The Sphere

I really enjoyed this feature Andi. I'd heard a few Mnemic tracks through the monthly playlists over the years & generally recall enjoying them but this was the first full release I've checked out. Calling it industrial/groove metal doesn't really do the scope of this release justice in my opinion because there are also nu metal & djent components that are easily as significant as either of those tags yet none of the four seem appropriate as a primary tag in my opinion. I guess I'll leave it as it is given that I can't think of a better option.

The vocals are nice & aggressive, the production is chunky & heavy & the execution is bang on. The Fear Factory influence is obvious in the staccato riffs & the clean choruses which also hint at Strapping Young Lad. The Meshuggah influence in the djenty bits is beautifully done & generally matches up with the best parts. The simpler groove metal riffs reference Sepultura & Machine Head while the regular touches on nu metal reek of Korn & early Deftones. There are even some clear hints at White Zombie in the vocal delivery at times.

There are no weak tracks included in a very consistent tracklisting. I absolutely love "Tattoos" which is the clear highlight for mine. This is an underrated record & I very much concur with Andi's suggestion that it needs to be heard.

For fans of Fear Factory, Prong & Dagoba.

4/5

I'm still quite new to industrial metal, despite my ongoing quest to find more of this genre, but I can do a top 5:

1. Northlane - Obsidian

2. Gothminister - Pandemonium

3. Psyclon Nine - Less to Heaven

4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World

5. Fear Factory - Recoded

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

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

5/5. I'm currently 23. Throughout my teen-hood, I was into power metal, then melodic death metal, then gothic metal... But now here I am, a young adult enjoying the metalcore of the other monthly clan playlist I've made, along with the industrial metal of this one, including this kick-A gothic-influenced industrial metal band. And you never really have to be Satanic or Goth or swear to make or even listen to music like this. The music is what's supposed to matter.

Rob Zombie - "Dragula" (from Hellbilly Deluxe, 1998)

4.5/5. In the first Revolution playlist of this year, I added Motionless in White's cover of this Rob Zombie classic, and now at the tail-end of the year, I added the original song to this Sphere playlist! This would work well for a teen to blast this song while driving their parent's car in a Halloween joyride.

Nine Inch Nails - "Wish" (from Broken, 1992)

4/5. This one drops in with a programmed beat and spaced-out vocals making room for metal riffing. The catchy metal chorus spices up that mundane verse-chorus pattern with metal guitar and synths, the latter foreshadowing what they would have in The Downward Spiral.

Static X - "All These Years" (from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1, 2020)

4.5/5. Ah yeah, let's bring in some f***ing good hardcore industrial nu metal. The posthumous vocals by the late Wayne Static might bring in some Korn vibes. RIP Wayne

Lard - "Generation Execute" (from Pure Chewing Satisfaction, 1997)

4/5. Fascinating heavy riffing alongside the creepy yet fun signature vocals of Jello Biafra. Apparently, the riffing was reused from what was scrapped in the Ministry Psalm 69 sessions. The long-time fans of Jello and Ministry would have good memories. Give me more, all day all night!

Marilyn Manson - "The Reflecting God" (from Antichrist Superstar, 1996)

4.5/5. This is honestly quite omnipotent. It describes a dream within a dream more than Inception could, but "you'll understand when I'm dead". I still can't believe this band got blamed for the Columbine shooting because of what the perpetrators listened to...

Killing Joke - "Pandemonium" (from Pandemonium, 1994)

4/5. Killing Joke sit somewhere in the line between underrated and overrated. They broke ground with their earlier rock hits, but it's the more earthy and heavy songs like this that need more attention. But there's no f***ing shame in where they and other bands stand. This might've also appeared in a Top Gear episode. Jaz Coleman vocals can range from new wave to metal. Impressive, right???

White Zombie - "Blood, Milk and Sky" (from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head, 1995)

4.5/5. Another song from Rob Zombie, or in this case, his former band White Zombie. It's one of the most haunting and hypnotizing tracks I've ever heard, and I'm talking strongly mesmerizing. Just don't listen when watching a boring sleep-inducing lecture.

Fear Factory - "Disruptor" (from Aggression Continuum, 2021)

5/5. I'm glad to find awesome music from this fantastic band, Fear Factory.

Samael - "Rite of Renewal" (from Hegemony, 2017)

4.5/5. This band deserves more attention for their inspiring music and lyrics. This is one of my favorite songs from their new album when I was still listening to the band. It brings back a bit of their late 90s vibe. They mix industrial metal with a bit of symphonic black metal (the latter at full front in their first few albums and Above), which is kind of why my time fully listening to this band wasn't so long. Still this is pretty cool!

Godflesh - "Anthem" (from Hymns, 2001)

4/5. This one's interesting. After a couple songs that have shouted vocals, this one focuses on clean singing. Quite an amazing anthem! A haunting vibe is added to the guitar thanks to those vocals.

Author and Punisher - "Kruller" (from Kruller, 2022)

4.5/5. Crushing doomy industrial metal, though the song title made me hungry for those crullers that used to be made in Dunkin' Donuts.

Morgoth - "Watch the Fortune Wheel" (from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic, 1996)

5/5. I love this one, though this was when this normally death metal band had a temporary turn into industrial metal.

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

4.5/5. This epic kick-A sound of progressive-ish industrial groove metal would help bands like Sybreed and Divine Heresy find their direction and let bands of other genres like Animals as Leaders borrow their progressiveness. The chaotic electro-metal talent of Strapping Young Lad can definitely be heard in Mnemic's influences. They should really have more fame than a different Danish metal band Volbeat.

Blue Stahli - "Anchor" (from Quartz, 2020)

4/5. After the long wait for this playlist to be published while I was having the virus, I'm glad that I'm still alive and can hear this beautiful dreamy music where others in this site can hear. The heavier parts are worth headbanging to. Brutal heaviness can enhance a beautiful small symphony. The anchor still remains!

Viral Millennium - "Vomitosis" (from Vomitosis, 2014)

3.5/5. Nice song, though I wouldn't hope much for this band to shape the future of industrial metal.

Seecrees - "New Dawn" (from Genesis, 2012)

4/5. The 25-second intro can already get cyber metal fans hooked.

THE SIN:DECAY - "We Are All Slaves" (from Rehabilitation, 2007)

4.5/5. It's sad that bands like this one are practically unknown. This is hypnotic epic synth metal! There should be some new stuff with this cold beauty. I'm glad to find this 90% perfect song. Like I said before, music can be awesome whether religious or sinful, and people need to be grateful for the existence of other such bands like Sybreed and Neurotech. Also you don't have to use accepted copyrighted samples to be industrial metal, and you don't have to directly copy from Depeche Mode to get synths. There are no limits to make and listen to this music. Well, other than if your parents are strict against "parental advisory" albums, but you get the point. Just listen and appreciate!

Psyclon Nine - "Crwn Thy Frnicatr" (from Crwn Thy Frnicatr, 2006)

5/5. F*** yes, this is aggrotech gone industrial metal, foreshadowing what this band and Dawn of Ashes would have later. The vocals are so unclean yet unclear if you don't have the lyrics. The guitar sounds close to nu metal in a way, and that's quite awesome to hear.

Andrew Hulshult - "Dusk" (from DUSK (Original Game Soundtrack), 2019)

4.5/5. Now how about this theme song for an industrial metal soundtrack composed for the game DUSK? Let's think outside of DOOM for 3 minutes...

Dawn of Ashes - "Carnal Consummation in the Empty Space (To Mega Therion Mix)" (from Farewell to the Flesh, 2012)

4/5. This remix sounds to me like early Psyclon Nine with Therion symphonics. I like that one!

Dolor - "Metamorphosis" (Tanz der Schatten (Der Clown), 2010)

3.5/5. Not bad, but still not get the whole Neue Deutsche Härte appeal.

Treibhaus - "Kodex" (from Feinbild, 2006)

3/5. Same with this one, losing a little more heat.

Motionless in White - "Final Dictvm" (from Reincarnate, 2014)

3.5/5. While not exactly one of their best songs, it fits well for the electronics that form The Sphere, and once again the music has nothing worth b***hing about.

Ministry - "Amerikkka" (from Amerikkkant, 2018)

4/5. And now it's back to the pure OG industrial metal for one more track in this playlist. The samples can be repetitive, but the heaviness is practically. So don't you f***ing care about those naysayers I keep mentioning when I was commenting on this playlist. Just sit back and enjoy before your time comes....TO GET OUT.

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

I did my review, here's its summary:

The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak is filled with experimental madness! Basically a weird yet awesome mix of metal and electronics from the brilliant James Plotkin and the shrieking Alan Dubin. This is another original album ahead of time. They experiment with different styles, more than just metal, letting go of restrictive conventions and patterns so what they create can run free. Throughout these 9 tracks, the experimental instrumentation can flow nice and smoothly, while staying surreal. That's the kind of sound I would recommend to those up for a challenge through experimental noise-powered industrial metal, like I am now. Enjoy the weirdness!

5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Killing Joke - "The Death & Resurrection Show" (from Killing Joke, 2003)

4.5/5. How's this for a Sphere playlist opener? This is part of the Killing Joke 2003 album where they had Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters beating the drums, and I heard this song is featured in the soundtrack for Need For Speed Underground 2. People following this band since their late 70s formation would have their minds blown.

Northlane - "Clarity" (from Obsidian, 2022)

5/5. This one starts optimistic-sounding, all light and gentle in the electronic without immediately starting in a bang while many other albums in a similar style would. After one and a half minutes, BOOM!! The heaviness kicks into high gear! Switching from melodic vocals and electronics to screams and technical riffs, you're buckled up for this wild ride like no other. A very strong starter track! Building through this 6-minute track, it's not until the 4-minute mark when the breakdown the more hardcore fans are hungry for strikes and gets you hooked in the remain two minutes. Every member shines with the instruments in their own ways. The drumming makes that song a standout!

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

4.5/5. It's good to hear a song by Bile released long after the previous song I've heard from them. You can tell the difference very quickly while you still hear the dark entertainment. The aforementioned earlier song "In League" is in the Strangeland soundtrack, and if there's ever a remake for that movie, they should use this song. F***ing killer song for working out in the gym!

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

4/5. Fabulous cyber metal! The band haven't released an album in 8 years, and their most recent one still pumps me up high. The ethereal darkness actually fits well in Final Fantasy. This is like the English-singing Eisbrecher. Hail the Deathstars!

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

4.5/5. This is a highly different instrumental trip. It is the first of a few tracks in the album to use samples, including from the horror-drama film The Devils ("The antichrist!!") and chanting from Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie. An excellent loopy instrumental! I could recommend this to anyone starting out this band for the first time.

Godflesh - "Head Dirt" (from Streetcleaner, 1989)

5/5. Another awesome standout. They continue playing lower riffs that sometimes hang in the background behind bass and drums, but the guitar can never go unnoticed!

Samael - "Telepath" (from Telepath, 2004)

4.5/5. It's amazing to hear this symphonic industrial metal sound bright and clear. I didn't enjoy this band for a super long time because of their earlier black metal, but they should have much more attention than Rammstein.

Strapping Young Lad - "Shitstorm" (from Alien, 2005)

5/5. The song that many people have heard the most is surprisingly the one with swearing in the title and the lyrics. Devin Townsend sounds f***ing p*ssed and determined to stab your eardrums (already done by the music in a way I like). The entirely shouted vocals threaten you with crazy lyrics. The song is fast with good riffs and fantastic keyboards. The choirs diversify this amazing song. Can this album get better?!

Wayne Static - "Assassins of Youth" (from PIGHAMMER, 2011)

4.5/5. OK, not completely better, but this is a really great heavy industrial metal piece, from Wayne Static's only solo album and last overall album before his untimely death. The lyrics sound quite poetic. The "sheriff" intro is from the 1980 horror film Motel Hell. RIP Static...

Crossbreed - "Nothing" (from KE 101, 2009)

4/5. I still can't believe good industrial metal is hard to find nowadays. This is the kind of alt-/industrial metal blend Mushroomhead had in Savior Sorrow. Quite underrated!

Pitchshifter - "Microwaved" (from www.pitchshifter.com, 1998)

3.5/5. Any racing video game fan might hear this song in Test Drive 5 and Twisted Metal 3. The surreal bridge at the two-minute mark perfectly fits well for those games.

Pigface - "Bitch" (from Easy Listening, 2003)

3/5. Come on baby! A powerful f***er, but quite hard for me to take seriously. It's a cover of a song by Dope that would end up in that band's third album Group Therapy.

Apartment 26 - "Backwards" (from Hallucinating, 2000)

3.5/5. I was far too young to enjoy the nu metal era when it was on. I didn't hear about that genre until over a decade after that album. This song is in the soundtrack for Mission Impossible 2 and the video game Gekido. Yet another song I gotta show to my brother for some interesting car traveling. And what's more, vocalist Terence "Biff" Butler is the song of Geezer Butler, bassist for Black Sabbath! The song is not really massive for me though and is the closest in sound to Pitchshifter. Still cool in the verses!

Gravity Kills - "Goodbye" (from Gravity Kills, 1996)

4/5. Another great song from an underrated industrial/alt-rock/metal band. I don't have anyone I really hate, but for those who do, use this song against them ("I'M F***ING TIRED AND I'M SAYING GOODBYE!!!!"). Anyone who thinks The Prodigy is THE 90s electro-rock band might stand corrected. I can do without the background noises though.

KMFDM - "Disobedience" (from Nihil, 1995)

4.5/5. This is perhaps what really stands out the most in the album. It's not a ballad, but it sounds the closest to one. In saying that, it's one of the greatest highlights here.

Celldweller - "Into the Void" (from Into the Void, 2019)

5/5. Over 50 years old (around the same age as my parents), Klayton is still going super strong with his sound! He should collaborate with Mick Gordon sometime.

Circle of Dust - "Outside In" (from Machines of Our Disgrace, 2016)

5/5. I have this band and Argyle Park to thank for getting me into listening to Klayton's projects. I love this beautiful song so d*mn much. Bless the void!

Dead World - "180" (from The Machine, 1993)

4.5/5. This is a 180 from what I'm used, but I find it nicely bleak.

Nine Inch Nails - "Reptile" (from The Downward Spiral, 1994)

4/5. A well-done metallic track from the album where Nine Inch Nails began making their move from the heaviness of Broken. It's no surprise how much this band has dominated the industrial music scene. There are some bad-a** lyrics here like "Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress". People probably would've heard of NIN more in the 90s/2000s. This sounds so disturbing yet stellar. I might get in some more of what I'm missing in The Downward Spiral, but then again, I prefer heavier bands in the industrial metal realms. Still it's quite well done here. Who knew darkness can have light and faith!? There are 3 other songs from this album that would form the album's metallic square, and I've already shown you what they are in the Track of the Day thread. This should've fit well in a Twin Peaks episode.

Dagoba - "4.2 Destroy" (from Dagoba, 2003)

4.5/5. Lots of hardcore power in this song! Like Hatebreed would yell, "DESTROY EVERYTHING!!!"

Kong - "2.14" (from Mute Poet Vocalizer, 1990)

4/5. An older more progressive instrumental that sounds good but not the best. Next!

Unzucht - "Nein" (from Jenseits der Welt, 2020)

3.5/5. I know what "Nein" means, it's German for "No", which is my answer to whether or not this peaks my interest. Still sounds good though.

b.o.s.c.h. - "Mehr" (from Einsam, 2010)

3/5. Same with this one. Slight goodness, but I got other music to check out. If I want to find something that isn't just barely understandable sh*t, I just have to keep digging.

Stoneman - "Mord ist Kunst" (from Goldmarie, 2014)

3.5/5. A better song to rock out to, but if only they had lyrics that I can read and understand. But I guess it would be useful if I ever one day decided to learn German. The Mozart-like beginning adds a classical edge to the Rammstein-like sound, but I still find that "meh".

Trust Obey - "Hands of Glory" (from Hands of Ash, 1996)

4/5. This 12-minute epic is worth part of the CD's runtime, though not as impressive as the 12-minute epic I've submitted to this month's Gateway playlist.

Rob Zombie - "Crow Killer Blues" (from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, 2021)

4.5/5. A killer ending to this playlist, sounding like a mix of Avatar, White Zombie, and the Doors. The lyrics greatly match the music! Then after it's over and the apocalypse wipes everything out, during the last 30 seconds, a sinister evil is lurking around and waiting to be unleashed. To be continued...

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

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Lard - "The Power of Lard" (from Power of Lard, 1989)

3.5/5. And so we begin by practically picking up where Jourgensen left off in his Pailhead, including the pattern; opening slow before building up frantic fast energy. Once the drums roll in, Biafra leads a group in shouting the band's name, "Lard!" Biafra adds his recognizable vocals to socially political lyrics in the verses. It's the kind of commentary to sonically assault the listener!

Prime Sinister - "So Close" (from United in Violence, 2008)

4/5. So close to being a great hit, but still seems slightly far off...

Lord of the Lost - "Priest" (from Judas, 2021)

4.5/5. I love this song, though it's close to the Neue Deutsche Härte sound (though with English lyrics) that I usually save for next-to-last.

Killus - "Ultrazombies" (from Ultrazombies, 2016)

4/5. A good song to pass the spooky industrial metal test. It would've been perfect if I could find the lyrics, but I can hum them, I guess...

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

3.5/5. "If on Earth is a heavenly place, it is this, it is this, it is this..." If you're looking for part of an earlier, more ambient/industrial attempt at a grindcore band's sludge epic than Pig Destroyer's Natasha, here you go...

Ministry - "So What" (from The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste, 1989)

4/5. This is more than a 8-minute song, it's an anthem with harmonic guitars and catchy bass as Jourgensen declares, "So what!? it's your own problem to learn to live with. Destroy us! Or make us saints!! WE DON'T CARE!!! IT'S NOT OUR FAULT THAT WE WERE BORN TOO LATE!!!!" This song of the generation's apathy will get you singing along to an anthem that's unlike any other.

Fashion Bomb - "SS" (from Devils to Some Angels to Others, 2006)

4.5/5. This one's quite amazing, though I believe to have gone far past their active era. This is for metalheads who prefer more of Marilyn Manson or Korn than Metallica or Iron Maiden. In fact, this band has pulled off f***ing sicker stuff than Marilyn Manson, especially in the drums and vocals. They would probably get paid for playing in bars!

Ap2 - "Resurrection of the Ravens" (from Suspension of Disbelief, 2000)

5/5. A totally underrated work of art! This is pretty much what Klayton's other projects Circle of Dust and Celldweller, and might just go down as a long-lasting favorite. The techno-dance-rave-like industrial rock/metal sound is killer! Klayton is the writer and singer of this beautiful piece. I'm bummed out that Argyle Park split up after their second album's release in 2000, but there's always those other projects. I actually have an idea for a Celldweller song suggestion. Stay tuned for that next month...

Limbogott - "Stash" (from One Minute Violence, 2005)

4.5/5. Another underrated track in need of more attention!

Underlined - "Altruism" (from Altruism, Vol. 1, 2015)

4/5. When I first saw this song title, I thought it was "Autism", which is what I have. Quite a killer song, though not super interested.

Spf 1000 - "Haunted House" (from Witch Hunt, 2003)

3.5/5. Welcome back to the Horror Show! This time we're heading into the Haunted House... This deserves a music video, probably one inspired by that Cartoon Network series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

N17 - "Version 1.2" (from Trust No One, 1997)

4/5. Now this song can really turn a strip club into a f***ing mosh pit while jack-jumping off chairs. Crazy sick and almost hardcore-sounding!

Northlane - "Eclipse" (from Alien, 2019)

4.5/5. This is one of the most upbeat and heaviest songs by Northlane. You can definitely scream along to the lyrics in live shows!

Strapping Young Lad - "Home Nucleonics" (from City, 1997)

5/5. "The beat starts here" WITH A F***ING SCREAM!!! This one makes that Northlane track sound like smooth jazz in comparison! Probably the heaviest, most chaotic storm from Strapping Young Lad besides "Sh*t Storm" and having the most amazing screams from Devin Townsend. "I! WARNED!! YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!"

Chaotica - "Prison of Decay" (from Prison of Decay, 2006)

4.5/5. Why the actual f*** is this practically unknown!?! It's freaking underrated and as good what people think of the more mainstream bands! This makes me smile and almost laugh maniacally. It's practically relatable for anyone who has their own metaphorical mental prison, such as an office job. This one's basically a techno-industrial rock/metal tune. The fast-rapping-ish bridge at over the two-and-a-half-minute mark is slightly off-putting, but far more genius! If there's a rave party using this, sign me up!

Circle of Dust - "Deviate" (from Brainchild, 1994)

5/5. Now this I dig much more, and this is the only second song I've heard from Circle of Dust, the other one from the June Sphere playlist. Klayton has done an amazing job combining the industrial metal and samples of Ministry with Slayer-like thrash. The remastered version gives the song fresher dynamic. You can headbang while playing the air-guitar and starting a mosh pit! Apparently, the "DON'T MAKE ME USE THIS!!" part is from Ren and Stimpy. It's a little shocking that this band is of Christian background, though I'm speaking as someone who is not Christian. This is more for those who want to destroy everything in sight, in video games, of course. "Who's got the shotgun!?"

Skrew - "Picasso Trigger" (from Dusted, 1994)

4.5/5. Skrew is one of the earliest mainstream-ish industrial metal bands besides Ministry, probably slightly more underrated than Ministry. The intro f***ing kicks a**! I'm sure Beavis and Butthead fans would recognize this song.

Deathstars - "Synthetic Generation" (from Synthetic Generation, 2002)

4.5/5. Deathstars is the kind of band that would play Marilyn Manson-like industrial metal with Murderdolls-like aesthetics. Hail this synthetic generation!

Code Orange - "Sulfur Surrounding" (from Underneath, 2020)

5/5. This one would have your heart breaking out of your ribcage in emotional balladry.

Nine Inch Nails - Physical (You're So)" (from Broken, 1992)

4.5/5. Originally by Adam and the Ants, this cover track is an awesome catchy tune with a sexual-sounding chorus that you desperately try to resist singing out loud, "You're too physical to me".

The Kovenant - "Mirror's Paradise" (from Animatronik, 1999)

5/5. "Like a river flowing around me... Mirror's paradise! Pulling me in it's wake... Mirror's paradise!" Man, that chorus is serene! I think I found another perfect band via a perfect song for stuff like jogging. I probably would've liked this band more if I discovered them during my epic metal teens, but then again, their black metal background would've been too much. Epic-sounding techno-symphonic synths here! The shrieks sound a bit like Dani Filth. Lyrics sound close to Christian territory, but I don't know...

Digimortal - "Добро пожаловать на бой" (from Дети галактики, 2015)

4.5/5. Another Russian cyber metal song (after the one from the previous month's playlist)! What are the odds?! This one's pretty cool. During the chorus, the vocalist sounds almost like an old drunk man, and I don't mean that in a mean way.

Eisenherz - "Die Seele Brennt" (from Eisenherz, 2006)

4/5. Also pretty cool for an NDH song. Enough said!

[die!] - "Mein Letzter Wille" (from Still, 2009)

3.5/5. Not the best, but definitely needs more attention.

Godflesh - "Streetcleaner 2" (from Godflesh, 1988 (1990 reissue))

4/5. Ending this playlist with an ambient remix of the title track of the band's debut Streetcleaner, you can also hear a bit of the solid vocal aggression to be delivered in the Streetcleaner album, more aggressive than the EP where the music has spoken.

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

Here's my new review after deleting my old one from 2010:

I came into Birmingham industrial metal godfathers Godflesh’s 2001 sixth album “Hymns” very late when you consider that I’d been a huge fan of the band since around 1989/90. My decade-long hiatus from metal during the 2000’s saw me completely avoiding it until a good year after my return which meant that it had already been out & about for a good nine years by the time I reviewed it in 2010. I have to say that I wasn’t blown away by it either it has to be said. That’s not to say that I thought it was a bad record or anything but I had such high expectations of Justin Broadrick’s projects by that stage & I just found “Hymns” to be a little bit lacking by comparison. It’s been a full twelve years since that review now though so I’ll be coming in with fresh ears & it’ll be interesting to see if my feelings have changed over time.

Godflesh has always possessed a very unique sound that had stayed with them throughout their career even though they’d usually experiment with it in different ways on each release & that trend continues with “Hymns”. 1999’s hip hop inspired “Us & Them” album was probably the record where they’d taken the most risks across their back-catalogue to the time so I was kind of expecting them to expand on that further but “Hymns” sees them bringing things back to a more organic & stripped back sound that relies more heavily on the guitars than the beats which are kept a little further back in the mix. Despite the guitars & bass being so far forward, I feel that this lack of power in the drums makes “Hymns” sound a touch less heavy & places a stronger reliance on the riffs which may or may not be a good thing depending on your taste. You’ll also find that Justin & co. have incorporated alternative & nu metal influences into their sound to an extent which is obvious enough to give the album its own identity but not significant enough to overshadow the industrial metal platform that the band had built their careers on. I mean this fucker still sounds like it could be made up of sounds from a factory but the workers are probably playing alternative radio in the workshop if you know what I mean. Those of you that are familiar with the alternative scene will likely pick up on moments that sound distinctly like Korn, Primus, Soundgarden & Smashing Pumpkins across the lengthy 73 minute tracklisting with the emphasis on groove-driven riffs reminding me quite a lot of a band like Nottingham sludge metallers Fudge Tunnel. Some of the more staccato-based riffage can also draw comparisons with Helmet & Prong but the interesting thing is that at the end of the album I’m still left feeling that “Hymns” sits most comfortably alongside industrial metal counterparts like Killing Joke.

It's interesting that a lot of people seem to want to link Godflesh with the Sludge Metal genre. I can definitely see why given the dissonant riff structures & thick & oppressive guitar tone but there’s a noticeable lack of the anger & aggression required for sludge qualification in my opinion. Godflesh’s music is much more trance-inducing with its repetition being a key component in its appeal so I can't agree with that sentiment. With the possible exception of the very poor hidden track, I also struggle to see how “Hymns” has anything to do with Post-Metal as it’s reliance on riffs is far too extreme for that. As far as I can see this album is still very firmly rooted in the Industrial Metal genre with the alternative elements adding a point of differentiation for a record that has essentially seen Godflesh regressing a bit towards past glories from their recent releases. The jumpy nu metal rhythms that pop up here & there aren’t particularly to my taste if I’m being honest & at times I’m left wondering if the band were clutching at straws in the hope of finding relevance in a quickly changing heavy music scene. I mean let’s be honest, the weaker moments like the nu metal track “Deaf, Dumb & Blind” sound pretty uninspired but then the album highlights like the catchy alternative metal number “Anthem” & the sublime atmospheric closer “Jesu” are some of Godflesh’s very best work so the album can be a little bit up & down. It certainly takes a few tracks to get going which can impact initial impressions but the back end of the record is the stronger of the two sides which sees it redeeming itself over time. In saying that though, there’s very little question that the run time is too long & the requirement for the hidden track is more than a little questionable.

As a Godflesh album, I would have to say that “Hymns” is certainly worth a few listens but I’d suggest that is was the band’s weakest full-length to the time. Despite the respectable rating I’ve given it, I do end up feeling a little disappointed given their star-studded back catalogue. Perhaps my taste profile isn’t really in line with the alternative feel to a lot of the material? Yeah sure, that definitely plays it’s part here but I’m not sure that can explain a few of the flatter tracks here which sound like a band in auto-pilot. It's probably telling that I find the tracks with Justin's gruffer vocal delivery to be more appealing than those that see him struggling with his more melodic side too. I can't help but think that this is a sign of my own affiliations with Godflesh's early works but you have to admire the way the band consistently reach for something a little different without completely severing the ties with their past.

For fans of Pitchshifter, Fall Of Because & HALO.

3.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Mushroomhead - "Simple Survival" from Savior Sorrow (2006)

5/5. Let's start with one of my favorite and more industrial-sounding Mushroomhead songs, beginning with the sinister yet melodic opening line, "The shadow within me, the sorrow at my feet". This will make you wanna pay more to get more of Mushroomhead's releases. So cool! I can hear a bit of a Linkin Park influence in the music and a Slipknot influence in the aesthetics, though it's no reason to start a feud between these bands. Still an awesome song! "THE END IN ME!!!"

Samael - "Samael" from Hegemony (2017)

4.5/5. This is one of the best songs from the masters of symphonic black-ish industrial metal, and can be considered their own theme song!

Fear Factory - "Cars" from Obsolete (1998)

5/5. This cover/remix of a Gary Numan hit is the perfect song to blast out on a cross-country drive, whether in real life or in GTA. Fear Factory are cool genius who can remix what is considered a pop classic. Numan himself has even sung along in Fear Factory's first remix.

Spineshank - "Stillborn" from Self-Destructive Pattern (2003)

4.5/5. Spineshank is a band known for a punk-ish electro-industrial nu metal blend. A sweet killer song that would make you wish they would make more new music. Alt-metal fans can forget about that TOOL sh*t and enjoy this kick-A track.

Emigrate - "1234" from A Million Degrees (2018)

4/5. This is a cool catchy song. What can else I say?

Deflore - "Egodrive" from Egodrive (2008)

3.5/5. Interesting instrumental, but feels hollow when there's barely any lyrics.

Underlined - "The Suffering" from Deadtime Stories (2012)

4/5. Apparently this is a remix of a song that was originally recorded a few years prior. Nonetheless, this is good horror-themed electro-industrial nu metal, similar to that Spineshank song a few tracks ago.

Nerve Factor - "Last Call" from Criminal Within (2000)

3.5/5. Nice background symphonics, but a little too pompous. Let's move on...

Trust Obey - "Hands of Fire" from Hands of Ash (1996)

4/5. One of a only few highlights in its original album, this is quite a killer tune.

Godflesh - "Unworthy" from Merciless EP (1994)

4/5. This one has more sounds and more speed. Not really the greatest of its original EP, but worth listening to. The vocals sounding clean in the beginning seem out of place. Other than that, it's still pretty good.

meganeko - "The Cyber Grind" from The Cyber Grind single (2020)

3.5/5. I did not realize this was part of the Ultrakill soundtrack that I chose not to review when it was July's Sphere feature release. Interesting choice, Daniel! You can play this on full blast while playing the game when the world is asleep, though you might end up p*ssing off your neighbors in the process. Get ready to fight in a speaker-blowing stadium-like experience that is... THE CYBER GRIND!! (not to be confused with the subgenre)

Sybreed - "Love Like Blood" from The Pulse of Awakening (2009)

4/5. I like this nice metallic cover of a song by Killing Joke from their earlier new-wave era, with its cold feeling. The emotion can be expressed through the instrumentation more than the original vocals. Sybreed did not live as long as fans hoped they would, only for 10 years. I like Dead by April's cover slightly more. The synth sounds mixed with booming guitars can blow you away more than Nine Inch Nails would ever. I like when covers stick to their band's usual style instead of just blindly following the original artist's footsteps, that's kind of the whole point of covers, I think... Props to this band for greatly standing by that rule!

Luminous Vault - "Ancient North" from Animate the Emptiness (2021)

4.5/5. This one is almost like an atmospheric mutation combo of Killing Joke's 80s pop, Godflesh's signature industrial metal, and Septicflesh's epic blackened death metal. A great interesting spacey vibe with cool ethereal beauty! It's almost different from the rest of this playlist. They might surpass Genghis Tron as the band with the most prominent mix of electronics and extreme metal.

Gothminister - "Pandemonium" from Pandemonium (2022)

5/5. I've only heard of this band after a song from their previous album The Other Side in a playlist a few months ago, and both that song and this one are filled with epic industrial metal greatness! Can't for more of this band, along with this album to come out!

Rammstein - "Du Hast" from Sehnsucht (1997)

4.5/5. This song I'm sure many people in the world or maybe the universe have heard whether or not they're into metal. It's a really great song to listen to, and would probably keep the band's legacy lasting as long as they can last. Though I'm not into the Neue Deutsche Härte style, this is quite addictive. Du... Du Hast!

Tyrant of Death - "Detonate" from Superior Firepower (2019)

4/5. Another mostly instrumental track, though I like that this heavy-sounding band is just MAKING SOMETHING NEW.

Eisheilig - "Elysium" from Elysium (2006)

3.5/5. Good industrial metal song, but close to the NDH sound with its German lyrics.

Klank - "Numb" from Numb (2000)

4/5. This one's quite cool. Industrial nu metal is really playing its part in this playlist.

Deadheaven - "Тени" from Антиреальность (2014)

4.5/5. Raise your hand if you misread the band's name as blackgaze band Deafheaven. It has great smooth vocals, despite the lyrics all being in Russian. Super cool! There is quite a bit of vibe from Sybreed along with Soilwork. This is the second metal band I've heard with Russian lyrics, the other being KYPCK. Many cyber metal and NDH songs come out as mediocre sh*t for me, but this one has great amounts of cyber hellfire! I just wish they would have more ideas such as mixing the Russian lyrics with English. Still interesting and excellent all the same!

The Interbeing - "Pinnacle of the Strain" from Among the Amorphous (2017)

4/5. This one's quite impressive, though not as much as the better progressive metal bands out there. The great screaming vocals fit the song well in amazing goodness. Truly this is Meshuggah-inspired cyber metal!

Unzucht - "Ein Wort fliegt wie ein Stein" from Neuntöter (2016)

3.5/5. And we're back in the Neue Deutsche Härte zone. Though this is quite good...

Weissglut - "Tanz der sinne" from Zeichen (2000)

3/5. I like this slightly, but it's probably the weakest point of the playlist, right before the finale...

Strapping Young Lad - "Info Dump" from Alien (2005)

3.5/5. This one is a controversial track worth liking or hating. It's a 12-minute ambient track, but it doesn't affect the perfection at all. If you're patient enough to stick around, you would find that there's more than just feedback, instead being a feedback experiment. It's so cool yet scary! It sounds like the feedback has its own beat. Then the feedback stops then comes back differently, getting louder and more distorted. This is SYL's "Elastic"!

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

4/5. The final track of its original album and this playlist has slower melancholy with sad emotion. You don't need to know the lyrics to get the feeling, an achievement first made by Queen in "Bohemian Rhapsody".

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

Bonus epilogue part of this journey before really putting it to rest:

There's still one more heavy industrial metal trick up my sleeve... I like some of the 7 long progressive-length tracks in this Trust Obey album, though the album is overall in the same quality as SLAB's albums. For the few highlights here, "Hands of Fire" is a killer tune. "Hands of Glory" is also worth part of the CD's runtime. However, what's really the best, probably better than some of Godflesh songs, is the terrifying beautiful bonus track in the original edition, "Larvatus". It is the final destination for this industrial descent into Hell, where horns, trumpets, and synths flow over the moans of founder John Bergin. It's so cathartic and almost epic! A grand ending to a heavy experience. Such a shame it's not on Spotify... I guess you can say that Trust Obey is like a mix of Nine Inch Nails, Godflesh, and SLAB!, and it seems to have the same quality as the latter, a few winners here in an otherwise poor album. If you want the best of heavy industrial rock/metal, check out the highlights....

3/5

To clarify my intent with asking this question on Twitter, Andi is correct. The discussion was brought on by my bewilderment at how Deathstars' "Termination Bliss" managed to get lumped in with Industrial Metal when it doesn't contain any of the main attributes of that sound & the only answer I could come up with was that people needed to find somewhere to stick them due to not them not being German enough to qualify as Neue Deutsche Harte. I've seen evidence of that being discussed online since to partially validate that theory too.

I don't think it'll surprise too many of you to hear that I struggled with this one & I was always expecting to if I'm honest. I've encountered Deathstars a number of times over the years while programming the monthly The Sphere playlists & it was always clear to me that they sit well outside of my musical taste profile so I've never felt the need to fill in the gaps by venturing into a full album before. Now having done that over the last 24 hours I'm left feeling exactly as a thought I would. You see the sound that Deathstars are pushing here is a fair bit poppier than I'm generally comfortable with & if you're going to go that way then you'd better have the hooks to back it up. There are a few tracks that succeed in that regard (see "Cyanide", "Termination Bliss" & to a lesser extent "Virtue To Vice") but unfortunately I don't think they've nailed them consistently enough to draw my attention away from my stylistic concerns here.

On the positive side, the production job is clear, bright & glistening & does a great job at highlighting the band's main strength which is the contrast between the chunky guitar riffs & the lush & spacey synthesizer component. The simple groove-laden riffs have so clearly been stolen from the template that Rammstein developed that it's bordering on plagiarism while the synths give the overall package a noticeable cyber metal feel. For that reason I see this release as sitting somewhere in between the German Neue Deutsche Härte sound & a cyber metal one. There's absolutely no industrial metal here whatsoever so I'm absolutely baffled as to how this release has been lumped into that category. I'd encourage all members of The Sphere to correct that mistake ASAP. The other interesting element is the gothic one as the super-deep male vocals & dancey tempos have pretty obviously been borrowed from Sisters of Mercy, once again bordering on plagiarism at times. You'll also find some accompanying blackened vocals scattered across the tracklisting & those are pretty poorly executed & a little grating if I'm honest. Thankfully the few tracks that I do enjoy are really quite strong & there's nothing here that I regard as utterly horrendous so my overall opinion is that "Termination Bliss" simply isn't for me.

For fans of Rammstein, The Kovenant & Sisters of Mercy.

3/5

P.S. I was pretty surprised to discover that Deathstars were born out of the ashes of melodic black metal outfit Swordmaster whose "Wraths of Time" E.P. I was across during my tape trading days back in the mid-1990's. Also, guitarist/keyboardist Emil Nödtveidt is the brother of deceased Dissection mastermind Jon Nödtveidt while drummer Ole Öhman played on Dissection's classic albums. Both of these guys were also in melodic black metal band Ophthalamia who you might have heard of too.

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

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

3/5. A good intro to begin the playlist. Not the best, but still decent. RIP Wayne Static...

Rob Zombie - "The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)" from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021)

3.5/5. First real song here, and a pretty good track for Halloween Eve, used as the theme for NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver. You can imagine your own horror movie that lasts from dusk to dawn. More horrors than Slayer's "Angel of Death"!

White Zombie - "More Human Than Human" from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

4/5. Then we travel back over 25 years to when Rob Zombie was still in the band White Zombie before starting his own solo career. This is one of those songs that I can't let my metal-hating mother hear. I can't believe I'm a few months away from turning 24 and did not hear anything from this band until when after making this playlist. Another good track for Halloween, if you imagine the moaning in the intro as ghost noises.

Vigilante - "Answers" from The Heroes' Code (2005)

4.5/5. This amazing tune could apparently be found in YTMND (You're The Man Now, Dog), an online community website that has recently declined in popularity. This could be remembered for aeons along with power metal bands Lost Horizon and DragonForce! A mysterious audio sample from the 1989 Punisher movie can be heard in the intro, along with the 2003 Daredevil film at the 3-minute mark.

Emigrate - "Eat You Alive" from Silent So Long (2014)

4/5. Emigrate is a spin-off band for Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe. Apparently this was from an Undertale blog, and this song is quite lovable. Though I don't what the f*** Undertale has to do with this song other than that blog.

Die Krupps - "Welcome to the Blackout" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)

4.5/5. "Welcome to the blackout! Welcome to the siege! Welcome to the breakdown! The collapse within reach!" Well said for this killer tune.

Strapping Young Lad - "Wrong Side" from The New Black (2006)

5/5. Devin Townsend is the king of progressive metal and has made Strapping Young Lad one of the d*mn kings of industrial metal besides Fear Factory. I just love the insane drumming in this one! Anyone who thinks that kind of drumming doesn't belong in industrial metal can stand corrected.

Samael - "Jupiterian Vibe" from Passage (1996)

4.5/5. This was one of my favorite songs from this album that remains seared into my brain more than an LSD trip.

Ministry - "Alter Level" from Moral Hygiene (2021)

4/5. Another good new song, this one from one of the industrial metal inventors Ministry. "How concerned are you?"

KMFDM - "Juke-Joint Jezebel" from Nihil (1995)

4/5. This is the most popular song from industrial rock/metal KMFDM, selling over a million single copies, and ending up in the soundtracks for Bad Boys and the Mortal Kombat movies (remixed for the latter). You can really dance along to some parts, much more than Nine Inch Nails.

Code Orange - "Erasure Scan" from Underneath (2020)

4.5/5. The closest we have to Emmure with Erasure synths!

Northlane - "Echo Chamber" from Obsidian (2022)

5/5. This is my favorite song in its original album, and it shows how big the band's sound can be. There's strong synth-dance bits while staying heavy and vocally diverse. I sometimes feel like I'm in an online vortex where my goals have a hard time being reached, and that's what that track relates, along with the virus lasting for a couple years. Again, that track is the f***ing best!

Kidneythieves - "The Invisible Plan" from The Invisible Plan (2011)

4.5/5. Here's another underrated band, this time with a sexy voice to love. This girl's the kind of guardian angel needed to guide me through this industrial rock/metal dimension, a little more than the poppy gospel choir from that KMFDM song. I also love the drumming here! The lyrics might've been inspired by the second Deus Ex game Invisible War. Free Dominguez is almost like the Gwen Stefani of industrial rock/metal!

Gravity Kills - "Enough" from Gravity Kills (1996)

4/5. Another piece of alt-rock/industrial metal that I love, but still not enough to go further with this band. The last time I heard this band was from another Sphere playlist track from two months ago. Even now, you can jam out during a long drive! Definitely having some vibes from Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and a bit of that KMFDM song.

Scum of the Earth - "Bombshell From Hell" from Sleaze Freak (2007)

3.5/5. This continues the Rob Zombie-like horror groove punch, a decent song to like.

Spineshank - "Beginning of the End" from Self-Destructive Pattern (2003)

3.5/5. Many listeners might know this song from the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack. I would've liked this a lot more when I was 14 and listening to alt-rock/metal before my switch to "real" metal, but I can still jam out to this one now at age 23, I guess. I'm not a huge fan of horror films, but this tune works out quite well for that movie.

Lard - "War Pimp Renaissance" from Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)

4/5. Once again, if you wanna hear a collaboration project between Jello Biafra and Ministry, you would be lucky with this band Lard.

Zeromancer - "Doctor Online" from Eurotrash (2001)

4.5/5. This song is something to love if you're up for a poppy-ish mix of Nine Inch Nails and Orgy. This is almost as suicide-encouraging than the majority of DSBM, but if you end up in the mood to calling this hotline, DON'T DO IT. Get help!

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

5/5. Motionless in White came back with an epic vengeance in the first single of their new album, with guest narration from Lindsay Schoolcraft, formerly of Cradle of Filth.

Dawn of Ashes - "Scars of the Broken" from Scars of the Broken (2022)

4.5/5. Dawn of Ashes can have some misleading instrumentation, y'know. Like sounding epic in the beginning, but it ends up remaining as metalized industrial-techno. It's still a very great soul-toucher with distant wonders that can give you sonic delight. The interesting factor would've reached perfection with a f***ing lot more metal though.

Black Light Discipline - "Self Control" from Against Each Other (2012)

4/5. Now this is a pretty great cover of an 80s disco song, and I'm a sucker for those kind of metal covers. The song was originally by Italian singer Raf, then popularized by Laura Branigan. A cool tribute to the 80s to play and jam out! Though this electro-industrial metal style works out well, Nightwish should cover that song next.

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

3.5/5. If you like this band, you might like a lot more cyber metal. Though my relationship with cyber metal is still strained...

Heldmaschine - "Nachts am Kanal" from Propaganda (2014)

3/5. ...So is my relationship with Neue Deutsche Härte. The German listeners might find this cool though, and it can work as an MMORPG theme.

Terminal Choice - "Keine Macht" from Ubermacht (2010)

3.5/5. This is slightly better, but again I would like this better if I was German.

Godflesh - "Gift from Heaven (Heavenly)" from Love and Hate in Dub (1997)

4/5. Continuing Daniel's idea of adding a long ambient track (from the previous two playlists), this is like an apocalyptic transcendence to Hell, in a good way.

Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" from The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)

4.5/5. Another industrial metal cover of a popular disco song from the 80s. Marilyn Manson's version was originally released 20 years ago as part of the soundtrack to Not Another Teen Movie. Slipknot fanboys, turn away!

Fear Factory - "End of Line" from Aggression Continuum (2021)

5/5. Well, we've come to the end of line for this playlist, along with this album that marks the final Fear Factory one with Burton C. Bell. Probably the best extreme industrial metal song I've heard in a long time, especially those clean vocals. We'll miss you, Burton....

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

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Godflesh - "Perfect Skin" from Slavestate (1991)

5/5. Ah, the perfect start to this Sphere playlist, continuing the never-ending chain of Sphere playlists containing a Godflesh song. It's amazing how talented Justin Broadrick has been since those days when he was younger than I am currently. All hail the f***ing beautiful sounds of Godflesh!

SPF1000 - "Horror Show" from Witch Hunt (2003)

4.5/5. This would be great for a horror movie franchise like Return of the Living Dead or that Cartoon Network series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. A nice cool horror-themed industrial metal tune!

Treponem Pal - "Silico's Return" from Rockers' Vibes (2017)

3.5/5. Welcome back, Silico! Though I might not return to this one.

Vanity Beach - "Garden of Cruelty" from Garden of Cruelty (2007)

4/5. I like this one, sounding like a more industrial HIM.

Society 1 - "Nothing" from Exit Through Fear (2003)

4.5/5. Another slightly old song that shows this band's killer talent still on after all these years. There's a bit of a nu metal vibe that could get this band into Guitar Hero. That along with the Marilyn Manson-like instrumentation and aesthetics.

Deathstars - "Blitzkrieg" from Termination Bliss (2006)

5/5. This is blazing epic techno-metal fire complete with an awesome mix of voice samples, guitar distortion, and driving rhythm. Excellent single and probably the best in its original album and this playlist!

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

4.5/5. Lard is a side-project by ex-Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and a few Ministry members, most notably Al Jourgensen. They're currently on hiatus, but they might continue the collaboration with a new album in the future. This is a fun riot-starting song to love. Thrash fans might recognize the Flotsam and Jetsam cover. There's a feeling of death and betrayal here, all in a fun listen.

Circus of Dead Squirrels - "16-Bit Piece of Shit" from Scary Melodies (2022)

4/5. Also a fun track, but I have other ways to revisit the 90s then just the lyrics...

Ap2 - "My Sympathies" from Suspension of Disbelief (2000)

5/5. Another awesome side-project of Celldweller's Klayton! Adding some nice touches in the vocal department is Mark Salomon of Stavesacre and The Crucified. Klayton has worked on many different projects, some of which are Christian. This one's much more soothing than the Circle of Dust track from my previous playlist. The vocals sound almost like Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. There's actually a little more of techno/trance/drum n bass influences here, but it's still metal enough for my enjoyment!

Spectrum-X - "Gnomes Bones" from Darkest Night Ever (2008)

4.5/5. This song is different and catchy. I love the vocals and lyrics here that are weird yet good. This might be great for some RuneScape gnome-slaying! The chorus is quite funny to hear, "the gnomes are coming, they want to steal your pony, they'll take your heart and tear it all apart". As amazing as their doll-like aesthetics!

Punish Yourself - "Spin the Pig" from Spin the Pig (2017)

3.5/5. I enjoy a lot of the music scenes from the Western side of the world (American, French, and German), and this track has a slightly similar sound to Treponem Pal. I might not give this a lot of spins though.

Excessive Force - "Blitzkrieg (Sturzkampf)" from Gentle Death (1993)

4/5. Excessive Force was a short-lived side-project to KMFDM, with some sick kicks and licks from former KMFDM guitarist Günter Schulz and great industrial power from the rest of the crew. "Leather-clad warrior!"

Skrew - "Dark Ride" from Shadow of Doubt (1996)

3.5/5. A little too deep in darkness there. Next!

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

4/5. The heavier metalheads wanting to try some industrial might like this track from Devin Townsend's former project Strapping Young Lad. You just want to scream along to those lyrics. "Hey! Devo!"

Samael - "The Cross" from Eternal (1999)

4.5/5. People seem to mistake this song as a Christian hymn, even though the band was going for the opposite. A good reason for me to leave behind all of black metal earlier this year. Will I someday return?...

Thorns - "Underneath The Universe 1" from Thorns (2001)

5/5. Perhaps I might! The spooky atmosphere fits well for this mostly ambient industrial piece, which serves as a contrast to the black metal of Part 2 and the rest of this album. Thanks for this, Daniel!

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

4.5/5. I give this song a good amount of points for the epic orchestral intro, then subtract some for the anti-climatic switch into what's basically metalized industrial techno. It's still very great though!

Unit:187 - "Threatened" from Out for Blood (2010)

4/5. I like this one, loading up some great industrial metal fury, though probably closer to the style of Front Line Assembly.

Turmion Kätilöt - "Faster Than God" from Universal Satan (2018)

3.5/5. Some really hard work they've made in this track, though running a little too wild.

Minority Sound - "Cyberkitty" from Analysis (2010)

3/5. Kinda overdosing on the cyber elements here, but fine.

Tanzwut - "Meer" from Ihr wolltet Spass (2003)

3.5/5. An interesting timeless mix of Neue Deutsche Härte and medieval folk. A pretty cool song to impress the industrial metal diehards, whom I would be happy to recommend this song to. These guys have worked things out quite well. Unfortunately, I still have trouble getting used to the whole Neue Deutsche Härte business. However, it's still a good song to like and that thought counts.

Metallspürhunde - "Alarm" from Moloch (2011)

3/5. I like this song where all the instrumentation and vocals fit like a glove, though I still struggle with the subgenre.

Neurotech - "Solace" from Solace (2021)

3.5/5. The title track of one of Neurotech's albums, I enjoy slightly better than the other subgenre tracks here. It's a good 8-minute cyber metal epic that listeners would have on repeat. It's almost close to uplifting rock trance! The starting guitar and bass is insanely cool! Some parts might be anti-climatic, but once it builds into the crescendo at over the 5-minute mark, the climax is filled with aggressive divinity. Some cyber metal listeners might be reminded of SyBreed. I think the remaining essential sci-fi industrial metal band I still haven't gotten a grasp on yet is Fear Factory, and perhaps I can when the next playlist assembly is in command.

Code Orange - "Underneath" from Underneath (2020)

4/5. This sounds almost as poppy as Nine Inch Nails. Still it's quite a satisfying ending to this futuristic industrial metal adventure.

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

Yeah, I've found this release to be pretty disappointing too Xephyr. It suffers from all of the trademark attributes of all but the elite video game soundtracks in that it jumps around all over the place & doesn't offer a lot of attention to detail. The industrial metal component is only evident for around a third of the run time so I don't actually think this is a genuine metal release either, particularly given that the metal elements tend to be used in more of a supporting capacity with drum & bass being the stronger contributor here. You also get smatterings of a bunch of other genres including jazz, breakbeat, ambient, classical, industrial & progressive electronic. The tracklisting is very inconsistent & this is further exacerbated by the fact that the release is generally too long as well. I do really enjoy some of this material but unfortunately the stronger inclusions are out-numbered by the ordinary ones so I can't see myself returning to "ULTRAKILL: INFINITE HYPERDEATH" any time soon.

For fans of The Blood Of Heroes, Andrew Hulshult's "DUSK" & Mick Gordon's "Doom" soundtracks.

3/5

I have some time for this album, despite finding some sections to be a little more commercially accessible than I'm comfortable with. It's very much a combination of metalcore & alternative metal with the industrial elements layered over the top. In fact, I'm surprised that it's not already in The Gateway actually as the the alternative component is easily as strong as the industrial one in my opinion. There's plenty of alternative metal & even Linkin Park/Korn style nu metal in Code Orange's sound with a number of tracks that have nothing to do with metalcore whatsoever. "Underneath" doesn't exactly have that cold mechanical atmosphere you would usually expect from a record that's tagged as industrial metal though. I guess you could say that the industrial elements are used more superficially & are layered over the top of Code Orange's base alternative metalcore sound but they're significant enough for a primary nonetheless in my opinion. I agree with Saxy's assessment that they could have better combined the melodic & aggressive extremes to their sound instead of presenting the two separately but Code Orange's most significant weaknesses are that they haven't got the hooks to compete at the elite level & also lack a bit of sophistication at times. They certainly know how to present a crushing metalcore riff or two which can't be a bad thing. 

For fans of Northlane, Motionless In White & Loathe.

3.5/5

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks in my first ever assembled Sphere playlist:

Code Orange - "Out for Blood" from Out for Blood (2021)

5/5. What a headbanger to start this playlist! It's thanks to this band that helped expand my like for industrial metal to point where I can join this clan and create this playlist. They could tour with Corey Feldman if they had the chance! F***ing powerful industrial metal! This is like Guilty Kills in the same metal level as Slipknot, particularly a song that we'll soon be talking about...

Scum of the Earth - "Pornstar Champion (We Will Rock You)" from Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium (2004)

4.5/5. This is a clever song to love, making their own distorted cover/remix of Queen's "We Will Rock You". You can't argue with something as fantastic as this! RIP Freddie Mercury... This is probably slightly better than Three Days Grace's Michael Jackson cover!

Gravity Kills - "Guilty" from Gravity Kills (1996)

4/5. This is that Gravity Kills song I hinted about, "Guilty"! It's an older song that somehow I never discovered until a few weeks ago when making this playlist. This is good song to jam to, and they might've been an influence to Spineshank, whom we'll talk about one of their songs later in the playlist. The reason for that Code Orange comparison above was because this band sounds closer to the style of Orgy and Nine Inch Nails. It's quite cool, and not as controversial as the more well-known industrial metal songs out there.

Emigrate - "My World" from Emigrate (2007)

4.5/5. This song has quite some fire here! Frontman Richard Kruspe is also the guitarist from Rammstein. This song also ended up in the soundtracks for the movies Resident Evil: Extinction and True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.

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

5/5. Oh man, this is so great! I gotta listen to more of Klayton's projects.

The Clay People - "Awake" from The Clay People (1998)

4.5/5. This is quite cool, still pleasing industrial metal fans since the late 90s.

Spineshank - "New Disease" from The Height of Callousness (2000)

4/5. The early 2000s was when alternative/industrial metal was on the rise, and when songs like this one were sports video games. I did not like metal during my kiddy years of the 2000s. It wasn't until the 2010s when my metal interest took off. Still this can give fans of this style of metal quite a bit of nostalgia.

Bile - "In League" from Sex Reflex (1999)

3.5/5. Listen to this, another song featured in a movie, Dee Snider's Strangeland. This is underground industrial metal that should have slightly more attention. Those lyrics are fun to listen to, "We are the dead... We are the doctors of low self-esteem". Sounds like a psycho hospital story there, plus a bit of a Ghostemane vibe.

Ministry - "Antifa" from Amerikkkant (2018)

3/5. This is quite a well-done tune, but the lyrics seem both hilarious and disappointing. It fits well for the Trump era of the US that was happening when the album was released. So grab your popcorn and enjoy the band fighting against political power.

Blue Stahli - "Eat the Light" from Quartz (2020)

3.5/5. This one's a heavy fast rocker that should be recognized more. Blue Stahli is one of a few bands that can mix old and new electronics and metal together quite well, alongside Klayton's projects. Quartz is part of a trilogy of albums that includes Copper and Obsidian. The chorus is quite heavenly, and the techno-metal influences are most likely adopted from Circle of Dust, even going as fast as that band. This would go well for a Terminator-DOOM crossover or something.

Rorschach Test - "Satan" from The Eleventh (1994)

3/5. See, this is the kind of music, besides black metal, that my concerned mom would burn in the fires of Mount Doom. When this album was released, Benjamin Anderson was still in the band. I'm quite disappointed about this song being slightly weak, but it shows that the underground is not always chaotic.

Die Krupps - "Vision 2020 Vision" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)

3.5/5. A slightly less disappointing song. Clearly they saw the f***ing virus-ridden reality of 2020 coming. So yeah, this song's quite good.

Sinisstar - "Freak of Nature" from Future Shock (2002)

4/5. 20 years and still hitting industrial metal fans hard. Let's tear this f***ing place down!

Skrew - "Mouthful of Dust" from Dusted (1994)

4.5/5. Another great kick-A track pleasing industrial metal fans for so many years, filled with monk-like chanting.

Gothminister - "Red Christ" from The Other Side (2017)

5/5. Words can't do this perfect epic song justice. Just listen to believe!

Klank - "Downside" from Still Suffering (1995)

4.5/5. Also amazing, though it can't beat the previous song's reign.

N17 - "Kontrol" from Trust No One (1997)

4/5. Another cool band, this one still active but haven't been releasing any new material. They can battle against sadness and depression with hope and power! There's a bit of a Marilyn Manson vibe here. This is the kind of sound Judas Priest's Rob Halford would experiment on in his side-project Two. It also helps up get over the f***ing virus.

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

4.5/5. "Practically every one of the top 40 records being played on every radio station in the United States is a communication to the children to take a trip, to cop out, to groove. The psychedelic jackets on the record albums have their own hidden symbols and messages as well as the lyrics to all the top rock songs and they all sing the same refrain: It's fun to take a trip, put acid in your veins." Well said for this amazing old-school industrial metal cover of a Black Sabbath tune.

Psyclon Nine - "Beware the Wolves" from Icon of the Adversary (2018)

5/5. I need to listen to more of this album after this song. This is brilliant!

Illidiance - "Hi-Tech Terror" from Damage Theory (2010)

4.5/5. Now this is a nice tune of cyber metal! This should've fit well in Tron Legacy.

Re:Aktor - "Damage Zone" from Zero Order (2003)

4/5. Despite living on the other side of the world, I can definitely enjoy some industrial/cyber metal from the western lands, this band reminding some of Fear Factory and Machine Head. Quite a bit of f***ing killer metal here!

Minority Sound - "Toxin" from Toxin (2019)

3.5/5. This is some h*lla groovy cyber metal here. Enough said!

Schwarzer Engel - "Ewig Leben" from Sieben (2022)

3/5. This is a catchy tune with an OK melody. I'm not sure what else to say that would make a positive comment, but this is some enchanting magic and beauty in this song. I wouldn't be give this so many spins despite the f***ing mesmerizing emotion. I'm just not into much of the Rammstein-style NDH.

Eisbrecher - "Eisbar" from Sturmfahrt (2017)

3.5/5. A slightly more well-done catchy NDH tune. This should be Ice Bear (from We Bare Bears)'s theme song!

OOMPH! - "TRRR – FCKN – HTLR" from Ritual (2019)

3/5. OOMPH, this is a hard song for me to enjoy at its fullest. The song title, if we restore the vowels is "TERROR F***ING HITLER".

Voivod - "21st Century Schizoid Man" from Phobos (1997)

3.5/5. A better cover, this one tackling that King Crimson hit. I don't really hate it, but it could use some improvement. This was after all from the E-Force era where the band experimented with other territories, though the rest of that album isn't industrial metal. Still this sounds quite progressive.

Godflesh - "Flowers" from Merciless (EP) (1994)

4/5. Lastly, "Flowers" is just a strange drone instrumental based on "Don't Bring Me Flowers" from the Pure album. It can work as both an eerie piece of music in a dark haunted house and relaxing background music when chilling in a lounge. Good ending for this playlist!

Although my reception for this playlist is a little more mixed, it turned out quite well. I had fun assembling the playlist and look forward to continuing my duty of creating monthly playlists for this clan and The Revolution. I would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

I re -read my review and laughed out loud at me describing it as having just "an industrial tinge".  Great record and fine choice for the feature of the month.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=86a774b837c54761

Tracklisting:

01. Morbid Angel – “Radikult” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)

02. Mechina – “Suffer” (from “Venator”, 2022)

03. Unheilig – “Abwärts” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

04. DEAFBRICK – “Hyperkinetic Mass Disorder” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

05. Pitchshifter – “Keep It Clean” (from “Deviant”, 2000)

06. Ministry – “Cannibal Song” (from “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”, 1989)

07. Rammstein – “Mutter” (from “Mutter”, 2001)

08. Nine Inch Nails – “Physical (You’re So)” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

09. Scorn – “Thoughts Of Escape” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

10. Eisbrecher – “Segne deinen Schmerz” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

11. Apartment 26 – “Keep You” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

12. In This Moment – “As Above, So Below” (from “Mother”, 2020)

13. Lard – “Drug Raid At 4 AM” (from “The Last Temptation Of Reid”, 1990)

14. Godflesh – “Blind” (from “Merciless” E.P., 1994) [Submitted by Andi]

15. Ghostemane – “Calamity” (from “ANTI-ICON”, 2020)

16. Killing Joke – “Judas Goat” (from Hosannas From the Basements Of Hell”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Old – “Outlive Again (Ganglehea Mix)” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

18. Author & Punisher – “Incinerator” (from “Krüller”, 2022)

19. Samael – “The Shadow Of The Sword” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

20. Skrew – “Gemini” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

21. Static-X – “Hollow” (from “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1”, 2020)

22. Red Harvest – “Move Or Be Moved” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

23. Code Orange – “In Fear” (from “Underneath”, 2020)

24. Napalm Death – “Resentment Always Simmers” (from “Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw of Throes” E.P., 2022)

25. Fear Factory – “Mechanize” (from “Mechanize”, 2010)

As I said in my introduction piece for this feature release, Godflesh were absolutely huge for me back in the early 90's & this release certainly played it's part in that. On the surface it may seem like an also-ran in the band's discography & can come across as more of a collection of disparate pieces of work rather than a cohesive & intentionally structured album-style tracklisting but when examined in greater detail you might discover that the sum of it's parts amounts to much more than is initially apparent. You see "Merciless" showcases a wonderful cross-section of Godflesh's various different styles & techniques & is universally successful in doing so. The opening track is an anomaly in the band's career with it's crushingly heavy industrial doom metal sound being something you won't find anywhere else. It's one of the best tracks of Godflesh's entire back catalogue with the two main riffs both having a timeless quality that perfectly represents what metal music is all about. Then we see Justin & co. moving away from metal altogether for a couple of tracks in "Blind" & "Unworthy" which both take on more of a traditional industrial sound before the wonderfully trance-inducing post-industrial metal of closer "Flowers" creates an atmosphere that borders on beauty through the use of natural harmonics & a repeated mechanical pulse. It's interesting that Andi has stated that this is "pure industrial metal" & "one of Godflesh's more metallic releases" because I disagree with that. The opener is certainly one their most metal tracks in the traditional sense of the term but the other three tracks aren't particularly metal with the two pieces in the middle of the E.P. having nothing to do with metal whatsoever in my opinion. I can understand why Sonny has trouble with Justin's pitchy vocals but I think their imperfections are kinda the point as they provide a much needed counterpoint for the precisely programmed mechanical soundscape around them. I guess I'm suggesting that their fragility represents the human element in Godflesh's sound which enables the listener to have something they can relate to amidst what is essentially a very foreign & robotic machine world with G.C. Green's dense & weighty bass lines repeatedly punishing the listener.

While the opener & closer are the clear high points of the E.P. for me & it would be fairly easy to see the two colder industrial pieces between them as filler, there's an undeniable quality about everything Godflesh touch here which enables the two senior tracks to carry this E.P. into true classic territory in my opinion & this is why I've selected it as a feature release this month. I'm not suggesting that it's an underrated release because it's generally very highly regarded but it certainly doesn't receive the attention that many of the band's full-lengths or their self-titled debut E.P. do & I think that's a shame as it's easily as strong as the majority of Godflesh's albums. I can't help but think that "Merciless" & "Flowers" should have been kept for a full-length album actually because they're almost wasted in the E.P. format. This should be essential listening for fans of the band & industrial music as a whole.

4.5/5

I decided to dive into part of the Sphere playlist because of this month's Sphere feature release that I enjoy (Godflesh's Merciless EP) and it felt like a good time to test out my industrial metal interest. So here are my track thoughts:

Code Orange – “(deeperthanbefore)” (from “Underneath”, 2020)

5/5. The perfect way to start the playlist, and a suitable electronic intro for how deep the band is gonna get in diversity.

Samael – “For A Thousand Years” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

4.5/5. Great song from the venomously good song, so heavy and dark! The symphonic-industrial keyboards are what their recent albums apart from the band's earlier black metal era that ended with the Rebellion EP.

Neurotech – “Awaiting Deception” (from “Antagonist”, 2011)

4/5. The ambient guitar adds darkness to this song's chorus. A great song to love for anyone into cyber/industrial metal. It even works well when listening in the rain. However, I might downvote this from perfection.

Unheilig – “Für immer” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

3.5/5. For this song, the beat is good along with the vocals, but I can't really understand the German lyrics, that's the problem I have with Neue Deutsche Härte. Actually is it that genre? Sounds closer to the gothic pop rock of HIM that I got bored of.

Kong – “Horse L.” (from “Phlegm”, 1992)

3/5. An early instrumental industrial metal/rock track, but Godflesh this is not. Next!

Eisbrecher – “Die Engel” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

3.5/5. More of this Neue Deutsche Härte! Once again I can't understand the German lyrics, but the instrumentation and vocals sound good.

Pitchshifter – “Wafer Thin” (from “Deviant”, 2000)

4/5. An interesting twist in the playlist's sound so far, shifting to a nu/alt-metal approach while staying industrial. Absolute f***ing intense anger in this tune! This could bring back memories for anyone involved in the alt-metal millennium turn, reminding some of Therapy? at that time. After Pitchshifter's first split, two of the members formed a temporary alt-metalcore side-project This is Menace. I thought this nu/alt-ish industrial metal sound was menacing enough.

Killing Joke – “Invocation” (from “Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell”, 2006)

3.5/5. The music and lyrics sound f***ing supernatural here. I definitely like the beat. This was Paul Raven's last album with the band before his passing the next year, RIP. There's some ominous cello to go along with the strings. It would've been cooler if the beat was more synchronized, but it's still OK.

Author & Punisher – “Misery” (from “Krüller”, 2022)

3/5. A little out of my league, especially after having moved out of the droning doom misery. Moving on...

Ministry – “Never Believe” (from “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”, 1989)

3.5/5. Here is another industrial machine, this time Chris Connelly on lead vocals for deranged ambient assembly. Not absolutely the best, but this is still worth headbanging until your head falls off!

Lard – “Pineapple Face” (from “The Last Temptation Of Reid”, 1990)

4/5. Jello Biafra is one of strangest vocalists in metal, giving this song some strong potential.

Crisis Sigil – “Shape.” (from “Small Towns.”, 2020)

4.5/5. Much better shape, but I'm a little concerned about if any of their other songs would be like this which would tire me out fast.

In This Moment – “Fly Like An Eagle” (from “Mother”, 2020)

5/5. Now we're talking! This band took a 70s rock song and covered it to make it dark and beautiful. Maria Brink's vocal power is incredible! If I had started on my metalhead journey in my earlier alt-rock/metal days before DragonForce set my direction, I would've certainly listened to In This Moment more. The intro itself is almost a cover of the Terminator theme. I f***ing love it!

Nine Inch Nails – “Gave Up” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

4.5/5. Well if I were to level up my industrial metal interest via the alt-metal bands, they would have to actually be a metal band. Broken is the most metal EP for this mainly industrial rock band. This is probably the best song I would enjoy from NIN. The last third of the song would really make you go Hulk-smashing or some sh*t. It is quite a gamble to test out a good amount of industrial metal bands and see which one would be right for me. Some would just be f***ing over-the-top nonsense while others sound decently well. I don't know what other feelings I have here. Play it one of the more action-oriented Star Trek movie scenes and see if it makes things sound better.

Apartment 26 – “Slicedbeats” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

4/5. This is not the greatest, but still decently f***ing killer industrial alt-metal sh*t.

Static-X – “This Is Not” (from “Machine”, 2001)

4.5/5. THIS IS NOT my type. I don't hate this, but it's better off as a recommendation for my recent Discord friend. RIP Wayne Static...

Godflesh – “Spinebender” (from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988)

5/5. This one focuses on creative beats and dissonance that might bring discomfort to anyone including classic metalheads. It's a great song to stop my commenting while the quality is still on top in case it goes downhill, so see you later, Sphere controllers!

Anyone who is a regular here at the Metal Academy will know that I am not always very positive about most of the content featured in The Sphere clan. Indeed, the very mention of Ministry makes me apoplectic, for example. All too often I find that the music of The Sphere is jumbled and done so just for the hell of it. My main problem with Ministry is that they seem to feel that the expression of their social, political, and cultural dissolution is fine to be exhibited with little care for structure beyond juvenile angst and reckless direction.

Thankfully not all music that dwells here in this industrial wasteland is terrible. Although arguably more than simple industrial in their content here, Killing Joke’s 2006 offering is an example of the rarefied atmosphere of genuinely captivating music within The Sphere. I recognise almost instantly this jumbled arrangement to all the tracks but here it feels more layered in approach as opposed to senseless piling of things on top of each other. The ability to combine many elements within a track (hell, even just a couple of different elements if they are disparate by way of comparison to each other) is not easy. Listening through to Invocation as I type this review just shows me what masters of this skill KJ are. The mechanical machinations of the track are balanced sublimely with those stabs of symphonia to create an imperious air to the proceedings here. That repetition is still there grinding away at the core of the track yet there is just enough variance in those symphonic elements and those tribal beats that roll through parts of the track to make this a real tour de force.

Switch to Walking with Gods just a few tracks later and we have a structure built on more industrial dance foundations that continually chops away at the listener. The invitation to “push yourself beyond the limits of human endurance” is made by a band who clearly practice what they preach with the relentless energy of this track. This does not always make for an easy listen with Hosanna from the Basements of Hell. The tracks are all varied enough in length, but it is the longer ones that really stand out for me, leaving the four- or five-minute ones a bit in their shade. That is not to say that the shorter tracks are bad, I just find I give them less attention overall.

The repetition is prevalent throughout and it serves as a constant tide almost to bring the music and me closer as the album goes along yet at the same time there are off-kilter rhythms (albeit very subtle), jangly alt-rock riffs and Jaz Coleman’s barking vocals that sound like a more accessible Lemmy to me in their style to keep me guessing where we are going next. Add to this odd sound effects that can sound like the squeaking wheels on a pram or deep and monstrous intakes of breath as well as the occasional maniacal laugh and this all adds up for one dizzying yet brilliant experience.

Whilst I get the sense that KJ do not really care if we like this eclectic “tension music” as I have heard the band describe their sound, they have put such clear effort into Hosanna from the Basements of Hell that it is hard for me not to be completely enamoured with it. It is an album that transposes the message of the artist with an ease that borders on being organic. It did not take many spins for me to feel in tune with this album and the ethos of Coleman and co soon bled through. As such it is one of a few records that I feel speaks to me and puts me at ease with its bonkers yet consistent methods of entertainment. In so many ways it is hard to describe yet in others it is so honest in its style it can appear quite basic at the same time. Extraordinary find for me.

4.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=d6aecc67a9744d1c

Tracklisting:

01. Morbid Angel – “Omni Potens” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)

02. Apartment 26 – “Doing It Anyway” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

03. Keygen Church – “D I L E R K E F E T” (from “░█░█░░█░█░█░”, 2021)

04. Unheilig – “Seenot” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

05. Nine Inch Nails – “Help Me I Am In Hell” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

06. Godflesh – “Godhead” (from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988)

07. Scorn – “Suck & Eat Me” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

08. Eisbrecher – “Gothkiller” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

09. Rob Zombie – “Shake Your Ass-Smoke Your Grass” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

10. Ministry – “Good Trouble” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)

11. Skrew – “Cold Angel Press” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

12. Rammstein – “Links 2 3 4” (from “Mutter”, 2001)

13. Pitchshifter – “Catharsis” (from “Industrial”, 1991)

14. Old – “Vein Water” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

15. Fear Factory – “Purity” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

16. Static-X – “Permanence” (from “Machine”, 2001)

17. Samael – “Antigod” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

18. Author & Punisher – “Incinerator” (from “Kruller”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Youth Code & King Yosef – “A Mother’s Love” (from “A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression”, 2021)

20. The Amenta – “Cell” (from “Flesh Is Heir”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

21. Red Harvest – “The Itching Scull” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

22. Thorns – “Existence” (from “Thorns”, 2001)

23. Lard – “Time To Melt” (from “The Power Of Lard” E.P., 1988)

So this release is every bit as unusual as it's descriptors would suggest. On RYM it's tagged as digital hardcore, industrial metal & industrial rock primaries with nu metal & jungle secondaries. Now I don't know much about digital hardcore but the only thing hardcore here (at least in the punk sense) is the aggressive vocal delivery which would fit seamlessly on a metalcore release from our The Revolution clan. There's no punk in the instrumentation whatsoever & I have a real problem with genre-tagging being reliant on just the vocal style. The other tags are very accurate with the exeption of industrial rock which isn't really required here. The guitar work here is heavily distorted with rhythms that often remind me of bands like Ministry or Fear Factory however the beats that surround it are heavily influenced by jungle/drum 'n' bass as well as pounding up-tempo hard techno & gabba. The inclusion of some nu metal style rapping isn't very well received by this metalhead unfortunately but you only see that very occasionally. The Shizit certainly make an almighty racket but ironically the moments that I enjoy most are when they embrace their more atmospheric electronic side with beautiful Moby style synths presenting a tranquil outlook before the savagery returns. There's no doubt that this is an interesting & original work but does it all work? In a word no it doesn't but the failures are easily outweighed by the wins & I left the experience with a largely positive feeling.

3.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=d1c65c4e4cbf4cee

Tracklisting:

01. Skrew – “Orifice” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

02. Samael – “Of War” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

03. Neurotech – “Inject Me Now” (from “Antagonist”, 2011)

04. Rammstein – “Mein Herz brennt” (from “Mutter”, 2001)

05. Rob Zombie – “The Much Talked Of Metamorphosis” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

06. Lard – “Hellfudge” (from “The Power Of Lard” E.P., 1988)

07. Ministry – “Believe Me” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)

08. Keygen Church – “G E B U E R J E I T” (from “░█░█░░█░█░█░”, 2021)

09. Eisbrecher – “Bombe” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

10. Unheilig – “Das Meer” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

11. Die Krupps – “Crossfire” (from “II: The Final Option”, 1993)

12. Mechina – “Purity Storm” (from “Siege”, 2021)

13. Apartment 26 – “Backwards” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

14. Nine Inch Nails – “Pinion” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

15. Author & Punisher – “Drone Carrying Dread” (from “Krüller”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Godflesh – “Avalanche Master Song” (from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988)

17. Pitchshifter – “New Flesh” (from “Industrial”, 1991)

18. Old – “Lo Flux Tube” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

19. Fear Factory – “Recode” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

20. Meathook Seed – “My Infinity” (from “Embedded”, 1993)

21. Scorn – “Spasm” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

22. Static-X – “Get To The Gone” (from “Machine”, 2001)

23. Morbid Angel – “Too Extreme!” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)

24. Thorns – “Shifting Channels” (from “Thorns”, 2001)

25. …And Oceans – “White Synthetic Noise” (from “A.M. G.O.D.”, 2001)

26. Youth Code & King Yosef – “Burner” (from “A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression”, 2021)

27. Red Harvest – “Fix, Hammer, Fix” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

28. Kill The Thrill – “Us & Them” (from “Tellurique”, 2005) [Submitted by Daniel]

Yeah, Fange is the CLEAR winner here in my opinion; it's not even close. Two great songs that pull the mechanical-ness into some seriously sludgy riffs in all the best ways. 

After giving this album a few revisits over the last couple of days I think my review from back in 2013 still holds up very well. These guys are generally listed as residing in my home city of Sydney but that's not entirely true as they're really more of national collaboration with Malignant Monster vocalist Cain Cresall coming out of Perth (which is over a four hour flight away from Sydney) & legendary Psycroptic, Abramelin & Ruins drummer Dave Haley residing in the island state of Tasmania. Regardless, these guys are like metal royalty here in Sydney & have blown away many a touring act in the live environment too. Dave is widely regarded as one of the best metal drummers in Australia (along with Ne Obliviscaris skinsman Daniel Presland) & is globally renowned while Cain is quite simply one of the most theatrical & psychotic front men you'll ever see & the album cover is a very true representation of what you could expect to see at one of his live shows. He's truly intimidating & creates a seriously imposing atmosphere. Anyway... here's my review:

I've always been a big fan of this band. Their first two albums were outstanding examples of industrial-edged death metal & their live shows are a true spectacle. I class them as my personal favourite from the current crop of Aussie metal bands so I had very high hopes for this release & it certainly hasn't let me down. In fact they've stepped it up to another level altogether. The production is better than ever before & it presents the songs in the best possible light. If you don't like triggered drum sounds then look no further because they don't get much more mechanized & up-front than this. It really does enhance the industrial vibe though & the drumming is a real highlight. This is some of the most extreme metal you will find anywhere. Stylistically they sit somewhere between Damaged, Anaal Nathrakh & Godflesh. It's extremely dark & chaotic with the electronic component adding to the insanity of the atmosphere. The slower sections are outstanding & push this dark atmosphere even further. They've included a couple of high quality industrial tracks evenly distributed amongst the metal tracks to give you a little respite from the non-stop assault on your senses & they fit the purpose well. I honestly can't fault this album. Amazing!

4.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=2ac46b7fce8e4eb0

Tracklisting:

01. Andrew Hulshult – “DUSK” (from “Dusk (Original Game Soundtrack), 2018) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Mechina – “Blood Feud Erotica” (from “Siege”, 2021)

03. Eisbrecher – “Supermodel” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

04. Motionless In White – “Wasp” (from “Reincarnate”, 2014) [Submitted by Andi]

05. Pitchshifter – “Scene This” (from “Deviant”, 2000)

06. Rob Zombie – “18th Century Cannibals, Excitable Morlocks and a One-Way Ticket on the Ghost Train” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

07. Oomph! – “Suck-Taste-Spit” (from “Sperm”, 1994)

08. Godflesh – “Veins” (from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988)

09. Keygen Church – “T I L A S K A R O T” (from “░█░█░░█░█░█░”, 2021)

10. 1000 Homo DJs – “Hey Asshole!” (from “Supernaut” E.P., 1990)

11. Lard – “The Power Of Lard” (from “The Power Of Lard” E.P., 1988)

12. Youth Code & King Yosef – “Looking Down” (from “A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression”, 2021)

13. Nine Inch Nails – “Happiness In Slavery” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

14. Ministry – “Alert Level” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)

15. Old – “Disconnect Self” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

16. Fange – “Les vergers de la désolation” (from “Pantocrator”, 2021)

17. Fear Factory – “Disruptor” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

18. Code Orange – “Swallowing The Whole Rabbit” (from “Underneath”, 2020)

19. Author & Punisher – “Doppler” (from “Drone Machines”, 2010)

20. Red Harvest – “Junk-O-Rama” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

21. Borgne – “To Cut The Flesh & Feel Nothing But Stillness” (from “Temps Mortes”, 2021) [Submitted by Sonny]

22. Kill The Thrill – “Soave” (from “Tellurique”, 2005) [Submitted by Vinny]

This sounds more like heavy post-punk and industrial rock with some metal influence rather than an out and out metal album. That's certainly not a complaint and it makes for a very interesting listen. The vocals are what initially stood out and are the highlight for me, possessing that kind of grizzled "cigarettes and whiskey" quality that reminded me of The Pogues' Shane McGowan. Aesthetically, it sounds like a melancholy and sometimes bitter love letter to the rundown industrial towns of a world deep in the process of decay. It has an almost cinematic quality, like watching a black and white movie of strangely beautiful, but terribly neglected, small towns the world over. I haven't heard too many releases quite like this and when the mood strikes I can definitely see myself returning to it for a little sombre reflection.

4/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=0fdcfd162d9e4bda

Tracklisting:

01. Samael – “Let My People Be” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

02. Keygen Church – “H A R E K L A V I T” (from “░█░█░░█░█░█░”, 2021)

03. Oomph! – “Breathtaker” (from “Sperm”, 1994)

04. Rob Zombie – “Boom-Boom-Boom” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

05. Autarkh – “Impasse” (from “Form In Motion”, 2021)

06. Pitchshifter – “Condescension” (from “Deviant”, 2000)

07. 1000 Homo DJs – “Apathy” (from “Supernaut” E.P., 1990)

08. Wayne Static – “Slave” (from “Pighammer”, 2011)

09. Static-X – “Cold” (from “Machine”, 2001)

10. Ghostemane – “Crime Time” (from “Fear Network II” E.P., 2021)

11. Eisbrecher – “Böse Mädchen” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

12. Godflesh – “Wounds” (bonus track from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Old – “Citient Null” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

14. Ministry – “Sabotage Is Sex” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)

15. Mechina – “The Worst In Us” (from “Siege”, 2021)

16. Author & Punisher – “The Speaker Is Systematically Blown” (from “Beastland”, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Youth Code & King Yosef – “The World Stage” (from “A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression”, 2021)

18. Nine Inch Nails – “Last” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

19. Morbid Angel – “Profundis - Mea Culpa” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)

20. Fear Factory – “End Of Line” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

21. Fange – “Tombé pour la France” (from “Pantocrator”, 2021)

22. Thorns – “Shifting Channels” (from “Thorns”, 2001)

23. Red Harvest – “Absolut Dunkel:heit” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

I've selected a couple of video game soundtrack feature releases for The Sphere in the past & with mixed results it has to be said. Mick Gordon's "DOOM" has gone on to become one of my all-time favourite releases of any subgenre while I found Jamie Christopherson's "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Vocal Tracks" effort to be a bit flat & lacking in appeal. When I noticed the similarities between the descriptions & praise being bandied around for Texas-based producer Andrew Hulshult's "DUSK" score though I was buoyed by the suspicion that I might be in for something more akin to the former & jumped at the chance to explore it with the group. What I hadn't noticed however was the enormous girth of this release which clocks in at over 158 minutes in duration &, given my stance on rating & reviewing releases on this site, this committed me to a minimum of eight hours of "DUSK" which initially seemed like an enormous mountain to climb. This feeling was only exacerbated by the fact that the whole thing is instrumental too. Thankfully though, "DUSK" is a high quality & extremely consistent release that ticks a lot of my boxes.

"DUSK" is much closer in tone to "DOOM" than it is to "Metal Gear Rising" although it's by no means a mirror image. There's not the same tension-&-release or the industrial techno influence. It's clearly a combination of industrial metal & various brands of ambient music though, not always dark ambient however. The horror synth reference is quite apt at times as this is clearly a soundtrack. I mean I don't think it would take listeners long to realize that had they not been informed prior to going into their listening experience. In fact, it's a little bit ambitious to categorize "DUSK" as an industrial metal release (or a metal release in general actually) because the metal component isn't as prominent as the ambient one with the simple chugging metal riffs often playing more of an accompanying role in the arrangements than a focal point. The guitar tone isn't wonderful & is probably the only criticism I have of Andrew Hulshult's efforts here.

For a 43 track soundtrack, "DUSK" remarkably only dishes out a few failures & these usually line up with the simpler metal based tracks. I've been frustrated by the way that these soundtracks tend to cut their ideas short before they've had the chance to become fully realized in the past but that never feels to be the case here. In much the same way as Akira Yamaoka's "Silent Hill" soundtracks, I actually think I prefer Andrew's purely ambient pieces over his more instrumentally driven ones overall & the highlights generally come when he decides to emphasize the drama by pumping up the tension through the use of dark & grandiose choirs & ever-building layers of abrasive noise or by stripping things back to a minimal structure with deep & subtle synthesizers & a repetitive underlying pulse that beckons you to continue through the game. He certainly possesses a rare talent for creating emotionally engaging soundscapes but I found that "DUSK" required some initial commitment before opening up, perhaps needing me to overcome my reservations about it's length in order to open myself up to it's charms. This release may not be a match for the unwavering focus & creative genius of Mick Gordon's "DOOM' soundtrack but it's a high quality listen in its own right & one that I would imagine would have served its purpose very well.

For fans of Mick Gordon's "DOOM", Sonic Mayhem's "Quake" & Jamie Chrostopherson's "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Vocal Tracks" video game soundtracks.

4/5

Chris, I hope you're still around. I just came back to this old thread to ask you something... Are you across this:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=d68decdc443c4e75

Tracklisting:

01. Samael – “In The Deep” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

02. Master Boot Record – “Emm386.exe” (from “Floppy Disk Overdrive”, 2020)

03. Lindemann – “Allesfresser” (from “F & M”, 2019)

04. Oomph! – “Fieber” (from “Plastik”, 1999)

05. Deathstars – “Blood Stains Blondes” (from “Night Electric Night”, 2009)

06. DéspairsRay – “”Forbidden”” (from “Coll:set”, 2006)

07. The Mad Capsule Markets – “Good Girl (Dedicated to bride 20 years after)” (from “Osc-Dis (Oscillator in Distortion)”, 2001)

08. 3TEETH – “Pumped Up Kicks” (from “Metawar”, 2019)

09. Fear Factory – “Monolith” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

10. Static-X – “Black & White” (from “Machine”, 2000)

11. Eisbrecher – “Volle Kraft voraus” (from “Schock”, 2015)

12. Crossbreed – “Severed” (from “Synthetic Division”, 2001)

13. Rob Zombie – “Get Loose” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

14. Turmion Kätilöt – “Ihmisixsixsix” (from “Perstechnique”, 2011)

15. Godflesh – “Dogbite” (from “Decline & Fall” E.P., 2014)

16. Scorn – “Hit” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

17. Ghostemane – “Crash ‘n Learn” (from “Fear Network II” E.P., 2021)

18. Ministry – “Disinformation” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)

19. Lard – “Sylvestre Matuschka” (from “The Last Temptation Of Reid”, 1990) [Submitted by Daniel]

20. Author & Punisher – “Sand, Wind & Carcass” (from “Drone Machines”, 2010)

21. Old – “Z.U.” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

22. Pitchshifter – “Gravid Rage” (from “Industrial”, 1991)

23. Red Harvest – “Omnipotent” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

24. Black Magnet – “Trustfucker” (from “Hallucination Scene”, 2020)

25. Skrew – “Sympathy For The Devil” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

26. Meathook Seed – “A Furred Grave” (from “Embedded”, 1993)

27. Autarkh – “Alignment” (from “Form In Motion”, 2021)

28. DEAFBRICK – “Mega-ritual” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

29. Iperyt – “No State Of Grace” (from “No State Of Grace”, 2011)

Daniel's comparison to Ministry definitely made it clearer as to why this didn't resonate with me at all, considering I don't think there's any room for the vocals to grow on me. I didn't care for The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste so coming into a record with similar instrumentals and a subjectively worse vocalist means there wasn't too much for me to enjoy on this one. Maybe I'll give it another shot towards the end of the month just for to give it a fair shot?  

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=39f08a9ef43f452a

Tracklisting:

01. Static-X – “Regeneration” (from “Project Regeneration, Vol. 1, 2020)

02. Master Boot Record – “Himem.sys” (from “Floppy Disk Overdrive”, 2020)

03. Oomph! – “Unsere Rettung” (from “Unrein”, 1998)

04. DEAFBRICK – “O antropoceno” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

05. Crossbreed – “Underlined” (from “Synthetic Division”, 2001)

06. Killing Joke – “Invocation” (from “Hosannas From the Basements of Hell”, 2006)

07. Lord Of The Lost – “Loreley” (from “Thornstar”, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Eisbrecher – “Tanz mit mir” (from “Die Hölle muss warten”, 2012)

09. Pain – “Designed To Piss You Off” (from “Coming Home”, 2016)

10. Deathstars – “Tongues” (from “Termination Bliss”, 2006)

11. Lard – “Mate, Spawn & Die” (from “The Last Temptation Of Reid”, 1990)

12. Rob Zombie – “The Satanic Rites Of Blacula” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

13. Godflesh – “I, Me, Mine” (from “Us & Them”, 1999)

14. Ghostemane – “Convoluted” (from “Fear Network II” E.P., 2021)

15. Uniform & The Body – “Contempt” (from “Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back”, 2019)

16. Uniform – “Alone In The Dark” (from “The Long Walk”, 2018)

17. Samael – “Rain” (from “Passage”, 1996) [Submitted by shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

18. 3TƎETH – “Atrophy” (from “shutdown.ɘxe”, 2017)

19. Sybreed – “ReEvolution” (from “Slave Design”, 2004)

20. Ministry – “Unsung” (from “Animositisomina”, 2003)

21. Andrew Hulshult – “Departure To Destruction” (from “Dusk (Original Game Soundtrack), 2018)

22. P.H.O.B.O.S. – “Wisdom” (from “Tectonics”, 2005)

23. Black Magnet – “Anubis” (from “Hallucination Scene”, 2020)

24. Fear Factory – “Cognitive Dissonance” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

25. Mick Gordon - “Rip & Tear” (from “Doom (Original Game Soundtrack)”, 2016) [Submitted by Daniel]

26. Autarkh – “Lost To Sight” (from “Form In Motion”, 2021)

27. Dagoba – “The Things Within” (from “What Hell Is About”, 2006)

Here's my review of this great release, once again written a long time ago...

Samael certainly shocked their fans with Passage. Beginning their existence as an extremely raw and simple black metal band (as can be heard on debut Worship Him and follow-up Blood Ritual), this Swiss band had already evolved into a more intense and hard-hitting blasphemous outfit on 1994’s Ceremony of Opposites. They’d gained a lot of new fans with that release (myself included), all of which were waiting anxiously to see where this evolution would go next. 1995’s stop gap EP Rebellion should have warned us all of what might be coming with its increased use of keyboard atmospherics, not to mention an Alice Cooper cover, but this resulting full length album was still an immensely brave release. The industrial elements that had been hinted at on previous releases had been amplified dramatically, the keyboards given far greater importance, and the whole thing was seemingly designed for a mainstream audience. Surely none of these changes were going to please black metal fans!

Yet somehow, despite this huge shift in tone and sound, Passage is blatantly Samael! The heavy, simple, yet effective riffs are there, the energy the band had found on Ceremony of Opposites is if anything amped up and Vorph’s vocals still contain that accented venom we all know and love. This is most definitely the same Samael engine used to create their early albums, but the chassis it runs in is a completely upgraded, shiny new model. Samael made the correct judgement that their previous Satanic themes wouldn’t sit too well with the shift in approach and took on a more Occult / Cosmological subject matter, which is perfectly synchronized with the striking yet simple artwork that adorns the cover. The symphonic aspect is wonderfully executed, with tracks such as Liquid Soul Dimension and Moonskin driven by gripping, and in the latter’s case, beautiful keyboard work. While the focus was certainly taken away from the guitars, it’s worth noting that the band added a second guitarist for the recording, which gives the album a far bigger sound all up.

Not everything the band attempted on this album turned to gold. The programmed drums are great in general, giving the album an almost mechanical and powerful quality, but they occasionally make things a bit too sterile. The beginning of Angel’s Decay is an example of where they sound too characterless, perhaps even too clean for my liking. But 90% of the time they achieve their goal perfectly, with The Ones Who Came Before’s double bass kicking combination with dance beats displaying possibilities conventional drumming could never accomplish. Passage is an example of a band that was willing to take a risk, breaking down the restrictive boundaries that black metal fans often place on their beloved genre, and coming up with something that not only brought them a new audience, but was good enough to impress their existing fan base. If you’re into black metal, industrial metal or even gothic metal, there’s a lot to enjoy here. Highlight tracks are Rain, My Savior, The Ones Who Came Before and Moonskin.

4.5/5

Still my most challenging clan to try and find consistent material in, I feel The Sphere and I are on ever destined for a distant relationship.  That having been said I did really enjoy SYL and Corrections House.  I also got on better than expected with Samael.

Standout of the list for me was the superb Author & Punisher with Barge from the exceptional Melk En Honing release.

This is a really interesting one that I've come back to now after first checking it out early in the month and while I still enjoy it, I didn't find myself bumping it up a grade like I thought I would. Given how adverse I can be towards the monotony of some Industrial Metal Lo Flux Tube is definitely more up my alley in being more progressive and sometimes downright weird, moving much closer to being a full fledged Infinite release rather than the Sphere. I didn't get a chance to get out their supposed Grindcore beginnings, but I can take a guess and say that I'm glad I'm putting it off since I probably enjoy this release infinitely more. Given this was released in 1991 I'm really surprised to hear vocals and an overall avant-garde-ness that reminds me of the more off-the-wall Black Metal releases in the mid-1990's. Really goes to show how interconnected everything can be. 

The drums are just mechanical enough to give it that base industrial sound and while the guitar riffs can be grindy and monotonous on some tracks they definitely lean into the more random and crazy side on the more compelling tracks like "Outlive", "Citient Null", and "Z.U.". The bass is what impressed me the most on Lo Flux Tube though, having a powerful presence that overshadows the guitar in a good way during key moments. Even though the avant-garde industrial guitar whining can be cool, the killer bass lines really help to keep the album grounded and not something that I just zone out to. Even though I like the seemingly Black Metal inspired harsh vocals they get pretty old by the time "Marzuraan" rolls around since there isn't a whole lot of variety to them. I'd say there isn't a whole lot of variety in Lo Flux Tube from an album standpoint either, since even though what they're doing is crazy and unique, it's repeated in a way where I eventually find the grinding guitar noodling to be kind of dull. It's still a very cool album that showed me a side of Industrial Metal that I didn't really know existed, and the fact that this came out in the early 1990's makes it even more impressive and strange. I think I can throw this one on once and a while if I'm feeling it, but I think it lacks some substance in the ideas it tries to explore. 

3.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=fb6655bdd9194514

Tracklisting:

01. Black Magnet – “Hegemon” (from “Hallucination Scene”, 2020)

02. The Kovenant – “Star By Star” (from “S.E.T.I.”, 2003)

03. Lindemann – “Platz eins” (from “F & M”, 2019)

04. DEAFBRICK – “Primeval I” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

05. Godflesh – “Gift From Heaven (Breakbeat)” (from “Love & Hate In Dub” E.P., 1997) [Submitted by Daniel]

06. Emigrate – “Get Down” (from “Silent So Long”, 2014)

07. 1000 Homo DJs – “Supernaut” (from “Supernaut” E.P., 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Pitchshifter – “W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G.” (from “www.pitchshifter.com”, 1998)

09. Uniform & The Body – “Patron Saint Of Regret” (from “Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back”, 2019)

10. Master Boot Record – “Dblspace.exe” (from “Floppy Disk Overdrive”, 2020)

11. Samael – “Reign Of Light” (from “Reign Of Light”, 2004)

12. Rob Zombie – “The Ballad Of Sleazy Rider” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

13. Combichrist – “Zombie Fistfight” (from “No Redemption”, 2013)

14. Hanzel und Gretyl – “SS Deathstar Supergalactik” (from “Über Alles”, 2003)

15. Shining – “Last Day” (from “International Blackjazz Society”, 2015)

16. Ministry – “Twilight Zone” (from “AmeriKKKant”, 2018)

17. Treponem Pal – “Excess & Overdrive” (from “Excess & Overdrive”, 1993)

18. Static-X – “Accelerate“” (from “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1”, 2020)

19. Pain – “Greed” (from “Pain”, 1997)

20. Oomph! – “Mitten ins Herz” (from “Defekt”, 1995)

21. Skrew – “Mouthful Of Dust” (from “Dusted”, 1994)

22. Dagoba – “The White Guy (& The Black Ceremony)” (from “Dagoba”, 2003)

23. Mnemic – “Liquid” (from “Mechanical Spin Phenomena”, 2003)

24. Fear Factory – “Aggression Continuum” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

25. HALO – “Body Of Light” (from “Body Of Light”, 2003)

26. Autarkh – “Turbulence” (from “Form In Motion”, 2021)

27. Yerûšelem – “Triiiunity” (from “The Sublime”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny92]

I'm with Vinny on this one sadly, this one became pretty unlistenable after the 3rd attempt. "Thieves" starts out fine with its opening riff, introducing the Industrial style and metallic sound effects that sets the tone for what the rest of the album will be, but the repetitiveness of the whole thing mercilessly dashes most positive things I can say about this album. Each track has something that I like about it, like the instrumental transition after the chorus of "Burning Inside" or the repetitive bassline that actually works out on "Cannibal Song", but man, some of these songs I just can't get behind at all. "So What" has relentlessly annoying ad-libs and refuses to end while offering nothing of value past the first two minutes, the synth-y "Never Believe" is wholly uninteresting, the premise behind "Test" is interesting at first but falls flat on its face after repeated listens, "Faith Collapsing" feels like a rehash of "Cannibal Song", and "Dream Song" is an admittedly interesting but still totally dull atmospheric ender. I guess this kind of repetitive riffing and use of ideas isn't for me because I can't see myself returning to this one, which is a shame because I seriously enjoy Psalm 69 to this day. I'm starting to think that Ministry are a one album band for me after I didn't really enjoy Houses of the Molé too much either. 

2.5/5

This is some mean, aggressive as hell stuff right here. I'll be spending some more time with this in the coming weeks since I feel like I'll warm up to it even more than I already have after 2 or so listens today. Most of the album is a sludgy onslaught of riffs and basslines that can get a bit monotonous here and there but the album isn't stretched out to a length where it matters too much. The more industrial and scratchy electronic elements are used sparsely which I think works out considering Red Harvest's approach seems to boil down to being as Metal as possible, as Daniel alluded to. I didn't necessarily care for the sludge inspired vocals at first, but I'm starting to appreciate them more as I give the album more spins, it adds a nice new dimension to the industrial-style riffing. To me Red Harvest are more grounded in Death Metal than other Sphere albums I've heard so far, and I have to say that I dig it, kind of to my surprise. I'm normally put off from a lot of Sphere releases just due to the abrasiveness, but Red Harvest might have found my preferred middle ground between grindy, metallic riffs and slightly more clear and downtuned Death Metal riffs. Very cool album, will return to it and it has a fair chance of getting bumped up to a 4. 

3.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=a85a07785df34f61

Tracklisting:

01. Ministry – “Animosity” (from “Animositisomina”, 2003)

02. Master Boot Record – “Defrag.exe” (from “Floppy Disk Overdrive”, 2020)

03. Oomph! – “Kleinstadtboy” (from “Des Wahnsinns fette Beute”, 2012)

04. Pain – “It’s Only Them” (from “Nothing Remains The Same”, 2002)

05. Rammstein – “Engel” (from “Sehnsucht”, 1997)

06. White Zombie – “More Human Than Human (Meet Bambi in the King's Harem Mix)” (from “Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds”, 1996)

07. Deathstars – “New Dead Nation” (from “Synthetic Generation”, 2002)

08. Samael – “I Love The Dead” (from “Rebellion” E.P., 1995)

09. JK Flesh – “Earthmover” (from “Posthuman”, 2012)

10. DEAFBRICK – “Free Speech For The Dumb” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

11. Godflesh – “Cold World” (from “Cold World” E.P., 1991)

12. Sybreed – “Challenger” (from “God Is An Automaton”, 2012)

13. Rob Zombie – “Crow Killer Blues” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

14. Static-X – “Dead Souls” (from “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1”, 2020)

15. The Mad Capsule Markets – “Gaga Life.” (from “010”, 2001)

16. Author & Punisher – “Lonely” (from “Ursus Americanus”, 2012)

17. Fear Factory – “Pisschrist” (from “Demanufacture”, 1995) [Submitted by Sonny92]

18. Circle Of Dust – “Contagion” (from “Machines Of Our Disgrace”, 2016) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Uniform – “This Won't End Well” (from “Shame”, 2020)

20. Red Harvest – “Godtech” (from “Sick Transit Gloria Mundi”, 2002)

21. …And Oceans – “Intelligence Is Sexy” (from “A.M. G.O.D.”, 2001)

22. Strapping Young Lad – “Spirituality” (from “City”, 1997) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Blacklodge – “NeutroN ShivA [Sun, Walk With Me!]” (from “MachinationN”, 2012)

24. Autarkh – “Clouded Aura” (from “Form In Motion”, 2021)

Just given this a couple of blasts and posted a short review.

I really enjoyed firing this up again - as I said in my review, it really does feel like a call from an old friend you haven't heard from in ages and didn't realise you missed as much as you evidently do. Some great memorable tracks here - Dog Day Sunrise, Body Hammer and Hunter-Killer to name but three. Love the play-off between the harsh and clean vocals on this album and Dino's riffing is really powerful and the machine-like rhythms are bang on the money. A great album of genuinely dystopian atmosphere where the remnants of humanity pitch against the machines' pitiless hive mind.

"Crown of black thorns, Human skin, ripped and torn, Where is your saviour now?" still gets me every time!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN?si=c1c86da4197d46d1

Tracklisting:

01. Nailbomb – “Wasting Away” (from “Point Blank”, 1994)

02. Master Boot Record – “Fdisk.exe” (from “Floppy Disk Overdrive”, 2020)

03. Eisbrecher – “Zwischen uns” (from “Schock”, 2015)

04. Author & Punisher – “Pressure Lover” (from “Pressure Mine” E.P., 2017) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

05. Die Krupps – “To The Hilt” (from “II: The Final Option”, 1993)

06. Oomph! – “Augen Auf!” (from “Wahrheit oder Pflicht”, 2004)

07. Turmion Kätilöt – “Grand Ball” (from “Perstechnique”, 2011)

08. The Kovenant – “The Human Abstract” (from “Animatronic”, 1999)

09. Deathstars – “Semi-Automatic” (from “Synthetic Generation”, 2002)

10. Pain – “Zombie Slam” (from “Psalms Of Extinction”, 2006)

11. Hanzel und Gretyl – “Fukken Über Death Party” (from “2012: Zwanzig Zwolf”, 2008)

12. Static-X – “Bring You Down” (from “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1”, 2020)

13. Rammstein – “Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen” (from “Herzeleid”, 1995)

14. Circle Of Dust – “Regressor (Aggressive Mix)” (from “Brainchild”, 1994)

15. The Mad Capsule Markets – “Tribe” (from “Osc-Dis (Oscillator in Distortion)”, 2001)

16. Misery Loves Co. – “Kiss Your Boots” (from “Misery Loves Co.”, 1995)

17. Uniform – “All We’ve Ever Wanted” (from “Shame”, 2020)

18. Godflesh – “Slavestate” (from “Slavestate E.P., 1991)

19. Pitchshifter – “Brutal Cancroid” (from “Industrial”, 1991)

20. DEAFBRICK – “Sweat-Drenched Wreck” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

21. Rob Zombie – “The Triumph Of King Freak (A Crypt Of Preservation & Superstition)” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

22. Strapping Young Lad – “In The Rainy Season” (from “Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing”, 1995)

23. Samael – “The Truth Is Marching On” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

24. Fear Factory – “540,000° Fahrenheit” (from “Transgression”, 2005)

25. Wayne Static – “Chrome Nation” (from “Pighammer”, 2011)

26. Ministry – “Punch In The Face” (from “From Beer To Eternity”, 2013)

27. Killing Joke – “Asteroid” (from “Killing Joke”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Iperyt – “The Antithesis” (from “No State Of Grace”, 2011)

Godflesh with saxophone? Okay, obviously it's way more complicated then that, but that's kind of the first impression you get. I don't really know much about GOD, other than it's not just a side project of Justin Broadrick. I'm also not sure what I can add that Daniel hasn't mentioned already, I think his description is pretty spot on. This is not verse/chorus/verse music. This also a lot more organic sounding than Godflesh, not only with real drums... but if I'm not hearing things... bongos? While I agree there aren't really any weak moments, I don't really find it all that memorable either. I DID listen to it a few times (I agree that once isn't enough), but very little of it has really sunk in. Maybe I need to listen to it more? Or maybe this needs to be listened to at a loud volume in a room without any distractions.  One thing I will add is this reminds me a lot of early SCORN (which yes, is also JK related) wherein the sound is great, but the songs don't really grab me. I like this better than SCORN though. There's a lot going on, but I'd have a hard time explaining what I just heard. That might be part of the point though. If this isn't  easy music, can I really fault it for not being catchy? This is more about mood than riffs. I think I probably will return to this at some point.  3/5

I did my review, here's its summary:

Deep in the underground beneath New York City lies a band in UNIFORM. Since forming in 2013, before this album, Uniform released 3 studio albums, 3 collaborations with The Body (who had too much drone for me to stand), and one EP. This album, Shame continues the band's brave evolution. To answer their question "What if the antihero in your favorite film or book had no chance to repent, reconcile, or redeem himself?" A bleak yet captivating 34-minute industrial metal story, that's what! Shame marks the second album with a real drummer instead of drum programming. The drummer for this album is Mike Sharp. With live drums, there's more heaviness in the oppressive industrial sound of the group. The consistent elements bring together various styles to find here, not just their trademark industrial noise-metal, but also the atmospheric black metal of early 2000s Solstafir, the thrashy hardcore of 80s Neurosis, the doomy riffs of early 2000s Grand Magus, and a bit of melodic post-punk. Those influences are scattered around different songs, each of which using one of those outer styles, before mixing them in the 8-minute epic "I am the Cancer". One minor thing to criticize is the lack of dynamic variation, but that's OK because of the album's short runtime. The range of influences and genres keep Shame interesting and never sh*tty. Listeners will be rewarded even after just first listen. Uniform have made an impressive part of their catalog to bring excitement from the underground!

5/5

Review for their other metal album, The Long Walk, to be made soon...

My thoughts on some tracks (including my one suggestion):

Godflesh – “Pulp” (from “The Earache Peel Sessions” E.P., 2014)

5/5. The original version in Streetcleaner is one of my industrial metal favorites that can pulverize you into a pulp with the bass and drum machine rolling under the burning guitar slashing through vocals in a hopeless crescendo yelling "PULP" repeatedly until the last breath.

Strapping Young Lad – “The New Black” (from “The New Black”, 2006)

5/5. There's no better way to end my song-commenting journey through this month's playlists with a killer ending to the final album by progressive industrial metal band Strapping Young Lad! The intro riff at over the 30-second mark and the chorus nearly two minutes later are worth repeating. I f***ing love the lyrics and bad-a** vocal range. What's also satisfying is the drumming. It's a wonder this album that's metal as f*** isn't hitting the charts. Long live the music of one of the best bands of all time, Strapping Young Lad! Now that the band is over, the heavy world was bleak...until the heavier part of the Devin Townsend Project.

Absolutely not my thing, I found this album to be more annoying than anything, enough for me to not really want to return for another listen. There are some killer riffs in here, and the overall sound obviously appeals to someone (see posts above), but this really grated on me in a rough way. 

2.5/5