Industrial Metal

Pain – Coming Home Review

By Madam X on September 21, 2016 in 2016, Industrial Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, 46 comments

“I’ve never quite got my head around open-plan office space and those waist-height cubicles. Yes, your hive of corporate activity looks wonderful photographed from seven different angles; prominently displayed on your enterprises website. Oh and let’s not forget about the collaboration! But what’s the cost? Stress-induced irritability, hostility towards creativity and productivity, anxiety and ongoing health issues. Oh wait, collaboration just flew out the window… Where am I going with this? Music. More specifically, metal. Pain have proved themselves inconsistent over the years and as with most things in life, with the good comes the bad.” Good pain, bad pain, you know we’ve had our share….

Skin Drone – Evocation Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on June 9, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Avante Garde, Bluntface Records, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, Reviews, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 16 comments

“Not to be confused with skindrone dot com (a website promoting “5 Proven Home Remedies for Seborrheic Dermatitis on the Scalp”), the Skin Drone of interest here turns out to be a tech-death group from Massachusetts/Arkansas. Formed by Bluntface Records founder Otto Kinzel, Skin Drone fuses traditional tech-death with blackish avante-garde—the latter flavorings being the most interesting.” Why isn’t there a band named Seborrheic?

Yer Metal is Olde: Samael – Passage

By Grymm on June 5, 2016 in Black Metal, Century Media, Industrial Metal, Swiss Metal, Yer Metal Is Olde, 39 comments

“1996 was a weird time for metal. That year many bands decided to abruptly switch logos on us, and whenever that happens, usually the music gets a lot more “creative” (i.e. tame) and a whole lot less metal. I remember seeing an ad for Samael’s Passage in an issue of Metal Maniacs and immediately got worried. Gone was the pentagram-infused logo and the Eric Vuille painting of Jesus with his crown of nails coming out of his head, and in their place was a logo that was fresh off of Microsoft Word and a picture of what appears to be the moon.” A bad moon was arising.

Crematory – Monument Review

By Steel Druhm on April 5, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, German Metal, Industrial Metal, Reviews, SPV Records, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 30 comments

“The reigning kings of techno/industrial/party death are back once again to pump up the volume and rock your boots n’ pants, boots n’ pants. On their 13th full length, Monument, Crematory sees some major line up changes but the kraut rockers pick right up where 2014s Antiserum left off. That means more poppy techno-death tailor-made for metallized strip clubs and sketchy back alley discos.” Boots n’ pants and boots n’ pants….

Danimal Cannon – Lunaria Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 15, 2016 in 2016, Epic Metal, Industrial Metal, Instrumental Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 57 comments

There is some absurd and crazy shit going on in the world of music. I must admit that, despite being a pretty eclectic guy, my dedication to Angry Metal Guy has made me a little myopic. I focus on a lot of what lands in my promo box and don’t get a lot of output from the outside. Therefore, I’d missed that there is a growing 8-bit music scene developing. Back in the day I thought it was awesome that my buddy made a Nintendocore band called Totally Radd! and we all had a great time with it (including his ridiculously epic cover of “Hallowed Be Thy Name” which works a hell of a lot better than you’d expect as an 8-bit track). But that was 2003 and this is 2016. I have been trapped listening to metal’s own versions of Nostalgiacore™—re-thrash, retro-doom, the Nostalgia Wave of British Heavy Metal™, old school death metal, old school black metal, old school old school metal. But there’s a whole other world out there, folks! Filled with other nostalgia that I also like. Enter Danimal Cannon.

Spektr – The Art to Disappear Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 27, 2016 in 2016, Agonia Records, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, French Metal, Industrial Metal, Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Industrial Metal, 27 comments

“I first came across the nightmarish raptures of Spektr in 2006 with Near Death Experience. That album was perhaps the most unsettling record in my music collection at the time, and served to worsen my already-horrific insomnia. Since then I’ve been captivated by every one of Spektr’s disturbing soundtracks.” To sleep, perchance to scream?

Yer Metal Is Olde: Fear Factory – Demanufacture

By Grymm on November 8, 2015 in American Metal, Industrial Metal, Roadrunner, Yer Metal Is Olde, Industrial Metal, 59 comments

“As a burgeoning metalhead, I was stuck between three worlds: the moshability of hardcore, the relentless speed and savagery of death metal, and the morose, downtrodden danciness of goth music.” And then Demanufacture happened.

Killing Joke – Pylon Review

By Grymm on October 26, 2015 in 2015, English Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Spinefarm, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, 135 comments

“Many older bands, once established, will eventually coast by just on their name alone. Sure, they’ll cut a new album every few years, but it never lives up to their influential works of yesteryear. It’s often an excuse to go out on the road, play nothing but the classics, and bring home the money while also hocking wares that have nothing to do with the band’s original intent. England’s Killing Joke, however, are a unique beast.” The Joke is on you!

Author & Punisher – Melk En Honing Review

By Alex Franquelli on July 2, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Doom Metal, Housecore records, Industrial Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Industrial Metal, 6 comments

“As far as we know, futurist music is no more. One of the last attempts to resuscitate the arthritic soul of the clanging artistic mechanism in the rock and metal community was probably Mike Patton’s Pranzo Oltranzista, but the year was 1997 and I was almost two decades younger. In the meantime, neither the likes of John Zorn or Elliott Sharp have ever contributed to the reiteration of that crime against common sense that was immortalised on Marinetti’s Manifest of Futurism in 1909. Too abstract and complex, their art; too prudent and astute their approach, contemporary artists have been neglecting pure noise for over 50 years.” Confused? That must mean Alex is back to confound and bewilder.

The Monolith Deathcult – Bloodcvlts Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 5, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Dutch Metal, Industrial Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 15 comments

“One visit to The Monolith Deathcult’s website or Facebook page and you’ll instantly have the same problem I do when trying to take these guys seriously. I mean, come on. If you met me in a bar and I was holding a baseball bat, outfitted in atrocious sunglasses, and sucking on a cigar, you’d be looking to trade me for the lead man of Bad Guys as your designated wingman, and rightly so.” No one’s getting lucky tonight.