Before Rammstein there was�Die Krupps. This German outfit has been around since 1980 and their sound started out as a combination of synthesizers with metallic percussion. It was around 1992 that they started to use elements from heavy metal into their own music. And thus creating a sound which for example became a trademark for Rammstein. To celebrate their long career Die Krupps has just released two best of albums. One from their more eighties electro period and one for its metal years. So of course we review Too Much History Vol. 2.- The Metal Years.

 

The sound that Die Krupps and fellow band Oomph! created in the early nineties has been incredibly influential to new German metalbands. A vast legion of relatively newcomers adopted this new fusion of hard metal music and industrial sounds. The German media already dubbed this new sound as Neue Deutsche H�rte.

 

One of their more famous releases is the EP Tribute To Metallica where they recorded covers of Metallica songs in their trademark heavy electronic synthesizer-style. Strangely enough none of those tracks appear on this compilation. And listening to this Best Of� you get a bit confused. There are moments you could swear you�re listening to Rammstein if you ignore the English vocals. The music is of good quality, but it depends on how open-minded you are as a metalfan, cause many tracks are not really metal. They sound more like dance songs. 

For the long time followers, it is quite interesting that they made all new versions of the songs. Despite that fact I don�t like to hand out a score to previously released material even if it is revamped. And I�m not about to make an exception now even if the last two songs are new tracks.