatured group image.[1]

Video

The band released a video for the song, their first in nine years,[4] and first official video since 1997's "Megalomaniac" video.[2] The video, which was simultaneously recorded in Seattle, Hamburg, and Portland, Oregon, was produced by Kelly Raine.[2] The band released a teaser for the video a few weeks before the release of the single,[6] which was then temporarily sold out on the band's website due to high demand.[7]

Reception

"Krank" has been generally well received. The song was described as "adrenalin-pumping" and "self-assured" by Ross Hoon of Dominion Magazine.[8] Mike Kieffer of Auxiliary Magazine[9] called the single "nothing groundbreaking, yet still good",[10] adding that the single hinted that the upcoming album WTF?! could be great.[10] Niggels Uhlenbruch of Reflections of Darkness called the song "an aggressive stomper in the best KMFDM tradition", but also commented that it was "a bit like KMFDM by numbers".[11] He described the mixes of the song as ready for club play.[11]

In its second week of release, the song "Krank" reached No. 5 on the DAC German Alternative Chart.[12] It also reached No. 15 on the US Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard Top 25 Dance Singles Chart.[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Remixer	Length
1.	"Krank (Käptn' K Mix)"	Sascha Konietzko	Sascha Konietzko	4:23
2.	"Krank (Komor Kommando Mix)"	Konietzko	Sebastian Komor	4:55
3.	"Krank (Knark Mix)"	Konietzko	Tim Skold	4:36
4.	"Day of Light (Revenge Mix)"	Jules Hodgson, Konietzko, William Wilson	Bill Rieflin	4:23
5.	"Day of Light (24/7 Mix)"	Hodgson, Konietzko, Wilson		5:00
Total length:				23:17

Personnel

Musicians

• Lucia Cifarelli – vocals
• Jules Hodgson – guitars
• Sascha Konietzko – vocals (1–3), drums, programming, production, mixing
• Steve White – guitars
• William Wilson – vocals (4–5)

Additional personnel

• Annabella Asia Konietzko – vocals (4–5)
• Don Gunn – engineering
• Sebastian Komor – mixing (2)
• Bill Rieflin – mixing (3)
• Tim Skold – mixing (4)

References

1. "KMFDM Krank". Metropolis Records. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
2. Kuhn, Sebastian (March 11, 2011). "KMFDM – New single & video". Reflections of Darkness. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
3. "Dependent: KMFDM - Krank". Retrieved March 12, 2011.
4. "New releases: R.E.M., The Primitives, KMFDM, Blancmange, The Mission, X's Exene Cervenka". Slicing Up Eyeballs. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
5. Hughes, Aidan (December 4, 2010). "KMFDM Krank – new band artwork". Retrieved March 10, 2011.
6. "February 25, 2011: Transmission 4.871". February 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
7. "February 28, 2011: Transmission 4.873". February 28, 2011. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
8. Hoon, Ross (March 2011). "Digital Evolution". Terrorizer: Dominion (9). Dark Arts Ltd: 7. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
9. "Contributors". Auxiliary Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
10. Kieffer, Mike (March 8, 2011). "focus : week 10 – KMFDM and Combichrist". Auxiliary Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
11. Uhlenbruch, J. (March 21, 2011). "CD Review: KMFDM – Krank". Retrieved March 26, 2011.
12. "DAC Deutsche Alternative Charts". Retrieved March 26, 2011.
13. "KMFDM - WTF?! (CD – Dependent/KMFDM Records)". Retrieved November 16, 2011.