August 2022 "The Sphere" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN
Tracklisting:
1. Static-X - "Regeneration" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 (2020)
2. Rob Zombie - "The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)
3. White Zombie - "More Human Than Human" from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)
4. Vigilante - "Answers" from The Heroes' Code (2005)
5. Emigrate - "Eat You Alive" from Silent So Long (2014)
6. Die Krupps - "Welcome to the Blackout" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)
7. Strapping Young Lad - "Wrong Side" from The New Black (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
8. Samael - "Jupiterian Vibe" from Passage (1996) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
9. Ministry - "Alter Level" from Moral Hygiene (2021)
10. KMFDM - "Juke-Joint Jezebel" from Nihil (1995)
11. Code Orange - "Erasure Scan" from Underneath (2020) [submitted by Daniel]
12. Northlane - "Echo Chamber" from Obsidian (2022)
13. Kidneythieves - "The Invisible Plan" from The Invisible Plan (2011)
14. Gravity Kills - "Enough" from Gravity Kills (1996)
15. Scum of the Earth - "Bombshell From Hell" from Sleaze Freak (2007)
16. Spineshank - "Beginning of the End" from Self-Destructive Pattern (2003)
17. Lard - "War Pimp Renaissance" from Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)
18. Zeromancer - "Doctor Online" from Eurotrash (2001)
19. Motionless in White - "Cyberhex" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)
20. Dawn of Ashes - "Scars of the Broken" from Scars of the Broken (2022)
21. Black Light Discipline - "Self Control" from Against Each Other (2012)
22. Breach the Void - "Propagate" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)
23. Heldmaschine - "Nachts am Kanal" from Propaganda (2014)
24. Terminal Choice - "Keine Macht" from Ubermacht (2010)
25. Godflesh - "Gift from Heaven (Heavenly)" from Love and Hate in Dub (1997) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
26. Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" from The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
27. Fear Factory - "End of Line" from Aggression Continuum (2021)
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Static-X - "Regeneration" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 (2020)
3/5. A good intro to begin the playlist. Not the best, but still decent. RIP Wayne Static...
Rob Zombie - "The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)
3.5/5. First real song here, and a pretty good track for Halloween Eve, used as the theme for NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver. You can imagine your own horror movie that lasts from dusk to dawn. More horrors than Slayer's "Angel of Death"!
White Zombie - "More Human Than Human" from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)
4/5. Then we travel back over 25 years to when Rob Zombie was still in the band White Zombie before starting his own solo career. This is one of those songs that I can't let my metal-hating mother hear. I can't believe I'm a few months away from turning 24 and did not hear anything from this band until when after making this playlist. Another good track for Halloween, if you imagine the moaning in the intro as ghost noises.
Vigilante - "Answers" from The Heroes' Code (2005)
4.5/5. This amazing tune could apparently be found in YTMND (You're The Man Now, Dog), an online community website that has recently declined in popularity. This could be remembered for aeons along with power metal bands Lost Horizon and DragonForce! A mysterious audio sample from the 1989 Punisher movie can be heard in the intro, along with the 2003 Daredevil film at the 3-minute mark.
Emigrate - "Eat You Alive" from Silent So Long (2014)
4/5. Emigrate is a spin-off band for Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe. Apparently this was from an Undertale blog, and this song is quite lovable. Though I don't what the f*** Undertale has to do with this song other than that blog.
Die Krupps - "Welcome to the Blackout" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)
4.5/5. "Welcome to the blackout! Welcome to the siege! Welcome to the breakdown! The collapse within reach!" Well said for this killer tune.
Strapping Young Lad - "Wrong Side" from The New Black (2006)
5/5. Devin Townsend is the king of progressive metal and has made Strapping Young Lad one of the d*mn kings of industrial metal besides Fear Factory. I just love the insane drumming in this one! Anyone who thinks that kind of drumming doesn't belong in industrial metal can stand corrected.
Samael - "Jupiterian Vibe" from Passage (1996)
4.5/5. This was one of my favorite songs from this album that remains seared into my brain more than an LSD trip.
Ministry - "Alter Level" from Moral Hygiene (2021)
4/5. Another good new song, this one from one of the industrial metal inventors Ministry. "How concerned are you?"
KMFDM - "Juke-Joint Jezebel" from Nihil (1995)
4/5. This is the most popular song from industrial rock/metal KMFDM, selling over a million single copies, and ending up in the soundtracks for Bad Boys and the Mortal Kombat movies (remixed for the latter). You can really dance along to some parts, much more than Nine Inch Nails.
Code Orange - "Erasure Scan" from Underneath (2020)
4.5/5. The closest we have to Emmure with Erasure synths!
Northlane - "Echo Chamber" from Obsidian (2022)
5/5. This is my favorite song in its original album, and it shows how big the band's sound can be. There's strong synth-dance bits while staying heavy and vocally diverse. I sometimes feel like I'm in an online vortex where my goals have a hard time being reached, and that's what that track relates, along with the virus lasting for a couple years. Again, that track is the f***ing best!
Kidneythieves - "The Invisible Plan" from The Invisible Plan (2011)
4.5/5. Here's another underrated band, this time with a sexy voice to love. This girl's the kind of guardian angel needed to guide me through this industrial rock/metal dimension, a little more than the poppy gospel choir from that KMFDM song. I also love the drumming here! The lyrics might've been inspired by the second Deus Ex game Invisible War. Free Dominguez is almost like the Gwen Stefani of industrial rock/metal!
Gravity Kills - "Enough" from Gravity Kills (1996)
4/5. Another piece of alt-rock/industrial metal that I love, but still not enough to go further with this band. The last time I heard this band was from another Sphere playlist track from two months ago. Even now, you can jam out during a long drive! Definitely having some vibes from Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and a bit of that KMFDM song.
Scum of the Earth - "Bombshell From Hell" from Sleaze Freak (2007)
3.5/5. This continues the Rob Zombie-like horror groove punch, a decent song to like.
Spineshank - "Beginning of the End" from Self-Destructive Pattern (2003)
3.5/5. Many listeners might know this song from the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack. I would've liked this a lot more when I was 14 and listening to alt-rock/metal before my switch to "real" metal, but I can still jam out to this one now at age 23, I guess. I'm not a huge fan of horror films, but this tune works out quite well for that movie.
Lard - "War Pimp Renaissance" from Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)
4/5. Once again, if you wanna hear a collaboration project between Jello Biafra and Ministry, you would be lucky with this band Lard.
Zeromancer - "Doctor Online" from Eurotrash (2001)
4.5/5. This song is something to love if you're up for a poppy-ish mix of Nine Inch Nails and Orgy. This is almost as suicide-encouraging than the majority of DSBM, but if you end up in the mood to calling this hotline, DON'T DO IT. Get help!
Motionless in White - "Cyberhex" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)
5/5. Motionless in White came back with an epic vengeance in the first single of their new album, with guest narration from Lindsay Schoolcraft, formerly of Cradle of Filth.
Dawn of Ashes - "Scars of the Broken" from Scars of the Broken (2022)
4.5/5. Dawn of Ashes can have some misleading instrumentation, y'know. Like sounding epic in the beginning, but it ends up remaining as metalized industrial-techno. It's still a very great soul-toucher with distant wonders that can give you sonic delight. The interesting factor would've reached perfection with a f***ing lot more metal though.
Black Light Discipline - "Self Control" from Against Each Other (2012)
4/5. Now this is a pretty great cover of an 80s disco song, and I'm a sucker for those kind of metal covers. The song was originally by Italian singer Raf, then popularized by Laura Branigan. A cool tribute to the 80s to play and jam out! Though this electro-industrial metal style works out well, Nightwish should cover that song next.
Breach the Void - "Propagate" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)
3.5/5. If you like this band, you might like a lot more cyber metal. Though my relationship with cyber metal is still strained...
Heldmaschine - "Nachts am Kanal" from Propaganda (2014)
3/5. ...So is my relationship with Neue Deutsche Härte. The German listeners might find this cool though, and it can work as an MMORPG theme.
Terminal Choice - "Keine Macht" from Ubermacht (2010)
3.5/5. This is slightly better, but again I would like this better if I was German.
Godflesh - "Gift from Heaven (Heavenly)" from Love and Hate in Dub (1997)
4/5. Continuing Daniel's idea of adding a long ambient track (from the previous two playlists), this is like an apocalyptic transcendence to Hell, in a good way.
Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" from The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
4.5/5. Another industrial metal cover of a popular disco song from the 80s. Marilyn Manson's version was originally released 20 years ago as part of the soundtrack to Not Another Teen Movie. Slipknot fanboys, turn away!
Fear Factory - "End of Line" from Aggression Continuum (2021)
5/5. Well, we've come to the end of line for this playlist, along with this album that marks the final Fear Factory one with Burton C. Bell. Probably the best extreme industrial metal song I've heard in a long time, especially those clean vocals. We'll miss you, Burton....
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps in the beginning and towards the end... 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!