Line #51 Music/DieKrupps


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/die_krupps.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Die Krupps current members (from left to right): Jürgen Engler (vocals, synths, guitar), Ralf Dörper (synths, guitar), Marcel Zürcher (guitar)]]
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4	Die Krupps is a band from Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka. They are regarded as the TropeMakers for Neue Deutsch Härte, though they call their style Metal Machine Music because their albums all sound quite different from each other— the only consistent elements are metal guitar, synths, and the Steelophone (a set of metal pipes attached to a frame and played by hitting them as hard as possible with metal sticks).
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6	The name literally means "the Krupps" and refers to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp Krupp dynasty]] and industrial corporation. As such, many of their songs are about factory work and/or politics.
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8	Their lineup has varied a great deal over the years, and Malaka has since left the band, but vocalist and frontman Jürgen Engler has kept his position through the band's entire history. Die Krupps have collaborated with a large number of other artists in [=EPs=], remixes, and concerts, including Music/{{Front Line Assembly}}, Unheilig, Music/FunkerVogt, Music/TheSistersOfMercy, and Nitzer Ebb. Ralf Dörper left in 1982 to form Music/{{Propaganda}}, but subsequently returned.
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10	[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLVpyPCEjxU To The Hilt]] was played a lot on Creator/{{MTV}} during TheNineties.
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12	!!Discography as of 2016:
13	* ''Stahlwerksinfonie'' (1981)
14	* ''Volle Kraft Voraus!'' (1982)
15	* ''Entering the Arena'' (1985)
16	* ''[[CoverAlbum A Tribute to]] Music/{{Metallica}}'' (1992)
17	* ''I'' (1992)
18	* ''II - The Final Option'' (1993)
19	* ''The Final Remixes'' (1994)
20	* ''III - Odyssey of the Mind'' (1995)
21	* ''Paradise Now'' (1997)
22	* ''[[GreatestHitsAlbum Too Much History]]'' (2008)
23	* ''The Machinists of Joy'' (2013)
24	* ''V - Metal Machine Music'' (2015)
25	* ''Stahlwerkrequiem'' (2016)
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27	----
28	!!Associated Tropes:
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30	* AlbumIntroTrack: "Die Verdammten (Prelude)" is the one for ''V - Metal Machine Music''.
31	* AllGermansAreNazis / MusicToInvadePolandTo: Flagrantly subverted— "DIE KRUPPS CONDEMN FASCISM AND [[DrugsAreBad DRUG ABUSE]]!"
32	* AffectionateParody: [[WordOfGod according to Ralf Dörper]], the musical style of "Nazis Auf Speed" is an affectionate parody of Music/{{Rammstein}}. He wrote the chorus and first two verses as a joke right after attending one of their concerts.
33	* ArcWords: Die Krupps are fond of this trope. The most prominent phrases are "Metal Machine Music", "The Final X" or "The X Option", and anything to do with three rings of steel.
34	* BizarreInstrument: the Steelophone, a xylophone-type instrument made from metal pipes and played by hitting it with smaller metal sticks. It's been part of their music from the beginning.
35	* CallBack:
36	** "Robo Sapien" is about transhumanism, as is "Iron Man".
37	** "Alive In A Glass Cage" is about the lack of privacy in our society like "High Tech Low Life", and contains phrases from the lyrics of "Disciples of Discipline."
38	* CoverVersion: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ''A Tribute to Metallica'']] is a CoverAlbum. They've also covered "Ich bin ein Auslander" by Music/PopWillEatItself, "Der Amboss" ("The Anvil") by Visage, and "It's A Long Way to the Top" by Music/{{ACDC}}.
39	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''V'' is the most aggressive in tone and is much heavier than ''The Machinists of Joy''.
40	** The video for "Kaltes Herz" is a lot edgier than any of their previous videos by a significant margin, being about a pedophile manipulating teens online so he can kidnap them and lock them in his sex dungeon basement.
41	* DrugsAreBad: "DIE KRUPPS CONDEMN FASCISM AND DRUG ABUSE!"
42	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first three albums, before the GenreShift into Metal-influenced territory. ''Stalhwerksinfonie'', a percussion album inspired by Music/LouReed's ''Metal Machine Music'', in particular is very different from all later work.
43	* EpicInstrumentalOpener: "The Last Flood" shifts drastically in pace and tone at the 1:46 mark.
44	* EpicRocking: "Stahlwerksinfonie A", "Stahlwerksinfonie B", and "Stahlwerkrequiem / Westfalenhausen" are over 13 minutes long. "Stahlwerkrequiem / Rheinhausen" is over 23 minutes long.
45	* GasmaskLongcoat: Jürgen Engler in the video for "Risikofactor".
46	* GreatestHitsAlbum: ''Too Much History'', a 2-disc compilation of [[TheNotRemix Not-Remixes]] with some new tracks thrown in.
47	* HarshVocals: At times, depending on the album. Best heard on ''Paradise Now''.
48	* {{Homage}}: the album art for ''[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Die_Krupps_The_Machinists_of_Joy.jpg The Machinists of Joy]]'' is this to the art for Music/LouReed's ''[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Metal_machine_music.jpg Metal Machine Music]]''.
49	* HorribleHistoryMetal: "Nazis Auf Speed" is about the Wehrmacht's use of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine Pervitin]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_ramming#Germany aerial ramming by BF 109 pilots]].
50	* IndustrialMetal: though the ratio of Industrial to Metal varies between albums and even songs.
51	* LighterAndSofter: ''The Machinists of Joy'' is less grim in tone than ''Odyssey of the Mind'' and ''Paradise Now'' and lacks the antagonistic HarshVocals.
52	* MetalScream: ...bringing redemption of the LAST FLOOOOOOOOOOODDD!!! YEEAAAAHH!!!
53	** RECONSTRUCTIOOON!!!
54	*** Most tracks on ''Paradise Now'' contain a scream or two.
55	** The cover of "It's A Long Way To The Top"
56	* PerpetualFrowner: Marcel Zürcher seems to have the same facial expression at all times.
57	* ProtestSong: "Fatherland" is about the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solingen_arson_attack_of_1993 Solingen arson attack]] and xenophobia in German society in general.
58	** "Alive in a Glass Cage" and "Branded" are about NSA data collection.
59	** "Fly Martyrs Fly" is about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanwings_Flight_9525 Germanwings Flight 9525]].
60	** "The Truth" is about the torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
61	* RevolvingDoorBand: Jürgen Engler is the only consistent member.
62	* RockersSmashGuitars: At the end of the 2016 Wacken festival, they smashed their guitars and the Steelophone.
63	* {{Sampling}}: Not as prevalent as in other Industrial acts, but sometimes a voice clip will be used to set the tone for a song, like "The Red Line", which opens and closes with parts of George Zimmerman's 911 call.
64	* SpeedyTechnoRemake: the Metallica tribute album was this to some degree, seeing as it contained no guitars.
65	* ShellShockedVeteran: the subject matter of "Shellshocked"
66	* ShoutOut:
67	** "Essenbeck" is the name of the family in ''Film/TheDamned1969'', which was based on the real-life Krupp dynasty. "Die Verdammten" is the German title of said film.
68	** The cover of ''I'' is the Krupp logo with a zeppelin superimposed on it. Considering the fact that one of the Music/LedZeppelin [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin_IV#The_four_symbols symbols]] is very similar to the Krupp logo, and that Die Krupps once remixed "Nobody's Fault But Mine", it's probably a reference.
69	** The cover of ''V'' employs a similar art style to the posters for Film/MadMaxFuryRoad. The song "Road Rage Warrior" reinforces the connection.
70	* SurrealMusicVideo: "[[http://youtu.be/YBW9_NdId3s Scent]]" is a textbook example. "To The Hilt" features the whole band crammed into a [[BathroomStallGraffiti graffiti-covered public restroom]], with Jürgen Engler dancing while various mannequins and people appear from the toilet.
71	* TitleTrack: "Odyssey of the Mind," "The Machinist Of Joy," "Paradise Now." The album cover of ''Odyssey of the Mind'' even depicts someone "sitting in a cage, an open cage."
72	** "One" is a unusual example because it's a cover of the Music/{{Metallica}} song, and the album title is stylized ''I''.
73	* TropeMaker: for Neue Deutsche Härte
74	* VocalEvolution: Jürgen Engler initially had a boyish punk voice but as of ''A Tribute To Metallica'', fittingly enough, he sounds like a German version of Black Album -era James Hetfield.

Context Music / DieKrupps