aAdios is the tenth studio album released by German industrial band KMFDM.

The album was

originally conceived as the group's parting shot to its longtime record label, Wax Trax! Records,
[2]
but it ended up also signaling the break-up of KMFDM itself until the band reformed in 2002.
Recorded in Seattle, Washington, this was the last album to feature En Esch and Günter Schulz,
who both went on to form Slick Idiot. Following the break-up, founding member Sascha
Konietzko created the band MDFMK, before reforming KMFDM in 2002 without Esch or Schulz.
The album was released on April 20, 1999, the same date the Columbine High School
massacre took place. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two perpetrators of the massacre, were
both avid KMFDM fans. Eric Harris noted the coincidence of the album's title and release date in
his journal.[3]
A digitally remastered reissue of Adios was released on May 8, 2007, along with the digitally
remastered reissue of Symbols.

Background[edit]
The 1990s core of KMFDM (Sascha Konietzko, En Esch, and Günter Schulz) had reunited for the
previous album, Symbols, and toured together along with fellow German industrial
metal band Rammstein in 1997.[4] The core line-up was joined on tour by John DeSalvo, Nivek
Ogre, and Tim Sköld.[4] Adios was written almost entirely by Konietzko and Sköld, who became an
official member for the band's final release with Wax Trax! Records. Schulz, who had done
significant writing for the previous five albums, acted only as a studio musician, while Esch helped
write only a pair of songs. It was originally intended to be released in 1998 but was pushed back
by the record label as the "rarities" compilation album AGOGO was offered up instead. KMFDM
had already disbanded by the time of its eventual release.

Release date controversy[edit]

Adios was released on April 20, 1999, which coincided with the Columbine High School
massacre and Adolf Hitler's birthday. [5] Although Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were big fans of
the group, KMFDM released an official statement denouncing the violence, sympathizing with the
victims and their families, and explaining that the band had no Nazi affiliations whatsoever.[6]