June 2023 "The Sphere" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN
Tracklisting:
1. Meathook Seed - "Famine Sector" from Embedded (1993)
2. Deathstars - "Midnight Party" from Everything Destroys You (2023)
3. Pitchshifter - "Landfill" from Industrial (1991)
4. Sore Throat - "Phase IV" from Inde$troy (1989)
5. Rob Zombie - "Superbeast" from Hellbilly Deluxe (1998)
6. Dead World - "Kill" from The Machine (1993)
7. Skrew - "Albatross" from Dusted (1994)
8. Pain - "On Your Knees (Again)" from Pain (1997)
9. 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)
10. Godflesh - "Crush My Soul" from Selfless (1994) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
11. Fear Factory - "Regenerate" from Genexus (2015) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
12. Mushroomhead - "Everyone's Got One - Only Mix" from Remix (1997)
13. Marilyn Manson - "Antichrist Superstar" from Antichrist Superstar (1996) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
14. Samael - "Angel's Decay" from Passage (1996) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
15. Code Orange - "You and You Alone" from Underneath (2020) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
16. Gothminister - "All This Time" from The Other Side (2017)
17. Static-X - "Bring You Down (Project Regeneration)" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1 (2020)
18. King Satan - "Left Hand Path Symphony" from Occult Spiritual Anarchy (2022)
19. Combichrist - "One Fire" from One Fire (2019)
20. Crematory - "Inglorious Darkness" from Inglorious Darkness (2022)
21. Contracult Collective - "Follow" from FOLLOW (2020)
22. D'espairsRay - "Dears" from Coll:set (2006)
23. Mechina - "The Horizon Effect" from Progenitor (2016)
24. Ministry - "Leper" from Animositisomina (2003) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
25. Erdling - "Blizzard" from Yggdrasil (2020)
26. Stahlmann - "Spring Nicht" from Quecksilber (2012)
27. Ost+Front - "Ost+Front 2014" from Olympia (2014)
28. The Amenta - "Parse Over" from Revelator (2021)
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!