The Sphere

Ben, please add the new Neurotech album Exo Escapism.

June 2025

1. Fear of Domination - "Fear of Domination" from Call of Schizophrenia (2009)

2. White Zombie - "Super Charger Heaven" from Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

3. Skrew - "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame" from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1992)

4. Pitchshifter - "Gravid Rage" from Industrial (1991)

5. A Dark Halo - "Vector Unknown" from Omnibus One (2023)

6. Illidiance - "Defying Gravity" from The Iconoclast (2019) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

7. KONG - "P.R.O.K.O.V." from Mute Poet Vocalizer (1990)

8. Sonic Violence - "Symptom" from Jagd (1990)

9. Meathook Seed - "A Furred Grave" from Embedded (1993)

10. Ministry - "Jesus Built My Hotrod" from Psalm 69 (1992)

11. Psyclon Nine - "I Choose Violence" from And Then Oblivion (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

12. Rammstein - "Ich Tu Dir Weh" from Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da (2009)

13. Circle of Dust - "Dust to Dust" from Dust to Dust (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Celldweller - "Blackstar" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Sybreed - "Doomsday Party" from The Pulse of Awakening (2009) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Subway to Sally - "Post Mortem" from Post Mortem (2024)

17. Filter - "For the Beaten" from For the Beaten (2023)

18. Stahlhammer - "Can't Touch This" from Wiener Blut (1997)

19. Tyrant of Death - "Fluorescent" from Singles & Extras (2018)

20. Mick Gordon - "Rip & Tear" from Doom (Original Game Soundtrack) (2016)

21. Conflict - "Mechanism of Life" from Transform into a Human (2014)

22. Death SS - "Panic" from Panic (2000)

23. Fange - "Grand-Guignol" from Purulences (2025)

24. Khost - "Transfixed" from Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us (2024)

25. Mechina - "Anagenesis" from Progenitor (2016) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

26. Death Therapy, Brook Reeves - "Reject" from Reject (2020)

27. Lord of the Lost - "Ordinary World" from Weapons of Mass Seduction (2023)

Although Fear of Domination has gone past their early industrial phase at this point, this ultimate ending highlight still fits well in The Sphere as one of the most experimental tracks by the band:

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

The Amenta - "Vermin" (4:03) from n0n (2008)

Deathstars - "No Light" (3:24) from Synthetic Generation (2002)

Gothminister - "Darkside" (3:56) from Happiness in Darkness (2008)

Mechina - "Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient" (7:11) from As Embers Turn to Dust (2017)

Neurotech - "Uplift" (6:06) from Evasive (2015)

Pain - "I Am" (3:58) from I Am (2024)

Total length: 28:38

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Fear of Domination - "Fear of Domination" from Call of Schizophrenia (2009)

5/5. It starts off clean but heavy in what can be the band's own theme song. You can hear some background cleans by keyboardist Niina Telen. Awesome start!

White Zombie - "Super Charger Heaven" from Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

4.5/5. This one's a great thrash-rock highlight. The drums have wicked kicks! The only downside is Zombie's vocals not sounding as aggressive or deep as they should. Still it's one of the best songs here!

Skrew - "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame" from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1992)

4/5. Skrew's 1991 debut's title track unleashes as much industrial destruction as Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste.

Pitchshifter - "Gravid Rage" from Industrial (1991)

4.5/5. This one is another highlight of industrial metal machinery with convincing growls by Mark Clayden. Oh yeah, Mark is the bassist of the band, but he also performed vocals in this album. His brother J.S. would take over on vocals from their Submit EP onwards, though he's done additional vocals in their debut.

A Dark Halo - "Vector Unknown" from Omnibus One (2023)

5/5. Now this is darker and heavier, featuring Anna Hel. The softer cleans and heavier screams alternating between each other sound so haunting. It's like a lurking menace in the space of tranquility, turning it intense and bleak. The cleans still shine, along with the creativity in the music. The band is never afraid to explore the unknown, and as a result, we have another wonderful standout!

Illidiance - "Defying Gravity" from The Iconoclast (2019)

4.5/5. Obviously it's not a Wicked cover (thank goodness!), though it's quite diverse with everything from progressive/djenty bands like Periphery and Chaos Divine, to modern/melodic bands like Mnemic and Of Mice & Men. Now that's wicked!

KONG - "P.R.O.K.O.V." from Mute Poet Vocalizer (1990)

4/5. This one has cool riffing by guitar duo Aldo Sprenger and Dirk de Vries. While some might consider the circus audio sample odd, it helps make that track one of my favorites in its original album.

Sonic Violence - "Symptom" from Jagd (1990)

4.5/5. This is shorter and less varied, but it doesn't need to have a lot to sound amazing, especially in the final climax.

Meathook Seed - "A Furred Grave" from Embedded (1993)

4/5. The best of Peres' vocal alternation occurs in this one.

Ministry - "Jesus Built My Hotrod" from Psalm 69 (1992)

4.5/5. I'm already familiar with this crazy highlight via the Lamb of God/Burn the Priest cover. The song has an interesting narrative and fun lyrics, sung by the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes.

Psyclon Nine - "I Choose Violence" from And Then Oblivion (2025)

5/5. In real life, I wouldn't choose violence as the answer, but I would choose dark violent trap-ish industrial metal to listen to.

Rammstein - "Ich Tu Dir Weh" from Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da (2009)

4.5/5. And then the violence turns sexual. The BDSM-themed lyrics were too extreme for the German public market and its original album had to be reissued with the track omitted. Still I enjoy the anthemic-sounding chorus here.

Circle of Dust - "Dust to Dust" from Dust to Dust (2017)

5/5. A powerful masterpiece track that is apparently meant to be an early hint for an upcoming Circle of Dust release. I have an awesome feeling about that album...

Celldweller - "Blackstar" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

4.5/5. One of the best songs in this album by Klayton's other project, Celldweller!

Sybreed - "Doomsday Party" from The Pulse of Awakening (2009)

5/5. This highlight is quite fun. Not as fun as that DragonForce track from 15 years later, but here, Sybreed have their own way of channeling 80s pop with its catchy chorus while staying metal. This more lively sound was first hinted in Antares, and it sounds like the coldness of Slave Design has been left behind.

Subway to Sally - "Post Mortem" from Post Mortem (2024)

4.5/5. An amazing blend of Neue Deutsche Härte and medieval folk, and you definitely wanna stay from beginning to end.

Filter - "For the Beaten" from For the Beaten (2023)

4/5. For an uplifting song with soaring vocals, it sure has some of the heaviest fire in industrial metal riffing.

Stahlhammer - "Can't Touch This" from Wiener Blut (1997)

3.5/5. One of only two songs I like in that sh*tty Stahlhammer album, fitting in the "metalizing covers" category.

Tyrant of Death - "Fluorescent" from Singles & Extras (2018)

3/5. Not the best I've heard from this project, but I'm glad to have a djenty industrial metal instrumental here.

Mick Gordon - "Rip & Tear" from Doom (Original Game Soundtrack) (2016)

3.5/5. And another one of that style! Demons better look out, as the DoomSlayer plans to RIP AND TEAR.

Conflict - "Mechanism of Life" from Transform into a Human (2014)

4/5. Now this is a true winning highlight. It sounds nicely like a sequel to the title track of Mechina's "The Assembly of Tyrants", along with having a Xerath-esque blend of symphonics and groove elements. I also love the anthemic chorus.

Death SS - "Panic" from Panic (2000)

3.5/5. Steve Sylvester can make some dark haunting songs with his band Death SS, which is basically Ghost before Ghost. I love the chorus here! And the keyboards after that sound so eerie. This is basically gothic/heavy metal gone electro-industrial. You can get the darkness of Behemoth and Vader without ever going as deathly as those bands. Still I prefer to get my dark beauty elsewhere.

Fange - "Grand-Guignol" from Purulences (2025)

4/5. And by elsewhere, I mean in the form of sludgy industrial metal.

Khost - "Transfixed" from Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us (2024)

4.5/5. And more of that but with more electronics and less sludge. But we'll get something more epic in the next track...

Mechina - "Anagenesis" from Progenitor (2016)

5/5. One h*ll of a cyber metal epic. The intro reminds me of Apocalyptica with its melancholic violins and cello, then the usual symphonic cyber metal goes on like a more orchestral blend of Alchemist and Northlane. Absolute futuristic glory!

Death Therapy, Brook Reeves - "Reject" from Reject (2020)

4.5/5. I stumbled upon this cover of a song I included in last month's Revolution playlist, by Death Therapy (a side-project by Becoming the Archetype's Jason Wisdom) featuring Brook Reeves (Impending Doom). Quite a sick unique combo! Now we need Fit for a King covering one of Living Sacrifice's later metalcore songs. I also hear some Argyle Park vibes in this Death Therapy cover. Maybe there should've been some soloing to make up for the hip-hop-ish beat. But never mind, I won't mess with it.

Lord of the Lost - "Ordinary World" from Weapons of Mass Seduction (2023)

4/5. And finally we end with a beautiful cover of a Duran Duran ballad. Although they've really done that song justice, even with Chris Harms' bass-baritone vocal range (similar to my own), I still prefer Mechina's cover, which sadly isn't on Spotify.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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 to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here's my review summary:

One of the albums that marked a defining landmark in industrial metal is Godflesh's Streetcleaner. The torch would be shared with other different bands of this genre and era. Jagd is a bleak heavy continuation of Godflesh's sound in Streetcleaner, albeit by a much lesser-known band. Guitars are the key, and so are the d*mn destructive drums! They're often slow and sludgy with not much speed. All just repetitive yet mighty rhythms. The guitars are pretty much rhythmic all the way through. There aren't any harmonics that are as slashing as the cover art (see what I mean!?). Those riff chords have an apocalyptic vibe and perfectly fit well with the bass and drums. As a result, the tone is filled with menacing power. Honestly, I love old-school industrial metal when it has that mechanical rage going on, unlike the more dance-y sh*t from some bands. You can't give the machine any impact to make it stop. The impact that happens is what the machine gives you. You don't have time to relax in any peaceful moment before the bleak industrial riffing crashes in and crushes anything its path in mechanical greatness. You can also hear some lovely synths later on. The harsh vocals fit greatly with the lyrics. Jagd might just be my favorite industrial metal album from 1990 or earlier that isn't Godflesh. A true recommendation!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Saturation", "Tortured (Dub)", "Ritual", "Symptom", "Glory"

For fans of: Fear Factory's slower but heavier tracks, Godflesh, early 90s Pitchshifter

Inspired by one of my current favorite YouTube channels Thralls of Metal, I decided to also get in the "band's greatest hits" trend of compiling tracks from different albums by a band as your own "greatest hits" kind of album. If you have any of your own "greatest hits" albums for your favorite bands, feel free to post them here.

Here are my rules for how I would do my own "greatest hits" albums, but you may have your own rules:

1. Two songs per each studio album; one popular track and one underrated track.

2. One song per other album (remix album, EP, etc.).

3. If a track is at least 10 minutes long or close to that, it counts as two songs.

4. Might add in one extra song for one of the albums.

5. If the length of the tracklisting exceeds 80 minutes (the CD length limit), it's split into two discs, maybe 3 discs if even longer.

6. Songs are in chronological order.

Let's start with these two underrated bands:

Mechina

Disc 1 - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/46x2HxpNaUfLUQrisTSXCn

1. Shattered Cry

2. The Assembly of Tyrants

3. Reclamation of Mortal Nature (2007)

4. Pray to the Winds

5. The Iron Law

6. Elephtheria

7. Empyrean

8. Xenon

9. Tartarus

10. The Hyperion Threnody

11. The Horizon Effect

12. Anagenesis

Disc 2 - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6cJyYF0YNeV9fdSNJKuU05

1. Godspeed, Vanguards

2. Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient

3. Gene Heresy

4. Freedom Foregone

5. Venator

6. When Virtue Meets Steel

7. The Grand Hunt

8. Broken Matter Manipulation

9. Bellum Interruptum

10. The Collapsed Promised to All

Neurotech

Disc 1 - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fe4e87QJUw8Ej9JxkUUEu

1. Transhuman

2. We are the Last

3. Blue Screen Planet (Part II Revelation)

4. The Cyber Waltz

5. The Race to Recovery

6. Decipher

7. Atlas

8. Ultra Us

9. Through Hardships

10. To Theta State

11. Uplfit

12. Alleviate

Disc 2 - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ez1KEPtulPw0SbevFYHRI

1. The Halcyon Symphony

2. The Catalyst

3. At a Standstill

4. Ectogenesis

5. Koma

6. Light Betides

7. The Messianic Symphony

8. The Serpent Bites

9. The Years of the Flood

10. Echoes of the Fall

11. Memory Eternal

12. New Source Code

13. Escapism

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

A Dark Halo - "Burn It All" from Catalyst (2006)

5/5. One of my favorite tracks here is this one having lots of groove and energy from the intro onwards.

Illidiance - "I Want to Believe" from Damage Theory (2010)

4.5/5. Then we slow down for this ballad-ish track that's clearly an X-Files reference in that title.

Lard - "Can God Fill Teeth?" from The Last Temptation of Reid (1990)

4/5. The lyrics are pretty much entirely spoken word. After some conspiracy theory accusations, the guitar and drums speed up as fast as thrash, while painful yet humorous sounds of dental torture come in. Apparently, wires leading to the brain of the patient record all that's happening the appointment. So odd and mesmerizing, yet as creative as the first two tracks!

Rammstein - "Benzin" from Rosenrot (2005)

3.5/5. If I were to recommend Neue Deutsche Harte to someone, it would be those who like industrial/alt-metal with German lyrics. The "hey" sample also seems to be the same one used in The Prodigy's "Firestarter". I suppose a song like this should've ended up in one of the Carmageddon video games alongside those Fear Factory tracks.

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

4/5. Although this is experimental/industrial metal, the vocals are bit like blackened deathgrind. Nonetheless, it never gets f***ing old.

Drown - "Pieces of a Man" from Hold on to the Hollow (1994)

4.5/5. The more industrial fans might know this Drown album from the fact that it was produced by Dave Ogilvie from Skinny Puppy. Drown and Fear Factory are two bands that have this bada** genre of industrial metal big in the 90s. Still I like the genre more when it has metallic rage. Prong also dived into a bit of industrial metal back then. Fear Factory would get more of the mainstream glory though. Totally kick-A!

Sybreed - "Neurodrive" from Antares (2007)

5/5. This highlight rolls through excellent guitar rhythms and some of the best vocals by Benjamin. That might have leave a huge influential mark on Neurotech, and is one of my favorite tracks here.

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

4.5/5. This one marks the return to the full form of the industrial death metal balance between clean hooks and deathly heaviness.

Misery Loves Co. - "It's All Yours" from Not Like Them (1997)

4/5. Misery Loves Co. can be considered a metallized blend of The Cure and Depeche Mode. Quite cool as h*ll, especially since this was on MTV to brush aside the pop sh*t.

Argyle Park - "Violent" from Misguided (1994)

4.5/5. People may have discovered music like this in their teens, but I only starting getting into Klayton's music a few years before this comment. The lyrics may not be highly suitable for Christians despite being in the Christian market, but I still like them, "I've taken what you've told me, I'm ready to apply. Liars can't be trusted, but who doesn't lie?" Those lyrics can are also referenced in Celldweller's "One Good Reason". While Argyle Park is long-gone now, at least we still have Celldweller and Circle of Dust.

Ministry - "Aryan Embarrassment" from HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (2024)

4/5. Oooh, another Al Jourgensen/Jello Biafra track! Not as bizarre as that Lard track, but still quite interesting.

Noidz - "2012" 2.0.1.3. (2013)

3.5/5. Anyone still listening to this in 2025?

Fange - "Sang-Vinaigre" from Privation (2023)

3/5. Decent sludgy industrial metal, but a little too drone-ish.

CueStack - "Alive" from Alive (2021)

3.5/5. Industrial rock/metal might just take over the planet! The riffing is good, but I prefer to get my industrial metal from Fear Factory and a bit of Ministry.

Deadly Apples, Filter, Danny Lohner - "Volatile" from Volatile (2025)

4/5. Some more top-notch industrial rock/metal, this track featuring members of Filter and Nine Inch Nails.

Watts - "Kundalini" from Pigmartyr (2004)

4.5/5. And another similarly-styled track, this one by Raymond Watts of PIG.

Celldweller - "Electric Eye" from Satellites (2022)

5/5. OK, why does the intro beat sound like the Powerpuff Girls theme? Still this is a perfect track with many different moments to highlight, such as the verse in the two and a half minute mark, then the bridge over a minute later, and another minute later the outro.

Dodheimsgard - "Sonar Bliss" from 666 International (1999)

4.5/5. Some amazing industrial black metal here, and I especially love the riffing at over the 4 and a half minute mark. But it's nothing compared to the last minute of the track, an out of this world outro! This is for anyone who's into experimental/industrial black metal like Aborym, Diabolos Rising, and Ved Buens Ende, not just the symphonic black metal of Dimmu Borgir and early Satyricon. I once thought of 666 International as the missing link between Covenant and The Kovenant eras. The only other DHG album to be part of The Sphere is Supervillain Outcast.

Neurotech - "The Lost Hope" from In Remission (2016)

5/5. This trance-y centerpiece sounds like Evasive but more epic and in the same metallic vibe as "Uplift". The bass and synths drive through and never lose any momentum.

Mick Gordon - "Shatterhail" from Killer Instinct: Season One Soundtrack (2014)

4.5/5. Mick Gordon is pretty much a master of metalstep. Eat your heart out, The Path of Totality!

Mechina - "On the Wings of Vecterra" from Bellum Interruptum (2025)

5/5. This incredible standout can practically surpass the previous few tracks, and the female vocals here are mostly from "Treasur'" Necole Wright who previously guest appeared in Venator's "Totemic", plus some wild shredding soloing by Dean Paul Arnold.

Die Krupps - "F.U." from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)

4.5/5. Sounds like an attack on a certain US President. I'm not really a political person, so I have nowhere to stand here.

Proton Burst - "N.W.G." from Silence (1998)

4/5. The song title stands for "Negative Wave Generator", for those who don't know.

Underoath - "Vultures" from The Place After This One (2025)

3.5/5. This one is a killer track that can really punch its way to Hell and back. The ethereal leads grab my attention as much as the heavy chorus, "How’s it feel now that you circle with the Vultures?!" The chorus isn't the only massive hooker here. We also have the dark heavy bridge featuring Troy Sanders of Mastodon and his gritty singing. Truly a "take no sh*t" kind of track.

Circle of Dust - "Daraq" from Metamorphosis (1993)

4/5. Finally, we have one more track to complete the Klayton triptych. It's so strange and unique, and has some industrial from Skinny Puppy. Daraq is the name of a few different provinces in Iran.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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 to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here's my review summary:

Catalyst was released in 2006, 17 years before their next album. Their brand of industrial/cyber metal is basically what Fear Factory had at the time but made better and more futuristic. Still the music here is quite unique and can get listeners hooked with the synths and guitars. The first two tracks, also the two of the best, would appear in WWE Day of Reckoning 2. And there are other highlights where heavy guitars and beautiful synths duel each other for some catchy futuristic metal that should really catch on along with everything else here. It's not everyday you can find a practically unknown album that can make your day with its music and lyrics of coldness and loss. Catalyst is a special album to listen to. A dash of melancholy for your industrial/cyber metal heart!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Burn It All", "Beyond Recall", "Silence", "Unbreakable"

For fans of: Fear Factory, Illidiance, Mechina

One of the most sh*tty covers I've heard in all metal:

Still 9.5 to Streetcleaner at least for how original the "general" sound is, and major kudos to them for finding a signature.  The rest kinda fluctuates between 7 and 9.

That's pretty much how I've scored Godflesh over the years although by my scoring system that makes them one of my all-time favourite bands.

New Mechina single?! Announced two weeks after Bellum Interruptum?!? Gotta look out for another addition to the discography of these unstoppable forces of epic cyber metal!

This isn't exactly likely to sit very high on my list of metal favourites, but I would be lying if I said I hated it. On paper this really isn't up my street at all, but there was something I found infectious and likeable in the exuberance with which these Finns delivered their catchy, industrialised alternative metal ditties. In truth, the appeal would probably fade very quickly and even on a single listen the album was a bit too long for my preference. I could definitely do without the nu-metally rap parts and would gladly wave goodbye to those, but for an album of energetic poppy metal anthems this was reasonably tolerable. Damning with faint praise maybe, but considering where my metal tastes lie, that's not bad I would suggest.

2.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Klank - "Time" from Still Suffering (1995)

4.5/5. A solid start to treat you with what to expect in the playlist and its original album.

Illidiance - "Deformity" from Deformity (2013)

5/5. Another awesome start, exemplifying the band's true sound.

Circle of Dust - "Onenemy (Fury Weekend Remix)" from Circle of Dust (Remixed) (2022)

5/5. Industrial metal song remixes sound incredible when trance synths are added to the mix. Now we need Dance with the Dead or Die Krupps remixing Argyle Park. And we also need more Circle of Dust, though I still enjoy Klayton's main project Celldweller.

Celldweller - "I Believe You" from Celldweller (2003)

4.5/5. Case in point... A few of these amazing songs in Celldweller's debut appear in Dead Rising 2. There is some slight metalcore in here while staying industrial metal.

Cypecore - "Spirals" from Version 4.5: The Dark Chapter (2023)

5/5. This highlight has great harmonies that fit well with the screamed vocals. I also love the cleans and the bridge in the second half.

The Amenta - "Slave" from n0n (2008)

5/5. Another perfect standout, having some killer guest vocals by Nergal of Behemoth.

Death SS - "Heck of a Day" from The 7th Seal (2006)

4.5/5. Heck of a day, a f***ing h*ll of a doomy heavy/industrial metal track.

Nailbomb - "Guerrillas" from Point Blank (1994)

4/5. Another one of my favorites in this Nailbomb album.

OOMPH! - "Feiert das Kreuz" from Sperm (1994)

3.5/5. Another good track from an otherwise poor start to NDH.

Malhavoc - "Empirical Minds" from The Release (1990)

4/5. A wicked early track of thrashy industrial metal, originating from their 1988 EP Shrine.

Fear Factory - "Descent" from Obsolete (1998)

4.5/5. This excellent highlight is the closest we have to a poppy song in this album.

Halo - "Perpetual Rust" from Guattari (From the West Flows Grey Ash and Pestilence) (2001)

4/5. "Crushing, subversive anti-music. Maximum density heaviness fuses with caustic noise textures, creating cascading walls of sound." No better description than that!

Skrew - "Sputnik" from Angel Seed XXIII (1997)

3.5/5. This slow sludgy track is great for a motorcycle ride in the night.

Godflesh - "Live to Lose" from Us and Them (1999)

4/5. This one is probably the best track of the album if you wish to explore more of Godflesh's heavy riffing. It is a bonus track recorded during the Songs of Love and Hate sessions that ended up in this album.

Rammstein - "Laichzeit" from Herzeleid (1995)

4.5/5. Rammstein wouldn't have been suitable for me 10 years ago when I was young and still listening to a lot of power/symphonic metal. This song has a little more German than you wish you learned. But I'm still intrigued by this. And there would be more disturbing sex-filled tracks later where that came from...

Turmion Katilot - "Kuoleman Juuret" from Global Warning (2020)

5/5. This highlight keeps the vocal strength going further with more brutal energy than that Rammstein track.

Sybreed - "I Am Ultraviolence" from The Pulse of Awakening (2009)

4.5/5. After that, I'm reminded how excellent this playlist and the original Sybreed album is with this aggressive violent explosion of heaviness to make up for two earlier slightly out-of-place tracks. The extreme strength of Strapping Young Lad being added here makes a lot more sense.

We Are PIGS, The Anix - "Brazen" from Brazen (2021)

4/5. So beautiful and lively! This is real heartful music to brush aside any audible extra effects. A potential divine hit!

Uniform - "Alone in the Dark" from The Long Walk (2018)

4.5/5. Uniform has made some sick as f*** music including their collaborations with The Body. Sh*t, I can hear both a sped up Electric Wizard and Converge here!

Pitchshifter - "Stop Talking So Loud" from PSI (2002)

4/5. I feel like this is a reminder for what people sometimes say when I speak, "Stop talking so loud, I can't hear what you saying!" Of course I don't actually talk that loud. This song is pleasantly loud and intense though. I also enjoy that f***ing heavy bridge.

Device - "Haze (feat. M. Shadows)" from Device (2013)

3.5/5. This one featuring Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows is another solid collab. These guest appearances really help boost the quality of the song's original album in most cases.

Black Comedy - "Lord of Locust" from Instigator (2008)

4/5. Nice track! Such a shame this band isn't so active and popular.

Combichrist - "Planet Doom" from CMBCRST (2024)

4.5/5. Exciting electro-industrial metal that's not totally out of line. You can dance to the electronic rhythm and headbanging to the guitar riffing. So wicked and amazing!

Neurotech - "Decipher" from The Decipher Volumes (2013)

5/5. The ultimate highlight of this entire playlist is this 7-minute instrumental epic. It's surprising because it's just the soft ethereal new age of Enigma and Vangelis. This atmospheric mini-journey is in a similar vein to the softer half of Blue Screen Planet. Beautiful and suitable for the near-end of a Sphere playlist.

Megaherz - "Augenblick" from 5 (2004)

4.5/5. Finally, we end with one of the best tracks of NDH, also a soft ballad. But don't worry, more of the earlier metallic action will continue in the next playlist...

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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 to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

A Spotify playlist I've made based on my Neurotech favorite tracks list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fe4e87QJUw8Ej9JxkUUEu

And now for one of the most diverse one-man projects in industrial/cyber metal, coming from Slovenia:

Neurotech (including EPs that aren't compiled in albums)

1. Stigma

2. Infra Versus Ultra

3. Exo Escapism

4. Ave Neptune

5. Symphonies

6. Memory Eternal

7. Solace

8. The Decipher Volumes

9. The Catalyst

10. Symphonies II

11. Unreleased Demos (2011 - 2016)

12. Blue Screen Planet

13. In Remission

14. Antagonist

15. Transhuman

16. Evasive

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Fear Factory - "Edgecrusher" from Obsolete (1998)

4.5/5. I like how the first track of this playlist starts with a disclaimer saying "Due to the graphic nature of this program, listener discretion is advised." Interestingly, the playlist has only a couple "explicit" tracks in the middle. Anyway, the tough lyrics and hip-hop beat sound quite odd in the band's attempt to discard their death metal roots, yet it brings me great delight. Guilty pleasure, much!?

Turmion Kätilöt - "Pirun Nyrkki" from Pirun Nyrkki (2006)

5/5. This was actually the first track of the first very Sphere playlist back in August 2020, so it's the perfect throwback to that, a true highlight combining speed with industrial synths, almost like a blend of Strapping Young Lad and Deathstars.

Deathstars - "The Last Ammunition" from Termination Bliss (2006)

5/5. Speaking of Deathstars, holy sh*t, this is another brilliant highlight. There really should've been a single for this, being the 3rd-best song of its original album (behind "Cyanide" and "Blitzkrieg"), though maybe I would find better songs in the others. If there ever was a video for this song, it could be the soundtrack for the combat sequence of a modern war video game. With dramatic rhythm, synths, and vocals, this is as perfect bliss as those two other favorites. You must check them out!

Rabbit Junk - "Denature" from Denature (2021)

4.5/5. Now this shall shine well in this playlist. I can probably sing along to this catchy tune.

Terminal Choice - "Don't Go" from New Born Enemies (2006)

4/5. I like this cover of a Yazoo hit. Tracks like this shall never go away!

Ludovico Technique - "Embrace" from Haunted People (2022)

3.5/5. Another newfound dark industrial metal track, though the chorus is a bit repetitive.

Sphere (NO) - "Primordial" from Primordial (2013)

4/5. Shouldn't this band be called Horde/Infinite/Sphere because of the industrial/cyber metal mixed with djenty melodeath? Jokes aside, that chorus f***ing rules! This blend of cleans and uncleans can also be found in Black Comedy. "MAKE 'EM BLEED."

Digimortal - "Белое знамя" from Белое знамя (2024)

4.5/5. Stay loyal to this modern cyber metal sound, help keep it alive!

Neurotech - "The Serpent Bites" from Ave Neptune (2023)

5/5. This absolute highlight might just be one of my favorite tracks by this band, with excellent riffing and a catchy chorus.

Oblivion Machine - "Shield Mode" from Zero-Gravity (2011)

4.5/5. Groove-ish industrial/cyber metal suitable for Star Trek and Warframe.

Circle of Dust - "Telltale Crime" from Brainchild (1994)

5/5. A lot more people need to hear more of Klayton's underrated pre-Celldweller projects.

Blue Stahli - "Gravity" from Obsidian (2021)

4.5/5. Bret Autrey's singing sounds so peaceful in the heavy instrumentation. That's what I love about Blue Stahli.

Cypecore - "Neoteric Gods" from Make Me Real (2024)

5/5. This one kicks off the technical action hard. This is deathly djenty industrial/groove metal at its best! It impresses me with its background synths and its dark yet anthemic chorus. I love it, and I'm sure Cypecore fans would too.

The Axis of Perdition - "This, Then, in Paradise?" from Deleted Scenes From the Transition Hospital (2005)

4.5/5. Industrial metal takes a more ambient black metal turn with this nightmarish yet beautiful beast.

The Amenta - "Obliterate’s Prayer" from Flesh is Heir (2013)

5/5. This highlight has gigantic hooks to obliterate anything in the song's path.

Corrections House - "Dirt Poor and Mentally Ill" from Last City Zero (2013)

4.5/5. This one has chanting vocals while still making room for Williams' rage. Soon the lyrics become more poetic, especially in the spoken bridge.

Sybreed - "Bioactive (Neurotech Remix)" from Bioactive Remixes (2025)

5/5. Now this is the best of both worlds! As with the original, you get to hear the members drive through sonic cyber/industrial metal without relying too much on electronics. Here we have the powerful drumming of Alex Anxionaz, showing a bit of Fear Factory influence, the gloomy vocals of Benjamin Nominet ranging from clean to harsh, the heavy guitar grooves of Drop, and the burning bass of Burn.

Nine Inch Nails - "Give Up" from Fixed (1992)

4.5/5. This remix is a great example of how the guitar riff blasts are still around despite the industrial parts.

Eisbrecher - "Kaltfront" from Kaltfront (2025)

4/5. Eisbrecher has a new album coming out later this month or so. Fans of Rammstein and other NDH shall get the h*ll ready!

Viter - "Two Colors" from Springtime (2012)

3.5/5. Viter blends industrial metal with medieval folk similarly to Subway to Sally, which is nice, but not totally my thing.

Rammstein - "Engel" from Sehnsucht (1997)

4/5. Singing along to Rammstein's lyrics is a great way to learn German, though I'm better off staying with English and my native language.

Morgoth - "A New Start" from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic (1996)

4.5/5. Morgoth had a different start with this album, a detour into alt-/industrial metal as opposed to their usual death metal.

KMFDM - "Trust" from Nihil (1995)

4/5. This one has another female sung chorus, by Dorona Alberti, "Do what you can, what you want, what you must, feel the hunger inside, don't lose your trust", which has a funny similarity to Steely Dan, and is ironic during the battle for idealism that ends up getting lost.

Tyrant of Death - "Biomechanical" from Biomechanical (2014)

4.5/5. I shouldn't have to explain this amazing 10-minute instrumental djenty industrial metal epic.

Black Light Discipline - "Faded" from Faded (2018)

4/5. Black Light Discipline have their own underrated cyber metal sound going on. There's much more emotion in his vocals than in the original Alan Walker song. You know how much I love covers that metalize the original song and give it their own spin. I like the more top-notch upbeat sound here. The bass is quite cool too.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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 to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here's my review summary:

I would've thought this smooth cyber/industrial metal sound was weird a few years ago, before I realized its true potential. Now it's something so fresh and unique that's hard to find in any other band or style. Ave Neptune continues restoring the many aspects of Neurotech's material from 10 years prior, while adding new stuff including the occasional acoustic bridge and even extreme blast beats. Wulf's ongoing journey of electronics blended with metal is something once done by Dead by April and The Browning, only mellower and more focused on electronics while still having a great deal of metal, with excellent riffing, pleasant singing, and catchy choruses. All in all, Ave Neptune has been an amazing experience in the cyber realm of Neurotech, with some of my newfound favorite tracks by the band. I look forward to hearing more of the band's discography and finding out which albums can surpass this one. All hail Neurotech!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Mundane Entropy", "The Serpent Bites", "Repent in Need", "Inner Quest", "The Years of the Flood"

For fans of: Deathstars, Mechina, The Browning's "Skybreaker"

No full review from me for this Mechina EP as I generally don't review albums that are just demos or re-recordings of songs from a single album, whether all or some tracks. Two years after the band's debut The Assembly of Tyrants, they decided to re-record 5 of the songs from that album for this EP Tyrannical Resurrection. Basically everything except the death metal demo tracks, the interludes, and the "Clash" remix. The instrumentation and vocals are all slightly improved compared to their debut, which a much less "demo" quality". The songs here are also some of my favorite tracks from the debut. So why am I rating this EP 4 stars as opposed to 4.5 stars for the debut? Simply because it's not the entire album, and it's only two years after the debut. I'd love to hear the whole Assembly of Tyrants album re-recorded for its 20th anniversary, with Mel Rose singing the cleans, including the death metal demo tracks and the interludes, but minus the "Clash" remix. It was actually Sonny who brought up that idea when he reviewed the debut last week. Thanks for that, Sonny! Also it would be better if "Shattered Cry" was put in the beginning of the EP instead of the end, because the extended ending of "The Assembly of Tyrants" has a more proper sense of closure. Fingers crossed for that 20th anniversary full-album re-recording to be made this year....

4/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

The Mad Capsule Markets - "INTRODUCTION 010" from 010 (2001)

4.5/5. Let's start with this intro that's good music for the industrial part of my metal heart.

Neurotech - "The Cyber Waltz" from The Decipher Volumes (2013)

5/5. This highlight greatly picks up where Blue Screen Planet left off. It's a true cyber metal anthem, with everything you can ask for from the symphonics, synths, electronics, pianos, guitars, drums, beats, and vocals. The perfect memorable beginning of this spacey journey, and done much better than the heavier first part of Blue Screen Planet.

Peace, Love & Pitbulls - "Das neue konzept" from Red Sonic Underwear (1994)

4.5/5. An excellent concept, though not really a concept track or concept album.

PAIN - "Not for Sale" from I Am (2024)

5/5. One of the best songs from the new album of this project founded by this f***ing legend that is Peter Tägtgren. This makes me feel like punching through glass even though I shouldn't. The Neurotech-ish keyboards in the bridge midway through sound epic, in contrast to the comedic lyrics.

Pitchshifter - "Product Placement" from Infotainment? (1996)

4.5/5. Quite amazing despite the band's transition to a more electronic sound.

Combichrist - "Guns at Last Dawn" from One Fire (2019)

4/5. An underrated heavy song featuring Fear Factory then-vocalist Burton C. Bell.

Rabbit Junk - "Bits and Razors" from Bits and Razors (2020)

4.5/5. With this much electronic fire, it would be interesting if this song ends up on Beat Saber. This is basically synth-fueled industrial metalcore that really levels up after the first minute. I might try singing/screaming along to this tune.

Mechina - "Freedom Foregone" from Siege (2021)

5/5. This 11 and a half minute epic is the band's longest song to be part of an album and not released as a separate single. Tragedy and triumph collide with each other, alongside more of the heavy instrumentation and emotional singing. Then after the final chorus, the last bit of clean guitar and violin melancholy close this chapter of the Mechina saga. But this playlist is far from over...

Samael - "In the Deep" from Lux Mundi (2011)

4.5/5. Can I get a "hail yeah" for this heavy song?!

Ludovico Technique - "Haunted" from Haunted People (2022)

4/5. From just the first 20 seconds, you know haunting this song is gonna get, as if it's sung by a vampire living in loneliness and immortality.

The Amenta - "Twined Towers" from Revelator (2021)

4.5/5. This one is The Amenta's longest song at 8 minutes and might remind some of a more brutal take on Ministry's mid-90s material.

Bad Omens, WARGASM (UK) - "Hedonist (Recharged)" from Concrete Jungle (The OST) (2024)

5/5. Wargasm strikes on in this energetic highlight packed with synths as heavy as the guitars. I've already heard of Wargasm via their remixes with Enter Shikari and Crossfaith. Milkie Way's vocals are more hyper than a sugar-buzzed cheerleader, and that's what I like there!

Circle of Dust - "Chasm" from Disengage (1998)

4.5/5. Disengage and Circle of Dust's other albums are worth giving lots of praise to.

AP2 - "The Red Shirt Conspiracy" from Suspension of Disbelief (2000)

5/5. This highlight actually sounds like an industrial take on the earlier thrash of Voivod and Sabbat with guest vocals by Joel Timothy Bell.

Celldweller - "One Good Reason" from Celldweller (2003)

4.5/5. Anyone who has played Need for Speed Most Wanted can recognize this song's instrumental version, but the original's killer too.

Acumen Nation - "Pistol Whip Me Back Into Your Arms" from Strike 4 (2000)

4/5. This one's great, but a little too rock-ish. "Pistol whip me back into your ARMS!!!!"

Blacklodge - "Culto Al Sol - Solarkult" from Machination (2012)

3.5/5. Heavy hellfire in this one, but maybe a bit too black metal-ish here.

Skrew - "Universal Immolation" from Universal Immolation (2014)

3/5. Skrew reformed with heavier deathly guitars and vocals while maintaining the samples and industrial elements. Still not feeling it much though.

Hint - "In Tenebris" from 100% White Puzzle (1995)

2.5/5. Wow, this is just a dark jazz interlude. Not sure at all while I put it there besides the fact that it's an interlude.

Megaherz - "Rock Me Amadeus" from Kopfschuss (1998)

3/5. Cool cover of that Falco hit, though it's still Neue Deutsche Härte.

Subway to Sally - "So Rot MMXXI" from Himmelfahrt (2023)

3.5/5. Slightly better and more beautiful, a good NDH take on a ballad from their earlier medieval folk era.

Seth Ect - "Orison II" from Godspeak (2011)

4/5. Great sequel to a Seth Ect track from an earlier playlist.

KMFDM - "Sucks" from Angst (1993)

4.5/5. You just gotta love this band's humor mixed with heavy riffing and industrial rock/metal.

Godflesh - "Tiny Tears" from Streetcleaner (1989)

5/5. And now, here we are at the final leg of this playlist, starting with my favorite song of that EP/side of Godflesh's debut Streetcleaner.

Static-X - "Invincible" from Shadow Zone (2003)

4.5/5. RIP Wayne Static. His music will remain invincible.

Motionless in White - "Somebody Told Me" from Disguise (2019, 2021 special edition)

5/5. I love this song, probably the best ever rendition of that Killers hit! Can be heard in the 2021 special edition of Disguise.

Sybreed - "Destruction and Bliss" from God is an Automaton (2012)

5/5. The 10-minute finale of its original album and this playlist is the best track here. It starts djenty as heavy rhythms fill the atmosphere. The best part is the kick-A solo by Travis Montgomery of Threat Signal. The perfect farewell from Sybreed!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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 to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Nice choice, Andi. I hadn't heard of this project before, but a single playthrough while I was out this morning found me enjoying it very much. Hopefully I will be able to spend a bit more time with it during the month and work up a review.

Vocalist David Holch also has a creditable crack at reproducing Burton C. Bell's growling bark as the main vocal, but where he comes unstuck is with the complementary clean vocals which, in all honesty, sound terrible, as if he can't carry a tune at all. They are so bad that I can't believe no one advised the band to re-record them or get a guest in to help out.

The Tyrannical Resurrection EP recorded two years later has half the amount of songs in the debut re-recorded, but as much as I enjoy The Assembly of Tyrants, I agree that the band should re-record the album entirely (except for the "Clash" remix) with their later vocalist Mel Rose singing the cleans. That can be like a special 20th anniversary thing later this year, which I guess depends on if they get at least a smidge more success out of their new album Bellum Interruptum to be released two months from now.

Great choice, Kosie! That's one of my personal highlights of that Corrections House album with its dark heavy sound and lyrics of poetic rage.

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 2024.

Below are some of the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2024 The Sphere Cover of the Year Award. The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

The following link will take you to the Gallery, displaying the top Sphere releases that you have not rated yet: CLICK HERE

I haven't given any 2024 The Sphere releases a full review as yet but I have spent some casual listening time with a couple of records from Shum & Stagnant Waters. I'm afraid I don't think I'm gonna get the time to contribute much in this space before February.

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Dawn of Ashes - "Thirteen Chants to Lilith" from The Crypt Infection II (Non Serviam) (2019)

4.5/5. I was hoping for some chanting vocals eerily saying "Lilith", but there isn't any. Still an excellent dark intro for this playlist!

Celldweller - "Unshakeable" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

5/5. Klayton can blend so many genres that he has practically invented his own! Electro-industrial rock/metal is blended greatly with the drum and bass of Pendulum and the dubstep of Skrillex, all that should be worth it for anyone wanting to explore this tempting mix. Both the vocals and instrumentation are phenomenal. And there's absolutely no AI required to make such a layered track (of course, this was 10 years before the AI boom). Lots of wild electronics here!

Fear Factory - "Zero Signal" from Demanufacture (1995)

4.5/5. This one is amazing with futuristic atmosphere before ending peacefully with a piano outro.

Meathook Seed - "Day of Conceiving" from Embedded (1993)

4/5. This one viciously punches through in sludgy grind.

Davey Suicide, Telle Smith - "Medicate Me" from Rock Ain't Dead (2020)

4.5/5. Industrial/alternative metal ain't dead by a long shot with this killer tune! There are some vibes from Starset and The Word Alive, the latter band's vocalist Telle Smith guest appearing in this track.

HEALTH, Filter - "FREE TO DIE" from RAT WARS ULTRA EDITION (2024)

4/5. Health has collaborated with Nine Inch Nails, Lamb of God, Godflesh, etc. Now it's Filter's turn. Quite enjoyable!

Lord of the Lost, Feuerschwanz - "Lords of Fyre" from Lords of Fyre (2024)

3.5/5. Wow, 3rd collaboration track in a row! This one has good medieval industrial/rock metal, but it sounds a little cheesy, and bringing in Feuerschwanz is unnecessary.

Red Harvest - "Dead Cities" from A Greater Darkness (2007)

4/5. Some more of this dark greatness to please my ears!

Psyclon Nine - "Anaesthetic (For the Pathetic)" from Crwn Thy Frnicatr (2006)

4.5/5. Another one of the best Psyclon Nine tracks for me, with more of their electro-industrial metal sound and dark lyrics.

Device - "Out of Line (feat. Serj Tankian & Terry "Geezer Butler)" from Device (2013)

4.5/5. This one stands out well as another one of Black Sabbath's members, Geezer Butler performs his audible bass, while David Draiman and System of a Down's Serj Tankian both sing their perfect lyrical views of the world.

Northlane - "Freefall" from Alien (2019)

5/5. This highlight has a brief slow introduction, then it explodes into a faster drive. The heavier side with screamed vocals and djenty riffing definitely makes this song another favorite of mine.

Eisbrecher - "Everything is Wunderbar" from Everything is Wunderbar (2024)

4.5/5. Eisbrecher is back with an amazing new single, from the cold northern lands of Germany.

Megaherz - "Engelsgesicht" from In Teufels Namen (2023)

4/5. Quite addictive to sing along to, at least for people who can understand German better than I can.

Knorkator - "Eigentum" from Das nächste Album aller Zeiten (2007)

3.5/5. I guess I can grin at the comedic lyrics, but it is a little too much, not to mention the song a bit soft and poppy.

Combichrist - "Heads Off" from CMBCRST (2024)

3/5. Heavier but disappointing, even when adding some decent black metal-ish riffing.

Static-X - "From Heaven" from Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 (2024)

3.5/5. Perhaps the last song with the late Wayne Static's vocals. May he rest in industrial/alt-metal heaven. It's actually a cover of "The Disease" by Echo and the Bunnymen, but either way, it reminds us not to end up like him. I'm sure he would be proud of how the band is doing with Edsel Dope as Xer0. A good beautiful signoff. RIP Wayne....

Blacklodge - "All Seeing Eye" from Machination (2012)

4/5. Quite killer, yet the lyrics are hard to get a grip on.

Shining - "Off the Hook" from One One One (2013)

4.5/5. The Norwegian band Shining's jazzy experimental industrial metal sound rules!

Strapping Young Lad - "Consequence" from SYL (2003)

5/5. This highlight pounds through with evil riffing and searing drumming.

Brujeria – "Molestando Ninos Muertos" from Matando gueros (1993)

4.5/5. An interesting track submission from Daniel. The lyrics are so bizarre and disturbing, as if the title isn't enough of a tip-off. And the song is from a deathgrind album notorious for its cover art showing a photo of an actual decapitated head. It's as dark and obscene as Cannibal Corpse and the movie The Exorcist. Yet it's so intriguing! This might've been helped out by the switch into Godflesh-style industrial metal this track has. It has amazing industrial rhythm. Still this is as edgy as edgy can go.

Ministry - "No W Redux" from Houses of the Mole (2004)

4/5. This version of "No W" does not have the "O Fortuna" samples in the intro and outro, excluded due to copyright issues. Such a shame because the original has greater impact for this blazing thrashy industrial metal track.

Pitchshifter - "Underachiever" from Infotainment? (1996)

4/5. Pitchshifter seems to take some Ministry aspects such as political lyrics and audio samples, though Pitchshifter's brand of industrial metal is more, well, industrial.

OOMPH! - "Bastard" from Unrein (1998)

4.5/5. Perhaps one of the best OOMPH! songs for me, hailing a true NDH classic. If humanity doesn't f***ing learn their lesson, let's hope we all will still have a glimmer of existence acknowledged from afar.

Sybreed - "Twelve Megatons Gravity" from Antares (2007)

5/5. A prime example of aggressive deathly electro-industrial metal. It is one of the most rage-filled songs I've heard in the genre that barely any other bands can reach.

Turmion Katilot - "Schlachter" from Reset (2024)

5/5. Following this is a wonderful remix of the debut's "Teurastaja", featuring Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost. I might just love it more than the original!

Neo Inferno 262 - "Pleonectic" from Pleonectic (2023)

4.5/5. I'm not usually a fan of long ambient industrial interludes, but this one actually sounds nice, a good leadup into the final two tracks...

Mechina - "The Assembly of Tyrants" from The Assembly of Tyrants (2005)

5/5. The main part of Mechina's debut album ends with its 8-minute title epic. It's a true masterpiece highlight that greatly foreshadows what's to come later for this band.

Neurotech - "Ultra Us" from Infra Versus Ultra (2014)

5/5. The melancholic closing track of Infra Versus Ultra has the perfect music and lyrics to end this cyber metal adventure and this playlist.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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!

Probably not fitting your Skinny Puppy thing, but Bloodstar fits as an experimental band. Sort of Celtic Frost if they did Industrial Metal kind of thing. (...but bear in mind I'm hardly someone usually listening to Industrial Metal)

Here's my review:

Sydney industrial metal duo Deathless are an act that I've had on my radar for many years but had never gotten around to exploring until now. My main reason for wanting to check them out is fairly simple really. I used to frequent legendary Sydney metal store Utopia Records for many years & one of the two band members Damian Bennett (16-17/Khost) used to work there so I came into contact with him on a regular basis. I'm not sure why I didn't commit to exploring Damian's band at the time but I certainly always intended to. Perhaps it's just the fact that you don't see Deathless' name floating around all that much that caused the extreme delay as I can't say that I was regularly reminded of my omission. The other thing that's intriguing about Deathless though is that they don't have a guitarist in their lineup with the band being comprised of just two bass guitarists (both of who handle the vocal duties at various stages) & a drum machine which is a rare but interesting configuration. Those sort of setups can go one of two ways & I wasn't too sure which direction I'd see Deathless going so this month seemed like a good opportunity to finally answer that age-old question.

Deathless is the brain-child of Bennett & close friend David Quinn of Adelaide noise rock band King Snake Roost. The duo may have first started in Sydney, Australia but Deathless has become somewhat of an international act given that they spent some time in England & are now based in Switzerland. It would be on one of those trips to the UK that Deathless would record their debut album "Anhedonia" which was put to tape in collaboration with co-producer Lee Rumble at Von's Studio in London in July 1992. Rumble wasn't anyone special in terms of metal at the time but the resulting production job is serviceable enough for an early industrial metal act. There's no doubt that the lack of any sort of melodic instrumental component can be fairly grating upon first listen though & I have to admit that I found the album to feel a little flat early on. Industrial metal can be quite cold at the best of times but Deathless take that to a fairly extreme level given the obvious lack of any brightness or melody in their sound to give you some light at the end of the tunnel. Subsequent listens saw me becoming used to the sound of the album though & I'm pleased to say that it opened up progressively more with each revisit.

"Anhedonia" is quite a lengthy release for a debut with the nine tracks running for a fairly substantial 52 minutes. All of those tracks are given ample time to get their message across & there are a couple of examples where two songs run into each other which makes the tracklisting a little difficult to follow, particularly given that the listing on the back of the album isn't reflective of the actual CD track numbers. I managed to figure it out after a couple of listens but it was initially a bit confusing. The record is book-ended by two pieces ("God in the Political Asylum" & "In Heaven") that sit further into the traditional industrial or post-industrial space & I really enjoy both of those inclusions as they have a dark & brooding atmosphere that I totally dig which leaves them sitting as two of the three highlights for me. The other is the excellent industrial rock/metal hybrid piece "In Unmet Chambers Slain I" which snuck up on me over time after initially being one of those that went over my head due to its inherent coldness. There are admittedly a couple of songs that didn't enjoy the same privilege & remained fairly inaccessible for me throughout the whole exercise though with "Sun Turns Through Ash" & "Under the Wood" being a bit of a struggle but generally I found the album to be pretty enjoyable & there was some additional interest added for me in the inclusion of a cover version of Trouble's wonderful "Victim of the Insane" from the American doom metal masters' classic self-titled debut album from 1984, a piece that I regard as being one of my favourite doom tracks of all time.

While I definitely got more into "Anhedonia" more with each listen, I did eventually find that its appeal was capped a bit by the lack of any real melodic hooks. Unlike English industrial metal godfathers Godflesh (who would seem to be the most obvious source of inspiration for Deathless), these Aussies don't even have higher register feedback or noise at their disposal so everything can sound a little bleak (which is perhaps the point thinking about it now). The two bass guitars are used in an interesting way & don't tend to get each other's road while the drum machine sounds completely artificial which I'd imagine was always the intent. Neither of the two band members sport much in the way of vocal talent but then when has that ever stopped an industrial metal artist from having a crack (see the afore-mentioned Godlfesh for a prime example)? The incorporation of a doomier sound during the back end of the tracklisting was interesting but had mixed results with the Trouble cover version working nicely & the previously-mentioned "Under the Wood" falling flat. The rockier moments that appear through the middle of the album suffer from the same sort of inconsistency with "Sun Turns Through Ash" failing to meet the same heights of "In Unmet Chambers Slain I".

Look, there's no doubt that "Anhedonia" won't be for everyone & if you're one of those people that's too impatient to give a record a few spins before casting judgement then I'd hazard to suggest that this won't be your sort of album but I have to admit that do kinda dig it, perhaps not enough to see me returning to it in the future though. I may let my interest get the better of me & see what Deathless' later releases with Godlfesh's Justin Broadrick sound like at some point as he's always been an amazingly captivating & consistent producer but, until then, I'll have to be satisfied with my experiences with "Anhedonia" which is probably Australia's first genuine industrial metal release.

For fans of Godflesh, Bloodstar & Pitchshifter.

3.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Blue Stahli - "Obsidian" from Obsidian (2021)

5/5. I love the opening track of Blue Stahli's new album Obsidian, which in a way, is like a more cyber Circle of Dust. After building up in drums and guitars for almost a minute, you get to hear one of the darkest melodies in industrial metal. Then a minute after that part ends, a DOOM-like drop B-flat breakdown comes in before that melody is reprised once more. Truly exceptional! Bret Autrey has done fantastic work, even in the lyrics that only show up briefly.

Celldweller - "The Last Firstborn" from Celldweller (2003)

5/5. Another f***ing awesome piece of electro-industrial rock/metal! Many of Celldweller's songs have appeared in different TV shows, video games, and movies. There really should be more progressive songs for Klayton to create. I also love the heavy verses, first one at the one-minute mark.

Psyclon Nine - "Crown of the Worm" from Icon of the Adversary (2017)

4.5/5. Heavy is the f***ing crown worn by these masters of blackened electro-industrial metal.

Dawn of Ashes - "Poisoning the Steps of Babel" from Anathema (2013)

4/5. One of the most f***ing disturbing songs I've heard in industrial metal and probably any other genre. This dramatic blackened industrial metal sound is like a more electronic take on the symphonic black metal of Covenant and Dimmu Borgir. Adding to the disturbance is the muffled cries of torture heard throughout the song, most prominently during the final 30 seconds.

Red Queen - "Naked" from Star Blood (2016)

3.5/5. I said this before and I'll say it again; Red Queen is basically In This Moment gone Psyclon Nine/Dawn of Ashes.

Marilyn Manson - "In the Shadow of the Valley of Death" from Holy Wood (2000)

3/5. The soft acoustic first half sounds a little too poppy for me, but at least the second half has the industrial rock/metal that fans of the genre can adore.

OOMPH! - "Es ist nichts, wie es scheint" from Richter und Henker (2023)

3.5/5. Slightly better, but not by a long shot, since this is the unappealing to me Neue Deutsche Härte.

Rammstein - "Angst" from Zeit (2022)

4/5. This one stomps away the anxiety that Rammstein has written about in the lyrics.

Static-X - "Cold" from Machine (2001)

3.5/5. Many people remember this track from the movie Queen of the Damned. RIP Aaliyah, and RIP Wayne...

Meathook Seed - "Cling to an Image" from Embedded (1993)

4/5. The second-best song of this Meathook Seed album (behind its opener), in which dynamic beats intertwine with the complex guitar.

Fear Factory – "Scumgrief (Deep Dub Trauma Mix)" from Fear is the Mindkiller E.P. (1993)

2.5/5. This remix starts off promising with its original proto-melodeath riffing. However, the overuse of techno beats can be quite traumatic for the more deathly metalheads. Well, not all deathly metalheads. Daniel is the one who requested it, thanks for that.

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

4/5. Some great extreme industrial metal from this Norwegian band!

The CNK - "Total Eclipse of Dead Europa" from L'hymne à la joie (2007)

3.5/5. Grand chorus and rhythms, though a little too pompous. Next!

Dodheimsgard - "Foe X Foe" from Supervillain Outcast (2007)

4/5. Fight against your foes with this piece of experimental blackened industrial metal!

In This Moment - "Mother" from Mother (2020)

4.5/5. The title track of In This Moment album has a spoken prayer in the intro followed by quiet piano before the powerful vocals explode in with tender moments. "I'll give you my everything, I'll never let you fall".

PAIN - "On and On" from Rebirth (1999)

5/5. One of the most f***ing kick-A songs in this dance-y kind of industrial metal. A cool one for any weight-lifters to train.

Luminous Vault - "Earth Daemon" from Animate the Emptiness (2022)

4.5/5. Sludgy blackened industrial metal worth battling your demons!

Neurotech - "We are the Last" from Antagonist (2011)

4/5. Wulf is quite a genius in his Neurotech project. The first 45 seconds have a sweet blend of epic orchestration and heavy riffing.

Mechina - "Elephtheria" from Empyrean (2013)

4.5/5. This is perhaps the most well-executed highlight in this Mechina album, never as poorly aging as the other tracks.

Turmion Katilot - "Verta Sataa" from Perstechnique (2011)

5/5. Having more of the stereotypical catchy industrial metal is this highlight that fuels the cyber sounds of The Kovenant and Deathstars.

Deathstars - "Trinity Fields" from Termination Bliss (2006)

4.5/5. Speaking of Deathstars, we have this track that's the longest of their 2006 album Termination Bliss, though only 4 and a half minutes long. It works as a relaxing change of pace in one of their gigs, or at home after a long day out. Different yet nicely great.

Black Magnet - "Hegemon" from Hallucination Scene (2020)

4/5. Similar vibes to late-80s Ministry/Godflesh, maybe even Machines of Loving Grace.

Unheilig - "Schneller, höher, weiter" from Astronaut (2006)

3.5/5. The vocals sounds quite good here, eerie while not in the same level as Count Dracula.

Samsas Traum - "Es tut uns leid" from Poesie: Friedrichs Geschichte (2015)

4/5. Also solid while I'm still not really into NDH. Now what else is here?...

Ministry - "Cult of Suffering" from HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (2024)

4.5/5. Oh yeah, we have this Ministry track that's excellent despite relying so much on gospel-like female singing.

Sybreed - "System Debaser" from Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition) (2024)

5/5. Swiss cyber/industrial metallers Sybreed plan have released a 20th anniversary remaster of their stellar debut Slave Design. It includes two new bonus tracks; a re-recording of "Bioactive" and this killer previously unreleased banger to close this playlist. No word on whether or not the band will truly reunite.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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:

Neurotech - "Blue Screen Planet (Part I Axiom)" from Blue Screen Planet (2011)

3.5/5. Let's start this playlist with a bombastic journey of symphonic cyber metal... Well, too bombastic. Some parts are overdone, which very much exemplifies the paraphrased adage, "Too many ingredients spoil the broth." While this epic is still solid, Neurotech's 10-minute explorations are better explored in the later symphonies.

Mechina - "The Grand Hunt" from Cenotaph (2023)

4/5. Now this is a slightly better piece of epic cyber metal, this one by Mechina. If this banger was ever performed live, expect a slamming battle in the crowd. The glorious vocals and kick-A rhythms hit the spot, despite those bombastic symphonics again.

Lord of the Lost - "Leave Your Hate in the Comments" from Blood & Glitter (2022)

4.5/5. This one is a big "f*** you" to those who can plague the internet with negativity from the privacy of their home. I'm amazed by how brilliant this is, having the "take no sh*t" attitude the rest of the album would have.

Psyclon Nine - "We the Fallen" from We the Fallen (2009)

5/5. One of the best songs by Psyclon Nine, in both the music and vocals! And this was when they were really transitioning out of their aggrotech roots into industrial metal.

Eisbrecher - "Zwischen Uns" from Schock (2015)

4.5/5. The lyrics are quite well-done despite being in German. It's sad that I'm not from Germany, otherwise I would understand these songs a lot more.

Device - "Vilify" from Device (2013)

4/5. Following this is the best choice for the Device's first single. It's a great highlight of Draiman's strong vocals.

Red Queen - "Asyphyx" from Star Blood (2016)

4/5. In This Moment goes Psyclon Nine... Interesting mix!

OOMPH! - "Land Ahead (feat. Sharon den Adel)" from Truth or Dare (2010)

4.5/5. Beautiful vocals by Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation! This is an English version of an earlier OOMPH! song "Land in Sicht".

Motionless in White - "Reincarnate: Reincarnated" from Reincarnate: 10 Year Anniversary (2024)

5/5. As with the original version, this highlight 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.

Blue Stahli - "Lakes of Flame" from Lakes of Flame (2018)

4.5/5. This killer single was supposed to be in the Obsidian album but didn't make it in. How much can Blue Stahli and Celldweller surprise their listeners with their respective singles?! A lot, that's what! Though this one sounds more suitable for Celldweller's Satellites. Think about this like a more metallic The Prodigy. WE NEED F***ING MORE!!! It's actually a better change of style than what Within Temptation have done that year. And it definitely has some DOOM vibes in the aggressive instrumentation.

Circle of Dust - "Humanarchy" from Machines of Our Disgrace (2016)

5/5. Though not as aggressive as this chaotic track. It's like Nailbomb 2.0!

Celldweller - "Good L_ck (Yo_'re F_cked)" from End of an Empire (2015)

4.5/5. Imagine an emo-ish boss battle soundtrack, this song could be that!

PAIN - "Dancing With the Dead" from Dancing With the Dead (2005)

5/5. Two of the most melodic bands I enjoy nowadays are PAIN and Powerwolf. For PAIN, some of us can relate to the lyrics of struggling madness in this h*ll of an addictive track, especially if you're on the edge of life.

Ruoska - "Alasin" from Amortem (2006)

4.5/5. This band rules, and I wish they could release their next album to break this 16-year gap. I don't need Rammstein when I have this Finnish band!

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

4/5. This track has Voivod-like riffing while staying slow and doom-ish as usual.

Killing Joke - "Judas Goat" from Hosannas From the Basements of Hell (2006)

4.5/5. This one leads you to the darkest depth of Hell with more technical drumming, guitar rhythms, and singing almost like a mantra.

Fear Factory - "Pisschrist" from Demanufacture (1995)

5/5. Despite the name, this highlight is a total industrial mind-smasher. It starts dark and heavy before rising into epic drama. Alongside industrial samples and drumming, it then leads to more of the furious growls and apocalyptic cleans by Burton C. Bell, the latter especially the ending of atmospheric majesty. "Where is your savior now?"

Lindemann - "Praise Abort" from Skills in Pills (2015)

4.5/5. Even a song like this can take on a controversial topic without causing a storm of conservative protesters.

Ministry - "Brick Windows" from Filth Pig (1996)

4/5. This one brings back some earlier experimentation. Fantastic lyrics in this one!

Godflesh - "Don't Bring Me Flowers" from Pure (1992)

4.5/5. This one helps the band stand by their principles for this highlight.

Code Orange - "The Above" from The Above (2023)

5/5. The title finale of the new Code Orange album summarizes all that the band has stated. The exciting ominous crescendo of transcending vocals, chords, and leads shows their loud diversity. The changes in the beat and the dynamics are all in decent calculation and mark a climatic conclusion to this powerful journey.

Fange - "Les Vergers De La Désolation" from Pantocrator (2021)

4.5/5. We still have one more track, and it's the second 10+ minute epic of both its original album and this playlist. It sounds more post-rock-ish, while maintaining a lot of the industrial effects. Lots of moods, melody, and textures... They can add in a slight bit of accessibility while staying in the underground.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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:

The title is already a giveaway about the modern updates provided to the concepts of their 1992 album Pure. Long-time fans and pretty much anyone familiar with the band's earlier material can definitely recognize the Pure sound, almost like these two albums can be connected! I'm sure some listeners can recognize some of the more classic tracks from the Pure album. Broadrick and Green's task at hand since the beginning is to unleash the robotic rhythms that have shaped up industrial metal. Also looking back at the 80s/90s is the occasional hip-hop-ish groove that can ensure the album's variety without sounding too odd. Many of the tracks throw 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. Purge is not an album that I would expect to have that past glory, while it comes close to being the best album of the new era!

4.5/5.

Recommended tracks: "Land Lord", "Army of Non", "The Father", "You are the Judge, the Jury, and the Executioner"

For fans of: GOD, Jesu, Ministry

With only two months left for 2024, it's time to look back at the releases throughout this year and see which ones are well-deserved highlights. For one of my clans, I haven't really encountered many Sphere releases from this year, but the ones I have are amazing, ranging between 4 and 5 stars. Here's my top 5 of 2024:

1. Turmion Kätilöt - Reset

2. Gothminister - Pandemonium II - The Battle of the Underworlds

3. Pain - I Am

4. Bad Omens - Concrete Jungle (The OST)

5. Motionless in White - Reincarnate: 10 Year Anniversary

Any releases this year from this clan that you enjoy, enough for a top 5 or top 10 or more? Discuss!

Here's my review:

By the middle of the 1990's, Chicago industrial metallers had become very much a stable inclusion in my life. From the time that I first discovered them through their 1989 breakthrough fourth album "The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste", I'd been captivated by their exciting high-tech world of future-thinking music for the coming robot apocalypse, but once Ben discovered them then things started to escalate as we explored each important release from their back catalogue together. 1988's "The Land of Rape and Honey" was very popular in our household during the first part of that decade but it was the trio of "The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste", their 1990 live album "In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)" & the incredible career-defining 1992 fifth album "ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ [Psalm 69]" that really took things to the top rung of the metal spectrum. "ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ [Psalm 69]" had quite simply changed our worlds so there was huge anticipation around the release of their follow-up during the first half of the decade. Unfortunately though, the four-year gap between albums saw my attention veering off further into extreme metal territory &, by the time 1996's "Filth Pig" finally saw the light of day, my enthusiasm had waned a touch. Ben would purchase the album on CD & it would be some months before I actually got around to hearing it as I was no longer living at home. By the time I did, I'd already had the chance to hear & read a little bit about "Filth Pig" which was generally thought to be a step down for Ministry so it's hard to say whether that left me with any internal biases or not but the album did seem to me to be a little disappointing when compared to the three that came before it. I still quite liked it but it didn't get many replays after those first few listens & I haven't returned to it since so my memory of what it contains was a little hazy going into this week's revisit. Thankfully though, I've been rewarded for the faith I've kept in band leader Al Jourgensen because "Filth Pig" is a very solid record in its own right, if not the classic that so many people would have been hoping for.

It probably would have been very easy for Ministry to pump out "Psalm 69 Part II" & continue their rise up the ranks of the commercial metal ladder but "Filth Pig" is an altogether different kettle of fish. It's a much darker, less immediate & far less accessible record than people were expecting with some major creative differences to previous works which in many ways reflect the mentality of Jourgensen at that particular point in time. There are very few up-tempo moments on "Filth Pig" & you won't find many goth club anthems like "NWO", "Just One Fix" or "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" either. Instead we get a slower, druggier & more introspective record with much less of a reliance on electronics & samples. The use of dissonance in the guitar work often borrows from genres like sludge metal & noise rock & you'll struggle to identify anything that touches on the thrash-inspired riffs of "Psalm 69". In fact, this is a much less riff-based record in general. Jourgensen's signature heavily-effected gurgly vocals are still there & are a feature of the album but his lyrics reek of someone that's in quite a lot of pain, who holds a fairly negative view of the world & who is struggling with their own infamy to an extent. The brief touches of tongue-in-cheek humour & a fair chunk of the brightness & excitement had been sucked out of Ministry, at least from a surface level, so "Filth Pig" requires a deeper investigation if you're to uncover its value which can be found in the fact that this is indeed some dark & heavy shit at times.

The tracklisting kicks off in very strong fashion with the first two tracks (industrial metal opener "Reload" & the slower sludge metal dirge that is the title track) both being very solid indeed. In fact, I'd suggest that the title track is a genuine Ministry classic that sits comfortably alongside the band's best work but things drop off a touch for the remainder of the A side. "Lava" & "Useless" are both pretty decent but I really struggle with "Crumbs" which has a very loose song structure & sounds completely underdone. Things pick up significantly for the start of the B side with a string of three excellent pieces in a row, ending with the brilliant industrial metal anthem "The Fall" which is the other clear highlight of the album for me. As with the A side though, things descend back to a merely acceptable level for the closure of the album with the last two rockier tracks (including the popular cover version of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay") failing to meet the same sort of standard as the more captivating first part of each side. When viewed holistically, the stronger material clearly outweighs the less essential stuff but I do think that the tracklisting could have been evened out a bit to ensure a more even spread of the better songs rather than bulking out the start of each side with the back end feeling a little less vital.

I've noticed that "Filth Pig" seems to be tagged as an industrial sludge metal record on some competitors websites & I can kinda see where they're coming from but that's not entirely accurate as the sludge component isn't regular enough to warrant a primary tag. Despite the fact that this is a less electronically reliant record than we'd come to expect from Ministry over the years, "Filth Pig" is still first & foremost an industrial metal release with the sludge & industrial rock components playing more of a supporting role. It's a very good one too & it's made me reassess my position on its merits. While it may not compete with the classic trio of releases I mentioned previously & is undeniably a step down from the lofty heights that Ministry were playing during their peak creative period from 1989-1992, I do think that "Filth Pig" should still be regarded as an essential release for those with a penchant for their particular brand of heavy music. Yes, it's probably the least impressive thing they'd done since their early synth pop & EBM records of the mid-80's but that's not to say that it's won't still be a quality inclusion in your collection that offers a point of difference from Ministry's previous work. I don't believe I've heard anything Ministry have released since this record (at least not the full releases anyway) but I'm led to believe that there's not a lot of meat on them bones so I'd suggest that this gives "Filth Pig" even more value for fans who may be desperately trying to revisit the band's heyday. This is a largely overlooked & mildly underrated release in the band's back catalogue that deserves a little more attention in 2024 than it generally receives so I'd encourage you to check it out.

For fans of White Zombie, Prong & Godflesh.

4/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Gothminister - "Stonehenge" from Anima Inferna (2011)

5/5. The opening track for its original album and playlist begins with heavy guitar crunch and interesting synth harmonies. Then the guitars calm down to let Brem's baritone vocals shine. Sounds quite evil for a then-recently-married and domestically happy man, proving his ability to maintain the earlier darkness. Optimistic lyrics ain't gonna make the gloomy vocals fade away in this battle of life and death.

Blue Stahli - "Prognosis" from Obsidian (2021)

5/5. The effects and lyrics astonish me, and I'm certainly up for more of this music from Blue Stahli.

Killing Joke - "Aeon" from Democracy (1996)

4.5/5. This 8-minute epic has a spectacular mix of the band's new wave/post-punk sound from the 80s with the industrial rock/metal style that shaped up Pandemonium. Probably the best song of its original album and by the band!

The Amenta - "Plague of Locus" from Plague of Locus (2023)

4/5. The title track of this Amenta cover album is its second original track, this one being a full song. The brutality hits hard with heavy riffs, synths, and vocals, growing harder as the song progresses.

Megaherz - "Kopf Durch Die Wand" from Wer Bist Du (1997)

3.5/5. Pretty nice, but as always, NDH isn't really for me. Next!

Eisbrecher - "Bombe" from Eiszeit (2010)

4/5. Quite the bomb, but still missing a bit of impact.

OOMPH! - "Sandmann" from Monster (2008)

4.5/5. The lyrics are quite interesting as they detail the horrors of children disappearing in Germany while Hungary has them all protected.

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

5/5. This awesome highlight expands the band's sound yet again. This is more like the gothic industrial metal of Gothminister, especially the deeper cleans in the verses. Michael Vampire of Vampires Everywhere! sings together with Chris in a sing-along gang chorus, one of the best of the genre! That song can definitely reach the hard rock/metal charts. America, F*** YEAH!!!!

Marilyn Manson - "The Nobodies" from Holy Wood (2000)

4.5/5. The lyrics for this song are quite deep as well, addressing the Columbine shooters whom the band was falsely accusing of influencing, and the song title taking a quote from John Lennon's murderer. A remix would appear next year in the film From Hell starring Johnny Depp.

Deathstars - "Metal" from The Greatest Hits on Earth (2011)

4/5. A great piece of cyber/industrial metal from the masters of the genre.

Genitorturers - "Falling Stars" from Blackheart Revolution (2009)

3.5/5. Then we have another nice alt-ish anthem that's more melodic while still heavy. The guitar distortion of their 90s material is blended with an old-school rhythm that can easily be tapped by tambourine.

Samael - "Us" from Eternal (1999)

4/5. This one soars through the industrial metal cosmos once again with a memorable chorus despite it being a bit too noise-ridden in the background.

KMFDM - "From Here on Out" from WWIII (2003)

4.5/5. "Don't risk your life and the lives of your comrades. Leave now and go home, watch your children learn." I enjoy those lyrics sung by Lucia Cifarelli in an excellent that can be both relaxing and kick-A.

In This Moment - "Fly Like an Eagle" from Mother (2020)

5/5. The band took a Steve Miller song and covered it to make it dark and beautiful. Maria Brink's vocal power is incredible! The intro itself is almost a cover of the Terminator theme. I f***ing love it!

Mnemic - "There's No Tomorrow" from Mnemesis (2012)

5/5. What really brings the band back to a time 25 years before this album is "There's No Tomorrow", the 6-minute epic that almost sounds like a power ballad ala Bon Jovi/Dokken. There's even a beautiful guitar soloing crescendo. Of course, the brutal growls are still in great passion.

Diabolos Rising - "Genocide-I Am God" from 666 (1994)

4.5/5. Creepy yet excellent blackened industrial metal right here, though I would never have listened to this in my early teen years.

Nik Nocturnal, Our Mirage - "NEIN!" (Rammstein parody track) from How to Metal, Vol. 1 (2023)

4/5. Any Rammstein-inspired song should end up in a Sphere playlist without a doubt. Slightly better than most of the songs from the band parodied here.

The Interbeing - "Perplexion" from Icon of the Hopeless (2022)

4.5/5. This one kicks up the heaviness like an upgrade from Fear Factory and Mnemic in the riffing while making room for the epic melodic chorus. Often the riffing takes a turn from industrial metal to leaning close to metalcore, which actually opens up more outer dimensions in the music-verse.

Tyrant of Death - "Gone Too Far" from Superior Firepower (2019)

4/5. Another f***ing sick cyber metal banger that shall take you through an alternate reality. It's so heavily stellar!

Mechina - "Tartarus" from Xenon (2014)

4.5/5. You can swim through different dimensions ranging from cyber to deathly, as a saga unfolds, almost competing with Marvel, Star Wars, and even The Elder Scrolls. A truly dark and ethereal collision!

Psyclon Nine - "Order of the Shadow (The Heretic Awakened)" from Order of the Shadow: Act 1 (2013)

4.5/5. F***ing amazing as h*ll this song is, probably the best of its original album! It is lightyears beyond the aggrotech sound of their debut. It would've been perfect if Nero Bellum's high shrieks had better improvement.

Celldweller - "Birthright" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

5/5. A slightly better one, and perhaps the best one of Wish Upon a Blackstar. Klayton is a true master of modern electro-industrial rock/metal!

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

4.5/5. This one uses samples from songs by other metal bands, with this one using that famous riff from "Walk" by Pantera, followed by "Don't Tread On Me" by Metallica.

Godhead - "Anybody Else" from Evolver (2003)

4.5/5. Excellent track, but I'm better off anywhere else.

Ruoska - "Rumavirsi" from Radium (2005)

5/5. D*mn awesome sh*t from this Finnish industrial metal band. Here's to another album in the future!

Ministry - "Ricky's Hand" from HOPIUM FOR THE MASSES (2024)

4.5/5. Sounds like Ministry is going back to their 90s/early 2000s material with this cover of an 80s synthpop hit. A bit more prominent guitar would've been necessary for me and the rest of the metal audience.

Napalm Death - "Contemptuous" from Utopia Banished (1992)

4/5. Ending this playlist is the second Napalm Death track suggestion submitted by Daniel, the first one from the Sphere playlist exactly one year ago. Sounds like the band has a little more creative freedom when experimenting with shoegaze-ish industrial metal. The band's usual violent deathgrind has been turned away for bleak industrial darkness of Godflesh. The riffing has beautiful atmosphere before leading into the final fading bass chords. I personally would pick this one and that other submission, "Evolved as One", over their more well-known grind that I'm not up for.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? 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:

Blue Stahli - "ULTRAnumb" from Blue Stahli (2011)

5/5. If anyone who's a fan of Blue Stahli and Celldweller tells me they're a fan of any one of those artists since they were in their 20s, I would believe them. This also qualifies for me, and I've only just became interested in Blue Stahli via his classic singles of strong fire, like this one.

Celldweller - "Switchback" from Celldweller (2003) (2024 Definitive Edition)

5/5. A classic released two decades ago and still sounds fresh in this Definitive Edition! The more material I find from Celldweller, the less likely I'm able to SWITCHBACK.

Ministry - "Alert Level (Quarantined Mix)" from Alert Level (Quarantined Mix) (2020)

4.5/5. Is there much difference between this version and the one on Moral Hygiene. I suppose this one is slightly better. "How concerned are you?"

Strapping Young Lad - "All Hail the New Flesh" from City (1997)

5/5. This one's a d*mn great hammerer! The legendary Gene Hoglan performs an intense drumming avalanche through this noisy cacophony whirlpool and the aggressive vocal cyclone from Devy, though his clean vocals help keep you in safe shelter alongside the keys. Townsend can really show us his insane vision of extreme industrial metal. He yells "ALL YOU ARE IS ALL YOU ARE!" in an uplifting chorus before more brilliant riffs and keyboards. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

Pain - "Follow Me" from Cynic Paradise (2008)

4.5/5. Amazing song with the serene singing of ex-Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon. "No gold at the end of the rainbow..."

White Zombie - "Feed the Gods" from Feed the Gods (1994) (based on Rob Zombie's Past, Present & Future compilation (2003))

4/5. White Zombie made this song for the movie Airheads. Their music has been featured in shows and movies before, like Beavis and Butthead. Cool lyrics too!

Samael - "Into the Pentagram (new version)" from Rebellion (1995)

4.5/5. I love this remake more than the original! The guitars and beats are greatly paced. Excellent!

Acumen Nation - "Djentrify" from Territory=Universe (1996)

4/5. When I first saw the name of this song, I thought, "An early example of djent besides Meshuggah!?!?" Although it turned out not to be, it's still quite catchy.

Dodheimsgard - "Horrorizon" from Supervillain Outcast (2007)

4.5/5. This shall please the ears of any experimental industrial metal fan.

The Amenta - "Nihil" from Occasus (2004)

5/5. One of the greater highlights of The Amenta's debut actually sounds melodic without too much dissonance.

Painkiller - "Buried Secrets" from Buried Secrets (1992)

4.5/5. This one relies less on the d*mn saxophone plaguing this release and features guest appearances by Godflesh, both members with their metal instrumentation and all.

Killing Joke - "Slipstream" from Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions (1990)

4/5. This one has a more progressive spirit that makes up for the earlier bumpiness.

Nailbomb - "Wasting Away" from Point Blank (1994)

4.5/5. Right from the start, this track blasts through speedy riffing and Max's signature growls, "Carve your rights into your arm so that they don't get taken away". HOLY SH*T, that's the kind of raging hate you would expect from Arise. It has made me positive that the album is filled with more anger than I've ever heard before.

Aborym - "Harsh and Educational" from Hostile (2021)

5/5. Consider me educated more in the industrial metal world!

Dimension F3H - "Betrayer" from Reaping the World Winds (2003)

4.5/5. Anyone looking for some dark mysterious industrial metal on Spotify, here you go.

Bile - "Built to Fuck, Born to Kill" from Built to Fuck, Born to Kill (2014)

4/5. And how about some more f***ing killer industrial metal not for the faint of heart.

OOMPH! - "Wut (feat. Joachim Witt)" from Richter und Henker (2023)

3.5/5. This isn't really one of my favorite songs, but the chorus is one of the best I've heard in NDH.

Obsydians - "Slaughter of Decency" from Slaughter of Decency (2022)

4/5. Obsydians is another side-project with members of Sybreed, and they have collaborated with different musicians of the metal scene, this one being Dark Funeral vocalist Heljarmadr. Fear Factory, Mnemic, and Deathstars should be next! This is definitely like a blackened Sybreed, and it gets more brutal around halfway through. Cyber black metal can having f***ing great results. Not even Slave Design can beats this single's heaviness. Though it would've been great if Sybreed vocalist Benjamin Nominet could appear here with his vocals. You can also think about this like Samael gone Scar Symmetry.

The Interbeing - "Face Deletion" from Edge of the Obscure (2011)

4.5/5. One of the f***ing best songs from this band that I can't believe barely any people have heard of.

Illidiance - "Breaking the Habit" from Breaking the Habit (2019)

4/5. This kick-A cover of a Linkin Park hit has really done that song justice, though it would've been better if the vocals were louder in the mix. RIP Chester Bennington

Northlane - "Paradigm" from Alien (2019)

4.5/5. This fearless track has more of the heaviness and screaming that's definitely worth playing live. With a lot going on, hearing this song is much more of an experience than a listen.

Fear Factory - "Resurrection" from Obsolete (1998)

5/5. A superb melodic standout anthem with a mighty chorus and riffing.

Corrections House - "Drapes Hung by Jesus" from Last City Zero (2013)

4.5/5. The most unforgiving music and lyrics come straight with this epic. An ambient intro leads into industrial metal that gradually becomes heavier, plus some eerie sax, before the last bit of lyrical poetry at the end.

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

4/5. Finally, we end this playlist with this dark yet upbeat track, with many different moments to admire.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a slight drop in quality somewhere. 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:

Sybreed wasn't the only Swiss cyber metal band around. When the drummer for their debut Slave Design, Alex Anxionaz left the band, he formed his own. His band started out as a deathly industrial metal band called Etna, but then changed into Breach the Void with a sound closer to his former band. Sadly, both Sybreed and Breach the Void split up in late 2013, which is a shame because of how solid both band's debuts are. Breach the Void is a clear continuation of the direction Alex Anxionaz wanted to take on Slave Design, with its toolkit of crushing rhythms, clean/unclean vocals, and cyber synths. Many songs can almost be considered a pinnacle of modern industrial/cyber metal, the only slight problem is when the clean vocals sound a bit inferior to the guttural ones. Nonetheless, the band has some original talent in the solid offering that is The Monochromatic Era!

4/5

Recommended tracks: "Subversive Mind", "Customized Genotype", "Digital Structure", "Ruins", "Spirals"

For fans of: Sybreed, The Interbeing, Mnemic

Here's my review:

By 1995, Ben & I could count ourselves as being pretty big fans of Swiss black metallers Samael. We were both well across all three of Samael's albums to the time, all of which I consider to be essential listening for the black metal afficionado. I'd also gone so far as to secure myself dubbed copies of a couple of the band's early demo tapes through the tape trading scene in 1987's "Into the Infernal Storm of Evil" & 1988's "Medieval Prophecy", neither of which l'd say added much to my life if I'm being honest. But the point I'm trying to make is that there was a level of anticipation for Samael's next release after they'd improved on each & every recording to the time with 1994's "Ceremony of Opposites" third album being the finest work of the band's career still to this day. Coming off the back of such a successful effort, Ben & I went into 1995's stop-gap "Rebellion" E.P. with great confidence in the Swiss four-piece's ability to create a compelling musical soundscape so, when Ben brought home a CD copy of the brand-new E.P., we wasted no time in blasting it loudly from his bedroom stereo. Strangely though, I haven't given "Rebellion" much attention over the many years since which is a little bit telling. I wasn't able to remember exactly why though so I thought it was about time I gave it another crack.

"Rebellion" fits very much into your classic E.P. model as it's clearly a collection of disparate pieces that didn't fit into the full-length album concept. You get one brand new metal number in the title track, a couple of re-recordings of early works (see "After the Sepulture" & "Into the Pentagram"), a cover version of Alice Cooper's "I Love the Dead" & a few instrumental electro-industrial pieces, two of which are essentially the same with the exception of some German lyrics having been placed over the top of one. So, if you're looking for a cohesive & singular creative vision then you might want to look elsewhere. But what "Rebellion" does do successfully is create a transitional stepping-stone between the dark black metal of Samael's first three albums & their more industrially focused later material. It's here that you can first start to see Samael embracing the electronic component of the sound they're known for today although it's fair to say that it was still used a little more subtly which leaves the sound the band are pushing here in somewhat of a limbo between the two genres, not really feeling like either. It's mainly the use of spacey synthesizers that draws "Rebellion" into industrial metal territory although they're not over the top with a much greater emphasis being placed on that element for 1996's "Passage" album which pushed all the way out into fully-fledged symphonic metal territory.

The production job on "Rebellion" is thick & chunky & gives the material real clout, the riffs possessing a weight that comes more from the industrial metal side than the black metal one. The opening title track is the one that benefits the most from it with its groovy mid-paced riffage making it by far the most significant piece on the record. In fact, it's a little strange that it wasn't considered for inclusion on Samael's upcoming full-length albums to be honest as it's easily good enough & wouldn't have sounded out of place. The two re-recordings happen to be of my favourite tracks from each of Samael's first two albums which was a pleasant surprise but the reality is that neither can compete with the dark atmosphere of the originals, despite the heavier production techniques employed. I certainly enjoy both songs (particularly "After the Sepulture" which competes with "Rebellion" for the highlight of the E.P.) but neither added a lot to my life either to be fair. The rest of the E.P. feels more like filler than anything else in my opinion. I quite enjoy both versions of the six-minute electro-industrial piece "Static Journey" but can't see much reason for including both given that they're so similar to each other. Admittedly they do sound a little dated given the basic synthesized rhythms that have been employed. The three-minute outro piece utilizes the same creative platform but is unfortunately not as successful & I find it to be a little disappointing, as is the Alice Cooper cover version which feels more like a fairly accessible take on gothic metal than anything else & leaves me feeling like pressing the skip button a lot of the time although I've never been a skipper & likely never will be.

So, I feel that "Rebellion" was mildly successful in its quest to showcase a new sound that Samael would explore further across the remainder of their recording career but I would hardly say that it's essential listening for fans of the band. It's a professionally put together package & sounds bright & vibrant but I don't think it contains the depth that I enjoyed with Samael's first three albums.

For fans of Rotting Christ, The Kovenant & Moonspell.

3.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Sybreed - "Bioactive" from Slave Design (2004)

4.5/5. Already blasting forward is the first and best song of its original album. Right there, you get to hear the members drive through sonic cyber/industrial metal without relying too much on electronics. Here we have the powerful drumming of Alex Anxionaz, showing a bit of Fear Factory influence, the gloomy vocals of Benjamin Nominet ranging from clean to harsh, the heavy guitar grooves of Drop, and the burning bass of Burn.

Pain - "Shut Your Mouth" from Nothing Remains the Same (2002)

5/5. A high-quality industrial dance-metal tune! I can play this song as many times I can and have spawn good memories. Peter Tägtgren is a true modern metal legend. And there are plenty more awesome anthems from this project where that came from.

Rammstein - "Sonne" from Mutter (2001)

4.5/5. The Mutter album's first single was written for boxer Vitali Klitschko, but he never used it. After doing a boxing match referee-like count to 9 then "out". The catchiest riffing can be found here, followed by a melodic chorus, "Here comes the sun." Probably the best song of the album and by the band!

Lindemann - "Golden Shower" from Skills in Pills (2015)

4/5. The lyrics are so ridiculous and potentially offensive, and yet I'm so intrigued, "Golden shower, let it fly, from your pretty c*nt!" Absolutely Rammstein!

Wolok - "Blotches" from The Bilious Hues of Gloom (2022)

3.5/5. Pretty good, but a little too much on the avant-garde black metal side.

Uniform, The Body - "Come And See" from Mental Wounds Not Healing (2018)

4/5. This one shows the vocal duo uniting greatly with the drumming of Lee Buford and the guitarwork of Ben Greenberg.

KMFDM - "Terror" from Nihil (1995)

3.5/5. This political-sound track thunders through with industrial metal guitar.

Static-X - "Take Control" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 2 (2024)

4/5. I can hear a lot of the Linkin Park nu metal era in this song. RIP Chester and Wayne

Deathstars - "Syndrome" from Synthetic Generation (2002)

4.5/5. Another blast from the cyber/industrial metal past! This can go well with the soundtrack for one of the Alien movies.

Celldweller - "Senorita Bonita" from Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head: Volume 02 (2012)

5/5. Man, this Latin-infused metalstep banger should've been twice as long! Celldweller and Blue Stahli are known as masters of electro-industrial rock/metal. This is truly a wonderful highlight of this playlist. It's practically a remix of Blue Stahli's "Shotgun Senorita" while being mostly different. There should be a mashup between those two.

Red Harvest - "Icons of Fear... The Curse of the Universe" from A Greater Darkness (2007) 

5/5. Another perfect standout, this one from the darker, more extreme side of industrial metal.

Killing Joke – "Millenium" from Pandemonium (1994)

3.5/5. This catchy track allowed Killing Joke a rare chance to hit the airwaves in the U.S.

Diabolicum - "The Wind Shall Slay" from The Grandeur of Hell (1999)

4/5. Dark music, dark lyrics... That's industrial black metal for ya!

Health, Lamb of God - "Cold Blood" from DISCO4::PARTII (2022)

4.5/5. The darkness comes further, in a blend of Health's electro-industrial and Lamb of God's groove/thrash metal.

Blue Stahli - "Catastrophe" from Obsidian (2021)

5/5. Honestly, I haven't heard as much Blue Stahli as Celldweller, and that shall change soon, considering how much further I'm allowing myself to go down the electro-industrial rock/metal rabbit hole. Menacing sludgy instrumentation are perfectly put together with soft fragile singing. This work of art and the album artwork are so METAL. Heaviness and melody are in perfect blend, just like many of my favorite metal songs out there. I need to rest of this album Obsidian and this project's discography. Nothing bad about some magical despair, huh? Especially from the skillful guitar and cool slow drums. Here's to a great industrial metal future!

Lord of the Lost - "The Look (feat. Blümchen)" from Blood & Glitter (2023)

4.5/5. This Roxette cover, featuring Jasmin Wagner, also known as German popstar Blümchen is arguably its original album's true standout! RIP Marie Fredriksson

Godflesh - "YOUR NATURE YOUR NURTURE" from NEW FLESH IN DUB VOL. 1 (2021)

5/5. Sometimes the more underground songs from Godflesh are the darkest and most haunting.

Corrections House - "White Man's Gonna Lose" from Know How to Carry a Whip (2015)

4.5/5. The dark effects bleed into this track with some perfect apocalyptic twists from the distorted sax. A true electro-industrial metal standout!

Greymachine - "Sweatshop" from Disconnected (2009)

5/5. Perhaps the album's best track for me. It's like Godflesh but slower and more mesmerizing! The rhythms and feedback never cease to amaze me.

Author & Punisher - "Beastland" from Beastland (2018)

4.5/5. It's almost surpassed by another 6-minute epic which ends its original album in beastly destruction.

The Amenta - "Rape" from n0n (2008)

5/5. Then we have the most twists in this oddly titled epic, which starts chaotic in the first 3 minutes, then quiets down before some doomy melancholy in the heavy riffs and melody. D*mn, what a soothing yet brutal way out!

Fear Factory - "Expiration Date" from Genexus (2015)

5/5. Perhaps the biggest stunner is this 9-minute epic, one of the most haunting and beautiful tracks by the band! Could this be "Resurrection 2.0"?!?

Neurotech - "The Messianic Symphony" from Symphonies II (2022)

4.5/5. Finally, the riffing tones and melodies in what can be considered "The Halcyon Symphony 2.0" is quite nice. Guitars are more prominent and play out better together with the electronic keyboards. Fantastic!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some drops in quality 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 your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

That's a high-quality assessment of the album right there Vinny. I thoroughly enjoyed getting your take on it.

Thanks, Daniel.

"Revelator" is on the long list of releases that I've spent some time with but haven't gotten around to rating or reviewing as yet Andi but I'm planning on taking the opportunity to rectify that this month off the back of your feature release nomination. The Amenta are arguably my favourite Sydney (i.e. where I lived my whole life until two years ago) band & have been for many years now so I've tended to follow them fairly religiously. 

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Gothminister - "Battle of the Underworlds" from Pandemonium II: The Battle of the Underworlds (2024)

5/5. Opening with uplifting ethereal strings is the title track of the sequel to Gothminister's Pandemonium, that becomes a true anthem of war, as the guitar/keyboard majesty is accompanied by the vocals of Bjorn and a female vocalist (Sandra Jensen?) to add to the theatricality. An epic beginning!

PAIN - "Same Old Song" from Dancing With the Dead (2005)

5/5. Same old song, but I never get tired of it, it's so awesome! I love the vocals of Peter Tagtgren. "You're welcome to my world, dark side of the universe." I prefer Pain rather than the death metal of his other band Hypocrisy.

Breach the Void - "Subversive Mind" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)

4.5/5. This song is so f***ing destructive, though it's toned down a bit by the clean singing. The band's drummer is Alex Anxionaz, from Sybreed's debut album Slave Design.

Deathstars - "Cyanide" from Termination Bliss (2006)

5/5. This one is a perfect hooker! Great rhythm alongside more of those deep dark vocals. They probably work better in studio than live and, along with the bass, shine more than the guitars that are still awesome. From the synth intro onward, you'll never get bored even after hundreds of listens.

Strapping Young Lad - "Oh My Fucking God" from City (1997)

5/5. This one will make you wanna scream that song title. It's one of the heaviest songs I've heard in my life, probably heavier than even Morbid Angel and Slayer combined! Lots of sounds and build-ups from different dimensions can be heard, not for the faint-hearted. Even the violins change the time signatures! F***ING BRUTAL!!!!!

Dodheimsgard - "Final Conquest" from 666 International (1999)

4.5/5. Another underrated gem, this one of industrial black metal.

Shadow Domain - "Give Up On Joy" from Digital Divide (2018)

4/5. Never give up on cyber metal and its digital power and glory!

Illidiance - "New Millennium Crushers" from Damage Theory (2010)

4.5/5. Illidiance's songs may be short, but they can squeeze all these perfect rhythms and epic melodies in that short amount of time. This is like a more cyber take on pop-ish melodeath bands like Blood Stain Child and Scar Symmetry.

The CNK - "Die HolzHammerMethode" from L'hymne a la joie (2007)

4/5. A bad-a** piece of French industrial/symphonic metal. Enough said!

Fear Factory - "Self Immolation (Liquid Sky Mix)" from Fear is the Mindkiller (1993)

4.5/5. The more atmospheric sounds in this "Self Immolation" remix have paid off well. The death metal aggression is in perfect flow with the techno groove, another remix saving the EP from being a total disaster.

Celldweller, Northlane - "Soul Parasites (Northlane Remix)" from Satellites (Remixed) (2023)

5/5. I can't believe how perfectly Celldweller and Northlane can come together. The energy f***ing rips through each band's new sound. There's a lot more heavy fire than some songs from Celldweller's first two vocal albums. Absolutely bad-a**! H*ll, I was a little nervous about how this remix would turn out before the first time I heard it, but I'm glad it turned out so d*mn well.

Bad Omens, ERRA - "ANYTHING > HUMAN" from CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] (2024)

5/5. Really peaking at the height of the Concrete Jungle album is Bad Omens' collaboration with ERRA. The guest appearances by that progressive metalcore band's two vocalists shine as beautiful as Noah's vocals. An absolute favorite of mine that should be heard by future generations!

Acumen Nation - "Coming Down" from Coming Down: The Bastard Remix Album (2002)

4.5/5. There are several different versions of "Coming Down" in this remix album, and this one's the amazing original.

Shining - "Need" from International Blackjazz Society (2015)

5/5. The Norwegian jazz metal band Shining is not to be confused with similarly named Swedish DSBM band. This is what I really need to jazz up my metal!

KONG - "Whorl" from Push Comes to Shove (1995)

4.5/5. Another piece of jazzy progressive industrial metal, but I prefer to get it from Shining.

2 Times Terror - "Ikävässä Paikassa" from Equals One Sudden Death (2010)

4/5. A high-quality climatic piece of dance-metal. The keyboards and guitars are in perfect union. It may be too accessible for pure metalheads, but it rules!

Fange - "Césarienne Au Noir" from Perdition (2024)

3.5/5. A darker, sludgier take on Godflesh. Pretty good, but I like Godflesh more.

Uniform, The Body - "Not Good Enough" from Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back (2019)

4/5. This one is all I want from this intense sound and more. It is a mighty monolith with post-punk-ish riffing.

Skrew - "Cold Angel Press" from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1992)

4.5/5. This one is the best in both the song title and the song itself, even bringing back the horror film vibe in the vocals.

Comecon – "Ulcer" from Megatrends in Brutality (1992)

5/5. Well this is a little surprising, considering Comecon is usually a death metal band. However, the first two minutes have enough Skrew-like industrial metal to qualify for The Sphere. Then the rest of the song is grind-ish death metal. And I love it!!! Thanks for this, Daniel! RIP L-G Petrov

The Amenta - "Black God" from Plague of Locus (2023)

4.5/5. Amazing cover of a My Dying Bride song to close off this Amenta cover album. Though it would be great if they could cover one of the heavier My Dying Bride songs.

Godflesh - "Go Spread Your Wings" from Selfless (1994)

5/5. This 24-minute final epic is the longest Godflesh song and my favorite of the album, possibly of the band. It is a modern epic journey through Broadrick's tunnel of imagination, as drums and guitars pound along. This might surely beat the previous album's "Pure II" as Godflesh's ultimate epic!

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!

A playlist I've made with my favorite songs from those essential releases: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1la4JNdjrAXncqO9Szn2u7

Here's my review:

You simply couldn’t ignore Los Angeles industrial death metallers Fear Factory when they exploded onto the scene with their 1992 debut album “Soul of a New Machine”. Although their sound wasn’t ideally suited to my personal taste, I still found myself purchasing the CD & attending the shows with all of my metal-loving mates & quite enjoying myself along the way. Metal radio was all over Fear Factory so you almost had no choice but to become exposed to them & their unique combination of precision, melody & extremity sounded really fresh at the time. As an album, I don’t mind “Soul of a New Machine” but feel that the band would comfortably eclipse it with their next album “Demanufacture” which is still the benchmark for Fear Factory to this day in my opinion. Somewhere in between those two albums though, we find this little remix E.P. which drew a somewhat shocked response from a teenage me. The very gall of an extreme metal band to attempt EDM-infused versions of their more popular songs! It certainly sounded like an awful idea to me on paper so I don’t think I went into it with a lot of hope to be honest & that may well have played a role in me eventually dismissing “Fear is the Mindkiller” as a release that was categorically not for me. However, by the end of the 1990’s I’d been sucked up by the exciting techno juggernaut & spent the next decade spinning tunes in dark, underground clubs so I’m hoping that now I might be better predisposed to enjoying this record. Let’s find out, shall we?

“Fear is the Mindkiller” contains six songs & clocks in at around the 32 minute mark. Five of those pieces are electronica/electro-industrial remixes of tracks taken from the debut album with the album version of “Self Immolation” also being tossed in for good measure. I honestly think that “Self Immolation” was a strange track to nominate to fill out the run time given that a) it’s not one of the better tracks from “Soul of a New Machine” & b) there are already two remixed versions of that track included on the E.P. which leads to repetition. Thankfully though, there is some quality to be found in this material, even for those of you that might only be open to metal music. None of the original tracks are indecipherable in these remixes with all five of them offering regular snippets at the very least. Interesingly though, it’s the pieces that take Fear Factory the furthest away from their original works that work best with “Self Immolation (Vein Tap Mix)” & “Scumgrief” (Deep Dub Trauma Mix)” being comfortably my pick of the bunch. The one failure actually lines up with the heaviest of the songs in the Pig Fuck Mix of “Scapegoat” which is essentially just a misguided attempt to place a dance beat behind the original & fails to connect on anywhere near the same level.

I’ve found myself quite liking “Fear is the Mindkiller” for the most part. The electronic component isn’t done to an elite level but (apart from “Scapegoat”) it’s executed reasonably well &, on most occasions, brings something a bit different to the originals. I can’t say that I regard the E.P. as being essential but, then again, I don’t consider “Soul of a New Machine” to be either. This is certainly an underrated release, perhaps receiving undue criticism from a metal community that can at times be fairly closed-minded when it comes to electronic music.

For fans of HEALTH, Front Line Assembly & Ministry's "Rio Grande Dub Ya".

3.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Alex Terrible - "BFG Division - Doom" from BFG Division (Doom) (2022)

4.5/5. Let's start this playlist with the kind of heavy DOOM glory you just gotta hear! This is my second encounter with a vocal version of an instrumental DOOM song, the other being Necromorphic Despair's take on "The Only Thing They Fear is You". SO BRUTAL.

Fear Factory - "Recharger" from Re-Industrialized (2023)

4/5. This unremarkable track has a more complicated formula. Too repetitive in the verse riffs and vocal melodies. But it's still great.

Samael - "After the Sepulture (new version)" from Rebellion (1995)

4.5/5. This is a more industrial remake of the best song of Blood Ritual and perhaps their black metal era, but I prefer the crushing original more. With evil slow riffing and vicious vocals by Vorph, it's a destructive highlight.

Turmion Kätilöt - "Pyhä kolminaisuus" from Omen X (2023)

5/5. This energetic highlight can get you excited with its catchy chaos from the electro synths and riff groove alongside background choirs.

PhaseOne, ERRA - "World Unknown" from PhaseOne x UNFD (2023)

4.5/5. After including PhaseOne's collaboration with Polaris in this month's Revolution playlist, here's one with ERRA! JT's vocal breakdowns give the song that ERRA touch while staying an electro-dance metal tune.

Ministry - "Believe Me" from Moral Hygiene (2021)

4/5. H*ll, this is a great underrated jam with a bit of a Killing Joke sound. "Life will never be the same..."

ASP - "Ich, Der Teufel Und Du" from Horrors - A Collection of Gothic Novellas (2023)

3.5/5. A beautiful piece of Neue Deutsche Härte, though I'm still not up for that subgenre/scene.

16volt - "Head of Stone" from Wisdom (1993)

4/5. Another example of what industrial rock/metal should really be about, all in great balance.

Psyclon Nine - "X'S ON HER EYES" from Less to Heaven (2022)

4.5/5. An eerie piece of blackened electro-industrial metal to love. Some might reminded of the film 28 Days Later.

KONG - "Hit That Red" from Traders of Truth (2023)

4/5. A pretty great tune from this band that almost always utilizes samples as the sole vocal style.

Pain - "Push the Pusher" from Push the Pusher (2024)

4.5/5. Solid single from the new Pain album I Am! And cool anime-style music video too.

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

5/5. This highlight smashes through as industrial dance-metal that should really make a hit.

Godflesh – "Slateman" from Slateman single (1991)

4.5/5. I can hear a lot from Godflesh's classic hits like this one.

Celldweller - "Blind Lead the Blind" from Satellites (2022)

5/5. Klayton never ceases to amaze me with his projects Celldweller and Circle of Dust. This is one of the most f***ing bad-a** songs of the new album, not gonna lie!

Argyle Park - "Leave Me Alone" from Misguided (1994)

4.5/5. Also we can't forget about another project Klayton was involved in, Argyle Park. I bet this is the kind of music that planted the seed for video game soundtracks like Crash Bandicoot. Yeah, a little more industrial than metal, but still excellent.

Static-X - "Disco Otsego" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 2 (2024)

4/5. This is one of the songs from the Project Regeneration album series to have vocals from both Xer0 and Wayne Static. It also has the same audio samples as "I'm With Stupid" from their debut Wisconsin Death Trip.

The Kovenant - "The Human Abstract" from Animatronic (1999)

4.5/5. Bizarre yet amazing song from these gothic-ish cyber metal pioneers. No word on if that's where progressive metalcore band The Human Abstract got their name.

Mechina - "The Iron Law" from Conqueror (2011)

4/5. Now this is a great song for a sci-fi boss battle. The lyrics are definitely worth shouting along to, "TOTAL. SYSTEM. FAILURE!!!!"

The Interbeing - "Deceptive Signal" from Among the Amorphous (2017)

4.5/5. Some underrated otherworldly cyber metal for those who want similar music to Mnemic. The brutal verses go well with the epic chorus.

Breach the Void - "Falling" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)

4/5. The lyrics in this song are totally understandable, especially the first verse, "Simulated happiness is my everyday, f***ed up life". How can I not love cyberpunk melodeath track!? Well the harsh vocals could've been much better...

Peace, Love & Pitbulls - "Futurehead" from Peace, Love & Pitbulls (1992)

3.5/5. Pretty good but sometimes things are better left in the past for a greater future.

Rammstein - "Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch)" from Sehnsucht (1997)

4/5. It's interesting how this track is about oral sex, while the song uses cartoony sound effects. Understandable why they never played this live.

In This Moment - "Hunting Grounds" from Mother (2020)

4.5/5. This one stands out with its pummeling heaviness and Brink's duet with Joe Cotela of Ded, whom Brink is currently in a relationship with, as the vocal harmonies bleed well into guitar melodies, "One of us is going down, let's do this anyway".

Decree - "Faded Glory" from Fateless (2011)

4/5. Imagine Godflesh but slower and as industrial as the band HALO. This great song is the result!

Parasite Inc. - "When All Is Said" from Cyan Night Dreams (2022)

4.5/5. The closing track of the playlist and its original album and the most synthwave-ish track here. But the modern heaviness is still around and ends it all perfectly.

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!

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!

Here's my review summary:

Argyle Park was an industrial rock/metal project Klayton was in between his own two projects Circle of Dust and the more famous Celldweller. The other founder of this project goes by the name Buka. Despite being signed to Christian labels, their dark lyrics and contributions from secular artists caused some controversy in the Christian music scene. Their record label R.E.X. tried to censor a track in the band's album Misguided. Because of all this, the band split up after only two years of activity. Fast forward a few years, the band reformed under a different name AP2, and released a second album titled Suspension of Disbelief. While the poor sales and criticism caused the band to end again, this is one of the most innovative industrial rock/metal albums I've heard. The darkness is what I love! The industrial sound rages on in the heavy songs then quiets down in the slower ones, and sometimes their techno/trance/drum n bass influences shine in an enjoyable way alongside other experimental aspects to make underrated works of art. Not one other project could attempt to make the darkest, most experimental industrial rock/metal in the Christian music scene. It's a risk that caused them to be shunned by the scene, but at least industrial metal fans like myself would have something to listen to a lot every now and then!

5/5

Recommend tracks: "My Sympathies", "A New Wound", "The Red Shirt Conspiracy", "The Pact", "Resurrection of the Ravens", "The Only Man I Know"

For fans of: Nine Inch Nails, Celldweller, Psyclon Nine

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 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!

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