Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 4 10-1 )

This is the final installment of the Top 40 songs of 2025. It's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so lets continue into the top 10 songs of 2025.

10-HEALTH- "YOU DIED." 

 

9-Heartworms - "Mad Catch." 

8. Freeze the Fall - "Rot." 

7-Turnstille-"Never Enough." 

6-Taylor Swift- "Cancelled."

 

5-Ethel Cain- "Janine."

>

4-Sleep Token- "Emergence." 

3-Hangman's Chair - "Kowloon Lights." 

2-Spiritbox- "Keep Sweet." 

  

1-Ethel Cain-"Dust Bowl." 

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The Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 2: 30-21)

 

This is part two of the Top 40 songs of 2025. It's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so lets continue into the top 30 songs of 2025.

30-Miley Cyrus - "More to Lose."

29-Freeze the Fall- "VHS" 

28-HEALTH- "Darkage" 

27-Sanguisugabogg- "Repulsive Demise" 

 

26-Author & Punisher - "Mute Swan." 

25-Patriarchy -"New Way." 

 

 24-Spiritbox- "Tsunami Sea." 

 

 23-Taylor Swift- "Wi$h Li$t" 

22-Callous Daoboys- ''Schizophrenia Legacy" 

21-Coroner- "the Law" 

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The Top 10 Industrial Albums of 2025

Nothing is 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 2025. 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-King Yosef- "Spire of Fear." 

This project has always leaned in the direction of the abrasive end of industrial. This album pushed that even further with its increasingly confrontational aggression. Sonically harrowing would be one way to describe what is going down here. The mechanical stomp of industrial music is captured here,  but with a very reverb-drenched mix that sets the vocals at the end of a dark tunnel

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/king-yosef-spire-of-fear.html

 

       

 9-Dark Sky Burial - 'Sacred Neurotic" 

It is interesting when metal heads take things in a different direction; most tend to go in a darker goth, post-punk, or industrial vein, and Shane Embry's project leans into the latter.  Though being from Napalm Death, you might expect things to go head in a Godflesh direction. That is not the case. There is a melodic edge, and thanks to his collaborator  Carl Stokes, there is a trippy element to the sound that brings to mind projects like Tear Garden, Psychic TV, and Legendary Pink Dots with a break beat that often builds into a more aggressive industrial-strength vocal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/dark-sky-burial-sacred-neurotic.html

 

8-Linx- "Annihilation" 

This industrial rock duo hails from Canada, a country that has been exporting some pretty decent music lately. Vocalist Zee Jaber, uses her voice in a more rock manner, rather than a blunt instrument like so many industrial bands do. Though a couple of songs into things, she employs a harsher metal snarl. The songs might work off the '90s formula of '90s build-up on the chorus, but the flow well from electronic pulses to more of a Fear Factory feel. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/linx-annihilation.html

 

7-Ministry -" The Squirrelly Years Revisted"

 The joke about back when Ministry sounded like Depeche Mode wore thin on Uncle Al, as he had begun to polish off the early songs for live sets even before releasing their last album. This is a re-recording of the songs from the "Twitch" and "With Sympathy" era. The vocals are more in line with how Al sings now. Sometimes the guitars are providing more heft, but on a song like "Here We Go," things are pretty much like they were back in the day, with the more new wave-leaning dance beats driving the hot rod that Jesus built. In some cases, this works just well enough. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/ministry-squirrelly-years-revisted.html

 

6-Black Cross Motel - "Songs For Switches." 

This band's 2022 album made it to the number spot on the year's Top 10 Goth Albums list. This time around, they kick things off with a more guitar-forward approach and a more aggressive industrial energy behind some straight-up metal riffs. Once again, the guitarist from Stabbing Westward is teaming up with members of the Atlas Moth to bring this weird and wonderful sound to life. Synths help set the tone for the darker undertones, which find a creepy ambiance settling over the march of discontent. They have captured a sound that could have come from the post-Manson goth rock golden years. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-black-cross-hotel-songs-for.html

 5- Youth Code - "Yours With Malice." 

It brings newly refined sounds that are topped off with a vengeful hook. Sara Taylor's angry snarl is chanted like an apocalyptic cheerleader, in a similar style and cadence as the previous song. This, along with the fact that the bouncing synth sounds are not far removed from what they already hit you with, creates an almost "Pretty Hate Machine" feel.>On previous releases, they felt more like a militant version of Skinny Puppy, so this might be more neon lit, and not as dark, as say 'A Place to Stand' They employ more dynamics this time around. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/youth-code-yours-with-malice.html

 4- the Young Gods - "Appear Disappear." 

This Swiss band influenced everyone from David Bowie in his industrial days to Faith No More. Since 1987, their sound has been at the very least industrial adjacent, and they have always been ahead of their time. So if you hear a song and think it sounds like Nine Inch Nails, the truth is Nine Inch Nails sounds like them. Perhaps this album is not as cinematic as some of their mid-period work it does not sound like they are stuck in the 90s or wrestling for relevancy. Franz Treichler might not be bellowing it out like he once did, but his voice has held up well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-young-gods-appear-disappear.html

3-Street Sects  "Dry Drunk." 

The first new album from the industrial duo in 7 years finds them snarling back with a renewed chaotic aggression. It chronicles the stint of sobriety Leo Ashline has as well as the relapse that followed. Ben Chisholm from Chelsea Wolfe's band produced this. They pick up where they left off, with a bad attitude that sounds like Virgin Prunes jamming with Full of Hell. It takes a few listens to really sink in, but it has equal doses of fragmented groove and glitched-out noise.  It all ends up coming together. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/street-sects-dry-drunk.html

2-HEALTH- "CONFLICT DLC." 

Given how much I like these guys, it might be a surprise they did not take the number one spot, but the project that did evolve more into something different, where this band just streamlined and created a hookier, more accessible version of what they were already doing, maybe adding a vvitch house beat here and there, even then it was a close call, and give that this album is just now dropping vs an album I have had more time to spend with they landed here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/health-conflict-dlc.html

1-Author & Punisher - "Nocturnal Birding' 

This is the first album that finds guitarist Doug Sabolick joining as a bandmate, which contributes to the more rock feel to things. Every song has a bird theme. There is a more overt industrial crunch to the amazing stomp this album carries n."s. Megan from Couch Slut, lends her voice to the ruckus erupting, with more detailed layers of melody luring you into one of the year's best industrial songs. The addition of guitar offers a big step forward, even if it moves them marginally closer to the conventions of industrial rock. The genre itself allows and fosters experimentation that creates almost an anything-goes attitude. This song and the previous song have been the noisiest so far, with this texture being most effective here.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/author-punisher-nocturnal-birding.html

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

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November's Top 10 Albums

It's time for November's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights may help casual
readers catch up on what they missed and explore these artists. I am not writing brief summaries of them; I am simply linking to the reviews. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my inbox that are not coming out til 2026, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month it ranges from indie folk bangers to various shades of Doom metal. Perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of  November. 

10-Oromet - "the Sinking Isle" 

Doom 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-oromet-sinking-isle.html

9-Florence + the Machine -"Everybody Scream" 

Folk Pop 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/florence-machine-everybody-scream.html

8-Bloody Hammers - ""the Acoustic Halloween Special" 

Doom Folk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-bloody-hammers.html

7-1914-"Viribus Unitis"

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/1914-viribus-unitis.html

6-Shedfromthebody :'Everything Out There Has Teeth"

Doom Gaze 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-shedfromthebody.html

5-The Neighbourhood - 'Ultrasound'

Indie Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-neighborhood-ultrasound.html

4-Allie X -"Happiness is Going to Get You" 

Pop Folk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/allie-x-happiness-is-going-to-get-you.html

3-Drowned in Silver- "Mothers" 

Doom 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-drowned-in-silver.html

2-Home Front - "Watch It Die"

 

Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/home-front-watch-it-die.html

1-HEALTH- "CONFLICT DLC" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/health-conflict-dlc.html

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HEALTH : 'Conflict DLC"

 

Opening with "Ordinary Loss" they tap into their balance of vulnerability and hammering industrial march, though with much more space given to the vocals that sit more forward in the mix for something that is not as dark as we have heard from these guys in the past, despite the barrage of metallic guitar. Lyrically, it expresses the same desperate and deprecating sentiments. 'Burn the Candles" might take a few listens for it to grow on me. While it works off a very high-energy propulsion beat-wise, there is a little more hope than I am used to hearing from them. The vocals sit back into the wall of sound a little more on the chorus, which is weird for them. It modulates into a pretty awesome groove. 

"Vibe Cop" was the lead single, which works off a familiar formula. His androgynous vocals haunt from within the cogs of the industrial machine churning forward. The pulse of "Trash Decade" is more along the lines of what long-time fans expect from these guys. Lyrically, it is also one of the album's stronger songs so far. "Anidote" is a sign of positive change, while it is written more like a pop song is finds them digging into deeper melodies and giving themselves the sonic space to do so. The songs fall within the accessible three-minute range. I think if they were going to break into the mainstream, it would have been before they were 6 albums into their career. But it should secure them as a more noted name in the circles they traverse. There is a subtle hook in "DARKAGE" that works wonders. 

'Shred Envy" is not about shredding guitar, but rather wishing he had never been born. There are plenty of crunch guitars and screaming mixed into the background. "You Died" has an interesting, almost witch house beat to it. The vocals sit in a more subtle place, with the lyrics cutting through to deliver their lamentations of heartbreak in the big city. There is a pop sensibility to it without selling out. "Thought Leader" finds them taking you down the sad boy path that works so well. The guitar sound is tweaked a bit on this album. I think staying on tour has played in their favor as a band. 

"Don't Kill Yourself" is another really emotionally powerful song, despite their knack for sounding disassociated from their emotional turmoil; the self-loathing is dialed up even from the outside looking in. They sound more like a band than they look like a band that might struggle with gender identity. The haint ones body feels very in line with this. There is almsot a more Depeche Mode feel to the last song. I will give this album a 10 and see how it grows on me, some of the production choices have to grow on me but they give me eno.ugh darkness to hit the place I want from them, which is somewhere in the sweet dystopian sound of self-loathing.  It is out on December 11th on Lorna Vista.

Thanks for reading, give a listen to the song below, and please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666 pst567

Who Not to Miss At Welcome to Rockville 2025 (a curated guide)

 

Lots of bands are playing throughout the weekend at Welcome to Rockville this year, with festival set times compressed, you need to make the most of your time, while still giving yourself time to rest, so you make it to Sunday. Here is a guide to getting the most from your money, with the bands that are going to give you your money's worth. Let's face it, tickets for the entire weekend are expensive, even on the payment plan. from. I am not suggesting the most popular bands, so if you want to avoid the crowded stages, this list is for you. Given the fact that I hate most radio rock, we are going to be avoiding that and picking the most interesting artist who delivers consistently live. You can argue these picks all you want, but can the 2 million that read this blog be wrong? So let's jump into it...

Thurs

Inferno Stage 

Frozen Soul

 1 to 1:25 

Saw these guys open for Amon Amarth and Cannibal Corpse, they are crushing. 

Garage Stage

Candy

2:10 to 2:35 

This band is kicking off our campout at the Garage Stage, which is always a solid plan to find a spot and get comfy. High energy, hard-core that is willing to experiment, they are filling the void left by Code Orange, who just went on indefinite hiatus.  

Harm's Way

3:05 to 3:30

This band's burly metallic stomp blends hardcore fury with industrial weight; they are incredible. 

Full of Hell

4:00 to 4:30

Last conert I went to saw these guys blowing Better Lovers of the stage with their spastic blend of blackened grindcore drenched in bizarre sounds. 

Converge

5 to 5:30

Have seen this band multiple times, they always bring it, the godfathers of metalcore. 

HEALTH

6 to 6;35

The perfect blend of detached androgynous vocals muses over the end of the world, while bringing the beats to bring said apocalypse. 

Quicksand

7:05 to 7:45

Ok, no Deftones. You are getting one of their ex-bass players and a band that influenced them. 

Apex Stage 

The Pretty Reckless 

8:00 to 9:00

Thankfully replacing 3Doors Down, the sultry Taylor Momsen and friends have impressed me with their last couple of albums, and by this point, you will want to switch things up a bit, and they promise to be a fun live band. 

Octane 

Rob Zombie 

9:05 to 10:15

Sure, he now makes big, dumb music for people who drink domestic beer and like goth girls, but he is also a total pro who puts on a great show

Friday

Vortex Stage

Left to Suffer

12:35 to 1 

Their take on metal-core is fresh, but legit, worth waltzing through the gates at noon for. Then you have most of the day to relax and just take in the sights as this is the weakest lineup of the weekend. 

Octane Stage

Bush 

5:15- 6:00

One of the last great bands from the grunge era was not even from Seattle; these guys continue to put out great stuff that is better than what most of their peers who are still alive from this period are doing.

Inferno Stage

Jinjer

6:45- 7:25

At this point, does this band need an introduction? They are great at what they do, and bring live harder than other bands playing at this time slot.  

Aliee in Chains was supposed to play the 7:50 -8:50 slot, but cancelled, so I suppose as a default, if you have to check a band out, go see Killswitch Engage, but I felt like the last Killswitch album was so mediocre it bored me, so I can't stand my recommending a band I personally would not stand through, so take a break and position your self to be near the Vortex Stage for my next recommendation.  

Vortex Stage

Knocked Loose

9:10 - 10:00

If you have a friend who would pick Good Charlotte over these guys, you need to get new friends. Ending their set at 10 gives you time to get out while the idiots at the main stage are watching Billie Joe try to pass off 90s pop music as punk

Saturday 

Vortex Stage

Havok

2:30 - 2:55

Hope you enjoyed sleeping in, eating breakfast, and hitting the gym before your casual stroll in to get really woken up by these thrashers. You also get to camp out at this stage for the bulk of the day. 

Nails

3:35 -4:05

The second heaviest band of the weekend

Obituary 

6:05 - 6:40

Florida legends always deliver

Acid Bath

7:30- 8:10

These guys were the main reason I wanted to go, but they booked a show in St. Pete! Any metal band out after 1991 owes them a debt of gratitude. Dax Riggs is the most underrated metal singer ever. 

Octane Stage

Pierce the Veil 

9:05 - 10:15

You're are not gonna want to see another heavy band after Acid Bath, and these guys might be a pop band, but they are a lot of fun, and write cute lil tunes to smoke one to. 

Sunday

Vortex Stage 

Sanguissugabogg

1:35 to 2 

The heaviest band of the weekend

Gatecreeper

2:35- 3:05

Keeping the death metal day going, these guys are sure to be headbanging fun. 

Garage Stage 

200 Stab Wounds 

4:00- 4:30

Their last album was killer, and they are the future of death metal. 

Deafheaven 

7:05- 7:45

It was hard to consider Deftones heavy after seeing Deafheaven play before them a few years ago. 

Powertrip 

8:15 - 9;05

Never saw them with their original vocalist, but can't imagine his more hardcore-leaning delivery would be hard to replicate. 

Apex Stage 

Korn 

10:20- 11:50

Haven't seen these guys since "Life is Peachy," and while their output has been a mixed bag in recent years, they should still be fun. 

pst212

Bad Omens : " Concrete Jungle ost"

 

Bad Omens is one of the millennial bands who is more pop than they are rock and the rock elements they possess are largely thanks to the production tricks in the studio.  This is the conclusion I came to after realizing I had not actually heard what they sounded like when left to their own devices before I reviewed their new collaborative album. They have pretty decent taste in music when it comes to the artists they are pairing up with as Poppy and HEALTH appear on the first two songs., which are slappers for this very reason, taking the nu-skool of industrial and applying it to what Bad Omens does. However, when the guest is less impressive like Bob Vylan, the result suffers as the band needs to do more to balance things out. This why the song Poppy is on sounds more like a Poppy song and the same could be said about the HEALTH track. Wargasm does bring out the best in "Hedonist". 

This is a double album with the second half being a live album I am not reviewing and just focusing on the studio portion. "Even' shows the band on their own. The result is basically a pop song proving my previous point. Thought pop with vocal melodies that are not really doing a great deal to hook you in and more of a chill sound that you might hear in the waiting area of a hair salon. There are moments like "Loading Screen' which are just interludes.  With Erra on "Anything More than Human" you might assume the end results will be heavier. Wrong... they are more pop, but it's too well done for me to complain about it.

'Nervous System" features industrial strength future pop artist iRis, EXE. It sounds more like it could be just her until the band kicks in. They collaborate with Thousand Below the first being "Artifical Suicide" which conforms to a more Slipknot flavored take on nu-metal. Then they lean into the pop side of the equation for "The Grey" though there are more electronic elements, that create the re-mix feeling, taking the emphasis off the song part. The remix with We Are the Fury, clocks in closer to pop, and with it comes more emphasis on the vocal melody which is lighter and more in line with the likes of Sleep Token. So Wylie does similar honors by creating a more atmospheric pop landscape. 

They keep things moving in this ambient pop direction for "BAD DECISIONS" which does not create much space between what they do and the Weeknd. It works for the song, which is a decent pop ballad. Though I am sure if their fan base is really showing up for slow jams, if they are that is even more telling about them. British pop duo Lets Eat Grandma joins them for "Just Pretend', which is another 80s-tinged synth wave ballad. I will round this down to a 9, it's holding the score there since there are some really strong songs on the first half, and the last quarter of the album weighs things down with the ballads, though most are well done, it just depends if that is what you are in the mood for. 

pst296

the Top 10 Albums of 2023

At the end of the day... or in this case, year, these are the albums I listened to the most. The reason these albums earned the top spot is because I listened to over 2000 albums this year and these are the ones that endured the influx of new music that hit My inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.  So here ya go...

10-the Lion's Daughter -"Bath House" 

There is a great deal going on with this album. The synths are very present in the mix going into the otherwise hammering open song. Throaty vocals are aggressive but howled more than growled. Sung vocals often emote over what is a  more brooding turn for the band. There is an ominous feel to counterbalance the more grandiose feel. I really enjoyed this one it's an improvement over what they did on "Skin Show" This album grew on me, and carries great depth.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-lions-daughter-bath-house.html

9-Rid of Me -"Access to the Lonely" 

Having added a second guitarist for this album and you can hear how it adds in the denser sonic layers. The new sound of this album " is heavier and punches with a more sludge-ridden sound. Dissonant guitar passages cut through, along with more guitars on this album, to add a more firey rock n roll attack. She really proves herself as a singer on this album, still maintaining punk integrity. There a many dynamic vocal colors being introduced. They show you punk can be so much more than what we take for at face value. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/rid-of-me-access-to-lonely.html

8-Code  Orange - "Above" 

 I have been pretty invested in this band's career since being blown away by their 2017 album "Forever".  They broke away from the conventions of hardcore, which they continued to perfect with "Underneath". This set pretty high expectations for this album. Once I accepted the fact that they were no longer playing metal, I was able to really enjoy this album. It was tough to let go of this idea as they are still rather punchy in places, but they owe more to late 90s rock than hardcore or even nu-metal here. It is wonderfully written and shows there is no limit to what they are capable of. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/code-orange-above.html

7- Temple of Angels - "Endless Pursuit" 

I sat down with this album and weighed the dream pop shoegazing moments versus those that owe more to romantic darkness, and came to the conclusion that this album leans into the shadows at least 60 percent of the time, and even when it lightens up a bit their songs are still haunted by a melancholy longing that still earns their place here.  They might not dress the songs up for Halloween in the way other bands on this list do but they are better songwriters, which is why they take the number one spot. These songs are passed by plenty of heart-gripping moments.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/temple-of-angels-endless-pursuit.html

6-Harm's Way - "Common Suffering" 

After being convinced to check them out upon hearing the "Undertow" single featuring the singer of King Woman, I was surprised by the rest of the album, which hits in the way that I typically want my hardcore to slap me. Harm's Way has a gritty musculature to the riffs, and the vocals punch in all the right places to rally the head bob inducing syncopations shift with a groove. There is a great deal of emotion to the construction of the songs that paints things in a bleak shade of gray rather than just being the macho in-your-face beat down you might expect this to be

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/harms-way-common-suffering.html

>

5-Frozen Soul - "Glacial Domination"

This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and grooving it without compromising the heaviness, In this way, there is a bit of Bolt Thrower in their DNA, but not enough to lump them in with bands who are clearly trying to re-live that band's glory days. I went into this album only aware of them by name, and by the end was a fan, thanks to hooky riff magic. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.html

 

 

4-Pierce the Veil - "The Jaws of Life" 

Here is an album that had no business being as good as it is. I only knew this band from the Punk Goes Pop series of tribute albums. Much like that series, they strike me as being more on the pop side of the equation. Now five albums later the band has continued to shine their songwriting formula to create something catchier than other pop that dropped this year, while still carrying the torch for the Myspace era,. Singer Vic Fuentes'   tenor sounds like he is in high school. It is impressive that he has kept this youth vigor now that he is almost forty.  If Justin Beiber made metal the results might be similar. Which is better than it sounds on paper. In fact, it is so good I listened to this album as much or more than any other album this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/pierce-veil-jaws-of-life.html

3-Grave Pleasures -"Plagueboys"

This year's release by My favorite Finnish post-punk revivalists grew on me with each listen. The songwriting trades bombast for subtlety for the sake of greater melodic value.  They took their tried and true sound, echoing all the way back to their Beastmilk days, and polished it into something even catchier. The sheer replay value of this album solidifies their place at the top.   

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/grave-pleasures-plagueboys.html

2-Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - "Weathervanes" 

Isbell's latest collaboration with his band the 400 Unit is a celebration of songwriting. His voice always finds the perfect place to be. While his solo album "Southeastern" is the masterpiece that this album is going to be measured up against, here he steers things into a more Americana-flavored rock rather than country music. There is a warmth to the album's sound that recalls many classic rock albums with a southern flare, but it is more personable than those. He is one of the best songwriters living today. He transcends country music and does his thing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/jason-isbell-400-unit-weathervanes.html

 

1- HEALTH - "Rat Wars" 

 This band continues to perfect its unique place in industrial music which 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

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

HEALTH : "RAT WARS"

 While searching for this album online today I saw a comment on Reddit that described it as 'The Downward Spiral" for people with two monitors, which made me laugh. I heard the bulk of these songs as they were released, and hearing the band's full vision unfolded in this manner is even better. The album opens with "DEMIGODS" which is both more melodically atmospheric and heavier than previous releases, with a bit of a synth wave vibe haunting it. The metallic guitar has more drive than what we have heard from these guys. There is a more deliberately industrial beat that drives "FUTURE OF HELL".  Jake Duzsik's trademark androgynous coo, hovers around the music, as it has typically done with Demi Lovato producer Stint giving the vocals more attention than they received from past releases. 

The groove of the synth propelling "HATEFUL" works really well to create an ambiance that is both tense and explosive. "OF ALL ELSE'" works off of a throb that is similar to that of the previous song. The vocals are mixed further in the background. Its experimental drone is the first weak spot we have heard from them in some time, though it still makes for interesting listening. The dynamic guitar forward "CRACK METAL" has a more manic underpinning. "UNLOVED" moves in a darker direction that is shrouded in steamy synths,. The detached mood the vocals convey is more pronounced here. It makes things feel like a metal version of the Pet Shop Boys. 

"CHILDREN OF SORROW" has an absolute ripper of a riff that kicks the song into motion. "Sicko" is even more crushing as they collaborate with Godflesh. "ASHAMED" is the album's poppiest moment, but also a perfectly crafted song that makes the pop sensibilities their strength. 'DSM-V" taps into the despondency reflected back into society as the lyrics take the familiar turn into their typical sardonic musing in this regard. The album closes with the closest I have heard them come to dipping into a ballad. This time it makes me think of Placebo. I will round this up to a 10, as there are some elements of the more ambient portions like "OFF ALL ELSE" that feel more like interludes which I can see growing on me, but everything else is the refinement of perfection. This album is out on Lorna Vista.

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.