the Top 10 Industrial Albums of 2023

Is there a more fitting soundtrack to watching the world unravel 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 the year. 2023. The very fact 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, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and 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 2023.

10-Dope -" Blood Money Part Zer0" 

This industrial new metal hybrid proves that if you stick to what you do, you can ride the sound until it comes full circle and becomes cool again. They certainly care about writing songs, their motivation could be questioned in their early days, but to have stayed at it for so long certainly says something, and the experience gained on the way pays off on this album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/dope-blood-money-part-zer0.html

 9-Leather Strip - "Last Station" 

When it comes to discerning the quality of this album, it is going to really depend on what you want from the veteran Danish project. Do you need them to be industrial or just dark electronic music? The lines here begin to get blurry. Aggression is what separates industrial music from electronic music, along with more organic qualities like guitars.  Many industrial projects have beefy enough synths to make guitars not mandatory.  This album starts with a more cold-wave feel and gradually finds more aggressive elements beginning to add up with the deliberate vocal melodies as what earns its spot here.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/leaether-strip-last-station.html

 

8- 8 Hour Animal - "Kill Your Boss" 

This New York-based project works off noisy chaos, but so did Skinny Puppy. They earned their place here, by creating something that is both abrasive and unique. There can be uniformity even in the wall of chaos, but I think they took more chances than the previous two bands. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/8-hour-animal-kill-your-boss.html

7- Psyclon Nine -"More to Hell" 

This album is the companion piece to the previous album "Less to Heaven". It features new songs and remixes. Intact is the droning crunch that carries the brand of industrial this project is known for with the screeching scream of Nero taking a chanted feel. Not new ground, but effective and true to what you would expect from these guys.  It feels like each song is taking you deeper into a hyperrealistic hellscape. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-psyclon-nine-more-to-hell.html

 

6 -Odonis Odonis -"ICON" 

The Canadian duo's newest effort is a collaborative EP with some pretty note-worthy artists, such as  A Place to Bury Strangers. Terror Bird and Actors also lend their creative juices to this concoction. Patriarchy also steams things up a bit . This album grows on you as it is an odd piece of art, but it is clear these guys are doing something really well and engaging me with the songs. There is a greater sense of adventure than the four previous albums on this list. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/odonis-odonis-icon.html

5- Godflesh - "Purge" 

Godflesh has released really dense and dark albums and continues to measure up against the current state of heavy music. This time around there is the embrace of their 90s past, with an almost old-school hip-hop beat kicking off the opening track. They drone on the grooves while barking out the lyrics with chanted authority. Many of these songs could pass for unreleased tracks from "Selfless". Justin plays it pretty safe, as he stays within the bounds of what you expect from these guys.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/godflesh-purge.html

 4- Jaaw - "Supercluster" 

Andy Cairns from Therapy? was around when industrial music hit big. He knows it was punks trying to play electronic music. Sure they have taken influence from that era, but this is sludged-out rock with punk attitude. Not far removed from Therapy?'s heavier moments, these guys hit you with fuzzed-out guitars and sullen vocals. Sometimes he  yells more than others and is driven by big punk energy.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/jaaw-supercluster.html

  3- Bestial Mouths - "R.O.T.T" 

 The evolution continues. The emphasis of this industrial project's new album is placed on more organic synth grooves. Lynette is singing in a less dramatic and abrasive manner, not too far removed from Zola Jesus' zip code. This album holds up against their body of work and might even be better when it comes to songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/bestial-mouths-rott.html

2- 3TEETH - "EndEx" 

Given the current state of the world, The Los Angeles-based band has been very consistent and this album builds off that base with no really wild turns stylistically as the industrial strength grooves are pumping the lifeblood of their sound to these songs. The dystopian vibes are sometimes hammered at you with the chugged weight of Meshuggah, as they blend nu-metal with metal core in terms of aggression, while later in the album touching on an almost Pink Floyd-like melody. , 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/3teeth-endex.html

 1- HEALTH- RAT WARS 

 This band continues to perfect its unique place in industrial music that is both apocalyptic and an androgynous self-loathing. Their heaviest work to date, also finds their arrangements droning on the groove less and letting them spawn into new landscapes.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/health-rat-wars.html