The Sphere

Ben, please add these Celldweller albums:

Offworld (non-metal album to bridge the gap)

My Disintegration (Remix Contest Compilation)

Satellites (Remixed)

Part of Front Line Assembly's one-time shot at adding a lot of metal to their electro-industrial:

Here's my review:

I came to London post-punk legends Killing Time pretty late in the piece with my first encounter not coming until I checked out their fourteenth full-length album in 2012's solid industrial rock effort "MMXII". I probably didn't give it enough time or attention either to be honest as I kinda let it wash over me without really digging its teeth in & I'd move on fairly quickly. It wouldn't be until I nominated Killing Joke's classic 2003 self-titled album for feature release status in March 2021 that I'd discover what the band were really capable of with it's blend of industrial & alternative metal leaving me feeling both exhilerated & thoroughly rewarded. That experience would see me tempted into nominating 2006's highly regarded "Hosannas From the Basements of Hell" album as our March 2022 feature, another high-quality industrial metal effort that only strengthened Killing Joke's case for me & led to me thoroughly enjoying 1985's seminal post-punk/gothic rock fifth album "Night Time" during a period of goth rock exploration in early 2023. All of that exposure has now led us to this point in time when I find myself having made a third Killing Joke feature release nomination in order to see whether 1994's "Pandemonium", the band's first foray into metal music, stands up to the same standard set by its illustrious company.

"Pandemonium" is a record of enormous depth. It sees Killing Joke traversing a lot of musical ground across its ten tracks & 61-minute duration & one has to wonder whether the fact that the band was without a full-time drummer at the time played into the musical & creative decisions they made here. The production job isn't perfect with some of the faster songs lacking a little bit of definition between the instruments but there's a potent energy about everything they do with front man Jaz Coleman inevitably managing to maintain your attention & drive this material through his undeniable charisma.

"Pandemonium" kicks off with a trio of its heaviest & most aggressive songs & on first listen you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in for a total metalfest. But there's a whole bunch more to "Pandemonium" than that & by the end of the album you'll find that there's possibly more rock than there is metal. The four metal tunes are significant enough to warrant a dual tagging though with their high octane tempos & chunky riffage drawing me way back to those mid-90's goth club dance floors I used to frequent so regularly when I was still a part of the Sydney death metal scene. The opening title track is particularly effective & would have to be one of Killing Joke's finest moments. There's some interesting material to be found outside of the metal space too though with industrial goth rocker "Communion" being a real favourite of mine. "Pleasures of the Flesh" reiterates Killing Joke's goth rock potential while "Black Moon" harks back to the band's post-punk roots. Shoegaze number "Jana" is probably the most restrained inclusion & the album comes to a close following the lengthy alternative dance number "Mathematics of Chaos" whose pumping electronic beat will no doubt get your head bobbing but probably lacks a little in the focus & execution departments.

Despite the variation, there are no weak tracks included as such with every one of the ten pieces offering at least some level of entertainment. I don't think there are quite enough genuine classics here to see "Pandemonium" competing on the same level as Killing Joke's marvelous 2003 self-titled album but it's not far behind "Hosannas From The Basement of Hell" as far as rock-solid, professionally produced industrial rock & metal music goes. One gets the feeling that anything Jaz Coleman & co. touch will be successful as they just seem to possess that greater understanding of what makes visceral rock/metal music so appealing in the first place. I've thoroughly enjoyed my couple of days with "Pandemonium" & can definitely see myself returning to it at regular intervals in the future. Fans of Ministry & Nine Inch Nails should definitely check it out because there are some clear similarities on display at times.

4/5

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the May Sphere playlist:

Celldweller - "I Can't Wait" (5:24) from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

Circle of Dust - "Regressor" (Aggressive Mix) (6:11) from Brainchild (1994)

Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" (4:12) from Demanufacture (1995)

Red Harvest - "Move or Be Moved" (4:33) from Cold Dark Matter (2000)

Samael - "Rain" (4:01) from Passage (1996)

Turmion Kätilöt - "Teurastaja" (3:04) from Hoitovirhe (2004)

Total length: 27:25

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Bad Omens, Poppy - "V.A.N." from V.A.N. (2024)

5/5. The playlist begins with a kick-A collab between Bad Omens and Poppy. To paraphrase part of the first verse, it gets more powerful every minute. Although Poppy's vocals are both beautiful and wicked, it would've been nice to hear from Bad Omens vocalist Noah Sebastian as well, but the song is still perfect. The lyrics are so disturbing yet intriguing ("Isn't it strange to create something that hates you?" "I AM DEATH AND I AM NOT ALONE!!!!").

Gothminister - "Dark Salvation" from Empire of Dark Salvation (2005)

5/5. This one opens the playlist big, really big, after that Bad Omens/Poppy prologue.

Deathstars - "All the Devil's Toys" from The Perfect Cult (2014)

4.5/5. Another cool cyber/industrial metal song. What else to say?

Nailbomb - "Vai toma no cu" from Point Blank (1994)

4/5. This one's also great in the instrumentation.

Lord of the Lost - "Blood & Glitter" from Blood & Glitter (2022)

3.5/5. I applaud this song representing Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, though it could've been done better.

Marilyn Manson - "Tourniquet" from Antichrist Superstar (1996)

3/5. This one is OK, but let's hope for some more madness in this playlist...

Rammstein - "Morgenstern" from Reise, Reise (2004)

3/5. This seems wonderful, but it's not really the best I've heard from Rammstein.

Genitorturers - "Devil in a Bottle" from Blackheart Revolution (2009)

3.5/5. This one totally rocks out with its Rob Zombie vibe and makes up a lot for the previous songs' fails.

Rob Zombie - "The Satanic Rites of Blacula" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)

4/5. Speaking of Rob Zombie... Da da da-da-da, da da da-da-da! H*ll, this sounds good and catchy, though a bit Satanic.

Godflesh - "Shut Me Down" from A World Lit Only by Fire (2014)

4.5/5. I like the shuffled rhythm in this one. Light it up, Godflesh!

AP2 - "The Pact" from Suspension of Disbelief (2000)

5/5. My favorite song in this AP2 album is a softer industrial rock/metal track with no lyrics, only Indian-style chanting by vocalist Sage. That and the catchy pop-ish tone might remind some of The Prayer Chain, and the song shows actions can sing louder than words.

Pain - "Go With the Flow" from Go With the Flow (2024)

5/5. Incredible track from Pain's upcoming album I Am! This could get a lengthy extension and I would still enjoy it.

Peace, Love & Pitbulls - "Kemikal" from 3 (1997)

4.5/5. An amazing NIN-like song with good vocals, that should've ended up in a Resident Evil soundtrack.

Fear Factory - "Hatred Will Prevail (Monolith Remix)" from Recoded (2022)

4/5. A killer remix of "Monolith", done by session member Rhys Fulber who's best known as a member of Front Line Assembly. I enjoy the vocals at the end.

Mushroomhead - "Just Pretending" from Savior Sorrow (2006)

4.5/5. Horns up to this wicked track that makes me up to reviewing Mushroomhead's discography leading up to this month's feature release.

In This Moment - "Sanctify Me" from Godmode (2023)

5/5. Maria Brink can really scream in the verses of this powerful highlight.

Author & Punisher - "Misery" from Krüller (2022)

4.5/5. Drone-ish industrial metal misery. Next!

Scum of the Earth - "Born Again Masochist" from The Devil Made Me Do It (2012)

4/5. F***ing h*ll, this band can blend metal and dubstep seamlessly after Korn's attempt to do that in The Path of Totality. Mike Riggs' creativity shines like a motherf***er.

ASP - "The Shadows Beneath the Roots" from Horrors - A Collection Of Gothic Novellas (2023)

3.5/5. Here's some dark Neue Deutsche Härte like a more gothic Rammstein. I still can't get the appeal of that subgenre though.

Treponem Pal - "Crazy Woman" from Screamers (2023)

4/5. Another song I like. I like this "Crazy, Crazy Woman".

Emigrate - "In My Tears" from Emigrate (2007)

4.5/5. Another cool song from this Rammstein side-project.

D'espairsRay - "Marry of the Blood -Bloody Minded Mix-" from Coll:Set (2006)

5/5. After a year of adding a few D'espairsRay songs into The Sphere playlists, I'm finally enjoying this band's material, including this lovely remix.

Mechina - "Reclamation of Mortal Nature" from Tyrannical Resurrection (2007)

4.5/5. Some songs from Mechina's debut The Assembly of Tyrants were re-recorded for this EP Tyrannical Resurrection. This band can sound killer even at a time before adding a bombastic truckload of symphonics and female vocals to their subsequent releases.

Sybreed - "Hightech Versus Lowlife" from God is an Automaton (2012)

4/5. The intro and the midsection sound so brutal as part of the cyber/industrial metal greatness.

Neurotech - "Blue Screen Planet (Part II Revelation)" from Blue Screen Planet (2011)

4.5/5. Most metalheads and more upbeat music listeners can't go past the first half of this serene Hans Zimmer-like composition, but I can! It's amazing how magical this piece sounds as it transports you out of the harsh reality of Earth into the astral plane. It works well with the video game No Man's Sky. So instead of unleashing metal in maximum power, let the cool ambience move you into this different dimension. By the 5th minute, you'll already be one with the multiverse.

Turmion Kätilöt - "To Be Contiuned, Kohtaus 3" from Dance Panique (2017)

5/5. Then after waking up from that universal dream, it's time to party with this incredible finale that's much better than the first two "To Be Continued" acts, sounding more like a real song or epic. Nothing bad about that one at all!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness throughout, especially in the first half. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

April 2024

1. Bad Omens, Poppy - "V.A.N." from V.A.N. (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Gothminister - "Dark Salvation" from Empire of Dark Salvation (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Deathstars - "All the Devil's Toys" from The Perfect Cult (2014) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Nailbomb - "Vai toma no cu" from Point Blank (1994) [submitted by Daniel]

5. Lord of the Lost - "Blood & Glitter" from Blood & Glitter (2022)

6. Marilyn Manson - "Tourniquet" from Antichrist Superstar (1996)

7. Rammstein - "Morgenstern" from Reise, Reise (2004)

8. Genitorturers - "Devil in a Bottle" from Blackheart Revolution (2009)

9. Rob Zombie - "The Satanic Rites of Blacula" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)

10. Godflesh - "Shut Me Down" from A World Lit Only by Fire (2014)

11. AP2 - "The Pact" from Suspension of Disbelief (2000)

12. Pain - "Go With the Flow" from Go With the Flow (2024)

13. Peace, Love & Pitbulls - "Kemikal" from 3 (1997)

14. Fear Factory - "Hatred Will Prevail (Monolith Remix)" from Recoded (2022)

15. Mushroomhead - "Just Pretending" from Savior Sorrow (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. In This Moment - "Sanctify Me" from Godmode (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

17. Author & Punisher - "Misery" from Krüller (2022)

18. Scum of the Earth - "Born Again Masochist" from The Devil Made Me Do It (2012)

19. ASP - "The Shadows Beneath the Roots" from Horrors - A Collection Of Gothic Novellas (2023)

20. Treponem Pal - "Crazy Woman" from Screamers (2023)

21. Emigrate - "In My Tears" from Emigrate (2007)

22. D'espairsRay - "Marry of the Blood -Bloody Minded Mix-" from Coll:Set (2006)

23. Mechina - "Reclamation of Mortal Nature" from Tyrannical Resurrection (2007)

24. Sybreed - "Hightech Versus Lowlife" from God is an Automaton (2012)

25. Neurotech - "Blue Screen Planet (Part II Revelation)" from Blue Screen Planet (2011)

26. Turmion Kätilöt - "To Be Contiuned, Kohtaus 3" from Dance Panique (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

I've just done my review, here's its summary:

Turmion Katilot started off on a perfect note with Hoitovirhe, plummeted down in quality in Perstechnique, and in subsequent albums, started slowly climbing back up. The ascent continues with Omen X, their 10th album and second one released by Nuclear Blast. Many of the songs have trance-y industrial metal energy to get you excited with its catchy chaos from the electro synths and riff groove alongside background choirs. With lots of different riffs and keyboards for a great time, there's no doubt Omen X will get you hooked into dance-y industrial metal. Party on!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Gabriel", "Pyhä kolminaisuus", "Verestä sokea", "Sormenjälki", "Käy tanssiin", "Kuolettavia vammoja"

For fans of: PAIN, Deathstars, Rammstein

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Godflesh - "Like Rats" from Streetcleaner (1989)

5/5. Kicking off this playlist is one of the heavier well-known industrial metal tracks, a furious groove track with a noise-powered bridge ("You breed...like rats!!").

Turmion Katilot - "Hengita" from Hengita (2022)

5/5. An absolute Finnish party rock anthem! The vocals are a bit drowned out, but I don't care.

Rave the Reqviem - "Ofelia" from Ofelia (2023)

4.5/5. Spotify knows what I like when searching for industrial metal. I love the idea of several vocalists at once, something already used by Amaranthe. The amazing beauty of the female vocals ("All colors have faded, but one inside you, like the eyes of the devil eternally blue") are leveled up by the background male choirs when they sing "O-Ofelia!" How f***ing g****mn serene! What's also interesting is, the ex-female vocalist before the new one is the mother of the frontman.

Dodheimsgard - "Ion Storm" (title swapped with "Carpet Bombing" on Spotify) from 666 International (1999)

4/5. This one greatly displays what its original album is about; an industrial beat and shouting that leads into black metal riffing. Industrial black metal really takes time to sink in, and it can sink in well for those who have black metal in their passion.

Eisbrecher - "Liebe Macht Monster" from Liebe Macht Monster (2021)

3.5/5. Some nice well-done lyrics despite being all in German. Next!

Rob Zombie - "Demonoid Phenomenon" from Hellbilly Deluxe (1998)

4/5. This one prevails in dark anarchy.

Static-X - "Black Star" from Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 (2024)

4.5/5. The project continues greatly. RIP Wayne Static.

Mnemic - "Deathbox" from The Audio Injected Soul (2004)

5/5. This single has tons of madness to be injected in your mind and soul, especially in the AM3D technology.

Red Harvest - "Cybernaut" from Sick Transit Gloria Mundi (2002)

4.5/5. REALITY IS BORING! Escape into the industrial fantasy of this band!

Blood From the Soul - "Natures Hole" from To Spite the Gland That Breeds (1994)

4/5. Sludgy hardcore industrial metal. Enough said!

Killing Joke - "Whiteout" from Pandemonium (1994)

4/5. Then we return to the heavier chaos with the kind of energy I needed to make sure I don't get bored to death at some points.

Fear Factory - "Cloning Technology" from Remanufacture – Cloning Technology (1997)

4.5/5. The Remanufacture remixes are quite killer, though they don't do the exact same justice as the originals. Industrial remixes can sometimes kick f***ing a**. "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE THAT WAY!"

In This Moment - "We Will Rock You" from Mother (2020)

5/5. This one lights up the fire as an epic cover of the Queen hit, featuring Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) and Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless). F*** yeah, that's the female-powered anthem we need alongside Evanescence's "Use My Voice"!

Ghostemane - "Convoluted" from Fear Network II (2021)

4.5/5. This is f***ing one of those weird yet underrated songs. We really need more songs like this that aren't as bare industrial as Front Line Assembly or Skinny Puppy.

Realize - "Crest Dispersal" from Two Human Minutes (2023)

4/5. Things get a bit weirder while still enjoyable to some degree.

White Zombie - "Blood, Milk and Sky (Miss September Mix)" from Supersexy Swingin' Sounds (1996)

3.5/5. Basically one of my favorite songs from Astro-Creep 2000 given a sexier remix treatment by P.M. Dawn. RIP Prince Be

Raubtier - "En hjältes väg" from Skriet Från Vildmarken (2010)

3/5. Sabaton would make a cover of this song, and that's actually more worth listening to than the original.

Emigrate - "This is What" from Emigrate (2007)

3.5/5. This is WHAT?! This is a cool song from this Rammstein side-project, that's what!

The Mad Capsule Markets - "Let It Rip -Download From Joujouka" from CiSTm K0nFLiqT (2004)

4/5. 3, 2, 1! Let the techno-industrial metal rip!

Lord of the Lost - "The Heart is a Traitor" from Judas (2021)

3.5/5. G****mn these driving drums, they're so good!

Khost - "Iversion" from Corrosive Shroud (2015)

3/5. A bit too drone-ish there. Let's move on...

P.H.O.B.O.S. - "Gregarious" from Tectonics (2005)

3.5/5. Same with this one, but with a more brain-melting blend of heaviness and melody.

Sybreed - "Ex Inferis" from Antares (2007)

4/5. A Sybreed song ending up on the radio of a movie/video game soundtrack would be interesting. Think HALO or Red Alert.

Neurotech - "The Halcyon Symphony" from Symphonies (2016)

4.5/5. Neurotech's symphonies can take your soul through a galactic adventure. Wulf knows how to master the art of symphonies as greatly as Hans Zimmer, and possibly also Mozart and Bach, while blending the orchestral arrangements with his usual cyber metal. It's impressive how well your creativity can take you when composing such a piece. This should really be more popular, seriously! The speaker frequency would be greatly enhanced with its intricacy and drama. F***ing outstanding!

Gothminister - "Somewhere in Time" from The Other Side (2017)

5/5. After two instrumentals (one short and one long), it all comes down to something so spooky, and I'm just talking about the riffing and whispered baritone vocals. It's actually a melodic symphonic closer to this dark industrial metal journey.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness throughout, especially in the second half. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

A techno-pop sh*tter that I would rather not talk much about:

US industrial metal legends Ministry have yet another new full-length coming out next month under the suggestive title of "Hopiumforthemasses". I believe this will be their gazillionth album if I'm not mistaken. Admittedly the public has generally discarded everything they've done for decades now so I can't see them pulling out an unexpected classic at this point. I think the last Ministry record I actually checked out was 1996's "Filth Pig" though so what would I know.

Godflesh - "Slavestate" (1991)

Birmingham industrial metal legends Godflesh had absolutely blown me away with their debut album "Streetcleaner" in 1989/90. I was just a young & impressionable chap at the time & had heard nothing like the dark, noisy & abrasive sounds that were coming out of my stereo speakers when I initially absorbed songs like "Head Dirt", "Christbait Rising" & "Like Rats" on late-night metal radio & my subsequent investigation of the record in its entirety would be nothing short of breath-taking. I'd quickly investigate Godflesh's earlier 1988 self-titled E.P. & would find it to be really solid too but the addition of a couple of extra tracks for the CD version made all the difference & saw me also claiming "Godflesh" as a classic release. 1991's "Slavestate" E.P. would be a bit of a slow burner for some but I would find myself captivated & enthralled by the sheer originality & creativity that Justin Broadrick (Jesu/Napalm Death/Fall of Because), G.C. Green (Fall of Because) & Paul Neville (Fall of Because) had managed to dish up. It was a completely uncompromising & ground-breaking experiment that wouldn't sit well with everyone but which I simply seemed to understand on more of a visceral level than most people could achieve.

The major difference with "Slavestate" is the introduction of elements of electronic dance music within Godflesh's dark & oppressive sound, an idea that didn't sit well with some. I may not have known it at the time but I would later go on to discover that I hold a burning passion for techno music so perhaps I'm just more open to this sort of idea but the new hybrid sound worked beautifully as far as I was concerned. Don't get me wrong. This was still well & truly an industrial metal record & was easily identifiable as being the same artist that produced "Streetcleaner" but there'd been a clear adjustment in timbre & atmosphere which was perhaps always destined to polarize listeners.

The four tracks included on the vinyl edition of the E.P. are all of a very high quality with the lengthiest of them "Perfect Skin" being an absolute masterpiece & ensuring that "Slavestate" would be regarded as an industrial metal classic. The CD version of the release was more of a compilation though with the addition of the "Slavestate Remixes" & "Slateman/Wound '91" singles which were both just as classic in their own rights. The combination of the three releases sees the CD version slightly topping the standard vinyl edition with the stronger electro-industrial direction of the remixes giving it an even more fresh & exciting feel that I genuinely love. "Slavestate Total State Mix" & "Slateman" would go on to become anthems for my youth while "Slavestate (Radio Slave)" wasn't all that far behind either.

Despite the lukewarm response, I can't help but feel that "Slavestate" is another masterpiece of cold, abrasive industrial art that was clearly ahead of its time & suffered a little bit for it. It may not quite have matched "Streetcleaner" for sheer menace but it certainly marked a clear pathway for the future that would see Broadrick & co. running amok in a world of electronic madness & rarely failing to deliver anything short of top-class results. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I regard "Slavestate" as a better record than the more widely celebrated "Godflesh" E.P. these days which is really saying something. I would definitely recommend making the investment in the CD/Spotify version of the release though as I feel like it's the more complete edition with each of the three releases getting better & better as the CD progresses. Fans of Pitch Shifter, Fall of Because & Skin Chamber should regard "Slavestate" as another essential Godflesh release as far as I'm concerned.

4.5/5

Today I decided to check out a couple cyber metal albums to gain some ideas for tracks in future Sphere playlists, both of which each deserve a 4-star rating from me:

Part of a massive conceptual saga that is basically like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe combined and played out like Rhapsody of Fire's sagas, all in a bombastic style of extreme djenty symphonic/cyber metal.

A compilation of 4 EXACTLY 10-minute grand instrumental epics that are dubbed, you guessed it, "symphonies", released as singles before a whole collection of them, all in the project's symphonic take of the usual ambient electro-industrial/cyber metal.

Also, Symphonies II has the industrial metal genre and cyber metal subgenre, but it's missing The Sphere clan on the release page. Could you please correct that in the database, Daniel? Thanks.

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Deathstars - "Chertograd" from Night Electric Night (2009)

5/5. Kicking off this playlist is this song from one of the best bands of cyber/industrial metal. It is an epic beautiful start to another amazing Deathstars album that is Night Electric Night. Chertograd is Russian for "Cursed Town". The female singing sounds serene, but we don't know who performs it.

Mechina - "Xenon" from Xenon (2014)

4.5/5. F***ing underrated epic cinematic cyber metal to love! You can just imagine travelling through lightyears of space and centuries (even millennia) of time.

Strapping Young Lad - "Skeksis" from Alien (2005)

5/5. This brutal track is where you can hear Gene Hoglan's amazing drumming that might've inspired the more metal side of Protest the Hero. The drumming is filled with punishment, no remorse. Finally, the vocals kick in that are amazing as always, along with fast riffs and neat keyboards all over.

Godflesh – "Nihil" from Cold World E.P. (1991)

5/5. One of the best Godflesh songs to strike you with fear and pleasure. Adding to the creepy bleakness is this track being featured in the 1995 film Hideaway. The scene that has that song is a good reason not to sh*t on that poor film. Justin Broadrick is quite a beast when it comes to performing guitars and vocals. With the usual feeling of dread, I both understand and don't understand why their music hasn't ended up any more film soundtracks.

HEALTH - "SICKO [Feat. GODFLESH]" from RAT WARS (2023)

4.5/5. This one follows as another highlight, sampling Godflesh's "Like Rats", specifically its noise-powered bridge ("You breed...like rats!!").

Ministry - "Goddamn White Trash" from Goddamn White Trash (2023)

4/5. A pretty great single for Ministry's upcoming possible final release Hopium for the Masses. Clearly they took some aspects from Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie after being those artists' opening act.

Lock the Basement - "Feed Our Lie" from Feed Our Lie (2020)

3.5/5. A creative banger without ever having to do mathy djent.

Fear Factory - "Industrial Discipline" from Mechanize (2010)

4/5. This one blasts through with the band's earlier deathly industrial metal. It ends with a cool outro that just stops abruptly. It's a small issue, but quite great nonetheless.

Lord of the Lost - "Destruction Manual" from Blood & Glitter (2022)

3.5/5. Some catchy industrial dance metal there. Enough said!

Gothminister - "Devil" from Gothic Electronic Anthems (2003)

4/5. This one is slightly darker than the other single from Gothminister's debut, "Angel", adding to the "Devil vs. Angel" motive.

Mnemic - "Jack Vegas" from The Audio Injected Soul (2004)

4.5/5. More personality is included in this track, including the dialogue performed by Michael Bøgballe in multiple vocal styles.

Sybreed - "In the Cold Light" from The Pulse of Awakening (2009)

4/5. Who knew a depressive power ballad can fit so f***ing well in industrial/cyber metal? It's suitable for suffering in the despair of the bleak pandemic. The heavy final minute is so beautiful. Think a band like PAIN can do something like that?

Nailbomb - "Cockroaches" from Point Blank (1994)

4.5/5. This one stands out as another favorite, having some of the highest quality in its original album.

Pitchshifter - "Hangar 84" from Infotainment? (1996)

4/5. When you hear what sounds like drum 'n' bass with lots of audio samples, you know that's when Pitchshifter was moving out of their heavier Godflesh-infused sound.

Dødheimsgard - "Traces of Reality" from Satanic Art (1998)

4.5/5. Black metal is often filled with satanic chaos, and as amazing as this one sounds (because it's also close to industrial metal), it's not something I would want to have long-term if I don't want my angelic purity to be TOUCHED BY THE DEVILISH ONE (audio sample from Twin Peaks). Still this is pure f***ing chaos that shows how industrial metal can blend well black metal rather than electro-dance. And this EP is much different from the psychedelic avant-prog metal sound of A Umbra Omega. The beasts of the North are alive, not for the faint of heart.

Static-X - "Otsego Placebo" from Project Regeneration Vol. 1 (2020)

4/5. A pretty great single as part of the first half of the Project Regeneration duo of albums in memory of Wayne Static. Whether or not Xer0 really is Edsel Dope, he knows how to respectfully resurrect Wayne's vocal power. The audio samples are apparently from Total Recall.

Emigrate - "Get Down" Silent So Long (2014)

3.5/5. Hot lyrics and hot vocals from the song's guest vocalist Peaches. The killer heaviness doesn't crash in until literally the last minute.

N.K.V.D. - "Sloboda" from Totalitarian Industrial Oppression (2016)

3/5. Some decent Celtic Frost gone industrial vibes while subtly referencing infamous World War II leaders.

Uniform - "Delco" from Shame (2020)

3.5/5. Pretty solid music here, a bit like a blend of Ministry, Dope, and to a lesser extent, Deftones. "YOU ARE WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU ARE WHAT'S BEEN DONE TO YOU!"

2 Times Terror - "Vielä joskus" from Equals One Sudden Death (2010)

4/5. 2 Times Terror was a one-off side-project by MC Raaka Pee of Turmion Katilot, this project having more Rammstein vibes. I probably would love this track more if the lyrics were in English and they did not have the bridge with the baby noises before the final chorus.

KMFDM - "Take'm Out" from Blitz (2009)

3.5/5. Another industrial rock/metal track heavily covered in audio samples. Take it or lose it!

Autarkh - "Cyclic Terror" from Form in Motion (2021)

4/5. Holy sh*t, this is quite g****mn heavy! But I've heard better.

Eisbrecher - "Im Guten Im Bösen" from Liebe Macht Monster (2021)

3.5/5. Eisbrecher knows how to get their sound going in an addictive direction. It's a pity I can't really get the NDH appeal.

OOMPH! - "Ein Kleines Bisschen Glück" from Richter Und Henker (2023)

3/5. Oomph! is still going smoothly after their replacing longtime member Dero Goi with a different vocalist. I still can't get the NDH appeal, but this is still a decent song to conclude another solid Sphere playlist.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness throughout, especially in the second half. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

It's been decades since I've heard "Point Blank" but I've got to admit that it's delivered exactly what I remembered it being capable of in that it's a decent listen but isn't one that commands much in the way of return listens, despite presenting some clear potential. The tracklisting kicks off in very strong fashion with the opening two songs being amongst the highlights of the album but the remainder of the run time is a little hit & miss to be honest, even though there's only the one track in the proper tracklisting that I consider to be a genuine failure in the flat industrial piece "Shit Pinata". There's a fair bit of variation on offer, despite Nailbomb being predominantly an industrial metal band. The thrash metal component isn't really enough for a primary tag & I'd suggest that there's much more crossover thrash than there is your more conventional thrash metal anyway. You'll also pick up some clear groove metal & sludge metal influences along with some smatterings of martial industrial & conventional industrial music along the way for a result that sounds very much like a combination of Sepultura's "Chaos AD" & Ministry's "Psalm 69" with smatterings of Fudge Tunnel's "Hate Songs in E Minor" tossed in for good measure. It's just that "Point Blank" never quite reaches the heights of those records which is the real shame. Don't get me wrong. It's by no means a bad record but it does struggle to command the attention it once seemed to receive with very little effort these days.

3.5/5

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Sphere for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Sphere Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.0 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Neurotech - Ave Neptune

In This Moment - Godmode

Till Lindemann - Zunge

Mechina - Cenotaph

HEALTH - Rat Wars

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Sphere and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=9&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

The only real contenders for The Sphere Release of 2023 are Godflesh's "Purge" & In This Moment's "Godmode" with less than a week to go so get those ratings in.

I perhaps don't enjoy "666 International" quite as much as I did when Ben first brought my attention to it back fifteen years ago. I'd describe it as being an avant-garde industrial black metal release that combines the industrial black metal sound of Thorns with the avant-garde metal of Ved Buens Ende.... & throws in a little Aborym for good measure. It's certainly a very interesting record that perennially keeps you on your toes but it's also a flawed one in many ways. You see, there are just so many ideas floating around but not all of them work from a compositional sense with the outcome sounding noticeably pieced together from widely disparate parts. It also sounds to me like an intentional attempt to sound weird rather than a natural creative evolution. The black metal components are unsurprisingly my favourite sections while a couple of the piano interludes representing the weaker moments. The vocals of Thorns/Zyklon-B front man Aldrahn are certainly pretty psychotic but he also overdoes it a little bit at times & comes off like a raving madman. The production is a little inconsistent with the guitar sound being pretty thin & the electronic drums sitting further back in the mix than I would normally like with an industrial metal release. I do really enjoy the gothic rock influences though & would have liked Dødheimsgard to have explored those a little further. My favourite tracks are opener "Shiva-Interfere", the blackened "Sonar Bliss", the lovely piano interlude "Magic" & the gothic rock hidden track but none reach classic status which leaves me with a middling score overall &, even while I generally find myself enjoying the album, I can also see why I haven't felt the need to return to "666 International" or explore Dødheimsgard's subsequent material over the last decade or so.

3.5/5 

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Samael - "Exodus" from Exodus (1998)

4.5/5. A great song to start this playlist. What can I say?

Godflesh - "Post Self" from Post Self (2017)

5/5. This one opens with the band's classic sound; a pounding drum beat and simple heavy riffing. The soundscape is relaxing yet dissonant. Nothing's out of place! This cohesive sound is still doing well after all those years of experience.

Red Harvest - "Absolut Dunkel: Heit" from Cold Dark Matter (2000)

4.5/5. HOLY F***, Red harvest has gone black metal, with Fenriz of Darkthrone by their side! And things get more insane at over the one and a half minute mark.

Trust Obey - "The Soul is a Temple of Wire Carcasses" from Fear and Bullets: The Tides of Sin (2018)

4/5. Pretty great long ambient industrial metal track, though a bit draggy.

Irving Force - "Void" from Void (2020)

3.5/5. A good catchy industrial metal single, something radio listeners shouldn't chicken out from listening to.

Aesthetic Perfection - "S E X" from S E X (2021)

4/5. Aesthetic Perfection has spawned a touch of golden fire, heated by the guitar skills of Sebastian Svalland (PAIN, In Mourning).

Ludovico Technique - "Silence" from Silence (2022)

4.5/5. I'm glad to find some good discoveries on Spotify when assembling my playlists. This band's goth-ish industrial metal remains standing.

Fear Factory - "Replica" from Demanufacture (1995)

5/5. Perhaps the most famous song by the band! It's not my ultimate favorite song from the band, but its straight pace and killer chorus make that single a perfect one. It was later covered by symphonic metal band Epica. If you're not sure about that cover, don't be an Epica "Replica" replica skeptica! lol

Omega Lithium - "Kinetik" from Kinetik (2011)

5/5. This one perfectly exemplifies what its original album is made of, from the beating heart.

Deathstars - "The Perfect Cult" from The Perfect Cult (2014)

5/5. Another perfect track that you just gotta hear to believe!

Mechina - "Tyrannos" from Telesterion (2019)

4.5/5. 2019 is one of metal's greatest years in the modern era. This epic-sounding piece of cinematic classical cyber metal might help seal that deal. And the lyrics are delivered well too, "CHILDREN OF EMPYREAN, DESCENDANTS OF ACHERON".

Oblivion Machine - "Reflexion and Dust" from The Moon Ailments Anthology (2017)

4/5. High-quality cyber metal. Enough said!

Sybreed - "Revive My Wounds" from Antares (2007)

4.5/5. I haven't heard much from this band, but the beat here is so d*mn good.

Pain - "Leave Me Alone" from You Only Live Once (2011)

5/5. I just adore both PAIN's cover of this song and the original by Sonic Syndicate. This might fit well for the soundtrack of action-packed anime shows like Black Rock Shooter. Lots of incredible potential here!

In This Moment - "Everything Starts and Ends with You" from Godmode (2023)

4.5/5. In This Moment has been adopting more NIN-esque electronic influences than before. There is one person in your realm that will be your life-force, from the start to the end. Their new album Godmode brings back their earlier elements from their first 4 albums while continuing their more industrial direction. It certainly can work for a video game of heavenly universal connection. While the albums since Black Widow aren't quite the same as their earlier ones, they still have the ability to throw back.

Khost - "Last Furnace" from Buried Steel (2020)

4/5. Some early Godflesh vibes can be found in this song in a more drone-ish pace.

Diabolicum - "Chained on Demonwings" from The Grandeur of Hell (1999)

3.5/5. Industrial black metal that acts as kind of a bridge between Dodheimsgard's Satanic Art and 666 International.

Megaherz - "Kannst Du Den Himmel Sehn?" from In Teufels Namen (2023)

3/5. Seems like the band is restoring their earlier balladry, but it sounds a little too emo-ish to me.

SKYND - "Richard Ramirez" from Chapter I (2018)

4.5/5. My favorite of this SKYND EP. Skynd herself sings more naturally here, and it's quite fantastic, though I'm OK with the strange effects. Richard Ramirez was another serial killer, known as the Night Stalker.

Killing Joke - "Invocation" from Hosannas from the Basements of Hell (2006)

4/5. The music and lyrics sound f***ing supernatural here. I definitely like the beat. This was Paul Raven's last album with the band before his passing the next year, RIP. There's some ominous cello to go along with the strings. It would've been cooler if the beat was more synchronized, but it's still OK.

Unheilig - "Puppenspieler" from Puppenspiel (2008)

3.5/5. Another nice crazy song to enjoy a bit. Next!

Dodheimsgard - "21st Century Devil" from Supervillain Outcast (2007)

4/5. I'm quite obsessed with the music this band has made, even with their sound always changing. Still this can't beat 666 International. The song title is a highly possible reference to "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, and has a similar experimental industrial metal vibe to Voivod's cover. I love the beginning synths.

Mnemic - "Within" from Sons of the System (2010)

4.5/5. This is another well-accomplished feat, where the nice melody is in engaging contrast with the heavy groove.

Gothminister - "Thriller (Extended Version)" from Happiness in Darkness (2008)

5/5. Ending this playlist is a superb cover of that Michael Jackson hit. It's clear that Brem is straining beyond his limits, but that doesn't matter. This is the extended version that's twice as long and includes part of the original narration by Vincent Price. More fitting for the October playlist as a Halloween special, but never mind.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness throughout, especially in the second half. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Dance With the Dead - "March of the Dead" from Driven to Madness (2022)

3/5. Let's begin with a darksynth project that made a decent album intro of industrial metal. I guess the best part would have over the one-minute mark which sounds pretty cool. Time to bash some zombie warriors!

Static-X - "I'm With Stupid" from Wisconsin Death Trip (1999)

3.5/5. This one has some great lyrics to like, "HE'S A LOSER!!!"

In This Moment - "Army of Me" from Godmode (2023)

4/5. Maria Brink is quite impressive at making In This Moment covers of pop hits, like this Bjork classic.

Godflesh - "ARMY OF NON" from PURGE (2023)

4.5/5. This one has the band's unabridged purity. It throws back to the glory days of Streetcleaner with the hammering and screeching guitars alongside the harsh vocals of Broadrick. The diversity in the heaviness adds to their bleak aura.

Celldweller - "The Wings of Icarus" from Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol. 02 (2012)

5/5. One of the best instrumental songs I've heard, and it was in the trailer for Real Steel! With my brother loving that movie and these kinds of tracks mixing industrial metal with dubstep and TSFH-like orchestration, you bet he might get a kick out of this kick-A action. When the music rises up until the bass drop at exactly one minute in, you know you're in for an epic treat.

16volt - "Perfectly Fake" from Skin (1994)

4.5/5. A perfect hodgepodge of experimentation, similar to what Candiria was doing at that time, but the hardcore elements are replaced with industrial ones.

Mushroomhead - "Episode 29 (Hardcore Mix)" from Remix (1997)

4/5. "You're a nice person... You're a b***h!" F***ing killer remix!

Obsydians - "Ascension" from Ascension (2018)

3.5/5. Obsydians is a band form by members of Sybreed after that split with Sybreed vocalist Benjamin Nominet moving on to Shadow Domain. Cool guitars and vocals here.

Minority Sound - "The End of All" from The Explorer (2012)

3/5. This one starts off pretty cool, but the long ending is a little too much.

Kit Walters - "The Stains of Time (Maniac Agenda Mix)" from METAL GEAR RISING REVENGANCE VOCAL TRACKS (2013)

3.5/5. Pretty good song to love for some cyber metal action from Metal Gear Rising.

Lock the Basement - "Green" from REVITALIZED (2021)

4/5. Although this is more of a HIM/Red Hot Chili Peppers-like track, it fits well for the concept of a strange claustrophobic future of disillusionment and desperation.

Genitorturers - "120 Days" from 120 Days of Genitorture (1993)

4.5/5. The dark sinister vibe is spawned straight from this track. The name of that song and this album reference Marquis de Sade’s unfinished erotic novel 120 Days of Sodom. Already, the lyrical message has some deep power.

Omega Lithium - "Nebula" from Dreams in Formaline (2009)

5/5. The humanity-threatened monster continues to roam in this scary yet catchy masterpiece composition. Within the evil synthesized violins and cold vocals, the creature has DNA from the aliens of Nebula who wage war on Earth to tire out the human rebellion.

Code Orange - "A Drone Opting Out of the Hive" from The Above (2023)

5/5. A perfect hip-hop-ish industrial metal track in which this crossover idea works so well!

Fear Factory - "Controlled Demolition" from Mechanize (2010)

4.5/5. This one also stands out with its heaviness, with lyrics detailing the government being blamed for 9/11. Of course, there's something different to blame, so theorists should cut the bullsh*t. In the bridge is a sample of the 911 call from one of the victims in the World Trade Center as the tower started collapsing ("OH GOD! HELP-").

D'espairsRay - "BORN" from BORN (2004)

5/5. D*mn, I love this insane song. The vocals blend well with the instruments without getting drowned out. It's sad that a band this awesome gets poor attention.

Dawn of Ashes - "Ahriman" from The Crypt Injection II (Non Serviam) (2019)

4.5/5. Black-ish industrial metal/aggrotech similar to Psyclon Nine. Enough said.

Waltari - "Far Away" from Space Avenue (1997)

5/5. A catchy poppy industrial metal single, with more of the cosmic keyboards and vocal fuzz.

Gravity Kills - "Never" from Gravity Kills (1996)

3.5/5. A heavy track with decent singing. What else to say?

Till Lindemann - "Lecker" from Zunge (2023)

4/5. I really like this track that has gigantic synths and grooves as Lindemann shines in melody and occasional raspy vocals that he has been using recently.

Red Harvest - "Move or Be Moved" from Newrage World Music (1998)

4.5/5. Excellent preview to a song later appearing in Cold Dark Matter.

Mnemic - "Sons of the System" from Sons of the System (2010)

5/5. This one brings back some of the band's earlier riff technicality especially in the fast thrashy verses, but they haven't forgotten about their more recent catchy choruses worth singing along to.

Control Human Delete - "Transporter" from The Prime Mover (2013)

4.5/5. Black-ish industrial metal similar to that Dawn of Ashes track, but without any aggrotech.

Ministry - "Relapse" from Relapse (2012)

4/5. Al Jourgensen continues to kick a**, as his vocals, guitars, and beats get better and smash through, with some cool samples to add to the punch, though the lyrics are a bit off. This unstoppable drug-hungry force might just be in the famous metal club of Black Sabbath, Pantera, Slayer, and Metallica. Here, Ministry is reinventing the Psalm 69 wheel and adding a bit of an alt-nu metal vibe to the usual industrial metal. The cymbals sounds a little weird in the chaos. The drugs Al has been taking during the recording of Relapse seem to enhance the mayhem. Just hang in there...

Strommoussheld - "Era Depression" from Halfdecadence (2004)

3.5/5. Great bass line in this song, but I have nothing else to comment there.

Bliss Signal - "Bliss Signal" from Bliss Signal (2018)

4/5. This one's also pretty great, adding some blackgaze to industrial metal.

Oomph! - "Ich bin Du" from Oomph! (1992)

4.5/5. This is actually one of my favorite Oomph! songs and, yep I'm saying this, it's metal enough to be in this playlist with some guitars in full prominence at the most needed parts.

Gothminister - "Boogeyman" from Utopia (2013)

5/5. And finally, we finishing this playlist with a complex entertaining 6-minute epic.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness throughout, especially in the first half. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

I recalled that I had taken some time to review this one already:

It has taken me the best part of a decade to get around to undertaking an erstwhile and meaningful effort to review the release that is recognised by some as being “the worst album in the history of death metal”. With so much negativity flying around it is difficult to write a genuinely impartial review based on how an album sounds to you personally. A task made no easier by the fact that the band in question are one of your favourite bands in death metal, responsible for some of the greatest albums the sub-genre has seen, and they have undertaken a huge change of direction and seemingly alienated the vast majority of their fanbase.

Looking on the internet there are two camps of opinion (broadly speaking) on Illud Divinum Insanus. ‘The “this is Ear Rape” Camp’, have a clear standpoint from the outset of their argument. In this camp you are most likely to hear that this album is all the fault of either a) David Vincent and his “fucked up ideas” or b) Trey Azagathoth for letting David Vincent do “whatever the fuck he likes”. The more rational ones in this camp still exhibit an astonishing lack of rational thought by citing Pete Sandoval having back surgery and finding Jesus as being the source of the problem. In the face of such astonishing, evidence-based, and well-researched findings it is hard to see how any opposing camp could possibly exist.

Amazingly, the second camp of opinion, ‘The “this isn’t so bad guys” Camp’ has managed to flourish in the face of such vehement opposition from the aforementioned “Ear Rape” camp dwellers. This second group of more open-minded music fans acknowledge some very important distinctions in their argument when compared with their more reactionary counterparts. Namely, they admit that a) it is in David Vincent’s gift to do whatever the fuck he likes and that b) Trey Azagathoth was quite good at video games by this point and wanted someone else to run point on the album because he had done more than a few years of good shit and had earned some time with his feet up. They tend to also acknowledge that Pete Sandoval had a debilitating injury that required surgery and his belief change was a more than reasonable step in his recovery and he was rightly (and publicly) proud of what he had achieved with Morbid Angel so let’s leave him out of this!

If I had to choose sides, then go right ahead and sign me for the latter of the two camps. I might not agree with everything either camp say but there is far more wrong with the “Ear Rape” sentiment to justify any involvement there. I mean looking at old reviews I did for the follow up to this record, I slate it based on cursory listens and peer pressure so I have had a foot in the former camp at some point.

So, I do not like Illud Divinum Insanus. I do not hate it either and I think the general backlash against it is both unnecessary and misguided, showing the rather grandiose idea that bands somehow owe something to their fans to stay on the same trajectory their whole career. The fact is though that this is not a Morbid Angel album (well apart from the two main players being kind of well-established with the band name – oh and the band logo on the front of the record), in fact it is not really a death metal album when taken in its entirety. Clearly carrying a variety of musical influences in their heads at the time there are lots of non-metal as well as various other sub-genres of metal being explored here and whether you like it or not is up to you. Whether you like the industrial-tinged elements is a matter of taste (I personally do not like a lot of industrial metal but find the elements here quite measured and appropriate). If you find the “bangers” type dance beats abhorrent, then any hope you have of any return to form in the future being of a Blessed… or better still an Altars… level of accomplishment is slim to zero.

The point is that bands move on, and musicians influences change. Records that defined part of your life will always remain relevant and your favourite band now going off in some previously unheralded direction is not the end of the world. Illud… is a bitter pill to swallow after nearly a decade of waiting for a follow up to Heretic, with little to no warning of what was coming from these titans of death metal. References to Domination keep popping up in the more amenable camp but I do not see those as really all that relevant and perhaps are just over-exuberant attempts to provide some sense to Illud… and make it more palatable.

Fact is, both Trey and David can do whatever they like. Do you have to like it? No. Tim Yeung and Destructhor are no more to blame if you dislike this album than Pete Sandoval is – the album just isn’t for you.

It seems very simple to me. If you like death metal and death metal done like it was in the 90s, then you will not like this record. Stop listening to it and saying nasty things about it on the internet some eleven years after it was released and just get the fuck on with your lives. If you want to hear something different that to my ears is not all that appealing overall, then take a risk and form your own opinion.

2.5/5

I've done my review, here's its summary:

Omega Lithium can make songs to get stuck in your mind, and I was certainly hooked! This is full-on industrial/gothic metal to please your ears. As this young cyber-sorceress Mya Mortensen guides you with her serene clean vocals through this dark sci-fi apocalyptic realm, you can hear evil bleak synths mixed with dark heavy riffing, along with lyrics detailing terrifyingly pleasant stories of love, horror, and destruction. I really love this album, and there's nothing here I don't like! Well, except for a small bit of the bonus track. Although this band is no more, their music shall continue shining in the future!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Infest", "Stigmata", "Nebula", "Snow Red", "Hollow March", "Point Blank"

For fans of: Deathstars, Genitorturers, Theatre of Tragedy's 2000s albums

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Strapping Young Lad - "Imperial" from Alien (2005)

4.5/5. Kicking off this playlist with a bang is this fantastic crushing intro. The song features humans within this machine; drummer Gene Hoglan, guitarist Jed Simon, bassist Byron Stroud, and Devin Townsend who also plays guitars while screaming with a bit of clean vocals. Great start!

PAIN - "Revolution" from Revolution (2023)

5/5. I only became interested in PAIN this year, and there's never a boring song. This is a beautiful inspiring masterpiece of a song. Peter Tagtgren is such a creative dude.

In This Moment - "Godmode" from Godmode (2023)

5/5. Maria Brink is a beautiful talented leader of her amazing band. Godmode already hints at a return to their heavier feel.

Rammstein - "Zeit" from Zeit (2022)

4.5/5. Mourning this virus-ridden cruelty, this ballad has soft piano and vocals, sounding restrained while still beautiful and remarkable.

Danzig - "Sacrifice" from Danzig 5: Blackacidevil (1996)

4/5. This one starts with a Nine Inch Nails-like intro before launching into a perfect industrial metal single that should've ended up in the 1997 Spawn film soundtrack.

Fall of Because - "Life is Easy" from Life is Easy (1999)

4.5/5. This song was re-recorded for Godflesh's Streetcleaner, with an approach easily compared to Swans before they moved out of their original industrial-noise sound at that time. Thanks to the dual guitar attack, bands like Pitchshifter would be able to emphasize their discordant lead work and help develop industrial metal.

Misery Loves Co. - "My Mind Still Speaks" from Misery Loves Co. (1995)

4/5. At the start of this track, you already know what a great industrial metal journey this is gonna be. The abrasive metal guitars play through the vocal blend of the growls of death metal and the singing of alternative metal.

White Zombie - "Electric Head, Part 1 (The Agony)" from Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

4.5/5. This one starts the album with awesome rock/metal riffing. There's intense speed, though not in faster metal levels, giving the track mighty power. This album and Fear Factory are great examples of industrial metal getting you higher than stoner metal listeners, without ever having to use drugs.

Genitorturers - "Sin City" from Sin City (1998)

4/5. This aggressive track offers some stylistic tricks up their sleeve.

16volt - "Motorskill" from Wisdom (1993)

4.5/5. This is an amazing industrial metal track like none other. The coldness of the riffing and beats march on with no fear. Anyone who thought this kind of mix shouldn't exist would be wrong!

OLD - "Marzuraan" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

5/5. One of my favorite songs from this band with innovative catchy noise, surpassing some of Godflesh's greatness.

Fear Factory - "Soul Hacker" from Genexus (2015)

4.5/5. Another groove-powered anthem worth it for the mosh pit.

HEALTH - "CHILDREN OF SORROW" from CHILDREN OF SORROW (2023)

4/5. A powerful jam of dark synthwave metal.

Static-X - "Z0mbie" from Z0mbie (2023)

4.5/5. Xero's smashing vocals may have a bit of a Rob Zombie vibe, but they help keep Wayne's legacy alive. RIP Wayne Static

Celldweller - "ShutEmDown" from Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol. 02 (2012)

5/5. Awesome metalstep that should fit well for a boss battle.

Sybreed - "The Line of Least Resistance" from God is an Automation (2012)

4.5/5. Holy f***, this cyber metal sound is just too good not to listen!

Illidiance - "Breaking the Limit" from Damage Theory (2010)

4/5. F***ing great piece of modern metal history! Those drums shall unleash a dark vortex as part of the bad-a** music.

Minority Sound - "Hate Circulation" from Drowner's Dance (2015)

4/5. More of this cyber metal potential to follow up from the Sybreed and Illidiance tracks.

T3CHN0PH0B1A - "Abduction Starfleet" from Grave New World (2008)

4.5/5. Sounds like this band has more of a harsher electronic sound, a bit like Psyclon Nine with Cradle of Filth vocals. The vocalist performs ungodly shrieks to unleash the industrial beast. I guess this can be spacey blackened electro-industrial metal. This is a different example of cyber metal from, say, Herrschaft, and it works well. You can also think of this as Blood Stain Child gone Immortal/Mayhem for a Kovenant-like blend. Still a bit of the energy from the keys and drums is missing, needing a bit of a kick.

Aborym - "Mental Striken Terror Action" from With No Human Intervention (2003)

5/5. Now there's the industrial black metal energy kick that I needed. Bravo!

ASP - "Furst der Finsternis" from Horrors - A Collection of Gothic Novellas (2023)

4.5/5. I was wondering when some more of the Neue Deutsche Härte would show up. This one's quite excellent though.

Hanzel Und Gretyl - "Aufweiderschen" from Uber Alles (2003)

4/5. This one fits well for when you're moving out of your childhood home and starting an independent path. I haven't had that experience yet, but I'll keep this song in mind for when I do. Beautiful whispers in a city in ruins before one final divebomb destroys the remains.

KMFDM - "WWIII" from WWIII (2003)

4.5/5. A great song to love, especially in the banjo intro before turning up the heavy volume. Seeing how this decade was suffering from COVID, followed by a couple wars in different regions, it may seem like WWIII may happen in the future. Stay peaceful, everyone! I can barely dig any of KMFDM's songs, but this one I can.

Tyrant of Death - "Nuclear Nanosecond" from Nuclear Nanosecond (2013)

4/5. The razor-sharp drumming blows my mind as much of the rest of the track that would fit well in a sci-fi movie/video game soundtrack set 100 years from now. This is pretty much instrumental atmospheric industrial deathgrind/progressive metalcore that sounds like if Celldweller and Mick Gordon made a collaboration for the Devil May Cry or Blade Runner soundtrack. The last minute of the track is certainly worth headbanging to. This can almost surpass the extreme factor of Strapping Young Lad's City!

Die Krupps - "Road Rage Warrior" from V - Metal Machine Music (2015)

3.5/5. Road Rage! He's a Road Rage Warrior!

Andrew Hulshult - "Keepers of the Gate" from Dusk (Original Game Soundtrack) (2018)

4/5. Some kick-A DOOM-like gaming metal with horror-filled atmosphere. Near the 3-minute mark, we switch to an eerily beautiful section with shotgun rhythm.

Godflesh - "The Infinite End" from Post Self (2017)

4.5/5. This track lets everything out from the band before ending with eerie synths, though it sounds like there should be more to come from the band. But at least there are a couple tracks to give this playlist a more complete ending.

Acumen Nation - "Bleed for You" from More Human Heart (1997)

4/5. This one makes me think of Red Harvest blended with the groove-ish instrumentation of Vision of Disorder at that time.

2wo - "Bed of Rust" from Voyeurs (1998)

3.5/5. Closing the playlist is the original album's epic-sounding climax. Seriously, you should stick around and be rewarded, despite a bit of trouble!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in towards the end. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Napalm Death - "Evolved as One" from From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988)

4.5/5. Now this is an interesting start to this playlist, suggested by Daniel. It's a song by UK grindcore pioneers Napalm Death, but rather a slow sludgy industrial metal track similar to Godflesh. An instrumental version of this track titled "The Curse" was used for an EP known for its cover art being that famous photograph of a Vietnamese girl running down the streets, suffering from a napalm attack that burned off her clothes. From the intro of that track, you can hear what's different the band's usual death/grind. Also a surprise is, the sludgy guitar is performed by Carcass guitarist Bill Steer. "WEAK MINDS!!!"

The Kovenant - "New World Order" from Animatronic (1999)

5/5. This highlight is a brilliant song that mixes heavy guitars with catchy techno. The chorus sounds so good in both the vocals and lyrics.

Strapping Young Lad - "In the Rainy Season" from Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing (1995)

4.5/5. This one continues to test out the anger that would be shoved up haters' f***ing a**es, adding to the album's general theme. There's also a well-placed clean chorus, an aspect later adopted by Soilwork.

Fear Factory - "Powershifter" from Mechanize (2010)

5/5. Another killer standout, what more can I say?

Static X - "Terrible Lie" from Terrible Lie (2023)

4.5/5. First hint at the next part of Static-X's Project Regeneration, and it's amazing hammer cover of an earlier Nine Inch Nails track. I have a bit of trouble with the deep tone though. Still missing you, Wayne. RIP

Lock the Basement - "Come Back to Life" from Come Back to Life (2020)

4/5. When I assemble the clan playlists, I often get the songs from YouTube and Spotify playlists. With this technique, I'm able to find cool songs like this easily! It's almost like Strapping Young Lad gone Rammstein.

Pitchshifter - "Genius" from www.pitchshifter.com (1998)

3.5/5. This highlight single is more bare but in great effect.

Red Harvest - "Symbol of Decay" from Internal Punishment Programs (2004)

4/5. This song and the rest of its album shows how different Red Harvest is from their awesome past while still being so d*mn good. True sludgy industrial metal right there!

Nine Inch Nails - "Mr. Self Destruct" from The Downward Spiral (1994)

4.5/5. And now here's a song from Nine Inch Nails themselves. Although it's from the album The Downward Spiral that's more of an industrial rock album, this track is one of a few from the album that's filled with bad-A industrial metal. This excellent high-quality song sounds beautiful while having a brutal message. No matter how f***ed up the message may seems, it really carries the point of the song smoothly. Pretty cool, huh? "I drag you down, I use you up, Mr. Self Destruct"

Gothminister - "Demons" from Demons (2022)

4/5. This one has poppy synths, along with a catchy chorus that you can't resist.

Lord of the Lost - "Loreley" from Thornstar (2018)

4.5/5. A dark industrial metal song to love. It's quite amazing hearing this tune that's half-Rammstein half-Gothminister.

Omega Lithium - "Breaking" from Kinetik (2011)

5/5. It's really such a shame that this band who made two albums of awesome addictive songs ended up disbanding afterwards. Absolutely underrated!

Code Orange - "Autumn and Carbine" from Underneath (2020)

4.5/5. Anthemic choruses add balance to this intensity!

Scum of the Earth - "Give Up Your Ghost" from Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium (2004)

4/5. It's great hearing something different yet intriguing from start to end in this track. Scum of the Earth is named after a track by former Rob Zombie guitarist Riggs, and this song sounds like some of Zombie's earlier solo work but slower and sadder. Quite mellow while never being mainstream-ish. Lots of dark emotion!

Ministry - "Broken System" from Moral Hygiene (2021)

4.5/5. We are all to blame for the truth that is spoken by Al Jourgensen. "We must! Act!! NOW!!! Are you ready?!"

Circle of Dust - "Aggressor - Regressive Mix" from Brainchild (1994)

5/5. I just love this gothic-ish industrial metal track, especially the whispered screams. I just wish there would be new music from Klayton's 90s project Circle of Dust. And I really need to get into more of his current project Celldweller. "Behave yourself!"

Killing Joke - "Communion" from Pandemonium (1994)

4.5/5. This excellent highlight has more of the Egyptian vibe than before to add more uniqueness to the album's style, as Kevin Walker's chords are in perfect blend with the percussion and violin.

Deathstars - "An Atomic Prayer" from Everything Destroys You (2023)

4/5. Strong groovy bass in this song. That's all that's super notable in this song really.

Deafkids, Petbrick - "O Antropoceno" from Deafbrick (2020)

3.5/5. This part of a collaboration release between Deafkids and Petbrick. Not bad, but it has too much industrial experimentation.

Raubtier - "A. I" from Överlevare (2019)

3/5. Perhaps the only true Neue Deutsche Härte song in this playlist. It's decent, but what catches me off-guard are those haunting robotic horns heard in the background. It's still somewhat good for the NDH future.

Zaraza - "Inti Raymi" from Spasms of Rebirth (2017)

3.5/5. Still slightly low-quality, but not too bad. This is pretty much industrial death-doom.

Samsas Traum - "Tineoidea" from Tineoidea oder: Die Folgen einer Nacht - Eine Gothic-Oper in Blut-Moll (2003)

4/5. This is another Sphere track that also explores The Fallen, in this case atmospheric gothic metal. It's quite a touching song that shouldn't be forgotten. Samsas Traum is German for "Samsas' Dream". I don't need to translate the German lyrics to English when the beautiful music embraces my heart.

Godflesh - "Locust Furnace" from Streetcleaner (1989)

4.5/5. Then into the Locust Furnace, the corpses of the human race are thrown into for their cremation. In that song, Justin continues his shouts of tortured devastation until the end ("FURNACE!!!").

Celldweller - "Aurora Borealis" from Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol. 01 (2008)

5/5. Know what I mean about me wanting to hear more Celldweller? This track has beautiful fire! And it's the perfect setup for a grand finale epic...

Casey Edwards, Victor Borba - "Bury the Light" from Bury the Light (2020)

4.5/5. "Bury the light deep within!!!" Straight from Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a motivational cyber metal epic like none other! It's slightly draggy, but nonetheless a grand exit from this playlist. And coincidentally a friend of mine showed me this song shortly before this comment!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in some places. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Thanks so much for this, Daniel! Here's my review summary:

Looking for the best of Godflesh's breakthrough debut in a live recording originally part of a broadcast in which the audio version wasn't released until 25 years later? Look no further to the Earache Peel Sessions! This EP was part of a split album with Carcass whose side consisted of songs from their goregrind era. In Godflesh's side, 4 of my favorite tracks from their debut Streetcleaner (including the Tiny Tears EP) are performed greatly in industrial metal grace. Not to mention, destruction that can pulverize you into a pulp with the bass and drum machine rolling under the burning guitar slashing through vocals of hopeless fury. This is very well a true display of their earlier material, and it can certainly please Godflesh fans in the present as it did back in 1989. 17 minutes of perfect industrial metal bliss!

5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Circle of Dust - "Exploration - Redux" from Circle of Dust (1995, 2016 remaster)

4.5/5. For 30 years, Klayton has pleased fans of electronica and/or metal with his original project Circle of Dust. This band's material makes up to checking out other projects of his like Argyle Park and the more popular Celldweller. Thanks so d*mn much, Klayton! Seriously!

Deathstars - "Tongues" from Termination Bliss (2006)

5/5. In contrast to that speedy opener, this is a slow melodic awesome song to get you pumped for incoming darkness. The deep dark voice sticks with the heavy electronic rhythm. I also enjoy the chorus and the female singing before it.

In This Moment - "THE PURGE" from THE PURGE (2023)

5/5. Maria Brink and co. are back with a powerful hint at their latest addition to their nearly two-decade discography, Godmode! I can hear quite a similar vibe to the more electronic material of Bring Me the Horizon and Motionless in White. The lyrics are quite eerie and fit well with the demonic-ish music. The more classic metalheads might know this band from their single "Black Wedding" featuring Judas Priest's Rob Halford.

Godflesh - "Land Lord" from Purge (2023)

5/5. Another true standout for me, having some killer harmonic bends in the strings.

Fear Factory - "New Messiah" from Re-Industrialized (2023)

4.5/5. There's more of the catchy majesty in this track with an epic chorus, from a revised version of the album The Industrialist.

OOMPH! - "Krüppel" from Wunschkind (1996)

4/5. Here's a song worth talking about! Dero's vocals sound close to growling as he details a story about getting kicked, punched, crippled... basically getting beaten up by vicious bullies. Now this is the Oomph I need in the lyrics that are heavy as the gradually distorted music. The emotion is what makes the song special in its own right. Sadly, there's no later song like that in its original album.

Rammstein - "Du riechst so gut" from Herzeleid (1995)

3.5/5. Another pretty good early example of Neue Deutsche Härte, despite recent allegations against frontman Till Lindemann.

KMFDM - "Ultra" from Nihil (1995)

4/5. Busting through is this nearly flawless track that you might know from the Street Fighter II animated movie.

Ministry - "N.W.O." from ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ [Psalm 69] (1992)

4.5/5. Opening things up in madness, this one starts with a sample of a siren alarm over the first riff, and the band set up the stage.

Gothminister - "Star" from Star (2022)

5/5. Now this one will get you hooked. The melody is an addictive throwback to the band's 2000s era that was more focused on electronics while still having a lot of metal.

Schwarzer Engel - "Requiem" from Kult der Krähe (2018)

4.5/5. Neue Deutsche Härte and gothic doom metal actually make a very cool mix. Keep it up!

Omega Lithium - "Hollow March" from Dreams in Formaline (2009)

5/5. The industrial/gothic metal blend is still on, albeit in a quick epic pace. D*mn, this band is so underrated!

3TEETH, Mick Gordon - "Merchant of the Void" from Merchant of the Void (2023)

4.5/5. Industrial fans are going crazy over this impressive collaboration between 3TEETH and Mick Gordon. Smashing!

Megaherz - "Jagdzeit" from Götterdämmerung (2012)

4/5. Some more kick-A NDH similar to their popular peers Rammstein.

Lindemann - "Platz Eins" from F & M (2019)

3.5/5. Speaking of Rammstein... Another song with Till Lindemann?!? Well, I already made this clear: Separate art from artist! F&M is different from the project's debut Skills in Pills, reverting back to Rammstein's NDH, instead of English-speaking industrial metal. This might have potential to be used in one of Seth MacFarlane's cartoons.

Red Harvest - "Beyond the Limits of Physical Xperience" from A Greater Darkness (2007)

4/5. SO DARK!!! Enough said...

Author & Punisher - "Women & Children" from Women & Children (2013)

3.5/5. And there's more of that freaky doomy darkness, this time from this one-man band formed by Tristan Shone.

The Interbeing - "Sins of the Mechanical" from Among the Amorphous (2017)

4/5. Although Sybreed, Mnemic, and Raunchy (sort of) are gone, this band The Interbeing has made up for that and gotten fans of those earlier bands f***ing mind-blown. There's even some atmospheric meat here! Of course, you can thank The Kovenant for inventing the subgenre this band has, cyber metal. And this song's original album isn't the f***ing last of this band, as there's another album released recently.

Breach the Void - "Digital Structure" from the Monochromatic Era (2010)

4.5/5. This almost reaches the top with those golden drums and vocals! Breach the Void is another band in the modern cyber metal league led by Sybreed, with ex-Sybreed drummer Alex Anxionaz being part of this band. And it makes me feel more energized than when I had my peanut butter sandwich for lunch earlier today (as of this comment). As much as I would consider this song a pinnacle of modern industrial/cyber metal, the only problem that keeps this away from perfection, the clean vocals sound a bit inferior to the guttural ones. Nonetheless, the band has some original talent right there!

Digimortal - "Сто ночей" from Сто ночей (2013)

4/5. Now this track is a tribute to the K-141 submarine tragedy. This song has some wonderful power, I must say. It will leave your soul in tears, that's how strong it is! The chorus stands out well and fits in with the terrible disaster detailed in the Russian lyrics. One other band that can make such a tribute is Finnish doom metallers KYPCK.

Seth Ect - "Orison" from Godspeak (2011)

3.5/5. This one's also underrated with pretty good lyrics.

Combichrist - "We Were Made to Love You" from We Love You (2014)

3/5. OK, this song deserves a bit of attention for its attempt to mix breakdowns of both metal and dubstep. However, despite the vocals having the right level of grittiness, the vocals come out as unclear sh*t. Still it should've fit well in the Avengers: Age of Ultron soundtrack. I wouldn't say this is the worst song I've ever heard, but it's the lowest point of this playlist in my opinion.

Zaraza - "Heart.ov.the.Goat" from No Paradise to Lose (2003)

3.5/5. You might think this track would continue that lowness streak, considering it's more of an experimental spoken word track. But it's a nice transition in the middle of this part of the playlist that I would consider the "dark love trilogy", and I would give it some pointage for that. That Combichrist song is the first part of the trilogy, of course.

SKYND - "Katherine Knight" from Chapter II (2019)

4/5. The emotional last third of both its original EP and my aforementioned "dark love trilogy" has a bit of a Lady Gaga-like pop vibe. It's based on a woman who murdered her husband and was intending to make herself and her children cannibals to that man. So crazy, yet the song mesmerizes me.

Scorn - "Deep In-Eaten Over and Over" from Vae Solis (1992)

4.5/5. This exceptional song is one of the most dreadful-sounding tracks I've heard in industrial metal, almost like funeral doom before the genre was fully developed, though some might be reminded more of Swans than Skepticism. The solid departure from the earlier fast pounders of this playlist continues. Thanks for this submission, Daniel!

Pain - "Season of the Reaper" from You Only Live Twice (2011)

5/5. You know how much I love this band Pain, and g****mn, what a way to end this playlist and its original album!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in some places. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here's my review summary:

Sore Throat was known as a classic band in the crust/grindcore scene, delivering avalanche after avalanche of short fast tunes. Their over 40-minute single-track concept album Inde$troy is essentially an 8-part ambient industrial sludge epic with barely any of their crust/grind roots. And it's not the best album of that style either, but it's enjoyable in a few parts... The highlights I would specifically point out are the long ambient intro and outro, and the standard hardcore heaviness of the "Air" section. Basically those highlights take up half of the album with absolute power. The ambient sections work out as an easy-listening soundtrack to the apocalypse of a dystopian society. Yet the in-between-sounding parts don't do well for me. Anyway, if you're looking for an earlier, more ambient/industrial attempt at a grindcore band's sludge epic than Pig Destroyer's Natasha, here you go....

3/5

A Spotify playlist I've made based on my Strapping Young Lad favorite tracks list, including a few extra songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10V7S9PZXwlUkXMkaAttaq

I've been on an industrial kick today.  I went back and reevaluated a couple of industrial metal albums just to check my views, and even heard Mutter for the first time.  Currently listing to a pretty heavy and atmospheric cyber metal / EDM album that's kind of replicating my feelings towards variety, but the genre listing looks both consistent and outlandish at the same time:

Internet Protocol by Master Boot Record

Primaries: Synthwave, Cyber Metal, Darksynth

Secondaries: Chiptune, Industrial Metal, Neoclassical Metal

I also notice hints of thrash and djent, and there's definitely a Malmsteen vibe.  Synthwave is kinda iffy for me, and so is cyber metal, so I'm hoping the rest lives up to the hype (and stays diversified).

This is what I wrote about this album at the time:

Where the fuck did this short thirty minute gem of an album come from?! I think I might just have found my new AOTY right here. Imagine the super dark & crushingly heavy sludge metal of Primitive Man combined with the mechanical industrial beats of Godflesh & the cold production of Uniform & you won't be far off the mark. Throw in some death metal riffs too just to stroke my comfort zone a bit more too. I just fucking love this shit!

4.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

DAGames - "Born Champion (Overwatch Song)" from Born Champion (Overwatch Song) (2016)

4/5. Let's start this playlist with a solid catchy tune inspired by the video game series Overwatch. Such a great hard-hitter!

King Satan - "The Faces of the Devil" from The Faces of the Devil (2022)

4.5/5. H*ll yeah! Even the most satanic music doesn't have to be black metal. I mean I don't usually like the more satanic bands, but this is a f***ing house-shaker. It almost makes me want to say "Hail King Satan", though saying that wouldn't sound right for my standards. Can I get a "John 3:16" up in here?!

Gothminister - "Monsters" from Empire of Dark Salvation (2005)

5/5. The best track for me here, worth adding gothic-ish industrial metal to a club.

Deathstars - "Motherzone" from Termination Bliss (2006)

4.5/5. This one's amazing, but feels a little bothersome. I mean I love the warm chorus, but the change from techno groove to violent heaviness is abrupt.

Clawerfield - "Emotion Zero" from Engines of Creation (2014)

4/5. F***ing powerful cyber metal! What else can I say?!

Black Comedy - "Sum of All Shit" from Instigator (2008)

3.5/5. Ditto with this one, though some parts might be slightly sh*tty.

Black Light Discipline - "Walls Inside Us" from Against Each Other (2012)

4/5. F***ing beautiful electro-industrial/cyber metal from a practically unknown yet underrated band! As much of a banger this is, I have to say that I really like the lyrical phrase "Unstoppable oblivion".

Fear Factory - "Genexus" from Genexus (2015)

4.5/5. With more of that precise speed in this track, it fits well with Dino Cazares' crushing riffing.

Treponem Pal - "Screamers" from Screamers (2023)

4/5. Explore the wonders of industrial revolution with this sweet track! The beastly guitar talent is worth good respect. Think about this song as Ministry-style industrial metal with some riffing close to what Van Halen could do.

Lard - "70s Rock Must Die" from '70's Rock Must Die (2000)

3.5/5. This track is, in a word, HILARIOUS. Let me tell you, this is the band's attempt to parody the cheesy classic 70s rock of Aerosmith and AC/DC. The lyrics are quite ridiculous, especially the chorus that keeps declaring that this kind of sound must die. Biafra seems to do a good job impersonating Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses. You never usually hear something both headbanging and hilarious at the same time, and people say only Spinal Tap could do something like that. It's definitely a break from the punky attitude of bands like Dead Kennedys (Jello Biafra's former band). It's just so d*mn funny. I'm not sure what I was thinking adding that song to this playlist, but it's still good.

Decree - "Fateless" from Fateless (2011)

4/5. Apocalyptic industrial rock/metal to dive into a soundscape of dystopian Hell.

Mortiis - "Doppelganger - Die Krupps Extended Version" from The Great Corrupter (2017)

3.5/5. Somewhat of a thematic continuation from the previous track, though it could've honestly had some improvement.

Mick Gordon - "BFG Division" from DOOM (2016)

4/5. This man has never ceased to blessed fans of DOOM and/or its soundtrack with his music. A collaboration with Hans Zimmer would totally go beyond space and time!

Samael - "Ailleurs" from Eternal (1999)

3.5/5. This one will have you dancing along. It's almost close to the cyber metal sound The Kovenant would pioneer in Animatronic! Though some might also be reminded of Front Line Assembly.

OOMPH! - "Sex" from Sperm (1994)

3/5. One of only a few tracks in this album stand out for me. Enough said!

Ministry - "Thieves" from The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989)

3.5/5. This one starts with a hyper guitar riff over a dance beat, then the verse has Al Jourgensen's distorted screams of "THIEVES AND LIARS!! MURDERERS!!! HYPOCRITES AND B****RDS!!!!" Then the chorus stops for a stretched guitar chord until one more scream of "THIEVES!!! LIARS!!!" Then the drums go full-on thrash, but they should've used real drums instead of programming. I'm guessing they couldn't find any drummers going that fast.

Pitchshifter - "Please Sir" from www.pitchshifter.com (1998)

4/5. This dark track has a black metal-sounding intro chord that makes that song the most enjoyable in its original album.

Old - "Citient Null" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

4.5/5. An excellent track from an industrial/avant-garde metal classic album. To those looking for extra-terrestrial experimental metal, the search is over!

Waltari - "Prime Time" from Space Avenue (1997)

5/5. This favorite track of mine rocks out with heavy mid-paced groove before incredible hyper-thrash soloing. And it all starts from an 8-bit video game-sounding intro.

Rammstein - "Bück dich" from Sehnsucht (1997)

4.5/5. The masters of Neue Deutsche Härte have revolutionized modern metal in Germany, though they're currently in hot water due to some sexual allegations against vocalist Till Lindemann.

KMFDM - "A Drug Against War" from Angst (1993)

4/5. Also developing industrial rock/metal in Germany in the 90s is KMFDM. Although the band didn't make a full breakthrough until 1995's Nihil, this song from their 1993 album Angst is an early hint at their faster metal direction. Quite innovative!

Godflesh - "Jesu" from Hymns (2001)

4.5/5. Not many industrial metal songs can surpass this one, it's so beautifully haunting. The beauty is especially found in the clean hidden track, a good hint at the project Jesu, which Justin Broadrick would start in the aftermath of losing everything including his main band, money, house, and marriage, but with that project, he would slowly get his life and Godflesh back on track.

Final Light - "In the Void" from In the Void (2022)

4/5. One final track in this playlist is from a one-time collaboration project between Perturbator and Cult of Luna vocalist Johannes Persson. Although slightly too electronic and ending the playlist a little abruptly now that I look back at it, it will never disappoint fans of both artists. Long live the Cult!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in some places. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

I'll not be posting a review for this, but I have checked it out and I found it to be a particularly effective representation of the hypnoticism of mechanisation. Personal favourites were "Walls of My Heart" and "On Ice" and if the album had ended after "On Ice" then it would have scored much higher, because after that point I found it became a bit tedious to be honest, with the stronger material front-loaded. "Heavy Blood" and "Orgy of Holiness" in particular I found to be a bit wearisome.

3/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Motionless in White - "Disguise" from Disguise (2019)

4.5/5. The opener for this playlist and the song's original album begins with a jack-in-the-box melody, then pop goes Chris Motionless yelling "GET UP! GET UP!" The guitar and drums kick in with the band's signature sound. The catchy chorus with Chris' cleans is easy to listen to. The harder breakdowns builds up with an excellent breakdown. Chris has a lot of vocal emotion.

Omega Lithium - "Infest" from Dreams in Formaline (2009)

5/5. Just how could this awesome band be short-lived?!? This band can add electronics into metal without ever going into hip-hop territory! The sexy vocals sounds far better than Lady Gaga. Absolutely precious!

Gothminister - "Liar" from Anima Inferna (2011)

4.5/5. This album's single has an electro-synth intro that expands through the guitars and vocals. Brem has excellent vocal range and harmonic effect. The track drives through in the beat and melody.

Deathstars - "Everything Destroys You" from Everything Destroys You (2023)

5/5. Magic fills the air from this band that I still can't believe I didn't discover until last year when I'm already a young adult. They can continue their sound without caring about any harsh opinions. Welcome back, Deathstars!

Pain - "Party in My Head" from Party in My Head (2021)

5/5. Who knew industrial metal can sound so h*lla beautiful?! The lyrics are quite fun to sing! "There's a party in my head! You're all invited, you're all my friends."

Ministry - "Search and Destroy" from Moral Hygiene (2021)

4.5/5. This one's quite excellent. Industrial metal genius Al Jourgensen thought it would be a good idea to turn an Iggy Pop song into a cover by Ministry, and it seems like he has quite f***ing nailed it!

Megaherz - "Komet" from Komet (2018)

4/5. It's interesting how despite having decided that Neue Deutsche Härte is part of conventional industrial metal rather than a separate subgenre, I still found enough NDH tracks to make up most of the second quarter of this playlist. This track has some good wonders of the subgenre.

Oomph! - "Come and Kick Me" from Defekt (1995)

4.5/5. Perhaps the best of this NDH second quarter! I don't have much words to describe its beauty.

Misery Loves Co. - "Private Hell" from Misery Loves Co. (1995)

4/5. Next up is a winning standout with sharp riffing especially in the chorus.

Schwarzer Engel - "Endzeit" from Sieben (2022)

3.5/5. This is another partying industrial metal song to like. I still can't get the full appeal of bands like Schwarzer Engel and Rammstein though. Nonetheless, the music is pretty good whether or not you can understand the lyrics.

SKYND - "Jim Jones" from Chapter II (2019)

4/5. As part of the disturbing haunting darkness of this band's lyrics of true crime, this is based on the Jonestown Massacre, a mass murder-suicide in which approximately 909 people died, a 3rd of that amount being children, and most of them drank Flavor Aid cyanide. Jim Jones was the cult leader, and he shot himself in the head. The song is darker than even the more extreme metal genres, and yet I'm intrigued. Just remember, life is too precious to be laid down.

Erdling - "Rabenherz" from Helheim (2021)

3.5/5. Now this one's a destructive pounder! I like "Absolutus Rex" (from the May playlist) slightly better, but this one's quite catchy. What's great is when there's around 30 seconds left, the band picks up some killer speed!!! There's even a nice bit of the sound of Schwarzer Engel, which is pretty cool. Once again NDH has never been my favorite, but songs like this are fun to listen.

Ost+Front - "Ikarus" from Dein Helfer in der Not (2020)

3/5. OK, this one's quite decent, having the gothic sound of ASP which sound cool, I guess. However, this really could have a little more heat for strength. But at least they're nowhere near as medieval-sounding as Saltatio Mortis.

Rammstein - "OK" from Zeit (2022)

3.5/5. This one full-on rages in the vein of their early 2000s work. The soaring choir and Pantera-like groove is what levels up my enjoyment.

Static-X - "Sweat of the Bud" from Wisconsin Death Trip (1999)

4/5. Stepping in again the metal aspect for this song while having more of the programmed drums and vocals from earlier.

Fear Factory - "Suffer Age" from Soul of a New Machine (1992)

4.5/5. This one starts with tight guitar before the bass and drums join along with background cleans. The riffing continues to expand alongside the drums. Then finally, EXPLOSIVE DEATH METAL CHAOS!!!! The dominant drums and vocals work with the guitars to tear this f***ing place apart! They stay steady despite the samples and tempo changes. Then there's a clean bridge before more of the deathliness. It ends a bit abruptly, but still worth some fun in a mosh pit.

Strapping Young Lad - "Aftermath" from Strapping Young Lad (2003)

5/5. Now this is a real gem in this playlist and it's original album. It's like a massive war anthem! Near the end is some amazing riffing energy that any metalhead should love.

Danzig - "Cult Without a Name" from 6:66: Satan's Child (1999)

4.5/5. This one shows how well Glenn Danzig can blow listeners' minds away with his voice. He can sing clean whispers and then roar like a bull in smashing intent. An excellent way to lead the drums, guitars, and bass!

Red Harvest - "Sick Transit Gloria Mundi" from Sick Transit Gloria Mundi (2002)

5/5. One of the best songs I've heard from this band that I need listen to more of! I should continue my journey through this band with this album and Cold Dark Matter.

Viral Millennium - "Destroy" from Vomitosis (2014)

4.5/5. This one is also quite underrated, a track of both beauty and brutality! It's basically a killer mix of symphonic industrial/cyber metal. I hope to find more music like in this song, maybe in other bands?

Avulsed - "Pastvoracity - Frozen Speed" from Cybergore (1998)

4/5. Brutal death metal gone industrial/proto cyber metal, eh? Not an ideal mix, but has great potential.

Assimilate - "Apparatus" from EP (2014)

3.5/5. A nice song to like. What else can I say?

Herrschaft - "Rat in Cage" from Les 12 Vertiges (2010)

3/5. I also like some parts of this song, but it could've been way better.

Neurotech - "Brighten" from Stigma (2015)

3.5/5. More and more I keep discovering some good songs from bands and projects like Neurotech that brighten my mood a bit. Industrial/cyber metal is never highly boring, and you can have fun with tracks like this. If they ever make a film based on Cyberpunk 2077, or the next John Wick or Matrix film, you bet this song would be part of the soundtrack! It's quite well done! What's keeping the score down is, it sounds like a little too much like Depeche Mode.

S.U.P - "In Those Times - Demo" from Transfer (remix) (1996)

4/5. This is a more of a throwaway track before the final 3 songs of this playlist. Again, not ideal, but having great potential.

Yutaka Minobe - "The Last Way" from SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK (2006)

4.5/5. Now here's a shocker, a video game OST track that isn't Doom, sounding close to industrial metal! Well, in this case, it's industrial metal mixed with 16-beat cinematic ambience. But hey, if this song can appear towards the end of the Shadow the Hedgehog game, it can surely fit well towards the end of this playlist.

Dodheimsgard - "Completion" from 666 International (1999)

5/5. And that track that can completes the full game here has a blend of black metal and industrial experimentation. My only complaint that doesn't detract the perfect score is when a Machine Head-ish riff appears that sounds out of place. Despite that, this can be a brilliant closing track for that amazing journey!

Godflesh - "Forgive Our Fathers" from A World Lit Only by Fire (2014)

4.5/5. ...Except we have one more track to finish things off, having dreamy atmosphere that's never out of place. Justin Broadrick continues his vocal variation once more, from his usual low growls to the occasional usage of clean singing.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in some places. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

For some reason Devin Townsend has always rubbed me up the wrong way. He is obviously an immensely talented individual and I have no real basis for saying this, but he seems to revel in his own cleverness and his sometimes goofy humour just gets my back up. I was once lent a couple of SYL albums by a workmate (I think one was Alien), but I couldn't get into them at all. Not exactly a very promising preamble to this review then, but I did go into this with an open mind and now, after half-a-dozen full listen-throughs, I think I have probably got everything out of this that I am going to.

Industrial metal, to me, should be innately super-heavy as it is intended to replicate the sound of heavy machinery in operation and to this end SYL have been, in the main, successful in this endeavour here. The combination of the riffs and the full-blooded rhythm section, which includes both real and programmed drums, produce an impressively heavy sound that, at times, rivals even the mighty Fear Factory at their best. There are also some killer hooks in a couple of the tracks, particularly early on in the album (that again sound a fair bit like hooks FF would produce).

From what I can glean from the internet this is basically a Devin Townsend solo album with a few guest musicians as well as being songs collected from a number of demos - and it shows. Despite the nursery rhyme nonsense that bookends the album it doesn't feel at all consistent, but rather than a coherent album it feels more like a compilation of disparate tracks. This is not at all aided by Townsend's vocal performance being markedly different on nearly every track, on Goat, for example, it seems like he is just taking the piss and sounds like it is based on Bill Hicks' least funny sketch, Goatboy. That "goofy" humour, as exemplified by the awful closing track and the Black Adder-plagiarising album title, combined with Devin screaming "I fuckin' hate you" over and over on the opener like a spoilt teenage brat and ruining what is otherwise a pretty good track, turns me away from any of the good things he was doing elsewhere on the album.

Look, unlike Devin's screaming inner teen, I don't fuckin' hate this, but it is too inconsistent and exhibits an immaturity I struggled with, to be honest. There are a couple of tracks that I would be OK with on a Spotify playlist, In the Rainy Season and the groove of Critic, but other than that I am unlikely to return here.

3/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Meathook Seed - "Famine Sector" from Embedded (1993)

4.5/5. The crushing opener of this playlist is, without a doubt, one of the best songs of this industrial death metal blend! I don't have much to describe its greatness.

Deathstars - "Midnight Party" from Everything Destroys You (2023)

5/5. Deathstars is back, and back hard! They've made an explosive throwback to their 2000s era. Whiplasher sounds like the guy who can just be a fan of the band and still lead them. Great music as always!

Pitchshifter - "Landfill" from Industrial (1991)

4.5/5. Pitchshifter made a prime example of using Godflesh's industrial metal formula. They just repeat the same riff throughout, and even the lyrics are minimal. It's just "Hate, I hate, hate, I hate you motherf***er, drown, bleed, I wish you could." They even mix in a few samples with slow guitars/drums. Despite the repetition, I enjoy that one. Fear Factory made their own cover of that song over two decades later.

Sore Throat - "Phase IV" from Inde$troy (1989)

4/5. This is often called the "Air" section and has standard hardcore heaviness while having that industrial vibe.

Rob Zombie - "Superbeast" from Hellbilly Deluxe (1998)

3.5/5. You can shout along to this highlight and its gang-infused chorus. I saw the music video for that song quite long ago.

Dead World - "Kill" from The Machine (1993)

4/5. This is a pretty good throwback to the earlier doom, though the Marilyn Manson-like lyrics cause some complications, "Football on the TV, beer in the hand, the extent of his rational depth. He's a god fearing man, a wife beating f***, a vacuous flag waving fool."

Skrew - "Albatross" from Dusted (1994)

4.5/5. Also in a slightly higher level than Ministry is quite a monster within those chords.

Pain - "On Your Knees (Again)" from Pain (1997)

5/5. This is without a doubt a true highlight. The standard riffs sound so greatly written.

White Zombie - "El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama" from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

4.5/5. This is a song I can have an awesome blast with. One of the best songs to love here! After a heavy headbanging, the speed slows down, while still having its greatness.

Godflesh - "Crush My Soul" from Selfless (1994)

4.5/5. Stretching out the skeletal structure, there are more traditional industrial sounds, with electronic samples reminding some of Aphex Twin at that time. Though being released as the first single might've tricked fans into thinking the entire album would be like that.

Fear Factory - "Regenerate" from Genexus (2015)

5/5. This one continues to have the heavy and melodic sides duel with each other. Bell's vocals get you hooked as always, while the keyboards by Rhys Fulber sound clean and melodic, essential for making that song one of the most memorable here.

Mushroomhead - "Everyone's Got One - Only Mix" from Remix (1997)

4.5/5. "Only Mix", huh? Makes sense when it's the only original song of that remix album. It's so soft and beautiful that you can play it loud and not disturb the neighbors.

Marilyn Manson - "Antichrist Superstar" from Antichrist Superstar (1996)

4/5. At the start of the Disintegrator Rising cycle, this track will make sure you want the album to keep going as long as you like.

Samael - "Angel's Decay" from Passage (1996)

4.5/5. Although I thought of Samael's Passage as a masterpiece, I ended up turning my back from it to avoid going down the black metal hellhole that the albums before this are in. This amazing song can get still my skin into a Jupiterian vibe. Samael and Pain have some of that modern industrial metal strength, a little more than Rammstein.

Code Orange - "You and You Alone" from Underneath (2020)

5/5. This one moves through the screaming metalcore madness alongside a withering chorus ("You play your part, you know your role") for teens to yell along to, rebelling against the electronic uprising with complex poetry.

Gothminister - "All This Time" from The Other Side (2017)

4.5/5. Dark philosophical lyrics. Enough said!

Static-X - "Bring You Down (Project Regeneration)" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 (2020)

4/5. This song was supposed to be in the Start a War album, but did not make it in. Any song with the subtitle "Project Regeneration" is a scrapped song that has been revived for the project. Definitely has some Wisconsin Death Trip fire in there, especially in the intro. Pretty good one!

King Satan - "Left Hand Path Symphony" from Occult Spiritual Anarchy (2022)

4/5. This one's quite killer, reminding me of Powerwolf gone Rammstein. I don't like this band too much though, which is good because it would be awkward if I, someone who would never be satanic, say "Hail King Satan!" The vocals sound nice in beautiful harmony. Some of the lyrics seem to reference The Holy Mountain. It's quite f***ing great how the keyboards sounds like they're from Deep Purple while having an entirely different sound, and that I quite love.

Combichrist - "One Fire" from One Fire (2019)

3.5/5. Quite underrated, but at the same time not. A bit too much like Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein. The last third of the track is a bit weird.

Crematory - "Inglorious Darkness" from Inglorious Darkness (2022)

4/5. There's some great beauty in here. What else is there to say?

Contracult Collective - "Follow" from FOLLOW (2020)

4.5/5. Well this is quite a kick-A banger! F***ing great, man!

D'espairsRay - "Dears" from Coll:set (2006)

5/5. Do you think in an alternate universe where my brother and I live in a different country like Japan, this would be what my brother would start listening to over a decade ago? I don't know, I don't care. This is a h*lla awesome track! It would've been an easy one for me to sing if I understood Japanese, but I don't. Nonetheless, I love it! They've already pleased fans from America and Europe when they were touring.

Mechina - "The Horizon Effect" from Progenitor (2016)

4.5/5. Such godly music with easy yet chilling lyrics, "I stand in shadows of monuments". This can almost be the cyber metal symphony of the universe! Imagine a more melodic female-led Fear Factory, and you're not too far off. Normally, Mechina is one of those growling bands, but this cleaner female direction is cosmic.

Ministry - "Leper" from Animositisomina (2003)

4/5. Upon stumbling upon this instrumental industrial metal piece, I thought this would be a cool addition to the playlist. Al Jourgensen has really jammed out with drummer Max Brody in this one, sounding fun while the song reeks of empty despair. Ministry, Rammstein, and Nine Inch Nails are 3 of the most popular industrial metal bands, but never really bands I'm up to checking out a lot of. While not having any lyrics, the track warns quite well about humanity's possible future extinction.

Erdling - "Blizzard" from Yggdrasil (2020)

3.5/5. Pretty good though, like most other Neue Deutsche Härte bands, a bit too much like Rammstein. The lyrics are quite great despite being in hard-for-me-to-understand German. I think it can still hammer your skin.

Stahlmann - "Spring Nicht" from Quecksilber (2012)

4/5. Once a Man of Steel, always a Man of Steel. This one's quite great.

Ost+Front - "Ost+Front 2014" from Olympia (2014)

4.5/5. I wonder if anyone seeing the band's name thinks they specialize in original soundtracks for video games. They don't, but this song should be in one.

The Amenta - "Parse Over" from Revelator (2021)

5/5. Forget what I said about that Meathook Seed song being one of the best of industrial death metal, this is even better! There's even some ambient doom throughout to add to the bleakness. That's the kind of playlist ending I need here!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in some places. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

So I decided to listen to and review this album as I continue to expand my industrial metal horizons, and it's one of the very best I've heard from the genre and post-sludge! I also realized that this was an earlier Sphere feature release, and boy do I regret not checking out earlier when the feature release was still hot. Here's my review summary:

Some say going chronological when checking out a band's discography is one of the weaker methods because the earlier material before the famous era is often highly different. They may be correct, but HyBreed ended up being an exception to that rule. A newfound perfect favorite of mine as my industrial metal collection grows! HyBreed shows that the band is no longer as speedy as they were in their debut album and part of their second album. The album is slow in a lot of songs, and the tempo stays the same in even the long 10-minute epics, and there's never anything bad about that at all! Despite being a bit repetitive, that's the kind of repetition that appeals to me. They can just focus on one riff and one drum pattern and yet stay interesting. And even the two short fast tracks and two lengthy ambient tracks can have a great kick out of them. I know some people might not like it due to its heavy repetition and lengthiness and think this could cause a dent in the genre. However, this album has the motherload of many things that solidify the melody and dark ambience of industrial metal/post-sludge. The simply structured songs can keep you hooked until the end. Any fan of Red Harvest and industrial metal should get it, and if you want to appreciate it as much as I do, it just takes patience!

5/5

That's a great review Sonny. Well done mate! :)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Psyclon Nine - "Bellum in Abyssus" from Crwn Thy Frnicatr (2006)

4/5. An interesting noise-ish intro with the "Liberate Te Ex Inferis" sample from Event Horizon (y'know, the one used in a couple songs by metalcore bands Every Time I Die and Zao). Psyclon Nine is an awesome band, and even a couple of their late 2000s albums like Crwn Thy Frnicatr have a bit of metal in them.

Author & Punisher - "Drone Carrying Dread" from Krüller (2022)

3.5/5. This track kicks off the brutal extreme doom before a gradual switch to atmospheric post-metal. This hallucinogenic dreamscape adds to the sharp weight of the work without much change in direction.

Pitchshifter - "Deconstruction" from Submit (1992)

4/5. This one is a different highlight with gravelly vocals and repetitive guitar, hinting at their next album. A sure sign of leaving behind their Godflesh influences.

Samael - "Rebellion" from Rebellion (1995)

4.5/5. A song useful for conquering doubtful situations in war and rebellion. "I know how little is the value of that which has a price." 1995/1996 were the years were Samael were transitioning from black metal to symphonic industrial metal. They were the kind of rising band metalheads at the time needed instead of Korn.

Gothminister - "Swallowed by the Earth" from Empire of Dark Salvation (2005)

5/5. This is a more atmospheric highlight. I wouldn't say it's as atmospheric as bands like The Ocean, but I'm referring specifically to Halfface's keyboard atmosphere, along with wild soloing from those synths.

Lard - "I Wanna Be a Drug-Sniffing Dog" from Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)

4.5/5. Another true classic that I would rate slightly higher than the first 4 tracks of the playlist. Just don't sing it out loud if you don't want your parents worried.

Circle of Dust - "Parasite" from Circle of Dust (1995)

5/5. It's only been last year since I first heard Circle of Dust and became interested in one of Klayton's projects. An awesome piece of industrial rock/metal greatness! It's almost like a sequel to this album's intro "Exploration".

Excessive Force - "Queen Bitch" from Gentle Death (1993)

4.5/5. Fast forward to this track where one of the vocalists Liz Torres shines through fast techno rage. Silly yet fun!

Nine Inch Nails - "Fist Fuck" from Fixed (1992)

4/5. The second remix for "Wish" has samples of Timothy Leary. I actually love it better than the first remix!

Fear Factory - "Martyr - Suffer Bastard Mix" from Fear is the Mind Killer (1993)

4.5/5. Another remix, and one the way it's supposed to sound, more industrial while staying metal. Fear Factory can really maintain their extreme industrial metal in these remixes. H*ll, this is probably close to proto-cyber metal! A great throwback for longtime Fear Factory fans.

Strapping Young Lad - "AAA" from City (1997)

5/5. F***ing h*ll, this is brilliant groove-ish industrial metal, right from the sick intro. One of my favorites from one of the first industrial metal bands that I've encountered and truly like. Need some batteries for this grand song? The riff near the 3-minute mark has massive f***ing heaviness for half a minute, then this killer sh*t really goes off. Now imagine singing along to this in the bus, annoying the other passengers. "No one hears so no one knows and... NO ONE! NO ONE F***S WITH MEEEE!!!" I guess you can kind of consider this Korn gone Meshuggah.

Godflesh - "Frail" from Songs of Love and Hate (1996)

4.5/5. My favorite song in this album is practically close to post-metal with the ethereal atmosphere. It fits much better in Hymns, but that's my only complaint there.

Old - "Lo Flux Tube" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

5/5. Incredible electronic noise metal, mixing beautiful peace with distorted war! Some might find this torture, but it's best to listen to with an open mind.

Ministry - "The Land of Rape and Honey" from The Land of Rape and Honey (1988)

4.5/5. This one is a menacing crawler, standing out with its creepy vibe.

Motionless in White - "Sinematic" from Infamous (2012)

4/5. Probably the darkest song here, but of course, dark doesn't always mean heavy. Emotional melody from the keyboards, guitars, and vocals, certainly make the atmosphere more cinematic. Chris continues expanding his clean vocal range, a nice break from the earlier growling.

Contracult Collective - "Plunge" from Plunge (2022)

4.5/5. I love how f***ing sick and heavy this is! Though it's a little too Marilyn Manson-like for me.

Celldweller - "A Matter of Time" from Satellites (2022)

5/5. Techno-rock/metal?!? FANTASTIC!!! Another Celldweller favorite that continues to motivate me to find more of Klayton's projects. Absolutely intriguing!

Pain - "End of the Line" from Rebirth (1999)

5/5. Another one of the best techno-industrial metal songs ever that makes up for more of this Swedish industrial metal project!

Klank - "DFL" from Numb (2000)

4.5/5. Amazing song, but I'm not down for this band. Moving on...

Turmion Kätilöt - "Totuus" from Omen X (2023)

4/5. Hearing this band after listening to some Electric Callboy makes me think too much of that other band. Still, keep it up, guys!

Seth Ect - "B.L.A.S.T" from Godspeak (2011)

4.5/5. Some f***ing extreme industrial/cyber metal insanity right here, holy sh*t!

THE SIN:DECAY - "Deathlike Addiction" from Rehabilitation (2007)

4/5. Another pretty great industrial/cyber metal song, and one that isn't noise ridden.

Dust in Mind - "Empty" from Ctrl (2021)

3.5/5. Kinda like a more industrial Lacuna Coil, with some great groove-ish riffing.

OOMPH! - "Labyrinth" from Monster (2008)

3/5. I didn't realize there is an English version of this song! I would've loved that version more and used it here. D*MN IT!!! This German version is still quite decent though.

Stahlmann - "Hass mich..Lieb mich" from Stahlmann (2010)

3.5/5. This one has more wonders, but not much to write home about. Still not getting the appeal from this band or Rammstein.

Erdling - "Absolutus Rex" from Supernova (2017)

4/5. The vocals here are great, compared to the other two Neue Deutsche Härte songs here.

Deathstars - "Angel of Fortune and Crime" from Angel of Fortune and Crime (2023)

4.5/5. And what better way to end this playlist with another one of the 3 singles from the upcoming Deathstars album Everything Destroys You, their first album in almost a decade! They've really made up for their time away with these singles. It throws back to their earlier Synthetic Generation era! I definitely wants more of this album once it comes out, maybe later this month, when my schedule clears up...

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

I've done my review, here's its summary:

In order for a metal band to add a techno-dance into their mix, they need to put some effort in smooth rhythm and quick flowing beat, and The Kovenant have achieved that perfectly. Although I love the earlier black metal Covenant era, I'm better suited in the industrial-techno metal sound of The Kovenant. You can think of this as Children of Bodom gone Rammstein! Most of the first 4 songs here are probably some of the best industrial/cyber metal for me. Those tracks have epic-sounding techno-symphonic synths mixed with heavy guitars, strong beats, Filthy shrieks (get the pun?), and female operatic cleans. The rest of the album is excellent as well, with a couple tracks showing the band experimenting with small sections that don't relate to the music or lyrics. I would recommend this cyber metal masterpiece, especially most of the first 4 tracks, to fans of this industrial metal subgenre they pioneered. A true future-shaper!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Mirror's Paradise", "New World Order", "Sindrom", "Prophecies of Fire", "The Birth of Tragedy"

For fans of: Deathstars, Rammstein, Samael

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Samael - "Year Zero" from Eternal (1999)

4.5/5. Beginning the playlist in shining light, this is excellent high-quality loud industrial metal!

Strapping Young Lad - "S.Y.L." from Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing (1995)

5/5. For those familiar with Devin Townsend's solo material, get ready to hear where his journey began! Holy sh*t, this is angry energy to make fans of industrial metal happy. It's quite genius how you can hear toddler Devy present his own play in the intro and then teen Devy as an A&W employee in the outro. Strapping Young Lad and Meshuggah are the two go-to bands for metal's heavy intensity in the 90s.

Dead World - "Lies" from The Machine (1993)

4.5/5. This one is slower with a similar formula. Instead of being aggressive, the sound is cold and dreamy. I prefer the previous two tracks slightly more.

Circle of Dust - "Descend" from Brainchild (1994)

5/5. Brainchild is one of the best albums I've heard from any of Klayton's projects, and it slowly gives me the incentive to check out his later more famous project Celldweller. He made quite a brave statement for America in that 1994 Circle of Dust album. The future of America is the country citizen's hands...

Code Orange - "Drowning In It" from What is Really Underneath? (2023)

4.5/5. Code Orange has recently taken the Ministry/Nine Inch Nails route of producing a remix album. The album is mostly electro-industrial, but some tracks like this remix to the title track of Underneath still maintain a bit of that album's heaviness while being mainly electronic. I think Korn should go that route to make some of their songs less boring. But this ain't Korn, this is Code Orange FOREVER!!!

Ministry - "Burning Inside" from In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (1990)

4/5. I don't normally add live tracks to the playlists, but I thought this would be a good exception. This one kicks in a propulsive beat and repetitive guitar to keep you awake. This pounding tune is helped out by the vocals. When I wrote this review after waking up this morning, this song fired me up way more than coffee!

Lard - "Pineapple Face" from The Last Temptation of Reid (1990)

4.5/5. Now this is a f***ing mindblower, keeping up the speed of the first track, though there's a slow psychedelic chorus that nonsensical but genius. The crazy political lyrics are odd yet having a deep meaning. Another track that you wanna keep around until the end of time!

Omega Lithium - "Dance With Me" from Kinetik (2011)

4/5. A pretty great song to enjoy for some of this band's gothic industrial metal sound.

Nine Inch Nails - "Last" from Broken (1992)

3.5/5. This one adds a slower twist into the riffing that's like a more distorted metal take on Pretty Hate Machine, and then crossing over to a hint at The Downward Spiral.

Godflesh - "Mothra" from Pure (1992)

4/5. This song has groove-powered industrial metal riffing that's never out of place. It's so special and different, and that's the key for the style of Godflesh. Justin's vocals are up to the highest standard, but the riffing is the right priority.

Pitchshifter - "Triad" from Desensitized (1993)

4.5/5. This is an impressive hymn with catchy rhythm. It kind of hints at their later dance-y material while staying in their earlier heaviness. This kind of blend really works in songs like that!

Old - "Happy Tantrum" from The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak (1993)

5/5. Sounds like an outtake from Lo Flux Tube, but a great improvement from there. It's another one of my favorite tracks in this album, with absolutely no filler. The experimentation actually sounds catchier than that of the mathy metalcore of Coalesce.

Voivod - "Phobos" from Phobos (1997)

4.5/5. One of only a couple songs from this album that I would consider industrial metal, sounding suitable for a Star Wars scenario. Still this is spacey progressive metal that has much more in common with Watchtower than Megadeth or Soundgarden. There's some h*lla nice soloing from Denis "Piggy" D'Amour (RIP). That song is so d*mn great, it's out of this world!

Celldweller - "My Disintegration" from Satellites (2022)

5/5. 10 tracks after that Circle of Dust one, we get to hear the metallic vibes of that band added to the electronic rock of Klayton's current project Celldweller. However, starting the second half is a softer ambient section similar to Offworld. The rest of the song has a prime example of perfect heaviness that I need to make up for Strapping Young Lad's dissolvement. Worth some satisfying metal listening to make you up for some more disintegration!

Gothminister - "Bloodride" from Pandemonium (2022)

4.5/5. Then we have this sensational song that can make you as thirsty for blood as a vampire.

Dawn of Ashes - "Blood of the Titans" from The Antimonian (2020)

4/5. So unreal yet cool! There's black-ish industrial metal magic more destructive than Combichrist. Almost as brutal as Psyclon Nine!

Fear Factory - "Linchpin" from Digimortal (2001)

4.5/5. You just gotta f***ing love this album Digimortal, in which the band add a bit of the Dry Kill Logic-style hardcore nu metal into their industrial metal in better execution. The lyrics are totally worth singing along to.

Motionless in White - "Reincarnate" from Reincarnate (2014)

5/5. The title track and first single of this album has some deep synths and metalcore riffing that begin when Chris shouts "GET UP!". What really makes this song accessible within the extremeness is the melodic Breaking Benjamin-like chorus, all piecing together a simply great structure.

Combichrist - "Compliance" from Compliance (2021)

4.5/5. OK, I spoke too soon. This is Combichrist at its heaviest since the songs by the band from the previous two Sphere playlists. This is dark atmospheric industrial metal to get you prepared for the violence of the rest of this decade. So join the fight against compliance in this piece of aggrotech metal!

Illidiance - "Critical Damage" from Damage Theory (2010)

4/5. Oh my d*mn, this cyber metal is like Blood Stain Child with less emphasis on symphonics and the In Flames/Scar Symmetry-like melodeath. This song is underrated and I don't wanna miss out on more of this style. As great as this is, I'm not too heavily attached. The most awesome part here is the final chorus that changes its key for the final repeat. Thumbs up for this greatness!

Logical Terror, Soilwork - "The World Was Mine" from Ashes of Fate (2016)

3.5/5. Pretty good and underrated. Not too bad, though the guest vocals by Bjorn Speed Strid of Soilwork could use some improvement.

KMFDM - "Brute" from Nihil (1995)

4/5. This song, named after the cover artist of almost every other KMFDM album, is more brutal while staying melodic.

3TEETH - "PUMPED UP KICKS" from PUMPED UP KICKS (2019)

3.5/5. Now here's some 90s synthwave-esque industrial metal in this band's cover of a Foster the People single. I got other metalized popular song covers to enjoy though.

Terminal Choice - "Kommerz" from Ubermacht (2010)

3/5. "Four sounds are better than three, why don't you spend all your money for TC?" Eh, no thanks. Though this one's still kind of decent.

Megaherz - "5. Marz" from Herzwerk II (2002)

3.5/5. Seems like Megaherz is moving along quite strongly throughout the 20 years since this song's release. It sounds a bit good with those Deftones vibes.

The Kovenant - "The Memory Remains" from SETI (2003)

4/5. Now let's end this playlist with a cover that's greater than the original. The operatic background vocals I love much better than what sounds like old lady chanting in the original Metallica song. Very cool!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Upon revisiting this old fave I've found that my passion for it is as strong as it's ever been & that I still regard it as a genuine classic of the industrial metal genre. Sure, the material is generally faithful to the originals but the consistently high quality of the six tracks on offer & the electric energy & urgent vitality that Ministry have always possessed in a live environment sees them inevitably getting my juices pumping. The versions of "Deity", "Burning Inside" & album highlight "Thieves" are nothing short of exhilarating here. I last saw Ministry play live back in 2015 on the "From Beer to EternaTour" which was hardly their strongest creative period but they still absolutely rocked the Soundwave Festival at Sydney's Olympic Park which is a strong indication of their live talents. This should be essential listening for fans of the band & the industrial metal genre in general.

4.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Omega Lithium - "Colossus" (from Kinetik, 2011)

5/5. Let's start with this band that had the potential to keep rolling after two albums, but sadly declined that opportunity. This is an awesome start that's part of a one-two punch with its next track "Dance With Me". This is more kick-A than Rammstein! It really continues where the band left off in their debut Dreams in Formaline. It's my second favorite Omega Lithium song behind "Stigmata". It makes me think of what would happen if Theatre of Tragedy continue the industrial pop rock elements of Musique and Assembly in Storm while keeping that album's gothic metal comeback, or simply a more industrial Evanescence. They should really reform sometime.

Deathstars - "This Is" (from This Is, 2023)

4.5/5. This is real, people! Deathstars have a new album Everything Destroys You coming out two months from now. What a f***ing headbanging return!

Contracult Collective - "WDYT" (from A Cult of Opposition, 2020)

4/5. This good underrated song has a great message. The beat drop starts the crazy loudness. I can hear a bit of a Circle of Dust vibe in this one. The greater industrial metal fans will have a pleasant time.

Gothminister - "Angel" (from Gothic Electronic Anthems, 2003)

4.5/5. Here's an anthemic single totally worth hitting the charts and being used for clubs.

Motionless in White - "Brand New Numb" (from Disguise, 2019)

4/5. This one starts with an outtake of trying to sneak in an acoustic riff ("I'm trying to f***ing record this." "Sorry."), then the actual electric riff in the most poppy radio-friendly song here that's actually very well-written.

Combichrist - "Understand" (from One Fire, 2019)

3.5/5. "Today is not the right day to fall apart..." Good line for a song filled with wild industrial.

Ministry - "Just One Fix" (from ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ [Psalm 69], 1992)

4/5. A pretty great song from Ministry, especially that hard-hitting breakdown over the 3-minute mark. It really can be worth "driving down the highway at night". However, there might be something missing, I don't know. Vocalist Al Jourgensen can do sinister laughing. This industrial rock/metal tune can also work well for fighting a zombie apocalypse, or at least that's what it sounds like. The f***ing world needs to be fixed, doesn't it? Also it reminds me of Rammstein's "Du Hast".

Ghostemane - "Anti-Social Masochistic Rage (ASMR)" (from ANTI-ICON, 2020)

4.5/5. Whoa... So nice yet spooky. I like it!

Strapping Young Lad - "Love?" (from Alien, 2005)

5/5. This is an absolutely emotional composition of punishing heaviness. Devy's great vocals range from screaming to clean. The guitar, bass, and keyboards are amazing with fantastic lyrics. The best song of this album! Though I'm sure there's at least one or two song by the band that's better...

Celldweller - "Shapeshifter" (from Shapeshifter (feat. Styles of Beyond), 2005)

5/5. Who here wants to listen this song while driving your car 200 MPH like a rocket...in Need for Speed Most Wanted, of course? That's the video game that has this song in its soundtrack. There are some glitches and censored swearing, but that doesn't matter much here, unlike in a certain experimental My Dying Bride stinker...

Turmion Kätilöt - "Naitu" (from Global Warning, 2020)

4.5/5. This is quite bad-a** despite me not being able to understand the Finnish lyrics. There's some good industrial-trance metal to love here!

SKYND - "Tyler Hadley" (from Chapter II, 2019)

4/5. Not gonna lie, this is one of the most disturbing songs I heard in industrial metal, and metal in general. An industrial metal gone trap song about a teen who bludgeoned his parents to death with a hammer, hid the bodies in the closet, and threw a party, then he was arrested the next day and sentenced to life in prison. It's pretty great though. "You should feel lucky, why don't you feel lucky?"

Author & Punisher - "Maiden Star" (from Kruller, 2022)

4.5/5. This one greatly unites more of brutal synths and percussion with heavy otherworldly melody.

Uniform + The Body - "Penance" (from Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back, 2019)

4/5. Here's an interesting blend of industrial noise and synthpop with great production. This collaboration can massage the brains of the strong and damage the brains of the weak. This kind of sound is actually quite underrated. Though it would be greater if there weren't the screams that sound like a rooster being tortured.

Static-X - "Push It" (from Wisconsin Death Trip, 1999)

3.5/5. Another Static-X song after experiencing another one of the songs from the album in this month's Gateway playlist. Wayne's industrial nu metal sound shall live on. RIP... Sounds like something my brother would've listened to over 10 years ago, but he didn't, he was listening to other similar bands. The song was used in some video game/film soundtracks in 1999 and the 2000s. Besides being in The Sphere, it fits well in The Gateway in a different style compared to TOOL.

Lindemann - "Ich weiß es nicht" (from Ich weiß es nicht, 2019)

3/5. The intro starts promising, but once the German verses enter, it starts going a bit downhill. I bet fans of Lindemann's first solo album didn't see the return to Rammstein's Neue Deutsche Härte sound coming in his second solo album.

Architects - "When We Were Young" (from The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit, 2022) 

3.5/5. This is a pretty good new direction for Architects, going alt-industrial metal, though there are other releases that I would rank higher.

Marilyn Manson - "mOBSCENE" (from The Golden Age of Grotesque, 2003)

4/5. A bad-a** song from Marilyn Manson. "PAIN PAIN PAIN!!!"

Circle of Dust - "Onenemy" (from Circle of Dust, 1995)

3.5/5. I love Circle of Dust. It's Klayton's earliest and most metallic project. The lyrics are quite good, and the sound makes me think of Linkin Park gone The Prodigy. "Four cycles moving gone, three dark days and death is on, two wishing to fulfill, only one enemy to kill!" However, much of the structure in the sound is quite mild. However, the breakdown that starts the last minute is something to really love!

Rammstein - "Feuer frei!" (from Mutter, 2001)

3/5. When the sirens go off at the 40-second point, you're in for a ride. Actually this song would cause driving to be quite a challenge if you put it on your car stereo. It doesn't have much fire as I'm hoping for though, probably because of the typical Neue Deutsche Härte. That intro is quite sick though. I could imagine Pitbull remixing this song, which is quite odd to imagine. And don't forget, that song was also in that Vin Diesel film xXx along with one of Hatebreed's songs.

Eisbrecher - "Frommer Mann" (from Liebe Macht Monster, 2021)

3.5/5. This is slightly better, though still sounding a lot like Rammstein, maybe even Oomph!

Traumtaenzer - "Stigmata" (from Der weisse Raum, 2010)

4/5. Enjoyable music, though I prefer Omega Lithium's "Stigmata".

Skrew - "Helter Skelter" (from Angel Seed XXIII, 1997)

4.5/5. As a bonus hidden track in the original album, there are a couple outtakes before the actual song begins. A kick-A industrial metal cover of a Beatles classic!

The Kovenant - "Star by Star" (from Seti, 2003)

5/5. I just started listening to this band full-time, thanks to highlights like this one, and it's a shame that haven't had anything new since this album from 20 years ago. It's amazing how a band that I never had the guts to try when I was in my cleaner teens (because of their earlier black metal era) turns out to be glorious for me. Also associating the band with black metal is keyboardist Geir Bratland who would later join symphonic black metallers Dimmu Borgir. This f***ing great headbanger actually works well for the pandemic we were all in. Its album has more apocalyptic synths while being much less extreme than their earlier albums like Nexus Polaris. The Kovenant has proven to be masters of cyber-gothic metal. The band's not dead, it's just that the members have moved on to other things. Think before you judge this awesome piece!

Sybreed - "ReEvolution" (from Slave Design, 2004)

4.5/5. Pretty cool cyber metal. What else can I say?

Fear Factory - "A Therapy for Pain" (from Demanufacture, 1995)

5/5. A dark nearly 10-minute epic showing how influential Fear Factory can be. They're known as one of the first bands to unite clean singing with harsh growling. This is the kind of raw energy that I wish I would've discovered in my teens, if not for my dominating melodic side.

Godflesh - "Suction" (from Streetcleaner, 1989)

4.5/5. Last but not least, this is a much shorter piece. Similar to the rest of the EP that was added to the band's debut, it sounds more like industrial hard rock within the riffs and beats, with the vocals sounding cleaner for an ethereal tone. But it's still worth hearing...

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Norwegian industrial metallers Gothminister's seventh studio album is a fairly solid piece of industrial metal. The groove work is fairly solid from top to bottom and the vocal melodies compliment admirably. One of the reasons why I have never been able to appreciate Rammstein fully is because of the language barrier (my German is getting better though). Rammstein have solid melodies and tight knit grooves as well, but something about taking the intricacies of that language and creating a butchered English version does not help matters. Gothminister help by recording all the lyrics in English already....not that you need them because this is still standard in its gothic themes.

Speaking of gothic themes, does anyone else notice how much parts of this record sound like heavier Ghost? Forget about the industrial tinges and all of the synth leads, "Norge", "Mastodon" and "Star" sound identical. Which brings up my biggest issue with Pandemonium as a whole; the record is far too basic. It might borrow from Ghost, or EBM, or even other industrial metal giants like Rammstein, but not a lot about it feels innovative or unique to Gothminister. While I did enjoy it, too often I found the music falling behind and closer to background noise than anything I want to become invested in. 

6/10

For the record, the Northlane album gets my vote from the couple of eligible releases I explored last year.

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Godflesh - "Spite" (from Pure, 1992)

4.5/5. The opening track of this playlist can be the sign of a shining gift.

Celldweller - "Into the Void - HARD BOX Remix" (from Into the Void (Remix Contest Compilation), 2022)

5/5. But not as much as this remix! Klayton continues his over 3-decade career of industrial metal entertainment that I can't believe I didn't get into until just recently. Such a killer remix, and while the electronics are obviously there, it's in a great amount, not too much or too little. I believe this remixer can really REGENERATE.

3TEETH - "President X" (from Metawar, 2019)

4.5/5. "I'm your same old hex, I'm President X, replace me, I'll be next!"

Mnemic - "Tattoos" (from Mechanical Spin Phenomena, 2003)

4/5. This one has a bit of a Mushroomhead vibe while staying industrial.

Excessive Force - "Divebomb" (from Gentle Death, 1993)

4.5/5. You'll especially find greatness in this track that at one point makes a subtle brief turn into the "Hall of the Mountain King", almost like what Savatage did in their 1987 album. I love it!

Ghostemane - "Hydrochloride" (from ANTI-ICON, 2020)

4/5. This one is an edgy hard-hitter of noise. "I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!!!"

Static-X - "Hollow (Project Regeneration) (from Project: Regeneration Vol. 1, 2020)

4.5/5. Static-X knows how to maintain the sound they've had since their earlier albums even after the untimely passing of Wayne Static, thereby doing him great justice. RIP Wayne and Tera... This really does sound close to what the band had in the early 2000s. That's quite a bad-a** tribute to their lost leader.

Ministry - "Disinformation" (from Moral Hygiene, 2021)

4/5. "Fake news. SAD!" A nice song to remind us of the plague of false information.

Northlane - "Talking Heads" (from Alien, 2019)

4.5/5. One vocalist ruling with 10 techniques! The sludgy nu metal part of their cyber metalcore sound has really expanded in their recent albums.

Motionless in White - "Not My Type: Dead as Fuck 2" (from Graveyard Shift, 2017)

4/5. This is my type of alternative/industrial/metalcore from the masters of that blend, Motionless in White!

1000 Homo DJs - "Apathy" (from Supernaut, 1990)

3.5/5. Fun early industrial rock/metal, though a bit repetitive.

Pitchshifter - "New Flesh P.S.I." (from Submit, 1992)

3/5. This next track is an early-Godflesh-infused remix of a song from their debut Industrial. Not the best, but it works well for most other industrial metal fans.

Gothminister - "Nachtzehrer" (from Empire of Dark Salvation, 2005)

3.5/5. A weird yet satisfying gothic-infused industrial metal treat.

Crossbreed - "Stem" (from Synthetic Division, 2001)

4/5. I can give a thumbs-up to what is considered an industrial/nu metal classic. The verses are far more tolerable than the verses of songs by, say, Lady Gaga. A bad-a** twist in the sound of the aforesaid Static-X.

Strapping Young Lad - "Almost Again" (from The New Black, 2006)

4.5/5. Drummer Gene Hoglan deserves some praise for his mighty drumming blasts, but you know who else? Devin Townsend for his fine lyrics and raw vocals, not to mention founding this band! Is it just me or does the guy in the last 10 seconds of the song screaming and collapsing sound like Hoglan after all this impressive work? Hmm... At least he will be well-suited for a drum soloing battle with Meshuggah's Tomas Haake.

Combichrist - "Hate Like Me" (from One Fire, 2019)

4.5/5. This is worth listening to for some f***ing amazing energy. Those vocals are h*lla powerful.

Omega Lithium - "Stigmata" (from Dreams in Formaline, 2009)

5/5. I love this awesome song, and it makes me wish Omega Lithium would one day reform. Mya Mortensen is really pretty, and pretty talented in the industrial/gothic metal scene. You can almost consider her the Lady Gaga of metal! I can thank my brother for showing me this song.

Nine Inch Nails - "March of the Pigs" (from The Downward Spiral, 1994)

4.5/5. Besides this song being one of the heavier tracks of its album, metal enough for inclusion in this playlist, HORSE the Band's cover of the song intrigues me. It works as a soundtrack to a panic attack. And halfway through, just when you think it's over early, it starts up again!

Fear Factory - "Disobey - Disruptor Remix" (from Recoded, 2022)

5/5. HOLY SH*T, another cyber-techno remix of a fantastic song, that still rules?!? We need more of this!

Lindemann - "Skills in Pills" (from Skills in Pills, 2015)

4.5/5. Interesting song about pills, drugs, and booze. All part of Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann's solo project of Peter Tägtgren from Hypocrisy and Pain.

Ludovico - "Burn Everything" (from Haunted People, 2022)

4/5. Emotions of frustration and loneliness can be let out via dark music. Even when the screams sound closer to whispering, they still have quite the power. The feeling is relevant for the earlier time of the virus.

Deathstars - "Death Dies Hard" (from Night Electric Night, 2009)

3.5/5. This one hits hard, sounding good like a descendent of Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, and Nine Inch Nails, in a way that I actually like. Hate what you want, but cheers to this band for carrying on!

ASP - "Krabat" (from Zaubererbruder: der Krabat-Liederzyklus, 2008)

3/5. The violin is beautiful, adding some pleasant folk vibes to an otherwise mediocre Neue Deutsche Härte track.

The Mad Capsule Markets - "Island" (from OSC-DIS, 2001)

3.5/5. A quite funny song. While staying in industrial metal territory, the verses frolic happily before a raging hardcore chorus.

Author & Punisher - "Glorybox" (from Kruller, 2022)

4/5. The shoegaze-ish direction for this band is especially true in this convincing Portishead cover. Sounds weird but I love it!

Neurotech - "Through Hardships" (from Stigma, 2015)

4.5/5. This is quite an epic standout to this last leg of this playlist. You can marvel through all the hardships you wanna overcome! Amazing, huh?! Quite an astonishing motivational message. "You're not alone." "Things will get better."

Rammstein - "Adieu" (from Zeit, 2022)

4/5. This marching finale has reflective piano and a sign-off message, "You have to go the final way alone", rather ironic compared to the previous song's message.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

I've rated all covers for 2022 Sphere releases now.

Industrial metal always seems to be a fickle genre to get right. For a genre whose sole purpose is to sound mechanical, many artists in recent years have been unable to to get out of a habit of obliterating the listeners ears with unpleasant and overbearing percussion mixing that finds its way right to the front and drowns out whatever groove/texture/melody is being performed by the guitar, vocals or whatever other instrument.

Now this is around the time in my review where I typically namedrop Daughters' 2018 You Won't Get What You Want, but in this case, I realize that record has more than its share of overbearing percussion. So I'll instead refer to my 2021 album of the year, Frontierer's Oxidized with its unusual blending of industrial and crushing mathcore and how that percussive texture only elaborates instead of dominates. Author & Punisher have a very similar effect on Krüller, but this time the foundation is plainly doom.

And this record is superb. The slower tempos make this album foreboding in a way that is almost new to me. I do not know how Author & Punisher were able to get away with song structures and melodic motifs this sticky and with this much passion infused into them; it feels counterintuitive at times. The use of a true electronic percussion does drag some of this albums' intensity down, but it does get redeemed by some monotonous vocals that are direct from post-metal, and the aforementioned doom infused guitar lines.

Compositions are great in terms of scale. The album has a dark text and subtext, but the song "Maiden Star" sits right in the middle of the record and throws in some unusual, but very welcome major key harmonies as a quick divergence before plunging back into the abyss on "Misery". It does not feel out of place at all and in much the same way, the full on electronic interludes on "Blacksmith" and "Misery" feel very much at home, since they were prepared by what came before.

I was in the need for some hard hitting doom metal today and man did I get a ton of that here! This is wonderfully produced, performed and executed by all involved. It's a doom metal album for those looking to step outside of the comfy confines of My Dying Bride and Swallow the Sun, without diving head first into funeral doomers Esoteric or Bell Witch.

9/10

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Samael - "Solar Soul" (from Solar Soul, 2007)

4/5. Let's start with something so dark yet so bright! The background details such as the short screams really emphasize the song. A pretty great banger! The lyrics are at its best when they tell you to push aside yesterday and tomorrow. Longtime fans would surely have some good memories. Crank up the volume!

Circle of Dust - "Waste of Time" (from Disengage, 1998)

4.5/5. Klayton has been active in the music scene even before his more well-known project Celldweller, and this song is never a waste of time! I especially enjoy the rap-ish metal verse and its lyrics.

Pitchshifter - "Gritter" (from Submit, 1992)

4/5. This is a brilliant favorite of mine from this EP. It brings in some groove momentum and their earlier deathly vibe, the latter caused by crushing downtuned riffing and deep growling vocals. However, it sounds closer to Godflesh than the more deathly Dead World. JS Clayden took over on vocals after his brother MD put his focus on bass.

Fear Factory - "Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)" (from Digimortal, 2001)

4.5/5. Another amazing song, having pleased many longtime Fear Factory fans for so many years. The best part is the heavier bridge at over the two-minute mark. Other than that, it sounds closer to some of my brother's favorite alt-rock/metal bands that I've discovered when I was middle-school-age, and it might be good for one of our car rides. This should really be shared to the world!

Ministry - "Shove" (from Animositisomina, 2003)

4/5. Another underrated satisfying track, this one from Ministry. Apparently, Animositisomina is Al Jourgensen's least favorite album alongside their synthpop debut With Sympathy, though obviously both albums are different like chalk and cheese. I don't know what the symbols on the cover art represent, but you can take a guess.

Marilyn Manson - "Man That You Fear" (from Antichrist Superstar, 1996)

3.5/5. "When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed." This repeated line has haunted many listeners of this album for over two and a half decades. Call Marilyn Manson what you would like besides industrial metal; grunge, emo, goth, irreligious or even inspiring mass murderers... Unnecessary labels can hurt, but he ain't affected by them. And why bother? Just enjoy the music without harsh criticism.

Godflesh - "Endgames" (from Us and Them, 1999)

4/5. This one has something I might enjoy in Godflesh's most controversial album, with dark layers of bass textures.

Gothminister - "Utopia" (from Utopia, 2013)

4.5/5. I definitely prefer to get my gothic-infused industrial metal from Gothminister, and this song is a great example.

Rob Zombie - "The Eternal Struggles of the Howling Man" (from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, 2021)

4/5. I would recommend this sick track to fans of Rob Zombie and his material. AAHHOOO YEAH!!!

OOMPH! - "Die Schlinge" (from GlaubeLiebeTod, 2006)

4.5/5. Apocalyptica fans can thank Oomph! for featuring that cello metal band in this track. It's really great!

Old - "Freak Now" (from The Musical Dimension of Sleastak, 1993)

5/5. More of the experimentation commences in this freaky highlight. That song was used in the soundtrack for the film Brainscan.

Necromorphic Despair - "The Only Thing They Fear Is You" (from The Only Thing They Fear Is You, 2022)

4.5/5. You know that song from the DOOM Eternal soundtrack? I found a cover of that track by Necromorphic Despair, with lyrics and growls added. It's so f***ing brutal! Necromorphic Despair is not yet in RYM, but I can definitely hear this as deathly industrial metal at its finest.

Scorn - "Scum After Death (Dub)" (from Vae Solis, 1992)

4/5. Napalm Death fans might recognize the opening bass from their song "Scum", and it makes sense since the 3 musicians who performed in the first side of that album perform here. The 3 voice samples that appear in the song are all from I Drink Your Blood: "Do we pray?" "Satan was an acid head." "Together we'll all freak out!"

Excessive Force - "Ride the Bomb" (from Conquer Your World, 1991)

3.5/5. The only decently great track from a sh*tty dance album that has blown me off instead of blown me away....

Emigrate - "Silent So Long" (from Silent So Long, 2014)

3/5. This isn't really a song I love, though I like the 80s-sounding solo and the guest vocals from Jonathan Davis from Korn. However, some lyrics are in Latin, specifically in over the 3-minute mark, and most of the riffing Richard Kruspe is at a low level. Bummer...

Xe-NONE - "Summertime" (from Dancefloration, 2011)

3.5/5. This one's slightly better, with the cyber metal instrumentation and vocals leveling up like a boss.

Seth Ect - "E.C.T." (from Godspeak, 2011)

4/5. Anyone having trouble finding a killer cyber metal bands? The search is over! This band has a bit of f***ing talent!

Code Orange - "A Sliver" (from Underneath, 2020)

4.5/5. This one shows that Gojira is not the only band in the world that can mix melodic ambience with extreme heavy matter so easily, though obviously not the same style.

Sybreed - "A.E.O.N." (from The Pulse of Awakening, 2009)

4/5. Good cyber-industrial metal genius talent from Switzerland! The synth-ambience really adds some that cyber effect.

Eisbrecher - "Verrückt" (from Die Hölle muss warten, 2012)

3.5/5. It's hard for me to understand German, but the music is quite enough for the radio.

Schwarzer Engel - "Schwarze Sonne" (from In Brennenden Himmeln, 2013)

4/5. Real superb addition of symphonic gothic metal elements while staying in Neue Deutsche Harte. The operatic female verse at the one-and-a-half-minute is the best part with flowing texture, probably more than Tarja.

Killing Joke - "Exorcism" (from Pandemonium, 1994)

4.5/5. An astounding tune from one of Killing Joke's heavier releases. Jaz Coleman encourages listeners to "Let it out, let it rise, let it-" (literally coughs and wheezes, f***ing amusing). The theme of exorcism can be associated with Babylonian religion.

Mnemic - "The Eye on Your Back" (from Passenger, 2007)

5/5. Making up a lot for the slight bit of mediocrity, the closing epic is bound to keep you awake with its cycling through some of the best vocals, keyboards, and riffs in this offering. The power that makes up most of Passenger is revisited, while not as Meshuggah-infused as their earlier albums.

Morbid Angel - "Profundis - Mea Culpa" (from Illud Divinum Insanus, 2011)

4.5/5. The closing song of this playlist is the best track in its original album. The industrial rhythm and metal complexity are combined very well, David Vincent's vocals are very captivating, and there's none of that sh*tty rock in sight.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Daniel, I'm glad you enjoy Mnemic's debut Mechanical Spin Phenomena. I've started a listening/reviewing marathon for the band's discography, and while the debut is indeed an underrated start of a journey for the band and their listeners, it's their second album The Audio Injected Soul where the band perfected their modern futuristic metal style. I'm sure you can find a great kick of enjoyment out of this one:

I really enjoyed this feature Andi. I'd heard a few Mnemic tracks through the monthly playlists over the years & generally recall enjoying them but this was the first full release I've checked out. Calling it industrial/groove metal doesn't really do the scope of this release justice in my opinion because there are also nu metal & djent components that are easily as significant as either of those tags yet none of the four seem appropriate as a primary tag in my opinion. I guess I'll leave it as it is given that I can't think of a better option.

The vocals are nice & aggressive, the production is chunky & heavy & the execution is bang on. The Fear Factory influence is obvious in the staccato riffs & the clean choruses which also hint at Strapping Young Lad. The Meshuggah influence in the djenty bits is beautifully done & generally matches up with the best parts. The simpler groove metal riffs reference Sepultura & Machine Head while the regular touches on nu metal reek of Korn & early Deftones. There are even some clear hints at White Zombie in the vocal delivery at times.

There are no weak tracks included in a very consistent tracklisting. I absolutely love "Tattoos" which is the clear highlight for mine. This is an underrated record & I very much concur with Andi's suggestion that it needs to be heard.

For fans of Fear Factory, Prong & Dagoba.

4/5

I'm still quite new to industrial metal, despite my ongoing quest to find more of this genre, but I can do a top 5:

1. Northlane - Obsidian

2. Gothminister - Pandemonium

3. Psyclon Nine - Less to Heaven

4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World

5. Fear Factory - Recoded