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JJ's Bizarre Blog #39 - The Industrial Revolution and its Consequences
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Salutations, everyone! Hope everything is chugging along well for you on this mid-October day. I have constructed a most exciting topic for you this time. Tell me, do you like dancing to catchy techno beats? Do you also like reading about dark dystopian nightmares and science fiction? Do you like dense atmospheric ambience and/or the heavy sounds of machinery at work? Well, all of this and more await you in this next topic. For anyone that has been following along with my blogs thus far may have noticed a repeating pattern cropping up again and again and that is industrial music. Well, as much as I loved it, I hadn’t really plunged deep enough into this mechanical sphere – until now that is. So come with me as we explore the true depths of one of the most unique and influential musical movements, both its electronic and metal varieties and how the bold musical machinations from brilliant outsiders on the fringes of society changed the world – welcome to the industrial revolution!
Industrial is a very broad term that is hard to define, but in general it goes like this – it’s a style that mixes a lot of aspects of techno music and other electronic styles with some of the core tenets of rock (in particular punk in the early years) that seeks to create a sound that is abrasive, aggressive, atmospheric, but also catchy, danceable and fun. What the songs lean towards varies wildly from artist to artist as you will soon find out. Common traits include the heavy use of synthesizers, effects, miscellaneous sound from machinery and gratuitous sampling, both from music and other media like film or TV. Traditional instruments are often absent, but if they aren’t they are often played in non-traditional and experimental ways (for example instead of strumming a guitar, musicians might hit it like a percussion instrument). Vocals, if there are any, are usually passed through tons of filters, effects and vocoders to make them sound unnatural. The lyrics I would say split into two camps – technological or transgressive. They either explore vast sci-fi topics befitting of such a tech-focused genre or they delve into the darkest corners of the human spirit. Or a mixture of both, always remaining counter-cultural by design.
While the early development of the genre is hazy at best, it truly began with British experimentalists Throbbing Gristle in the mid-70s. A wild and weird bunch by any metric, TG sought to forgo any traditional musical approach and just used samples of machines, home appliances, computer effects and heavily distorted instruments and vocals to create bleak and enveloping experiences that at times barely resemble music. It’s truly hard to put into words. They are also credited with coining the genre’s name, by giving their first album Second Annual Report the tagline “Industrial music for Industrial people” and releasing it through their own label, appropriately called Industrial Records. It’s insane to think that an album as experimental as this was released all the way back in 1977. It was groundbreaking to say the least.
Another pioneer would be the eccentric German bunch Einstürzende Neubauten. Legend has it that they wanted to be a traditional rock band, but they were so strapped for cash that they had to sell all of their instruments. But instead of giving up, they made their early albums by recording household appliances, power tools, clashing pots and pans, office equipment and whatever else they had on hand and then mixing that into a harsh and aggressive mechanical sound. Limitations breed creativity as they say.
From then on, the late 70s and 80s proved the first big wave of industrial as various artists all over the world started experimenting with the ideas of heavily distorted synth sounds and various samples to create this bleak new sound. A lot of them didn’t stray far from the genre’s techno roots though and never missed an opportunity for a catchy tune worthy of a nightclub dancefloor.
From the very beginning, variety and diversity were a core aspect of industrial and it was always tough to put all these bold creators under one roof. And it seemed like you can pull from any outside influence you like to create a new iteration of the style! The children of technology are varied and individualistic.
For specifics, if you want a more synthpop oriented catchy sound, try some of the club classics of Belgian project Front 242. Probably one of the more approachable ways to delve into the realms of industrial. They show that even as society crumbles, there’s always time to party!
If this Front isn’t to your tastes, try the other one – Front Line Assembly from Vancouver! Formed by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, they were among the prototypes of the beat driven and techno/EBM influenced movement within industrial, their music driven by delicious synth lines, distorted vocals and plenty of samples. With some of the most iconic albums ever and countless club bangers under their belt, they provide ample tracks of dystopian technocratic futures that never fail to make you wanna move!
For a different vibe, try the Acid twins. For a more aggressive, synth-rich and vibe-heavy sound with lyrics about some very off-colour topics, check out Velvet Acid Christ. Their songs are dark and brooding, but amazingly addictive. For a different approach, check out Lords of Acid, presenting even more unsavory lyrics about the most uncouth topics imaginable, all over some of the catchiest industrial techno tracks ever conceived! If this doesn’t belong in a cyberpunk nightclub, I don’t know what does!
Going into the 1980s, the industrial rock movement was taking shape. Very similar to the pure electronic movement that preceded it, this style sought to infuse the abrasive mechanical core of industrial with a more rock-oriented sound and a renewed focus on guitar as a somewhat leading instrument. The pioneers of this genre and by far the biggest band in all of industrial are Trent Reznor’s unwavering Nine Inch Nails. They are the perfect representation of the vast diversity within this movement. They are sometimes catchy, sometimes atmospheric, sometimes heavy enough to be metal, sometimes soft enough to be a rock ballad. The common denominator is the unfiltered experimentation and imagination when it comes to the instruments and sounds used, as well as Reznor’s iconic sorrowful vocals. NIИ are certified legends and a massive name for a reason!
The other band we need to talk about that helped kickstart industrial rock are Vancouver titans Skinny Puppy (the same city as FLA from earlier, in fact Bill Leeb is a former member of Skinny Puppy!). Easily one of the most influential industrial acts of all time, every record they’ve made is a new iteration of a dystopian hellscape that is presented in a disgustingly catchy and earwormy manner that just gets stuck in your head immediately. It feels like dancing in the middle of a crumbling wartorn city. And yet you can’t stop. Combine the unique and enthralling music by the brilliant cEvin Key with their mesmerizing live shows courtesy of the manic croak and enchanting stage presence of frontman Nivek Ogre, Skinny Puppy propelled industrial to new heights, while also becoming icons and inspirations for the emerging goth movement.
From then on, many other industrial rock acts took the world by storm, showing what rock would sound like if all you had was a computer, some twisted ideas and boundless creative juices. A special mention has to go to the supergroup Pigface, which contained, at one point or another, members of almost every band mentioned in this blog. No, I’m not kidding, look it up!
Of course, where you mine rock, metal isn’t far behind and in the late 80s, industrial metal was forged as the key sub-movement within the greater industrial landscape. It’s mostly defined by a heavier sound, harsh vocals and the use of guitar as the main instrument, playing some very recognizable percussive distorted riffs that sound like a dancing machine gun. One of the earliest forerunners of this would be British duo Godflesh. After inventing grindcore as a founding member of the legendary Napalm Death, guitarist Justin Broadrick swerved into a completely different sound. Teaming up with living subwoofer G.C. Green, the mighty Godflesh were created. Driven by bonecrushing riffs, programmed drums, distorted synth sounds and gratuitous effects, all accompanied by Broadrick’s aggressive repeating vocals. They also have the most disgusting bass tone ever heard in music, so metallic and powerful that it feels like your cranium is getting crushed by a hydraulic press. Combine this with bleak, poetic lyricism and a strong visual identity and Godflesh would become the nexus point for generations of future musicians.
The other groundbreaking act would be born overseas and would be the bombastic Al Jourgensen’s Ministry. Starting out as a synthpop/new wave band with charming songs about love, Ministry quickly took a turn down the left-hand assembly line and transformed into an angry and destructive industrial metal project with dark politically charged lyricism. Even more guitar driven than Godflesh, Ministry showed that you can easily mosh to industrial and they greatly helped merge the metal and electronic crowds into one. Jourgensen’s distorted raspy screech laid over these computer beats and brutal guitar riffs was a recipe for beautiful disaster and it was every bit as good as you’d expect!
Even farther away from electronic, we find the most metal kings of the industrial plant, that being the riff Gods known as Fear Factory. I won’t go into more details, I already have a whole blog about them, but needless to say, FF have changed the course of metal forever. Taking their death metal roots, mixing them with the punchy, percussive riffage and dystopian Blade Runner-esque lyricism of Godflesh and Ministry, adding a heaping dose of synths and samples courtesy of Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly fame and you have the “metal of the future” as they’ve been called. They have inspired the riffing style and varied vocals of modern metal and their influence is clearly felt to this day. They also showed metalheads that they shouldn’t be shy to put some electronic elements in their mosh anthems if that tickles their fancy.
From this, countless younger bands, from the 90s till today, would spread their cybernetic wings and bring their own flavour of industrial metal to the fray. Any corner of the globe, any subgenre of metal, any vibe, any feeling.
Like in the old days, variety is the name of the game around here and nobody is shy to experiment and develop something new. You can even do what my favourite boys from Mechina (already covered, hint hint) and take Fear Factory’s sound and make it full on symphonic and infinitely more epic, contributing to the poorly defined but definitely cool sounding sub-movement known as cyber metal.
Naturally, nu metal became a massive sensation in the 90s and early 2000s and since that genre was based on mixing metal with outside influences, including electronic, the overlap was natural and some of the most massive artists within the nu metal sphere, such as my favourite band of all time Static-X, were manufactured in the factories of industrial metal. It’s weird to think that Rammstein and the ensuing Neue Deutsche Härte movement in Germany probably wouldn’t exist without Throbbing Gristle playing some old tapes in weird ways and Einstürzende Neubauten banging some pots and pans together, but it’s true!
From here on out, countless artists would take their own spin on the genre that may or may not fit into any established framework. Norwegian-American maniacs Combichrist would become the centerpiece of the mighty and potent aggrotech movement, using harsh distorted noises, heavy synths and a banging electro-industrial rhythm to create destructive yet danceable anthems that have made them a global sensation. They are among the newer frontrunners of modern industrial and take full advantage of the ability to pull from the vast influences of all their forebearers that I’ve mentioned thus far.
The same can be said for the massive explosion of popularity of California trio HEALTH (NO LOWERCASE ALLOWED AROUND HERE). Their discography alone is just as varied as the entire genre itself. Some songs are riff-driven industrial metal slugfests. Others are heavy and bopping club bangers. Others still are just opaque symphonies of biomechanical noises. HEALTH are an eclectic and diverse experience of dissonant rhythms and melodies, spinning like a hurricane around the calm and mellow vocals of their frontman, as if he’s sitting meditatively in the eye of this storm. A seemingly overnight success, HEALTH have become ubiquitous and have cemented themselves as the new torch bearers of modern industrial music, celebrated in all its variety.
But if all of their variety is not enough, try French computer virtuoso The Algorithm. Combining industrial songwriting eccentricity with varied electronic influences and layering them over hard hitting djenty riffs, his musical diversity is so vast, a whole blog was necessary to explore it. Needless to say, he proves that the potential for growth and experimentation within the greater industrial realm is far from exhausted!
Of course, it wouldn’t be one of my blogs if I didn’t take any opportunity to talk about video game soundtracks and this is yet another fitting opportunity to do so. After all, industrial is all about bleak dystopian landscapes and cyberpunk technocracy, this fits plenty of games so perfectly that the marriage between the two is just a match made in digital heaven. Besides, many of the aforementioned bands like NIИ, FLA, Skinny Puppy, HEALTH, Combichrist and more have contributed music for video games at one point or another, so it was a very natural progression. Australian legend Mick Gordon has introduced a whole new generation to not just metal but industrial music in general with his rage filled biomechanical djent riffs across many games, most notably in the iconic Doom franchise. Meanwhile, thanks to Cyberpunk 2077, electro-industrial tunes of many varieties are more in vogue than ever. If there are big machines, cyborgs, robots, warfare, aliens or space travel involved, it would be woefully incomplete without some industrial bangers to accompany it.
The King of all of this though and the final specimen I want to examine is the Machine God Frank Klepacki. Rising to fame with the Command and Conquer series, Frank is the master of all things industrial. Some tracks are very riff-driven and heavy, channeling a Rammstein sound years before that band was even formed. Others are ambient and atmospheric, the perfect backdrop to a high-tech battlefield in ruins. When it comes to songs of giant war machines clashing against each other, nobody does it better!
Frank even has several solo albums not associated with games and there, he only shows even greater prowess across the entire spectrum of the sound. I can confidently say, Frank is probably the reason I got into industrial music so early on and he continues to be a favourite to this day!
So there you go, industrial music at its finest! It’s really neat to think how all these outcast experimentalists managed to create such unique sounds and revolutionize popular music in so many ways. Who knew that squeezing a computer until it says “Ouch” and then sampling and distorting the ouches into music accompanied by guitars getting slammed against tumble driers could create such a vast influence! And it’s equally as fascinating to observe how the outcasts of the electronic sphere and the outcasts of the metal sphere came together to create this common sound that takes elements of everything to craft this new mechanical brew! Who knows what other lovely horrors this genre might have in store?
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In any case, wrap it up and prepare for shipping. I hope I inspired you to also explore this amazing movement. As I said many times, the most key aspect to me is the variety. Regardless if you want droning ambience to put you into the zone, killer guitar riffs to screw your neck off to or some disco worthy synth-driven party anthems to dance till your heart stops, industrial has you covered! Just like a nightclub, it looks dark and murky, but it’s a blast to be in and the party never stops! So go out there and mechanize your life! Stay sharp and see you again soon!
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