P.S. dump your guitarist

Nihil (Wax Trax!/TVT Records)

KMFDM

By Mark Clark

KMFDM are within a single step of becoming a fine band.

That step is tossing guitarist Gunter Schulz out on his ear and finding somebody who can play.

Throughout Nihil, the band's new album, KMFDM serve up powerful, beat-driven industrial rock—only to have its sound undercut by Schulz's lame guitar. His entire repertoire sounds like rehashed Def Leppard.

Only a few cuts are strong enough to -overcome/this handicap; notably "Juke Joint Jezebel," which has a catchy ~chorus and "Disobedience," wherein brass accents push Schulz into the background.

Or maybe I'm reading this thing all wrong. Maybe KMFDM are trying to appeal to fans of both Nine Inch Nails and, say, Poison. Maybe the band is making some sort of statement, like painting the Mona Lisa and then drawing a mustache on her. Maybe ...

Nah. This guy just sucks.