Industrial music reviews

If you plan to buy this album, please don't buy the version distributed by Thirsty Ear/Some Bizarre Records. The company has never paid the band for its recordings, and NONE of your purchase price will go to the makers of this exceptional music.

Another version is available through Indigo Records, and the group does get paid for those copies.

I can remember my first encounter with en, it was the fall of 91. i was 15 years old, helping a friend strip wallpaper. he was much older then me (23), so knew alot more then me about music. at the time i was rebelious, listening to harcore punk and the rottenist of death metal. he popped in strategies of archetecture 1 into the tape deck and said, "are you ready". yeah, whatever. i know whats up. the first blast of jackhamers filled the room and my eyes widened and jaw dropped. i was in shock, complete.
never had i emagined music being so raw, so powerfull, so energetic as e.n. needless to say i fell in love. they completly changed the way i precieve music. i'd draw their logo anywhere i could. on my school note books, desks, chairs, walls, sharpie it on my hand or arm. i was obsessed. after purchasing drawings of patient ot when i was 16, i found the crowning point of their career. this album seemed the most twisted. the most disturbed. from the pounding bass of abfackeln, the mentaly ill hospitalstische kinder-der vernichtung and the haunting armenia (my favorite song by e.n. to date) just what a teenager needed. everything to scare the parents and surronding adults alike.
even the band i was in became completely obsessed with e.n. we began rummaging for random pieces of metal. stealing huge metal grated carts from the neighboring jewel store (during the bulls half-time, when they were in the championships), those green boxes you see on the side of the road with telephone wires in it and stuff. even a bulldozer claw (sadly the cops came and chassed us away, they were very baffled as to why someone would want something like that, so we told them to make music with, which confused them evern more). we began writing songs with our found objects and encorperated them into our live set (we were a hardcore punk/metal band) needless to say, it wasnt accepted to well.
This album is a must. this band is crutial in existance. mainstream is robbing the art from music. albums like this need to stay vibrant and utilaized for the sake of the future of music.
And i carry the mark on my arm as well. had it tattooo when i was 21. that logo is a reminder to me of how much i love music and what it meant to me as a teenager. a reminder that there is no boundries in music and art in general. and those who say otherwise know nothing of what art truly is.

I discovered Einsturzende Neubauten back in 1983 when this record ( remember those ? ) was first released. I had no idea what I was in for, as I had only read reviews of the band, short mentions in magazines like Trouser Press. Nothing I had read prepared me for the absolute stunning originality and variety I found in Drawings of Patient OT. I never bothered to read the translated lyric sheet, Blixa Bargeld's vocals being as much of an integral instrument as the myriad jackhammers, pounded metal and found sounds. It was at times all one huge wall of sound, of "noise" used for more than "just because we can", it seemed to me to all make perfect sense. Music created for the listener who thought they had heard it all. Some of the selections heard here are quite abrasive and heavily percussive. But some lean more toward the ambient, indeed soothing, in their use of quiet , whipered vocals, and repetitive ( is that a tape loop? perhaps a sampler I hear? ) sounds, both natural and unatural. Minimal use of bass and guitar make Drawings of Patient OT somewhat unapproachable, something so far outside the mainstream that it remains untouched and undiscovered by most. It has been one of my favorites for years, especially after I wore out the record ( I still have the sleeve - an amazing piece of artwork in and of itself )and got this on cd. It still sounds fresh to me, and I to this day find myself falling asleep with this on my cd player, quietly, with earphones on. Last year I saw a copy of this LP in a used record store, hanging on the wall with a tag attached saying "listen to this and find out why all those people have that silly red tattoo." I had to chuckle ( yes, I have one of those "silly red tattoos" of the red EN petroglyph logo)I think the point being once you listen to Einsturzende Neubauten, you fall into one of two camps - you either "get it", and totally immerse yourself in it , or you hate it,and dimiss it as annoying, repetitive and pointless. And if you do "get it", I highly recommend this early work by EN.

This is one hard to find CD, finally I brought this album through an Amazon.com marketplace seller. And I am glad I did. This album is one of the best releases by Leeb & Peterson. As a long time fan of early Delerium, this album reminded me of Delerium's 'Semantic Spaces and 'Stone Tower' releases with its lite industrial beats and ambient sometimes dark synths mixed with tribal and natural sounds. There are 7 songs on this CD and all songs range from 8 mins to 11 mins in length, so the listener has time to take in each song and enjoy the sounds and the journey each separate song takes you down. Tracks 1 to 6 are remastered songs from other Synaesthesia CD's. Track 7 'Descartes' is a rare find a B-Side and is well worth the listen. I am very happy with this CD and its a wonderful journey into the inner sanctum of the mind and dreamscape.

While fans of the band Delerium can rightly complain that it has lost much of its appeal by losing much of the instrumentalism found in its earlier works, rest assured that Synaesthesia recaptures much of this earlier imagination and builds upon it to such an extent that it is arguably better than early Delerium - although Ephemeral is a pure instrumental piece. All seven tracks on Ephemeral flow seemlessly together - and track three, Intelligence Dream, serves as the climax of the work by introducing a seemingly old New Order-ish bit of brilliance at around 4:20. It is unfortunate that at the time of this writing Amazon does not have any track samples, but these can be found elsewhere on the internet. While "delerium" can be defined as a temporary state of mental confusion and fluctuating consciousness, "synaesthesia" can be defined as the neurological mixing of the senses - it can be argued that one would prefer enhanced abilities in one of the senses than diminishing returns in all of the senses. Highly recommended.

Takes you away from the maddening crowd. Give it a listen!

First, allow me to say that ALL of the Godsmack material to date is kick butt hard rock. Compare them to whom ever you want, the other band will emerge pale in comparison. Now, go buy all the albums and go see the shows - you will agree !!

While many people generalize that GS is from "Boston" - that is not exactly true. They claim to hail most recently from Salem, MA - the Witch City. I lived there for a few years - cool place but too many tourists - awesome to be there at the end of October.

In speaking with some friends (who had mutual friends with GS members) - I find out that at least a couple band members grew up in and around Southern NH. This is where I live, now - also a cool place to live.

Go to Boston, if you want some grime and crime. Go to Salem, if you wanna get Smack'ed !!

First, allow me to say that ALL of the Godsmack material to date is kick ... hard rock. Compare them to whom ever you want, the other band will emerge pale in comparison. Now, go buy all the albums and go see the shows - you will agree !!

While many people generalize that GS is from "Boston" - that is not exactly true. They claim to hail most recently from Salem, MA - the Witch City. I lived there for a few years - cool place but too many tourists - awesome to be there at the end of October.

In speaking with some friends (who had mutual friends with GS members) - I find out that at least a couple band members grew up in and around Southern NH. This is where I live, now - also a cool place to live.

Go to Boston, if you want some grime and crime. Go to Salem, if you wanna get Smack'ed !!

Hailing from Salem, Massachusetts is Godsmack with their self-titled debut CD. The raw power and emotion on each and every track on this album is almost over-whelming. From the explosive first single "Whatever" to the penance of "Now Or Never," the boys from the U.S. capital of Witches sure know how to capture exactly what they're going for. "Keep Away" (one of my personal favorites) sums up the way all of us have felt about someone at one time or another, and "Moon Baby" does the same, but to the opposite end of the scale. If you're a connoiseur of heavy and/or emotionally drawing music, you HAVE to buy this album!

This album is awesome, and I think that most anyone interested in Einsturzende Neubauten will not be stopped in listening to it. Not that that is what makes it good. Nevertheless, this seems to be the first time when one immediately recognized the band's versitility. Every track is different from each other - every single one. It was also made during the period when they were breaking up and then kept getting back together. (Before '85 they were more of a posse or gang, to my knowledge) This music seems very fresh and spontaneous. I don't care too much for the extra tracks, but they make the cd more of an album length.
I have been playing this album for twelve years, and EN keeps growing. From this one I actually can't name a standout track because they're all so equally good. I remember not understanding the last one, Der Kuss, when I first heard it - it has a lot of piano and is quite paired down. But I soon found its restraint and beauty to be another great album closer (after To Be No Part of it, and before Headcleaner). The other classic monuments released by EN are (for early) Drawings of O.T., (and for later) Ende Neu and Silence is Sexy - but since it is one of the best bands for artistry, all of EN's recordings are excellent and worthwhile.
Haus Der Luge: recorded shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Buy direct from the band.

anything before tabula rasa the band hasn't seen a dime, go to mute or the band's website so they get paid for their art.

If you plan to buy this album, please don't buy the version distributed by Thirsty Ear/Some Bizarre Records. The company has never paid the band for its recordings, and NONE of your purchase price will go to the creators of this exceptional music.

Another version is available through Indigo Records, and the group does get paid for those copies.

Sister Machine Gun has effectively carved out a cozy niche for itself and their latest release Influence does nothing but carry on the winning account. Some of the sound design seems a bit out of date but that scarcely deters from the fact that Chris Randall is one of the best songwriters in the Industrial Hard Rock genre. Randall's hooks and melodies are seldom matched in the field while his panache for powerful downbeats and dance grooves should never be over-looked either. Sister Machine Gun feeds the fire.

By: C. Curry

i'll make this short.. Sister machine gun attempts to recreate that 90's industrial feel and for the most part they succeed. although there is a couple tracks that bore me.. for the most part this is as good as it gets aside from those original songs back in the day. highly reccomended if you're an industrial fan.

Sister Machine Gun has been one of those bands that never disappoint, whether you see them live, or pick up their cd.

This newest CD from the Chicago band has all the elements of their roots, and aims to please the listener, and I am more than pleased with the results.

I have watched this group expand their horizons to grab new fans and also to grab your attention the second the first song off this cd starts, "To Hell With You" all the way through to the last one, "The Antagonizer". It's all non-stop. I find it difficult to listen to this without getting my body into the groove, can you?

From singer and musician, Chris Randall's sensual voice , to Miguel Turanzas, wow, now THIS is SMG. This cd will definitely make you want more.

You're always welcomed at http://www.sistermachinegun.com. Don't be shy, stop by sometime.

My history with ozric tentacles is a sort of strange one. I first heard about them maybe six years ago when I was in a hard core prog rock phase with King Crimson as my favorite band at the time. The music is mostly imporv based and instrumental with the occasional trippy vocals added in.
The sound reminds me in a way of early 90s late 80s music that hasnt totally shed the 80s electronic touches which in a weird way the best comparison I can think of are the Stone Roses. Not that they share any musical similarites but theres an experienced 80s element thats really different from a lot of 80s revival thats going on now.
Their improv tribal beat based music has a real dance element that isn't in a lot of prog rock. Id reccoment this for anyone into more psychedelic dance, prog rock or more intresting jam music fans. After all these years I still can come back to this because of the diversity in guitar playing, electronic touches and just the good beats.

This band may not be well known, but they are a real treat. Lovers of psychedelic music and creative Rock should own at least some Ozric Tentacles. I own what I believe to be their best music. I have Erpland, Jurassic Shift, Strangeitude, Pungent Effulgent, Curious Corn, and the Floating Seeds Remixed album. I like Jurassic Shift a lot, but the others are great too. They utilize so many things to make their music. It is really interesting, and never offensive. Pick up some or all of the titles I just mentioned if you like their vibe. It's all good!

Somebody had once remarked that the Ozric Tentacles had released a number of recordings based on a repeated theme. If that's the truth, then they must be doing something right, because this is music that never gets boring. They slam into us with their ethnic-influenced, trippy-hippy psychedilic dance music. Great stuff.

By most reasonable standards, Skinny Puppy should be one of the worst bands in history. Their highly theatrical act borders on performance art--pretentious performance art at that. Their version of Grand Guignol makes Alice Cooper at his peak seem like a small town community theatre production of "Dracula." Ogre's vocals are usually atonal, distorted and almost entirely bereft of melody. If he played a monster in some horror movie, it would impossible to take him seriously. The band never had much use for songs, anyway. They preferred soundscapes or agit-prop. Ah, yes, which brings us to the politics! Never mind that their animal rights schtick is anti-science, their presentation of it comes off as nothing but heavy handed harangues. They're also somewhat lacking in the sense of humor department, too.

But...

I always marvel at how they turned their electronic "dance" music into full-throttle heavy rock of the most ferocious order; when Skinny Puppy screams, you're compelled to listen. As their albums progressed, they started adding on more and more samples, until the average "song" was so choked with extraneous white noise it's like listening to a dozen radio stations at once--none of them getting clear reception. What holds it all together are the beats--gigantic arse-quaking hammers that hit you like you were a cow in a slaughterhouse (how's that for animal rights?). Skinny Puppy helped make me into the noise-hungry mutant that I am today. I've seen 'em live three times, and each show has been distinctly memorable, even if my hearing (and sanity) has been badly damaged as a result.

All of which brings me to "Last Rights" (thought I'd forgotten about the very item I intended to write about, did you?). Although "ViviSect VI" remains my personal favorite SK album, this one, which was originally intended to be their final album*, is their most dense and hard-hitting effort. Here, the samples not only augment the music, they frequently interrupt it. Sometimes, as on the 10-minute plus closer "Download," the samples ARE the song. This was of course a preview of one post-Puppy project, but it's still one heck of an experimental sound collage, one of the best pieces of musique concrete ever done by a bunch of Canadian eco-terrorist synth-geeks. The most pop friendly moment on the album is "Killing Game," which features, among other things, an actual chorus, not to mention a firm grasp of dramatic tension. It's also probably the closest they ever came to a "love song," though with its typically stream-of-conscious lyrics, it's hard to tell exactly what it's about. That song leads into "Knowhere?," one of the biggest and nastiest assaults of their career. It's like being attacked by an entire scrapyard, with Ogre howling and growling like a demented demon-spawn all the while. Really, there's practically no relief from the onslaught for the rest of the album. It's admirable if only for its sheer monolithic force. This is why, despite all their arty goth posturing, I still love them. "Last Rights" is probably best suited to hardcore fans, but with Skinny Puppy, you just don't dip a toe into the acid bath. You dive in and enjoy your flesh being seered from your bones.

*They did eventually reconvene for "The Process," which most fans and even the band itself considered their weakest release, capped off by the death of longtime member Dwayne Goettel. This seemed to do them in entirely, but they eventually gave into the temptation to reunite, taking the opportunity to let people know where they stood on the Bush administration (hint: the resulting album was titled "The Greater Wrong of the Right."). Maybe you can't teach an old puppy new tricks, after all.

When I discovered Too Dark Park I new that I had a masterpiece. I was doubtful that Skinny Puppy could ever come up with a cd that was even close to the Park. I read the reviews and decided to make this my third puppy cd. I was blown away by how great it is. I actually think that it may be on equal ground with Too Dark Park. For now I will just call it their second best. The big difference is that Last Rights is significantly darker. Maybe the Darkest Industrial cd that I own.
Love In Vein 9 This one creeps up on you with sinister synths and deranged incoherent mumbling.Ogre's vocals start with a low malicious whisper. Then beats, noises, samples, and plenty of shouting and screaming take over.
Killing Game 8.5 This song has a very depressing and gloomy atmosphere. Softer than all the other songs on the cd. Lots of organ and piano keys.
Knowhere? 10 Holy $h!t! Absolute devastating sonic carnage. When I first listened to it it gave me a migraine. It is a very complex sculpture of noise. On first listen you don't really grasp the structure of it. With some open minded patience it unravels and draws you into a realm of nightmares and pain.
Mirror Saw 20/10 So far my favorite Skinny Puppy song that I have heard. I could listen to it forever. I actually have listened to it on repeat for a whole day. I never get tired of it. Their is a brief part in particular that ensnared me. It is a depressing melody that first appears in the background behind the noise about a minute and a half into the song. Than at 2:36 it starts again. It is a simple yet beautifully depressing melody. The whole song before it gradually builds up to this point. The whole of the song is like sex, and this melody is the climax. By the time the song is ending it explodes in a crescendo of sorrow and emotion.
Inquisition 10 A awesome song that puts to shame most of today's industrial music. Very good chorus. The lyrics are great too. This song has a very good balance of beats, noise, and melody.
Scrapyard 7 The name says it all. Opens with some noise, and than their is this brief acoustic melody. Than out of nowhere the noise comes and crashes down all around you. As far as the noisier songs are concerned I think that Knowhere? blows this one away this still is a very solid song, but not my favorite here.
Riverz End 9.5 Very haunting synths give this the atmosphere of a gothic cathedral. There are several parts of this song that have a really catchy noise. I don't know what they used to make this noise but I wish I did. Imagine early Delerium( Euphoric EP) mixed with Einsturzende Neubauten. Its my second favorite skinny puppy instrumental after Stair's and Flowers.
Lust Chance 8.5 Very good beats. This song has a fragmented feal. It is full of beats, abrasive noise, and melodies. There are some good samples that sound like they were taken from a porn film.
Circustance 9.5 I love this one. The melody at first has this cosmic atmosphere. Than it descends into a nightmarish circus freakshow. Ogre sounds more possessed than usual.
Download 10 Musical version of a haunted scrapyard. Its like all the nightmares you ever had morphed into noise, and crammed onto this 11 minute ride to hell. Most will hate this track. It is only meant for those who are deranged beyond repair.
I don't see how anybody can be a Skinny Puppy fan, or even a industrial fan without having this cd.

Well if you want a collection of really good songs then I would suggest Too Dark Park also if you are new to Skinny Puppy I would recommend that cd but if you want more of a musical experience then this is probably your best bet. Last Rights I think is better when listened to as a whole rather than just skimming over your favorite songs. The best words that I think to desribe this cd are: disturbing yet strangely beautiful at times. If you have any real interest in dark music then your collection isn't complete without last Rights.

Futurepop is the name given to a style of EBM that flourished around 2000, where harsh Industrial/EBM of the mid/late 90's style got injected with dramatic, melodic synths reminiscent of dark epic trance.

This CD is the second best example of the genre (with the best being "Empires" by VNV Nation). Some brilliant songs are on here, Regret being a standout, as is Fiction. Shallow Nation and Former Self are good too. Catchy melodies and nicely violent synth that set clubs ablaze. Well produced as well. The lyrics utterly suck but remember, they are Norwegian and the music more than makes up for it.

Andy LaPlegula and Sebastian Komor are brilliant programmers and craft exquisite music.

In Response to Pecos Bill's comments "I will say one negative thing, though: the people who claim Floorkiller is an awesome dance song, uh, did you guys even listen to the whole thing?"

I say; uh, have you even listened to the version on the Shallow Nation CD?? You know, the one played in the clubs!! That is the awesome dance version and anyone who knows about Icon of Coil knows this!!! Most definately a floor-filler not floor killer (sorry I just had to say that!!).

Excellent, diverse, addictive....

This is everything I like in a good techno group: very detailed, complex music with lyrics and vocals that range from "good" to "awesome". "Situations Like These" in particular is a new angle for Icon of Coil, featuring some beautiful female vocals. If that track was an experiment, I hope they do some more of it in the future. This group is pretty well in line in the likes of Covenant, Apoptygma Berzerk, Wolfheim and VNV Nation, so if you like any of those it's worth checking out.

On other IOC releases, I feel like they're consistantly good, never bad but never awesome, however this CD introduces us to some "awesome" intermixed with the "good". I liked that this CD has obviously put more effort into good lyrics and vocals and it paid off.

I will say one negative thing, though: the people who claim Floorkiller is an awesome dance song, uh, did you guys even listen to the whole thing? It is indeed a floor killer, best suited for the last song of the day when you're trying to get people to leave. It starts out as a super-awesome dance beat but about midway through it pretty much shuts down and turns into the most annoying no-beat noise you've ever heard, like 30 seconds of a white-noise/tone that pretty much says "go home" if it says anything...

Hanzel Und Gretyl are a very unique band. Just pop it in your cd player and get ready to blast into space. Battlling aliens and doing variations on other plannets. Its just so much fun to listen to. I never heard any of their other albums. But i doubt they can hold the tourch to this one.

I recently had the immense pleasure of seeing HuG perform live a couple of weeks ago. I have not been a fan of HuG for too long, about a year. I was first exposed to HuG courtesy of a good friend of mine who put a couple of HuG songs on some cds she burned for me. My first full-length HuG cd I acquired was 2003's "Uber Alles". I bought their new album "Scheissmessiah" at the band's show w/My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Ministry which obviously I haven't been able to stop listening to. Hanzel und Gretyl is definitely my favorite band at the moment. Their music is a good mix of industrial and metal with a splattering of techno (especially drum & bass) thrown in for good measure. THis is truly a more diversified album than the band's current album and "Uber Alles" (both albums I adore to pieces). Much to my immense surprise (and pleasure) I found a copy of the band's rare 1997 album "Transmission From Uranus" in my mailbox today from my same friend who exposed me to HuG to begin with :). After been exposed to "Uber Alles" and "Scheissmessiah", "Transmission From Mars" is definitely different from those two albums. Vas Kallas's ferocious vocals are still ferocious but the music itself is quite different and interesting to listen to. Two of my favorite songs on the album is the last two tracks "Asteronafti" and " Om Zentrale Station". Those two songs have a completely different sound than what I am used to hearing which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it was, I wouldn't love those songs so much. Another great moment is a conversation between Vas Kallas and Loopy which is terribly funny. If it wasn't for my friend, I don't think I would had the pleasure of listening to "Transmission From Uranus". HuG's first two albums are pretty much out of print no thanks to their previous record label Energy Records which went under and actually sued HuG. If you have the money and love HuG as much as I do, I definitely think this is an album worth the dough to fork over.

hanzel und gretyl are one of my all time favorite bands. transmissions from uranus is probably their best cd in my opinion. the songs flow together, and it's all capped off with trance planet vortex, quite possibly their best song. (i'm not sure what some people have heard, but i hung out with hug two days ago and their band is in NO WAY about to break up. their old drummer left...but he was replaced by seven.) if you're into harder sounding industrial music, this is a great cd to pick up.

Love this album more than her first! Very strong vocals & lyrics and very entertaining album overall!! I highly recommend this album.

I had the oppurtunity to meet Leah when I lived in San Diego, before she put out her first album. She actually played a demo tape for me in her car, and I remember wondering if the public had the capacity to appreciate her. I am SO GLAD IT DID! It was incredible. Since then, I've followed her career. I feel lucky to have crossed paths with her! She's got an amazing quality to her voice, and she's very beautiful.

Leah Andreone has been my favorite singer for almost 3 years now. Her songs never get boring, because they are all very unique. She has a great talent for singing, and writing all kinds of different variaties of songs, all of which amaze me!!