German industrial band Die Krupps shared a cover of Gang of Four’s 1981 single “To Hell With Poverty.” It’s one of ten tracks the group recorded for their new covers album Songs From The Dark Side of Heaven, which is due in full on May 28.
The Gang of Four cover is faithful to the original structurally, but Jürgen Engler’s vocals are traditionally industrial and the band has synthesizers playing some of the rhythm guitar parts. Die Krupps’ new drummer Paul Keller plays what sounds like an electronic drum kit, but it could just be a unique drum tone. The rest of the band fills in with the guitar feedback and riffs essential to the song.
“To Hell With Poverty” is a politically charged song that complains about the government and vows to make the most of their situation. The lead-up from verse into chorus especially captures this feeling, “In this land right now/Some are insane, and they’re in charge/To hell with poverty/We’ll get drunk on cheap wine.”
Engler made a statement on the new cover via press release, “When I heard that Paul was interested in collaborating, I immediately thought of Gang Of Four’s ‘To Hell With Poverty.’ Luckily, he loved the idea! It was a true pleasure working with him. His drumming really made the song come alive. It’s one of my personal favorite tracks!”
Other bands covered on the upcoming album include Sparks, The Neon Judgement, Devo, Blue Öyster Cult, The Stranglers, Queen, B-Movie, Fad Gadget and MCL. It will be released as a CD, vinyl and digital album, but hasn’t yet been made available for physical pre-order.
Engler is the key member behind Die Krupps, having fronted the industrial band since they formed in 1980. Over the years, they’ve released 11 studio albums, from 1981’s Stahlwerksynfonie to 2019’s Vision 2020 Vision. Lately, he’s been playing with Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and Claus Larsen of Leæther Strip in a new group called Die Klute.
Songs From the Dark Side of Heaven Tracklist:
1. The Number One Song In Heaven (originally by Sparks)
2. Chinese Black feat. Jyrki 69 (originally by The Neon Judgement)
3. Whip It (originally by Devo)
4. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper feat. James Williamson (originally by Blue Öyster Cult)
5. To Hell With Poverty! feat. Big Paul Ferguson (originally by Gang Of Four)
6. No More Heroes feat. Ross The Boss (originally by The Stranglers)
7. Another One Bites The Dust (originally by Queen)
8. Marilyn Dreams (originally by B-Movie)
9. Collapsing New People (originally by Fad Gadget)
10. New York (Version 9/11) (originally by MCL)
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