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
The Great Divide
Die Krupps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our mind is our force
Do you know who's the man that you follow?
Do you know if he's a wise man or psycho?
You must ask yourself
Can he be the one?
Is he the chosen one
Or is he one to resent?
Many questions and useless information
Confusing the truth
No answers and controlled information
Distorting the truth
This is a call to arms to fight
The great divide
There's a call worldwide to fight
The great divide
Do you know who owns the riches he strives for?
Are you sure his aim's worth dying for?
You must ask yourself
Can he be the one?
Is he sinner or saint?
Is he the chosen one
Or is he one to resent?
Many questions and useless information
Confusing the truth
No answers and controlled information
Distorting the truth
This is the call to arms to fight
The great divide
Do you know who owns the world that we live in?
Do you know who's the god you believe in?
Left in a state of confusion
Living a life of illusion
The Great Divide by Die Krupps talks about how society is split into two groups and how people in power use propaganda to control people's perception. The song starts with the lines "Our heart is our weapon, Our mind is our force" implying that individuals have the power to destroy the propaganda of those in power. The lyrics then turn to question who people follow and if they are worth dying for. The listeners are advised to investigate and identify if these chosen individuals are "sinner or saint" and if they distort the truth. Die Krupps amasses an arsenal of questions to ask themselves, asking the listeners to understand that this is a call to action, to fight against the great divide.
The song then revels in the dishonesty of those in power using a lack of reliable information and controlled propaganda, shaping society's perception of reality to favour those in power. The lyrics suggest that the truth is being confused and distorted, urging people to fight against this fundamental divide. As society lives in a world of confusion and illusion, people must resist and fight against those with control.
Line by Line Meaning
Our heart is our weapon
Our emotions can be used to drive us forward and take action.
Our mind is our force
Our thoughts and intellect can push us toward action as well.
Do you know who's the man that you follow?
Do you truly understand the leader you are following and their motivations?
Do you know if he's a wise man or psycho?
Is this a wise leader or potentially dangerous?
You must ask yourself
It's important to be introspective and ask yourself these questions.
Is he the chosen one
Is this leader chosen by a higher power to lead?
Or is he one to resent?
Perhaps this leader isn't worth following and should be resisted.
Many questions and useless information
There may be confusing signals and irrelevant details that do not help answer these questions.
Confusing the truth
Misinformation and dishonesty can obscure the truth.
No answers and controlled information
Answers may be withheld or hidden, and information may be manipulated for someone's benefit.
Distorting the truth
Those in power may bend or twist the truth to suit their agenda.
This is a call to arms to fight
The great divide
This is a call to take action against the divisions and inequalities that exist around us.
Do you know who owns the riches he strives for?
Do you know who profits from the leader's pursuit of wealth?
Are you sure his aim's worth dying for?
Is it truly worthwhile to sacrifice so much for this cause?
Do you know who owns the world that we live in?
Do you understand who truly controls the world we live in and why?
Do you know who's the god you believe in?
Do you truly understand the faith and beliefs you follow?
Left in a state of confusion
With so much misinformation, it's easy to become disoriented and feel lost.
Living a life of illusion
With so many lies and half-truths, it can feel like we are living in a fantasy world.
Contributed by Micah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lukeidea
Glad I found this. Thanks for sharing!
Elijah Ball
Amen that songs truth loved it..
dark1ankh
Ich liebe diese lied !
nastyevilninja
I wondered why nobody had uploaded this one, too! Thanks for stepping up to the plate!
Денис Серебряков
Nice Music!😍
Rumen Iordanov
Like Engler's voice here
Leka Juusto
Headbanging... Unlimited headbanging XD this is pure gold
doubleV
jep todellakin
CAprosniper
Thanks for the positive comments!
andrei stoica
this is end mission theme on the begining sounds Arabian a bit they are Germans but sometimes it flits better but is very great for scifis and also I renamed this Galvatron and Megatron theme in Transformers this is heard when seekers appeared in fight.