This album came out back in April, so just getting around to checking it out. It's the kind of dark wave / future pop hybrid you can expect to hear out at the club. The breakdown things a little more to a more spacious groove for the trembling beat to patter under. The formula seems intact in the chorus. They have successfully captured the sound they are going for, now the test is are they able to twist this sound into more varied expressions of who they are musically. Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb lends his voice to 'The End of Me " which has an almost Duran Duran-like new wave groove.
The percussive elements are marginally more aggressive for "New Decay". But four songs it and there is the feeling that things need to switch up a little more. To some extent, they do so by draping "Depths You Hold" in more atmosphere, which gives the vocals more room for their breathy emoting. This works for me as it is darker and less of a typical "goth nite" dance floor pounder, which all begin to sound the same after a while. 'Flesh Techniques" is one of those smoke-filled late-night grooves, that works for what it is, but finds them heading back in a more uniform direction.
Ms. Boan adds her voice to send "Deserve" in a more Boy Harsher-like direction. The means haunting the murky alleyways of the 80s. Her voice at least gives things a different sonic color; "Pieces" has a little poppier beat but it does not really help it from beginning to blur together with the other songs as I have to go back and see if I had already heard it or not. So not the most memorable song on the album. Considering the title you might expect "Serpent Coil" to have a little more of a slither. It reminds me of Underworld in the way the vocal melody is phrased, The last song has an almost more organic post-punk tension. They are great at what they do and I appreciate the mood created here, not sure if the songs are the most memorable, but if you want some late-night clove smoking grooves this album has them, I will give it an 8.5.
This music pulses with a dancey drone that feels pretty legit in the darkness it creates. The vocals are whispered in the background as things build around it. The second song finds things growing more intense and while I appreciate this, it feels less like industrial and more like ebm as it is focused on a sound rather than a song. I am beginning to have less confidence in these sounds being worked into another actual song as "Locutus" feels more like dance music, that lives and dies with the beat. These are dirty grooving sounds so they are more pleasing to my ears than most dance music.
There are interesting things going on with a track like "Death Line Rupture" but they are painting with sounds more than telling a story that infuses melodic dynamics. Industrial music can veer off into harsh noise, but there is always a song that contrasts it. This collection of throbbing robot parts lacks the soul to be more than a backdrop. To be fair the project claims to be post-industrial IDM, so they are making the sounds that would live up to that aspiration. I do like how dark it is , so this album has that going for it.
The samples to "Dead Zone" help give it more of a voice.It does however remain at a steady pulse. These songs do move and never drag, so they are over before you know it even though they run typically just short of the five-minute mark, "Flesh and Soil" is intense but dynamically flat. A headful of drugs in a club at high volume might make it more entertaining, but it won't make it an otherwise well-written song. Bon Harris from Nitzer Ebb lends his voice to "Chained' which proves that vocals are what this album needs more of. Richard Devine really does not do much to help contribute to the last song except to make some noise. I will give this album a 7.5, it has it moments and this project could be worthwhile if it focused more on songs.
After reading other industrial lists by other publications it became apparent , this had to be done. Industrial music should create an adversarial sonic force that is transgressive, confrontational with the , the message being that we are fucked, the system is corrupt and we are living in a post apocalyptic nightmare. I made sure my list reflected this. Certain artists are darlings of the critics, because the cool kids are supposed to like them. Some of these might make artful challenging cool sounding music that lacks aggression or just isn’t industrial . So lets set things straight .
I saved this for October, despite the fact Industrial and goth are not the same thing, It is almost like comparing science fiction to horror, at times they share the same elements and cross over, industrial should be more aggressive. In making this list aggression was at the forefront when deciding what was or was not industrial music. The name itself suggests the machine-like gears of a factory pounding, which in fact are staple sounds found in the earlier works of the genre.
I gave myself a few guidelines first off only one album by each artist, though side projects stand separate in this regard. The other guideline being to consider not what album sold the most, or was supposed to be the most influential , but think of the albums that have the best songs that have stood the test of time and find me returning to the album again and again? After all that is what makes good music. Let's get started into the Top 50 Industrial Albums..
50-Coil - Unnatural History II- 1991
The third album by the London based atmospheric project, feels darker. Born again pagan John Balance, began flirting with rock sounds a little more on this album which earns it this more honorable mention. They are one of these musical entities that are admired by fans of Industrial music, so the consensus is they must be industrial music, when the truth is this album is about as close as they come to it.
49-Funker Vogt-"We Came to Kill" - 1997
This German act is one of the trail blazers when it comes to the sub-genre of more electro based Industrial called aggro-tech. The distorted vocals create a stark narrative over beats that should get the dance floor moving at any "Goth Nite" worth a pound of guano.
48-Haujob- "Solutions for a Small Planet" 1996
Another German band, this one drew equal inspiration from both Science Fiction and Skinny Puppy. The textured atmosphere and the swirling mass of electronic layers, does not just focus on creating sounds, but this album has well written songs.
47-Suicide Commando - "Construct Destruct" 1998
The Belgian boys brought it is a much darker manner for their third album . The music these guys created in 1998 feels like it should be the soundtrack to a dystopian future coming sooner than later.
46- Nitzer Ebb - "That Total Age" 1987
These guys were a decade ahead of most industrial acts. Their debut album set the stage for what was to come and feels like the band's most urgent and impassioned songs.
45-Die Warzu- "Disco Rigido" 1989
This Chicago duo brought a funkier vibe to the stark machinations of industrial. Their vocals were not limited to Drill Sargent barks , with more soulful embellishments to make the groove of their work more interesting .
44-Wumpscut- Bunker Gate Seven- 1995
Inspired by the 1985 short film "the Bunker of the Last Gun Shots" this album oozes with the perfect balance of abrasive corrosion filled aggression and bleak moods.
43 -Meat Beat Manifesto- "Subliminal Sandwich"
Normally I preach to write songs first and worry about sounds second, since when sounds are put before songs the songs suffer, this project flipped it on it's head with this album and fucked around with sounds to find out they could drone them into catchy songs thanks to the dope beats delivered here.
42 Spahn Ranch - "the Coiled One" -1995
Sadly the second album from this Los Angeles based band would also be the last to feature founding member Rob Morton. It opened the door to fuse dark wave dance floor anthems with the pulse of industrial menace.
41-Razed in Black - 'Damaged" 2003
This album has the Jacksonville based band at the peak of their creative abilities. The beats have an aggressive drive, and the vocals serve a purpose rather than just becoming an obligatory texture, though they are mixed in a way sometimes makes them work more like another instrument.
