Die Krupps

Bio

Die Krupps is a industrial band formed in Duesseldorf, Germany in 1980 by Juergen Engler and Ralf Dörper . Over the years they have produced krautrock-tinged metalbashing industrial, old-school ebm, industrial electro and, most recently, industrial metal/neue deutsche härte. The band's name comes from the Krupp dynasty - one of pre-war Germany´s main industrial families. This name was apparently chosen for its industrial connotations, as the band is strongly anti-Nazi. In some interviews the band stated that Visconti´s movie "The Damned" - a depiction of the fictitious German industrial dynasty of the Essenbecks - was the main inspiration. Die Krupps's debut EP, 1981's Stahlwerkssymphony, was in the vein of metal-on-metal industrial acts like Einstürzende Neubauten. Their following album, 1982's Volle Kraft Voraus, combined the industrial sound of their debut with electronic rhythms similar to DAF. In 1984, the group released their first English-language album, Entering the Arena, which combined grand, orchestral arrangements with their trademark metallic percussion and a more conventional synthpop sound. Doerper left to join Propaganda, and Die Krupps went on hiatus for a few years. In 1989, they collaborated with Nitzer Ebb -- a band their sound had clearly influenced -- to remake Volle Kraft Voraus's "Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn" as "The Machineries of Joy." The single was a major club hit,and it resparked interest in the band, who followed in 1990 with the now-classic "Germaniac" single. However, Engler had become interested in American and European heavy metal, and subsequent Die Krupps releases would gradually de-emphasize the band's industrial/electronic origins. A Tribute to Metallica--an album of Metallica cover versions done with only keyboards and samplers--was something of a novelty hit that got the band signed (briefly) to a US major label. In 1992, Engler reunited with Doerper and added some American heavy metal musicians to the lineup, and Die Krupps began to utilize guitars and more sounds derived from heavy metal music, with the release of their albums I and II--The Final Option. During this period, the band had many of their tracks remixed by other artists; singles such as "Fatherland", "Metal Machine Music", "To the Hilt", and "Crossfire" were reworked by artists as diverse as The Sisters of Mercy, Einstürzende Neubauten and Biohazard. These remixes proved more successful than the albums from which they were drawn, as they became staples of mid-90s alternative clubs. Many of these remixes are included on the compilations The Final Remixes and Rings of Steel, as well as their mid-90s singles issued by Cleopatra Records. Particularly notable is a 1996 remix EP they shared with Front Line Assembly, on which each group remixed three songs from the other: while Krupps's remixes of FLA were typical of the band's metallic direction, FLA's Krupps remixes surprisingly highlighted how Die Krupps's sound still recalled the band's early electronic work. By 1996's III--Odyssey of the Mind, the band had almost entirely ditched electronics for a straight metal sound. Following Doerper's second departure and the release of the even more heavily metal-influenced album "Paradise Now" in 1997, the band disbanded. The band has been well-served by two compilations that highlight their strongest material and the development of the band's sound: Past Forward 1991-1981, released on Mute's Grey Area imprint, is a worthy precis of the band's work up to and including "Germaniac". Cleopatra's Metalmorphosis of Die Krupps covers some of the same ground, but includes highlights from their post-Metallica output. While both compilations share several tracks, they usually choose different mixes. Die Krupps played a reunion show at Wave Gothic Treffen festival at 2005 for their 25th anniversary. Expected in fall 2007 are 2 releases to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Die Krupps plus an extra release combining both. The reason to make two different best of albums is because the band wanted to separate its electro years from its metal years. As a result we will get "Too Much History - The Electro Years Vol. 1" and "Too Much History - The Metal Years Vol. 2", both in digipak format. Next to these two releases there is also the 2CD set "Too Much History" combining both previous mentioned best of compilations. The German electronic pioneers Die Krupps are re-releasing two classic albums "Volle Kraft Voraus" and "I" by the end of August 2008. May 21st, 2012 - Industrie-Mädchen reached top of the DAC! (i.e. Deutsche Alternative Charts) Industrie-Mädchen is the title of the new single, which is a cover version of a song by the German punk band S.Y.P.H., a band Ralf Dörper was member of for a few month in 1979, contributing the vocals to one track of their first EP Viel Feind, viel Ehr. The single is a spin-off of the forthcoming studio album that is due to be released . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Similar artists

Front Line Assembly, KMFDM, Project Pitchfork, Nitzer Ebb, And One

Genres

industrial metal,metal,germany,ebm,electronic,dusseldorf electronic,electro-industrial,german ebm,industrial,industrial rock,neue deutsche harte,darkwave,

Likes

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Infos

On Tour: No

country: DE

City: 1980

Begin Date: 1980

Last Update:

Artist next concerts

by

Song Kick

Die Krupps at Bluebird Theater (April 14, 2026)

Denver - Bluebird Theater

14/Apr

2026

Die Krupps at Great American Music Hall (April 16, 2026)

SF Bay Area - Great American Music Hall

16/Apr

2026

Die Krupps at Whisky a Go Go (April 17, 2026)

Los Angeles (LA) - Whisky a Go Go

17/Apr

2026

Die Krupps at Brick by Brick (April 18, 2026)

San Diego - Brick by Brick

18/Apr

2026

Die Krupps at The Rosetta Room (April 20, 2026)

Mesa - The Rosetta Room

20/Apr

2026

Die Krupps at El Corazon (April 12, 2026)

Seattle - El Corazon

12/Apr

2026

Videography

No biography registered

Artist discography

by

Last FM

Trigger Warning

Trigger Warning

Apr/2020

New York

Dec/2019

Vision 2020 Vision

Vision 2020 Vision

Nov/2019

Fuck You

Mar/2018

Alive In a Glass Cage

Alive In a Glass Cage

Jul/2016

Stahlwerkrequiem

Stahlwerkrequiem

Jun/2016

Live Im Schatten Der Ringe

Live Im Schatten Der Ringe

May/2016

Kaltes Herz - Single

Kaltes Herz - Single

Oct/2015

V: Metal Machine Music

V: Metal Machine Music

Aug/2015

Battle Extreme/Fly Martyrs Fly

Battle Extreme/Fly Martyrs Fly

Aug/2015

Robo Sapien - EP

Robo Sapien - EP

Oct/2014

The Machinists of Joy

The Machinists of Joy

Oct/2013

Risikofaktor - Single

Risikofaktor - Single

Jan/2013

Trigger Warning - EP

Trigger Warning - EP

Apr/2020

Trigger Warning [Explicit]

Trigger Warning [Explicit]

Apr/2020

6. 6. 1981 The Big Industrial Bang – The Yuzuru Agi Tapes

6. 6. 1981 The Big Industrial Bang – The Yuzuru Agi Tapes

Jun/2021

Songs from the Dark Side of Heaven

Songs from the Dark Side of Heaven

May/2021

To Hell with Poverty

To Hell with Poverty

Apr/2021

Santa Claus

Nov/2020

The Number One Song in Heaven

The Number One Song in Heaven

Sep/2020

No More Heroes - Single

No More Heroes - Single

Aug/2020

Collapsing New People

Collapsing New People

Sep/2020

Welcome to the Blackout

Welcome to the Blackout

Oct/2019

Stahlwerksynfonie

Stahlwerksynfonie

Jan/2019

II (The Final Option / The Final Option Remixed)

II (The Final Option / The Final Option Remixed)

Jan/2019

Temple of Love

Jun/2023

The Beautiful People

The Beautiful People

Feb/2024

Volle Kraft Voraus In Arbeit / Live 1981

Volle Kraft Voraus In Arbeit / Live 1981

Apr/2024

Entering The Arena: Resurgence

Entering The Arena: Resurgence

Apr/2024

On Collision Course

On Collision Course

Aug/2025

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