The term Industrial Music was first described in 1976 after a group Throbbing Gristle felt the need to create a label known as Industrial Records with the tagline, Industrial Music for Industrial People. This set the scene for a completely new genre of music that we know understand as Industrial or Industrial Metal.
Industrial music often incorporates sounds similar to factory work with clattering percussions, electrical noises that almost appear to sear your ear and so on. The music almost has a sinister theme to it, and while it may have horrified the English crowd at the time, it has now become a much-respected genre in the music industry. If anything, Industrial music can be credited to the uprising of Metal as a genre as well.
Initially, industrial music had its roots in the transgender and queer community, however, it soon started to become a medium for straight males to express their anger. Towards the 80s and 90s, industrial started turning mainstream due to the efforts of bands like Nine Inch Nails and so on. We will now list a number of Industrial Albums that we consider to truly reflect the genre at its finest.
- If we are going to be making a list, then Sacred Bones’ most famous record Abandon needs to be mentioned. A 2013 release that managed to tingle the hearts of many purists. Margaret Chariet, the face of the band, actually chose not to promote her album on social media at all, a truly gutsy move, and this only helped to attract more purists her way.
- Controlled Bleeding by Artoffact is 1985 classic that features power electronics. The record is recognized for its haunting music which includes murky and harsh noises, followed by an equally disturbing album cover. If anything, it served as a blueprint for a lot of other bands who joined the scene later on.
- Lords of Acid, a 1991 band was not originally known for its industrial music. If anything, their music used to be a bit more upbeat. However, their 1994 track Voodoo-U was a drastic shift from their normal music and can be best described as nothing less than terrifying. Screeching vocals, sudden breakbeats, and heavy keyboard added to the creepy factor.
- Pleasure Ground by Prurient is a 2006 release which can be considered to be one of those pieces that best represent everything the Industrial genre stands for. There are four long pieces in the entire mix, but each mix is hauntingly beautiful, and you will find yourself mesmerized by the howls, the shouts, and the rumbling noises throughout each track. The music can be described as obscure, yet haunting at the same time.
- It might sound unnatural to being hip hop and industrial together, but Clipping introduced industrial hip-hop with their album Splendor and Misery. It still retains the noisy and eerie sound that is characteristic of Industrial music, yet at the same time, the album also features an afro-futurist beat featuring a gospel choir.