A Hundred Albums? Part 2
| Written by: | Darkside Momo |
| Published: | July 15, 2017 |
Hi all!
One month later (wait, already?), here's the second blog post of my A Hundred Albums series.
I went roughly thematic this time, with an array of sounds that were only hinted at last month while they sure represent quite a part of my listening pleasures. So here are ten albums belonging to, or bordering, electro and / or industrial music (and obviously most are metal, or have a link with it
). As before, they're listed in the order I discovered them.Oh, BTW, we'll have more on this kind of sound in future posts (that's obvious some albums are missing right here...
)... Meanwhile, enjoy!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten albums, part two: electro and/or indus (metal)
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Ten albums, part two: electro and/or indus (metal) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Treponem Pal - Higher (1997) Discovered thanks to a listening pod in a record store. Back then, I was only listening to metal - heavy, thrash, plus Skyclad, and just a tiny wee bit of punk), and all things electro were lumped in my head with the horrendous (euro)dance that was all the rage at the time. So, imagine the surprise when I first heard this kind of heavily electronic sound (and really heavy, as in dub-heavy, bass)... and found I liked it! Ow shit  Even if I don't listen to Higher that much now, I still enjoy it and will always remember that it opened a whole new musical world for me... Link: here's "Cyberfreak", the album's opener, on YouTube. |  |
 | Samael - Passage (1996) I certainly don't listen to that much Samael anymore - somehow, with the exception of a few songs here and there, they bore me now. But then, there's Passage. It's still black metal, and the electro / indus part is not as cold and sterile as it is on its follow-up Eternal. Yep, they achieved perfect balance on this one, and songs like "My Saviour", "Born Under Saturn" or "Chosen Race" still are some of my all-times favs... Link: there's a YouTube stream here. |
| Morgoth - Odium (1993) I reviewed it, I staff-picked it, so I guess you know by now how much I love this industrial death metal album ...(on a side note, something tells me we'll see Morgoth again in the future  )Link: A YouTube full stream of the remastered version. |  |
 | Killing Joke - Pandemonium (1994) That's a classic - oh well, Killing Joke did record quite a few of those. But what makes Pandemonium so special - apart that it was my first foray into KJ's great discography - is that it somehow has it all : the tribal rythms, the creepiness ("Exorcism", anyone?), the agression ("Whiteout"), and even a surprisingly luminous side ("Communion") on a heavy, somber whole. It's indeed a great go-to album to discover the band; and while I overplayed it a bit, it has this special aura that keeps it apart of the others and makes me come back to it over and over again... Link: another fan upload on YouTube |
| S.U.P - Imago (2005) While not industrial per se, Spherical Unit Provided (that's the name they used after putting Supuration on hiatus, as the sound changed - no death metal anymore) do use a lot of electronic sounds and moods in their music. This time, Imago is about the transformation of a man into a butterfly after he took a very special drug. Creepy as fuck, weird, varied, and hugely inspiring to the point that I used this a basis for a pen-and-paper RPG campaign... And that instrumental closer "Imago"... Just wow. Link: "Insect Drug", "Hybrid State", and "Imago", all on You Tube. |  |
 | Frontline Assembly - Artificial Soldier (2006) FLA might be the most well-known band of all that EBM scene, and I sure have a certain fondness for them. But, while I certainly outgrew Millenium - my first Front Line Assembly album, with Devin Townsend himself as guest, and that awesome "Search & Destroy"... - I still come back regularly to this Artificial Soldier. It only boasts some of the greatest FLA tunes ever, but seriously... the copter sound at the beginning of the album just reminds me so much of the Ghost In The Shell - Stand Alone Complex series, that one can't do more awesomely cyberpunk-ish than that ! (and yes, I kinda love cyberpunk stuff) Link: once again... Youtube |
| Ulver - Perdition City (2000) Took me a few listens to get in that minimalistic Perdition City (you know, the 'too mellow' argument). But once the mood really settled in, OMG. I immediately adopted it for one of the universes I created (see Disillusion's Gloria in a future post), and it found its spot in that special place for albums that are played only sparingly, but lovingly, when you're in the right mood... Link: as usual, YouTube is the place to go. |  |
 | Chrome Hoof - Crush Depth (2010) Now that was a surprising listen (I think it was thanks to Introspekrieg that I discovered them so thanks dude)! This electro / disco / rock / whatever album is varied to the point of being quite a mindfuck at times (gods I love that!). It's a fantastic collection of songs with a lot of different moods and atmospheres (just for fun, compare... let's say, "Sea Hornet" with "Towards Zero" - and that's just an example). It's so inspiring that I have an idea of a story where at least one of the tracks would provide a perfect soundtrack  Link: another unofficial upload on YouTube |
| Vortech - The Occlusion (2014) I've always had a soft spot for Vortech - since Wasteland, actually - so this Front Line Assembly-heavy take on their industrial death metal sound was sure to appeal to me - especially when the songs are that good! And while I sometimes miss the growls (that came back afterwards), I still consider The Occlusion to be their best album... or at the very least my favourite of theirs. By far! Link: Bandcamp |  |
 | The Algorithm - Brute Force (2016) Sure, I knew of The Algorithm before. But there's no doubt Brute Force is the most mature, varied, and successful fusion of metal and electro Rémi Gallego did until now. And songs like "Userspace" and "Shellcode" are beyond awesome. Link: Bandcamp |
Previously...
And next: Part three: Extremities, Dirt, And Various Repressed Emotions
To be continued...
 | Written on 15.07.2017 by Once your regular Hellfest reporter, now retired. I (strangely enough) listen to a lot of metal. And enjoy good beers, comics, novels and role-playing games. |
Comments
Comments: 18
Visited by: 285 users
| Karlabos Posts: 5736  |
I'm liking that Chrome Hoof so far. Kinda sounds like avantgarde metal
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089  |
Written by Karlabos on 16.07.2017 at 05:08 It's indeed quite WTF-y but almost without the metal (sure there's some - did I mention the band was founded by Cathedral's Leo Smee and his brother?)Anyway, glad you like it!
---- My Author's Blog (in French)  "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| Typ Posts: 23 |
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by Typ on 16.07.2017 at 12:50 You're welcome! Thanks for reading!
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7345  |
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by nikarg on 17.07.2017 at 21:40  thanks! (also: moar beers!)but you should check some others in this list if you haven't already - I'm thinking Ulver, for example 
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7345 |
Written by Darkside Momo on 17.07.2017 at 22:51 I plan to I was also thinking of giving Perdition City another chance (it's been ages since I heard it), because I like The Assassination Of Julius Caesar a lot. It's my favourite non-metal album this year.
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by nikarg on 17.07.2017 at 23:02 Haven't listened to this one yet, but I really think Perdition City is way above everything they've done after it (with the exception of Blood Inside, which is really different - and not really well-liked in general)
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| thenormalone Posts: 5 |
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by thenormalone on 04.08.2017 at 05:19 No need to be hesitant! If you don't like it, just close the bandcamp window and that's all - I mean, you're not forced to like it or anything, and the most important think in this case imo is the willingness to try and explore - which you do seem to have, so that's great! After that, well, like it or not is all a matter of tastes (and to a lesser extant listening habits, but that's another matter )As for recommendations: - Obviously, Fear Factory: with either Demanufacture or Obsolete you just can't go wrong; the recent ones (MEchanize onwards) are decent too - If you want to try Vortech, check their latest ...Of What Remains, which is more metal than The Occlusion (grunts are back!) - For less extreme stuff, there are bands like Neurotech or Minority Sound (among others) - About Killing Joke: If you haven't already, try the 2003 eponymous album - And Ulver... Well Perdition City is pretty unique. As said in an earlier comment, I really love Blood Inside too, but this is a really different beast. Not metal either, but it's much more harsh and abrasive and uses at times elements of concrete music and other avant-gardish stuff Hope that'll help! And thanks for reading!
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15287  |
Great calls with Ulver and Samael - love both those albums. Killing Joke was pretty good as well, though that never clicked with me. Might look into others when not catching up with the current year.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by BitterCOld on 07.08.2017 at 01:27 About Killing Joke, I'm sure the rest of their varied discography holds something that might appeal to you As for the rest, I suppose you'll find find some to your tastes... but not all Anyway, thanks for reading!
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| thenormalone Posts: 5 |
Quote: Thanks a lot! Will definitely check! I haven't heard obsolete so maybe I can start with that but didn't like demanufacture. As for killing joke I like them a lot but I am more partial to their earlier stuff even though their eponymous 2003 album has some killer songs! Thanks again!
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by thenormalone on 08.08.2017 at 07:01 You're welcome! (also, if you didn't like Demanufacture, I'm not sure you'll like Obsolete either, even if it's a bit more varied)
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| fenchik Posts: 123 |
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by fenchik on 04.09.2017 at 00:28 Yeah, and while they had some ups and downs, all their discography is interesting. Thanks for reading!
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| Karlabos Posts: 5736 |
Man I need to thank you again fro Chrome Hoof. Their stuff is ridiculously good. Not only that album but the others as well
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9089 |
Written by Karlabos on 07.01.2018 at 01:22 You're welcome! I must say, however, than I've been a bit disappointed by Chrome Black Gold...
---- My Author's Blog (in French) "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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