Gothtober-The Top 50 Industrial Albums : 40 - 31

This had to be done. Having read other lists from other publications that just were not getting it, I had to step up and set the record straight. What Industrial music should be about is to create an adversarial sonic force  that is transgressive, confrontational , the message should be we are fucked, the system is corrupt and now we living in a post apocalyptic nightmare. o I made sure my list reflected this. Certain   artists are darlings of the critics, because the cool kids are supposed to like them, but are making artful challenging music that might sound cool, but lacks aggression or just isn’t industrial . 

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 lets continue deeper down our list of the Top 50 Industrial Albums.. 

40-Bestial Mouths - "Resurrectedinblack " 2020

The first modern band on the list, this album was created under the full creative control of  front woman Lynette Cerezo. This project has slowly grown darker with each released and this album found it shedding the post-punk influence in favor of the machine like crunch of industrial as more electronic elements worked their way in. 

39-X Marks the Pedwalk-"the Killing Had Begun"1994

The German project's third album is also the first to feature vocals from Andre's wife Stephanie. This added another layer to their already varied tapestry fast paced anxious grooves for paranoid musings.

   

38-3Teeth - "Metawar" 2019

When it comes to newer acts , this band gets it right by not being bound to not emulating a specific artist, but drawing inspiration from an entire era of music. The nail the brand of aggression acts like Frontline Assembly brought down from the heavens. The vocals are dynamic rather than a robotic scream.

   

37- Leaether strip-" Science for the Satanic Citizen" 1990

I would think few would be surprised this is my favorite album by these guys. The excel at using sonic darkness to create a seething violence lurking in alley ways at night rather than just being in your face.

   

36-Chem Lab- "Eastside Militia"1996

The second album by the band finds more electronic elements picking up the slack for a less metallic guitar attack than what was delivered on their previous, this allows the songs to breathe, and made for catchier songs that I return to more often . 

 

 35- Psyclon 9-"Order of the Shadow Act 1"  2013 

Five albums into things they find the perfect blend of metal and industrial. The production of this album gives things a massive scale., The blackened screams of Nero echo out like a tortured soul falling into the hell the world had collapsed into. 

34- Negativeland-"Escape from Noise" 1987

San Francisco's purveyors of weird took a swing at popular music as a reflection of society it self and uses noise, ambiance and atmosphere in a manner that brings the smoke in a manner with as much malice as a wall of guitars. The staccato synth attack gets the point across more than most full on rock bands did in 1987, as they hit you with relentless samples.

   

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33- Laibach- "Jesus Christsuperstars"1996

One of the bands where it became hard to just pick one after I dug in and began revisiting their catalog, so after a few listens I was reminded that this album is their best due to their attack on Christianity, blasphemy should be included in my requirements of what industrial music should be. 

 

 32-Pop Will Eat Itself-"dos dedos mis amigos" 

A criminally underrated band, that wrote some incredible music, this album should have gotten them more notice given that it came out during the peak of industrial music, but regardless of that this is a classic that holds up everything I bump it.

   

31- Youth Code-"Commitment to Complications" 2016

I am still waiting on these kids to bring it like they did on this album, which was produced by Rhys Fulber of Frontline Assembly. They got the aggression right, and the rest of it all fell into place.