Top 15 Goth/ Industrial Albums of 2014

Many of the normal contenders for this list have crossed over from post- punk into rock n roll. So now I'm throwing everything into the pot that is too dark for other lists, post-punk is here, dark folk is here, goth has ranged from Dead Can Dance to Velvet Acid Christ so it's all over the place to begin with. So if you used to be metal but are now leaning towards death-rock you are slugging it out on the list with a former goth princess now almost a pop star. So let the count down begin.

15- Laibach - Spectre

The militant theatrics continue to abound. This album is like toned down and more introspective Rammstein, with out the mall metal tendencies. They manage to make a very modern sounding album , but also being true to their legacy.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/02/laibach-spectre.html

14-Ritual Howl - Turkish leather

Not as weird as Laibach, but these guys are dark folk ran through a collage of weird electronics and back again. St times this comes across like Death in June, so is anyone going to complain about that. This album also is filled with cool guitar sounds.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/catching-up-with-2014-ritual.html

13- Rape Blossoms - Ruinenlust

In 33 minutes these guys cram a lot of drone and ambiance into some punchy post-punk.At times it seems like they are jamming out as the songs take you on nocturnal adventures.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/catching-up-with-2014-rape.html

12-Gazelle Twin- Unflesh

If Bjork got possessed by the devil it might sound like this. Edm so dark and powerful it often comes across as industrial. Her voice is more than spot on as well.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/report-to-dance-floor-gazelle-twin.html

11-Clan of Xymox- "Matters of Mind , Body & Soul"
An excellent come back album. They wrote fresh new songs, without sounding daated and retained the most important elements of their classic sound.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/09/clan-of-xymox-matters-of-mind-body-soul.html

10- Hemgraven - "Sanddyner av Glas"

This album really grows on me with each listen. Post-punk that is still melody driven the Ian Curtis worship is far and few between. It has a very cold stark feel perfect for the winter months,

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/catching-up-with-2014.html

9- Marisa Nadler -July

 I Recently returned to this album. When it came out it  caught me by surprise as Nadler blends classic country with a gloomy folk. Darkly dreamy mix of Cocteau Twins and Cowboy Junkies holds an almost narcotic sway.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/06/marissa-nadlerjuly.html


8- Have a Nice Life - the Unnatural World

These weirdos threw together a highly experimental batch of Joy Division like post-punk doused in liberal amounts of down trodden indie rock. Tons of thought went into the songwriting of this gem.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/01/have-nice-life-unnatural-world.html



7-Population- Beyond the Pale

This album has a lot of heart and personality to it. They touch on both dark wave and death rock with in the span of a song. One of the best male vocal preformances of the year.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/population-beyond-pale.html

6-Shadowhouse- Hand in Hand

When the bulk of this years crop of post-punk revivalists landed on a more rock side of the fence, this band brought the missing ingrediant ...elegance.This emotional drama infuses the album and paints a gray landscape of loneliness inside you.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/shadowhouse-hand-in-hand.html

5-Death of Lovers- "Buried Under a World of Roses"

Some shoe gazers got together and indulged their dark sides. These shoe gazers are members of Nothing nad Whirr, so you know it's going to be on point, they exceeded my expectations here.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/01/death-of-lovers-buried-under-world-of.html


4-Youth Code- A Place to Stand

One of the best industrial bands I have heard in some time. This duo is dark, mean and confrontational, even if their singer is a little blond girl.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/youth-code-place-to-stand.html

3 - Atriarch- " An Unending Pathway"

They graduated from the metal chart to goth, as the death rock vibe is stronger. The metal elements are now more of a sonic Neurosis thing and they have left doom and black metal at home.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/atriarch-unending-pathway.html

2-Zola Jesus-"Taiga"

She barely got beaten out for the top spot, the deciding factor was she lightened up a bit while the number one band got darker. Still for edm pop, she's better than anything on the radio.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/08/zola-jesus-taiga.html

1- Lower- "Seek Warmer Climes"

Iceage went an "Exile on Main Street" direction while these guys held tight to the 80's. This album is almost more new wave than post-punk. Whatever you want to call it , this album is filled with the kinda desperate longing that goths can relate too, while also rocking.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/06/lower-seek-warmer-climes.html

Catching Up With 2014-Rape Blossoms:"Ruinenlust"

It's easy to  understand why this Belgian  band's lp sold out long ago, it takes on post-punk from a place that captures a hypnotic elements other bands in this genre don't capitalize on. The album opens up with a dense garage rock number that place the emphasis on the straight forward nature of punk as they drone ahead on one riff, but have a drugged out enough sound to make it interesting The second song is just as up beat as the first. In some ways it sounds like fast shoe-gaze more than post-punk, and perhaps that is what shoe gaze really is if we want to dissect definitions and count coke straws.

Normally I prefer a little more production value , but these guys make this sound work. In fact I can't imagine this album recorded any other way. For all the squeaking buzz of feedback, there is something endearing, even if the bass could stand to push through a little more in places. The vocals that are largely monotone are buried more often than not, they come through clearer on the more hushed tension of "VHS". The angular nature of this song makes it stand out from the more straight ahead start the album got off to. "VHS" Proves the band is capable of taking dynamic twists and turns and their drummer is pretty fucking good when he wants to be.

They get even more experimental on "Egging Voices" . The vocals come to the fore front but with a haze of effects covering them. One thing about this album is it's post-punk with out many traces of goth to it. It is dense and slightly a downer , but not dark. The fuzzed out, blown out speaker rumble of  "Slow Breath" , has more of a punk feel to it, despite it's slower clamor. The album closes out with "In the Red".  At almost 11 minutes this song  takes on a more Swans like feel in the free form way it builds into a psychedelic swirl. It swells into almost a Kraut rock kinda thing. Though all of the long winded drone does pay off in the end.  

I'l give this one a 9.5, the rough hewn effort always shows promise even in the sparse moments that didn't connect as much with others, the drone could have been more condense for what these guys are doing since they aren't in fact the Swans, who proved even on their new album that too much of a good thing... well you know. I'm still on the hunt for a download of this album to call my own, so far their Sound Cloud is the only way to go, if someone finds a upload/ download, drop me a link in the comments. Thanks.