May 2024 "The Sphere" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN

Tracklisting:

1. Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" from Demanufacture (1995) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Turmion Kätilöt - "Teurastaja" from Hoitovirhe (2004) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Samael - "Rain" from Passage (1996) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Godflesh - "Someone Somewhere Scorned" from Slavestate E.P. (1991) [submitted by Daniel]

5. The Amenta - "Teeth" from Flesh is Heir (2013)

6. Combichrist - "Modern Demon" from Planet Doom (2024)

7. Death SS - "S.I.A.G.F.O.M." from The 7th Seal (2006)

8. Circle of Dust - "Regressor" (Aggressive Mix) from Brainchild (1994) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Celldweller - "I Can't Wait" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. Crossbreed - "Reflections" from .01 (1998)

11. Rammstein - "Stein um Stein" from Reise, Reise (2004)

12. Realize - "Predawn Gloom" from Two Human Minutes (2023)

13. Eisbrecher - "Eiszeit" from Eiszeit (2010)

14. Ruoska - "Amortem" from Amortem (2006)

15. CHRISTWVRKS - "It Never Was the Same" from Teeth Fall From the Open Eye (2019)

16. Ministry - "TV Song 1/6 Edition" from Hopiumforthemasses (2024)

17. Motionless in White - "Werewolf" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)

18. ASP - "Welcome" from Weltunter (2003)

19. Front Line Assembly - "Millennium" from Millennium (1994)

20. Strapping Young Lad - "Bring on the Young" from SYL (2003)

21. Red Harvest - "Move or Be Moved" from Cold Dark Matter (2000) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

22. Mechina - "The Hyperion Tragedy" from Acheron (2015)

23. Sybreed - "Into the Blackest Light" from God is an Automaton (2012)

24. The Kovenant - "Industrial Twilight" from Seti (2003)

Here are my thoughts on all selected tracks:

Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" from Demanufacture (1995)

5/5. Already proving the song's original album to be a classic, its title opener starts with synth atmosphere before a killer riff joins in, followed by bass and drums, all proving the band to be industrial metal legends! The crushing riffs and thundering drums perfectly stand alongside the amazing vocal charisma in the growls and cleans.

Turmion Kätilöt - "Teurastaja" from Hoitovirhe (2004)

5/5. Fantastic industrial beats and metal instrumentation are worth taking it to the dancefloor. No matter how much of the Finnish language you can understand (I can't), the great intense vocals of MC Raaka Pee never betray.

Samael - "Rain" from Passage (1996)

4.5/5. Samael is known as the true Swiss heroes of symphonic/industrial metal, and killer songs like this help verify that claim. Fans of the band's earlier black metal album shouldn't f*** with the more creative freedom and madness the band decided to have with their true change of sound from Passage onwards. Their satanic sound before Passage is a good reason why I lost touch with the band's material a couple years ago. But I'm glad as h*ll to be building it back up a bit. They still can sound quite f***ing heavy in other songs from their industrial metal albums. Let it rain!

Godflesh - "Someone Somewhere Scorned" from Slavestate E.P. (1991)

4.5/5. Godflesh has made many different releases and songs that I enjoy, and they nicely cement the band's phenomenal ways of industrial metal. This is another excellent song from the band and a nice break from the more dance-y songs in this playlist like the previous two.

The Amenta - "Teeth" from Flesh is Heir (2013)

5/5. This spectacular brutal highlight takes the industrial vibes of 3TEETH and gives it the Gojira prog-death treatment.

Combichrist - "Modern Demon" from Planet Doom (2024)

4.5/5. Similarly to Psyclon Nine, Combichrist started off as aggrotech before gradually evolving into industrial metal. This single from their new EP combines both eras.

Death SS - "S.I.A.G.F.O.M." from The 7th Seal (2006)

4/5. An interesting blend of classic heavy metal, industrial metal, and satanic horror themes, similar to Danzig's late 90s work.

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

4.5/5. "HE'S A KILLER, I SAW IT!" Many audio samples like that one from Robocop 2 plague this haunting track. For anyone more familiar with Klayton's current more famous project Celldweller can be pleasantly surprised by his work in Circle of Dust. There's also a remix of that track by Battlejuice. I'm currently 25 and looking out for music like this that take on more serious and experimental aspects than the power metal I used to listen to 10 years before today.

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

5/5. I'm doing a fantastic with my serious and experimental quest thanks to Klayton, among many other rock/metal artists. His music as Celldweller needs a lot more appreciation. The buildup before the final chorus at one minute left is a total spine-chiller. I don't know where my path will take me next, but I CAN'T WAIT.

Crossbreed - "Reflections" from .01 (1998)

4.5/5. Some pretty cool nu/industrial metal, that's all I'm gonna say there.

Rammstein - "Stein um Stein" from Reise, Reise (2004)

4/5. The Neue Deutsche Härte sound developed by Rammstein is quite a phenomenon. I'm definitely OK with this track, though I would like it more if I can get its appeal.

Realize - "Predawn Gloom" from Two Human Minutes (2023)

4/5. Here's some doomy industrial metal gloom that's quite bleak and cool.

Eisbrecher - "Eiszeit" from Eiszeit (2010)

4.5/5. A slightly more enjoyable NDH song to break the ice.

Ruoska - "Amortem" from Amortem (2006)

5/5. Surprisingly, I barely find Finnish industrial metal bad at all despite having the same problem at NDH (sung in a different language). I think one reason why I find this song perfect enough to make me up for more of this band is because of vocalist Patrik Mennander having performed unclean vocals in the first two Battlelore albums.

CHRISTWVRKS - "It Never Was the Same" from Teeth Fall From the Open Eye (2019)

4.5/5. The cool bleak doomy industrial metal gloom continues from that Realize track.

Ministry - "TV Song 1/6 Edition" from Hopiumforthemasses (2024)

4/5. Then we speed up into rapid-fire thrash-metalcore-esque riffing and drumming in this song from Ministry's latest offering.

Motionless in White - "Werewolf" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)

4.5/5. My first time listening to this track was a quite exciting experience, having some of the most f***ing experimentation they've had for so long. It's like a Carpenter Brut remake of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me", especially when Chris Motionless sings Michael Jackson's hook from that song. Some fans may love it, others may hate it. The chorus is my favorite here with pleasing harmonies, "I can be honest, I can be human, I can become the silver bullet in your hand". I want more of that!

ASP - "Welcome" from Weltunter (2003)

4/5. A pretty great gothic industrial rock/metal song with a catchy chorus.

Front Line Assembly - "Millennium" from Millennium (1994)

4.5/5. This track helps solidify its original album's place in the mid-90s industrial metal triptych between Killing Joke's Pandemonium and Fear Factory's Demanufacture.

Strapping Young Lad - "Bring on the Young" from SYL (2003)

5/5. This standout ends Strapping Young Lad's 3rd album similarly to City. It is a drawn-out slow epic building up to a powerful climax. I honestly like this album's closing track better than that of City, despite that album being more perfect than this one.

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

4.5/5. After that preview track from their 1998 Newrage World Music EP in last December's Sphere playlist, it's time for the full track that came in two years later in Cold Dark Matter, as excellent as that preview!

Mechina - "The Hyperion Tragedy" from Acheron (2015)

4/5. Now this is a massive beast of an almost 10-minute epic that works as the soundtrack to a massive space battle. There's a lot of epic power in both the title and the song that's nothing but true galactic carnage. This extensive track is so interesting and prevails as one of the best songs of that Mechina album.

Sybreed - "Into the Blackest Light" from God is an Automaton (2012)

4.5/5. It hurts that Sybreed split up after this song's original album. This heavy banger goes f***ing hard especially in the breakdown midway through.

The Kovenant - "Industrial Twilight" from Seti (2003)

4/5. Let's end this playlist with I once thought was one of the best tracks from this Kovenant album SETI. It's a shame that I stopped listening to this band recently, especially since they've just ended their long hiatus. Maybe they will finally finish the long-awaited Aria Galactica album that's been in development Hell as long as Wintersun's Time II.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some slight drops in quality throughout. 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!