Gothtober-The Top 50 Industrial Albums -10-1

 After perusing other industrial lists released earlier this year  it became apparent , this 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 now we 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 here. 

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. So with that here is the 10 top ten of my Top 50 Industrial albums list.

10-HEALTH- "Death Magic" 

If any band to emerge post 2000 should have their names uttered alongside the icons of the genre it's these guys. This was the last album to feature founding guitarist Jupiter Keyes, though they have done an impressive job of carrying on without them, it is hard to surpass this level of bleakness.

   

 9- Pigface-Notes From the Underground- 1994

This collective never put out a bad album, that fact Michael Gira is on this one certainly gives it the edge, but there is also slappers like "Fuck It Up" . 

 

 8-My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult- "I See Good Spirits...and I See Bad Spirits" 1988

When it comes to the early days of industrial , this album was ahead of it's time in the dark psychedelics it brought to the dance floor.

   

7-KMFDM-"Angst" 1993

7 albums deep in their career KMFDM was doing it again, but this time they achieved perfection. So bow down and worship a true creation.  

6-Swans -'Holy Money" 1986

Another case where it might not be their best album, but it's their best industrial album, which also happens to be better than what most industrial bands did in the years to follow. The three albums before this were more raw and crushing , but this album had a better balance of those elements mixed with more atmosphere and melody.

   

5-Frontline assembly -"Millennium"1994 

Another case where it's album number 7 and  thanks to the guitars everything clicks into place and captures lightning in the studio./ Great songs driven by mean grooves .

 

 4-Skinny Puppy-"Too Dark Park" 

This is where limiting it to one album per artist got hard. I had to comb their their entire catalogue and see where are they just creating collages of creepy noise and where did they actually write songs, which is why this album beat out "Last Rights"  and squeaked past 'the Process", it was tough spread sheets came into play for this decision. 

 

 3-Killing Joke - 'Pandemonium"1994

 This is an interesting album as these guys are bad that had already influenced industrial music then on this album they showed up to demonstrate to the bands making big bucks on the genre at the time how it was supposed to be done, bringing apocalyptic beats, and powerful vocals with them.

   

2-Nine Inch Nails -"the Downward Spiral" 

If we were talking album sales and most mainstream appeal then this album would be number one, it did garner all of that for more than just marketing , as it's a wonderfully constructed album, and has songs that have stood the test of time making it more worthy of respect despite all the time you have seen a bunch of drunk girls giggling over the fact they are singing "Closer" at karaoke.  

 1-Ministry -"Psalm 69" 1992

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This did not garner the kind of mainstream exposure as Nine Inch Nails , nor was it intended to. This is the most apocalyptic and transgressive album on the list, but it packs the kind of punch that was equal to mopst metal albums at the time. The fact it has the smae kind of balls and aggression that most metal hits with is impressive and why it belongs in the top spot. Ends for the end of the world stand the test of time, as the end of time gets closer.