Gothtober- Dismantled : "Endless"

 Gary Zon's electronic project has been in motion for 26 years now. It is clear he has mastered making the sounds that he does. They fall between the genre lines. There is a pulse that you could dance to on goth night, but it is not as aggressive as industrial. The breathy vocals on the first actual song give it a darker feel, and some of the melodrama of darkwave. I could also hear this being thought of as future pop, as it's not unlike what Gary Numan does to some extent. The second song 'Cloned," has a more poppy feel in the refined cruise control of the beat and how the vocals are produced. 

The vocals are actually one of this album's strengths, as they are not an afterthought, but arranged and produced with a great ear for detail. While they do adhere to the mainstream son format, they are used almost more like another instrument than to make the choruses super anthemic, which can be cheesy. "Poison" is atmospheric, but still finds its groove amid the space-age ambiance. "Wired For War" seems like it would be more aggressive than it is, and it is more aggressive than the previous song, thus working within the parameters of this brand.  More like the more modern era of Nine Inch Nails, where they abandoned guitars. 

They fall back to the more focused throb of "Nano Cloud Warning". The vocals stay in this hushed, almost purring, with a whispered tension that obviously is shooting for more of a horny vampire demographic.'Zero"works off a middle-of-the-road thump that is catchy enough to justify the abundance of ambiance it is cloaked in. The title track also has its share of dystopian sonic trapping and benefits from a deliberate beat and melancholy synths. But it also never develops into a song. "Mirror's Edge" compensates for this. It has a great groove and vocals that complement it. DJs take note: a more club-ready beat powers 'Frozen". This compensates for the vocals being so low in the mix. 

"The Fires Out West" features one of the album's most intersting vocal performances, even if they sit back into the synths. The last song is stripped down with a more vulnerable vocal performance. It works for what it is . Overall, I think this album sounds great and is really well done. I will give it a 9.5. Out November 20th on Metropolis Records 

Iommi : "From the Dark"

 

At 78, you can't stop rock n roll; this is the mission statement from which Tony Iommi birthed his new solo album. If Dio were alive, he would have been sining on this, as Masterplan vocalist Jorn Lande is doing his best Dio impersonation. Not sure why he is not marketing this under the Sabbath banner, as he could have grabbed Geezer; they have called it Sabbath with fewer original members before and made some pretty decent music, but this is heavier than everything, but maybe "Dehumanizer: 'World Alone '" has a more metallic drive. Lande keeps belting it out with convincing power; even if Tony's riffs needed to carry the weight, they don't have to with Lande on the mic. Though it also brings them closer to power metal. 

There are plenty of guitar solos that make it clear Iommi is keeping his fingers nimble with age. "Black Times" is much darker and doomier. I could also hear Lande handling some Candlemass, though he is more soulful than the bulk of their singers. "Beyond the Dead feels more Dio-like with its stormy menace. The song moves with more of a throb, and there is a subtle hint of the Glen Hughes era..There is more of a Sabbath chug to "Stormwatcher".  It is not the album's strongest song, but it works for what they are doing. The main verse riff for all it's worth. 

"Death Wake" is closer to the Glenn Hughes era again, though I could also hear Tony Martin singing this."The Return of the Arbaist" feels like the vocals are just belting it out for the sake of doing so.  "Legacy" is another return to the more blues-based format of the Tony Martin era. The song, however, just feels dialed generically; it's the only song that is more like filler. Despite this the strong songs balance this album out, so I will give it a 9.5. While I am more likely to listen to a Tony Martin than this it's worth a listen if you are Tony fan, be a testament to the fact he is one of the best guitarists out there even at his age.

Gothtober-The Top 10 Industrial Albums of 2026

The world is burning in slow motion, so nothing is a more tting soundtrack to watching it all unravel into a  into a dystopian nightmare than Industrial, You would think fans of the genre would be celebrating this, but from what I have seen online, they are crying under the covers like the rest of the sheeple. If you are someone who believes that leaning into the end should be celebrated since it is a natural destination in the cycle, then you might appreciate the mood these albums created as much as I did.  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2026.

 The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Industrial albums of 2025.

10-The Family Men - "Co/de/termination" 

This band from Sweden mixes industrial with noise rock to create something interesting. The beats and sense of motion keep the opening track at a high-energy intensity. The vocals are yelled with a harsher rasp from the tortured vocal cords.f you want industrial music with real instruments, experimenting rather than just grinding on the dance floor, then this album is worth your time

  https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-family-men-codetermination.html

l

9-Godflesh-"Decay"

Yeah, I know it's surprising the final album from these guys did not make it higher, but it's a combination of the albums above this one being more dynamic and song-focused, and this one focusing on the droning pulse of it's apocalyptic crunch, which is what fans want from thiss.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/godflesh-decay.html

 

8-PIG-"Dirt Box'

Raymond Watts has been particularly prolific; his newest EP was very guitar-driven, if it reminds youeminds you of KMFDM, it's probably because Gunter Schulz is laying down the metallic riffs on it. There is almost a more 90s industrial metal feel not unlike the kind of thing Rob Zombie was doing on his most recent album, though with a bit darker and more nuanced industrial vocals than the roar Zombie normally delivers

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/pig-dirt-box.html

 7-Third Realm- "Escape Sequence" 

This project brings a hard-hitting take on industrial's more EDM side. This does not mean they are compromising the aggression; in fact, it's heavier sonically  because it is not falling back into 90s nostalgia. if you are into 'goth" laced EDM with a future pop sensibilty to the production, then this album is for you,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/third-realm-escape-sequence.html

6-Spike Hellis- "SUCCESSOR" 

This is an experimental industrial artist from Los Angeles. This project is more about making music for cool kids on drugs than for Halloween, but that can be said about a great deal of industrial music. Not far removed sonically from Street Sects, combined with a bit of "Pretty Hate Machine"- era  Nine Inch Nails.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/10/gothtober-spike-hellis-successor.html

5-Choke Chain -"Decomposition" 

his project comes from the Skinny Puppy school of industrial, which I can appreciate as it's dark. Haunted by drifting samples that pass through the background, It stays true to the heart of the genre without going stale.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/choke-chain-decomposition.html

4-KMFDM - "ENEMY" 

Their mission statement is 40 years of conceptual continuity, but the concept expands in recent years; aside from the more rock n roll vibes,  there does seem to be a similar vibe that checks off all the boxes you expect from the long-running electro-industrial band. This stacks up pretty well against their other stuff and is less poppy than the last album

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/02/kmfdm-enemy.html

3-Purest Form- "Resistance" 

This album grew on me; I like the duo's r aggressive approach to the more electronic side of industrial music; their singers carry a convincing snarl..here is something unique to the synth sounds employed here. There is a gap to be filled when it comes to this sort of thing, 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/purest-form-resistance.html

 

2-Combichrist- "the Venom in the Mouth of God"

With darker synths carrying the album's grooves, it feels like they are expanding from the militant industrial anthems. Granted, that is still embedded in who they are, but it reminds me of their earlier work. Andy has become a better vocalist over the years. Not a great one, but able to apply more vocal color. There is a coldwave-like feel at times, but they still let their aggression creep in. 

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/combichrist-venom-in-mouth-of-god.html

 

1-Sunswarm- "Those Who Do Not Build Must Burn" 

Industrial music should be rooted in confrontational exploration. It's the very roots of the genre; bands like Nine Inch Nails have just packaged this in a more user-friendly sheen over the years. This project marries the genre to post-rock in the spacious sonic sprawl unfurled here with more than enough atmosphere. They excelled at reminding us what industrial music should be about, putting them at the top of the heap this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/sunswarm-those-who-do-not-build-must.html

pst525

Drop Dead Gorgeous :"Daggers"

The only album I've owned by this band was their 2007 "Worse Than a Fairytale," which was pretty dark and emotionally crushing. I had to go back and listen to that album again after a few minutes into this one to make sure it was the same band. Part of the difference here is the modern production sound that pushes them in a more Bad Omens direction. The vocals are less painfully emotional and carry more of the current pop sound these bands have been adopting; there are some heavier riffs, and the vocals do build into a more aggressive exclamation by the end. 

"Sink Your Teeth" has this newer anthemic quality that finds them not really sticking to their guns. I don't hear this as them pushing their original sound forward but trying to find their relevance in today's environment, which might have been done more organically; they could have gone heavier, but this is the direction they chose; "Six Feet:" almsot has more of a pop-punk feel. "Ghosts" starts off with a more harcore energy attacking the song before the chorus. 

I played "Burn" three times, and it never stuck with me; there is a predictable pop-punk ebb and flow from the verse to the chorus build-up. What they do now works best on the song "Feels Like Forever," which taps into more emotional honesty as they reflect on their drug use. Overall what they are doing works for what it is I am just not sure what this is works for who they are as a band even taki9ng into consderation that almot 20 years have passed since the album I want to compare this to . I will give it an 8. 

pst524

Ghostemane : "Am:FM"

The creepy Trap rapper opens his new album with nu-metal guitar and sung vocals that wink in the direction of Deftones; they are high and airy until the roared chorus that owes more to Johnathan Davis. It works for what it is and feels fresher since it is not 98. But where he is stronger is on "Miasma," that bleeds out of "Deus Ex Machina,"  where he is rapping against the denser bass hits behind him that are more metallic than, say, dubstep; it builds into something that is at least darker and angrier than Limp Bizkit. His trap rap vocal style is unique as it shifts through varied colors.  

"Zero Day" finds the songwriting becoming increasingly effective, though lyrically it's a page out of the first wave of this sort of thing as he complains about everybody saying fuck this and fuck that, but now it's time to do something about it; however, it works with the energy of the song. This guys is so skinny I don't take him too seriously taking about being violent. "Bucketlist" is a great song and paves the path for what this album needs to do. "Jupiter" works off more hip-hop sounds than aggressive ones. This does make for a wider dynamic range. He ebbs into some passages of sung vocals to give this one more layers. 

"Hyperdrive" has a darker electronic vibe going into it, before a breakbeat takes off with the song. It's more of an instrumental interlude in comparison to the other more vocally driven songs. "Mean Girls" finds him back in his sweet spot. Not the album's most dynamic song as it drones on the one beat, but it works for what it is. "Cyberia" goes for an almost more industrial sound but might be closer to the Prodigy in this regard." Get Gone" brings more shadows to the ambiance. With a blown-out bass line booming under the vocals. 

"NSFW" works off a pulse of dense bass, and is one of the album's most deliberate tracks even when his rapping races over it. "Noose Knot" finds him returning to an emotive, breathy singing style. The chorus is particularly strong. "A Fire in the Skye" closes the album; it uses much more melodic sounds with delicate almsot whispered vocals. It is his version of a ballad. This album is not the most original thing you have heard, but it is done in a way that makes all of this feel fresh, I will give it a 10. 

7

pst523

What the Line-Up For Welcome to Rockville 2027 Should Be

The Welcome to Rockville lineup is dropping next week, so I 'll get a jump on it and tell you what the lineup should be. A large  percentage of people who go just show up to party, and the music serves as background static for them to  take selfies with people they will never see again. This is not for those people; this is for people who actually care about music and have more refined ears than just whatever is on the radio, since that is all garbage anyway.  

Festival line-ups are boring; they all look the same, much like a reflection of commercial rock radio that has played the same beer commercial-sounding songs for the past 30 years, and we wonder why concerts are so expensive; it's due to the music industry trying to recoup its losses. The economy is not getting any better o are people going to just be complacent and spend their shrieking entertainment budget on a band they have already seen three times. Welcome to Rockville and its sibling festivals are terrible at retreads. As  someone who has worked in the music industry for almost 20 years and listens to over 600 new albums a year, I know the pulse of where music is heading, so here is what the lineup for Welcome to Rockville 2027 should be after taking into consideration the touring schedules of bands that would have conflicts, like Iron Maiden, who is already playing Tampa on May 1st, but allowing room for unexpected reunions and other surprises. 

 I get the general public has not really shifted its taste in the past 20 years os you have to give them names that carry some nostalgia, but not the same ones adnauseum; you can still cater to the MySpace crowd and have the nu-emo pop-metal bands and TikTok revivalists for the kids and still bring in fresh faces with a draw. Sure, there are some idiots whose taste is limited to Monster Energy drinks and Slipknot and won't know half the names here, but they are going to be too broke paying off their Probation officer to  keep a festival alive andd relevant, so here's what the lineup should be for 2027

In switching it up here is how the bands are broken down by genre, taking out the what at times has been a 60 of artists who crawled from the wreckage of the Myspace era.

Rock-41

 Metal-37 

Stuff for the kids- metalcore/.numetal/hiphop-37 

warpTour=pop-punk/ emo mostalgia-6 

Here we go.... 

 Thursday

Apex

AC/DC

Lenny Kravitz

 The Darkness

 Uncle Acid and the Dead Beats

 Starbenders

 Twisted Teens

 Octane

 Kid Rock

 Twisted Sister

 Ugly Kid Joe

 Monster Magnet

 Wednesday 13

 The Cruel Intentions

 Vortex

Brand New

 Thursday

 Destroy Boys

 Modern Life is War

 bodywash 

 Poison Ruin

 Inferno

A Tribute to Peter Steele and the Legacy of Type O Negative  featuring members of Life of Agony, Carnivore AD and Sun Don't Shine

Life of Agony

 Prong

 Carnivore AD

 Hangman’s Chair 

 Sun Don’t Shine 

 Restless Spirit

 Garage-

Twin Temple

 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

 Crippling Alcoholism

 Blackwater Holylight 

 King Dude

 Hoaxed

 Friday

 Apex

 Pearl Jam

 Them Crooked Vultures

 The Pixies

 Garbage

 Veruca Salt

 Sponge

 Octane 

 The Misfits

 Iggy Pop

 Bad Religion

 Spiritual Cramp

 Tiger Army

 School Drugs

 Vortex 

 Idles

 Viagra Boys

 Whores

 Ingrown

 NO/MAS 

 The Linda Lindas 

 Inferno

Neurosis

 Emma Ruth Rundle

 Chat Pile

 Kylesa

 RWAKE 

 Terminal Nation 

 Garage

 At the Drive in

 Butthole Surfers

 Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

 Mac Sabbath

 Blitzkid 

 Demon Pussy 

 Saturday

 Apex

 Rush

 Muse 

 President 

 Novelists

 Protest the Hero

 Hidden Mothers 

 Octane

 Queen With Adam Lambert

 Paramore

 Gunship

 Skynd 

 Ours

 Freeze the Fall 

 Vortex 

 Faith No More

 Superheaven 

 Scars on Broadway 

 Ashes Divide 

 WARGASM 

 Spaced 

 Inferno

 Opeth

 Katatonia

 Ulver

 Igorrr 

 Daath

 Oh, Zorn

 Garage 

 Scour-featuring Phil Anselmo

 Royal Thunder

 Portrayal of Guilt 

Cloak

 Age of Apocalypse

 Disfear

 Saturday 

 Apex

 Eminem 

 Suicide Boys 

 Run the Jewels

 Die Antwoord 

 House of Pain 

 Jane Remover

 Octane 

 Nine Inch Noize

 Boy Harsher

 Cold Cave 

 Aesthetic Perfection

 Brtualismus 3000 

 Pixel Grip 

 Vortex 

 Fontaines DC

 High Vis

 Vowws

 Love is Noise

 Dead Pony

 Homefront

 Inferno

Scars on Broadway 

 County Morgue

 Dropout Kings

 Ten56

. Last Ten Seconds of Life

 Splitchain

 Garage 

Tomahawk 

 Author & Punisher

 Black Magnet 

 Glitched 

 Tayne

 Sister Kill Cycle 

 Sunday

Apex

 The Cure 

 Gary Numan

 Placebo

 Chelsea Wolfe 

 Twiligh tSad 

 Grave Pleasures

 Octane 

 Danzig

 H.I.M

 Fields of the Nephilim

 KMFDM

 Lords of Acid

 The Night Eternal

Vortex

King Diamond 

 Fight

 KKs Priest

 Savatage

 Forbidden

 Cagefight

 Inferno

 Dimmu Borgir

 Blood Incantation

 Paths of Possession

 Undeath

 Jungle Rot

 Combichrist 

  Garage

Loathe

 Drop Dead Gorgeous

 Internal Bleeding

 100 Demons

 Balmora

 xForever Warx

pst522

Prong : "Prong"

 

I did not expect them to come out of the gate thrashing; their best work found the band deviating from the thrash genre that wa dominant in the late 80s and bringing a staccato groove to the occasion that was ahead of its time. Come to think of it, this band's name does not come up enough in conversations about the roots of nu-metal. It feels like they are trying to find their place in the musical climate of 2026. "New Commission" follows a similar formula to the opening track, but with a catchier chorus. "The Uprising" has a harder sound and a pounding beat that resonates more closely with who they are.

"Uncertain Truth" is the best song so far; it's way more melodic and hooky, perhaps almost too much so for purists of their classic sound. "Fear the Sun" has more of a metallic chug; it's one of the more polished songwriting choices so far that still feels true to who they are. 'Common Resolution" is more like the punk side of Killing Joke, who is obviously an influence on this band. They continue down this punk road with "Doomed World". The vocal phrashing sounds like them but not the riffs. The doubling down on thrashing speed for "Proportionate Response" , it works better than some moments so far. 

"Trangression" comes much closer to what you want from these guys. I listened to " Simulated Drowning" three times without remembering what I heard, leaving me to think it had to be the most hookless, bland thing on the album. The last song had a chorus melody that stood out, so it was a better song, more of the Killing Joke vibe to it. Overall, I give this album an 8; they are trying to thrash way too much and that was never what they were about, that said, they still know how to write a song, and that shines through half the time. Dropping on Napalm Records November 6th.

"

pst521