August 2026 Featured Release - The Sphere Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Sphere, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is the earliest release of the clan, the 1987 debut album by British industrial rock/metal pioneers SLAB!, Descension. This month I've decided to nominate the first ever releases of their respective genres, and while this album is nowhere near as spectacular or successful as the other feature release I've nominated for this month (Rorschach's Remain Sedate), it's highly underrated and it should be acknowledged the first ever album to fuse to industrial rock with metal. Whether you find something to enjoy or not, the origin can't be overlooked!

https://metal.academy/releases/8429

Since I wasn't too much of a fan of this album, despite its historical status as the earliest Sphere release enough for me to make this nomination, my review is kinda short, so you can check it out here: https://metal.academy/reviews/26560/8429

3/5

Recommended tracks (ONLY ones I would recommend): "Tunnel of Love", "Dolores", "The Animals", "People Pie"

For fans of: Swans, Trust Obey, 80s Ministry

So.......I tried looking for this album because 1987 with Industrial Metal piqued my interest and Qobuz had something very...different in mind. 

I don't know what this is. I can't find either of these artists or this release anywhere. It's some blown out German(?) rap with some Jazz backbeat flourishes here and there? It sucks, but I can't even begin to explain the experience of waiting for the Industrial Metal to kick in for 10+ minutes and just being very confused. I just saw the similar album cover and clicked, didn't even think to look at the artist or release date. They got me, I guess???

Here's the actual SLAB! album on YouTube, Xephyr. If it wasn't for this upload, I wouldn't have found this release nor featured it:

This situation highlights a point that's worth considering when nominating feature releases. If you're gonna select relatively underground or obscure material for features then you need to ensure that people are given guidance on where to access the music up-front. At a minimum, that should be via a YouTube or Spotify link because you can't expect people to use illegal file-sharing, hire private investigators or go searching the dark web just to contribute to the conversation.