Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Zorro - "'Arrods Don't Sell 'Em" [1979]

Artist: Zorro
Title: 'Arrods Don't Sell 'Em
Genre: Punk, New Wave, NWOBHM
Country: UK
Release date: 1979

Track List:
  1. Arrods Don't Sell 'em
  2. Soldier Boy
  3. Starfight
Speaking of late 1970s' British bands with awesome names, there was a band called Zorro whose only 7'' titled "Arrods Don't Sell 'Em" was featured on the site of the Vibrations of Doom zine about a decade ago, with a side note: "What the hell Arrods are?" (I think it's Harrods). I thought such a brilliantly named band couldn't be bad, and their 7'' didn't disappoint me. Yes, it doesn't have much to do with metal, even if it's commonly categorized as NWOBHM ("A lot of 80's UK rock and AOR bands got lumped into the NWOBHM category, even if they weren't metal" - metal-archives.com FAQ). It's rather melodic punk with some early NWOBHM influences and lots of keyboards, but anyway, all 3 songs are very catchy and definitely worth checking out.

A brief band history from one of Zorro's former members, taken from YouTube comments:

"...the band was formed in 1976 by Terry Bunting guitar, Jon Kirk Drums, Mark newman Vox, and me, Kevin Longman Bass and vox. we were joined in 1977 by Dave Galen Littlewood on Keys, Jon left in 1977 and was replaced by Fritz Wright . Mark quit in late 77 and Dave Smith joined on vox. Ricci joined us in late 78 following the departure of Fritz and gave us our most successful line up. sadly financial and other pressures led to the departure of me and Terry in 1979, at which point Alan and Ronnie joined to replace us. Starfight was written by the whole band shortly after a 1977 New Years Eve gig in Ipswich prior to which the band went to see Star Wars and were blown away. Arrod Dont Sell Em was written by The two daves and Alan, soldier Boy is a cover. Quick hi to sandra keith and sharon, the gigs we had at the king willie were some of the most fun we had especially F.A. Cup night 1978 when Ipswich won, amazing crowd there, not bad for a band from Norwich!"

The Homosexuals - s/t [2004]

Artist: The Homosexuals
Title: The Homosexuals' CD
Genre: Post-Punk, Art-Punk
Country: UK
Release date: 2004

Track List: 
  1. My Night Out
  2. Technique Street
  3. Vociferous Slam
  4. Soft South Africans (Slow)
  5. Neutron Lover
  6. A Million Keys
  7. Naming Of Parts
  8. Kiss With Venom
  9. Divorce Proceedings (From Reality)
  10. Hearts In Exile
  11. All About Cheap
  12. Soft South Africans (Fast)
  13. False Sentiments
  14. Mecho Madness
  15. Astral Glamour
  16. The Birds Have Risen
  17. Collapsible You
  18. Snapshots Of Nairobi
  19. Hearts In Exile (45 Version)
  20. Walk Before Imitate
  21. Still Living In My Car
"The Homosexuals (and they were beaten up for it too), existed in London squatland from 1972, and recorded mostly to mono cassettes for themselves and friends. Hardly releasing anything in their lifetime, except a couple of singles and an e.p. between 1978 and 1982; this record collects the releases and selected highlights from the bucketload of cassettes they recorded... Their angular guitars, complex melodies, and experimental leanings distanced them somewhat from the punk rock being created by their contemporaries, and has now cemented them as uk DIY legends. So much so that they(Bruno Wizard and backing band!) have now reformed and are touring"

I personally have discovered this band through last.fm (and judging from the shoutbox there, a lot of people are still upset by their name, lol). Leaving aside their name, their music is actually quite interesting, and indeed sets them apart from the mass of other British post-punk bands that emerged during the late 1970s.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Mindless Self Indulgence - "You'll Rebel to Anything" [2005]

Artist: Mindless Self Indulgence
Title: You'll Rebel to Anything
Genre: Industrial Rock, Synthpunk
Country: USA
Release date: 2005

Track List:
  1. Shut Me Up
  2. 1989
  3. Straight to Video
  4. Tom Sawyer (Rush cover)
  5. You'll Rebel to Anything (As Long As It's Not Challenging)
  6. What Do They Know?
  7. Stupid MF
  8. 2 Hookers and an Eightball
  9. Prom
  10. Bullshit
I've posted the 2003 MSI EP yesterday, and today I decided to post their (probably) best-known album which is also one of my favourites in their discography (at least, the opening song is easily the best MSI track ever). It's a bit too short (under 25 minutes) for a full-length album, but still much more lengthy than "Despierta Los Niños". These two releases are the best of MSI in my opinion (and to be honest, I wouldn't have much interest in MSI at all if they didn't have recorded them).

The Epoxies - "Stop The Future" [2005]

Artist: The Epoxies
Title: Stop The Future
Genre: Synthpunk
Country: USA
Release date: 2005

Track List: 
  1. Radiation
  2. This Day
  3. Synthesized
  4. Robot Man
  5. Wind Me Up
  6. Everything Looks Beautiful on Video
  7. Stop the Future
  8. Struggle Like No Other
  9. No Interest
  10. You Kill Me
  11. At the Seams
  12. It's You
  13. Toys
The Epoxies were a electropunk band from Portland that gained considerable popularity in mid-2005s. I stumbled upon this album in 2007 (if my memory serves me right) and immediately loved it. This album is more on the pop side of things that most of the albums in the "punk" section of my blog, but I don't see a problem with it; nearly all the songs are very cathchy, with pleasant female vocals. The band themselves describe their style as "robot garage rock".

"The group's music is a novel synthesis of punk rock and new wave but their lyrics are strictly focused on science fiction themes, Atomic Age futurism, alienation and consumerism. Robots, androids, clones and nuclear weapons all figure prominently in the Epoxies' lyrics... They were known for using special effects for their live act and sporting home-made costumes, sometimes made mostly of duct tape" (Wikipedia)

Mindless Self Indulgence - "Despierta Los Niños" [2003]

Artist: Mindless Self Indulgence
Title: Despierta Los Niños
Genre: Industrial Rock, Synthpunk
Country: USA
Release date: 2003

Track List: 
  1. Wack!
  2. Brooklyn Hype (Part One)
  3. Capitol P
  4. Molly (Live)
  5. Alienating Our Audience
  6. Joke
I hope MSI don't need much introduction, and here's my favourite release of theirs, which is: "Tour-only EP featuring fan favorites "Wack!" and "Capitol P" - currently out of print" (per bandcamp description). Extremely short but with higher density of catchy tracks than any other MSI album. By the way, I can't resist the temptation to post the comment which I found on YoyTube under the video with this EP: "Im putting this as background music for a presentation in English class about punks. Hope the teacher doesnt pay attention to the lyrics".

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Throbbing Gristle - "20 Jazz Funk Greats" [1979]

Artist: Throbbing Gristle
Title: 20 Jazz Funk Greats
Genre: Industrial, Electronic
Country: UK
Release date: 1979

Track List: 
  1. 20 Jazz Funk Greats
  2. Beachy Head
  3. Still Walking
  4. Tanith
  5. Convincing People
  6. Exotica
  7. Hot On The Heels Of Love
  8. Persuasion
  9. Walkabout
  10. What A Day
  11. Six Six Sixties
"20 Jazz Funk Greats" is probably the best known Throbbing Gristle album, and it isn't hard to understand why: the music on this one is more accessible to an unexperienced listener compared to their earlier works (especially "The Second Annual Report", which basically was poorly recorded outsider music/noise, with all respect to its historical value), and even its cover doesn't feature anything scary (unless you know that this photo was actually taken at a popular suicide spot).

I wonder how many people have bought this album just because of its title and cover, and what they thought after listening to it... 20? No. Jazz? No. Funk? No. Great? It definitely is, but an average jazz/funk listener in late 70s might think otherwise.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Throbbing Gristle - "The First Annual Report Of Throbbing Gristle" [1975]

Artist: Throbbing Gristle
Title: The First Annual Report Of Throbbing Gristle
Genre: Industrial, Noise
Country: UK
Release date: 1975

Track List: 
  1. Very Friendly
  2. Dead Bait
  3. 10 Pence
  4. Whorle Of Sound
  5. Final Muzak
  6. Scars Of E
Those who aren't deeply familiar with the history of Throbbing Gristle often ask: "Why did they name their debut album "The Second Annual Report", and where's the first one?" Well, here it is, and I personally like it much more than "The Second Annual Report". All the tracks on this album were recorded in 1975, but not released to the public until 1987 (unofficially, as "Very Friendly" bootleg) and 2001 (offically, under the current name).

"AllMusic called the album "a milestone in subversive music matched only by Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music". Pitchfork praised the album's originality, but gave it a low grade in terms of listenability.

AllMusic called the album "undeniably the most important advent in the roots of industrial music. [...] Practically every act within industrial music and its offshoots – be it Merzbow, Whitehouse, Ministry, Big Black or Godflesh – owes an incredible debt to the groundbreaking music of Throbbing Gristle."

Pitchfork, too, opined, "This record is essentially the birth of industrial music, packed with samples, abrasive, irregular beats, manipulated loops and Cosey Fanni Tutti's often unrecognizable guitar. Nurse with Wound, Cabaret Voltaire, Einstürzende Neubauten, Skinny Puppy, Controlled Bleeding and Acid Bath are just a few of the outfits that owe a huge debt to Throbbing Gristle's unrelenting assault" (Wikipedia)

While all the quotes above are much more applicable to TG's two later albums simply because this one was shown to the public too late, and therefore wasn't as influental, I still find it more interesting and listenable than most other TG recordings from the same period. One more thing about early TG that needs to be mentioned is their influence on the whole power electronics genre (and Whitehouse in particular).

Friday, April 22, 2016

Tarmvred - "Viva 6581" [2003]

Artist: Tarmvred
Title: Viva 6581
Genre: Rhythmic Noise, Chiptune
Country: Sweden
Release date: 2003

Track List: 
  1. 6
  2. 5
  3. 8
  4. 1
Jonas Johansson aka Tarmvred has released a couple of full-length albums in early 2000s, but he's known mostly for this particular EP, recorded in a collaboration with Jonas Hedberg. "Viva 6581" is one of the first rhythmic noise albums I've ever heard (it was almost a decade ago, when I discovered Noisebunker - probably the biggest industrial & noise blog at the time), and I still consider it to be one of the most interesting releases in the whole genre.

For the most part, "Viva 6581" was recorded using a MOS 6581 sound chip, which was featured in mid-80s computes such as Commodore 64 - so, the demoscene & retrocomputing enthusiasts might be interested in this EP too. Sadly, there were no news from Tarmvred since the time when I first heard "Viva 6581" (circa 2006), so I don't think we'll ever hear more from him...

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Rekengeluiden van PASCAL - The Oldest Dutch Computer Music Recording [1962]

Artist: Rekengeluiden van PASCAL
Title: The Oldest Dutch Computer Music Recording
Genre: Digital Noise, Chiptune
Country: Netherlands
Release date: 1962

An extremely interesting artifact of the era when all computers were large. It probably isn't the first example of computer-generated music, but surely one of the most relevant to my blog. A detailed description of it, along with a download link, can be found in the Irrlicht Project blog (an awesome resource for anyone interested in demoscene and code art, by the way):

"After a somewhat sluggish start the computer revolution is getting into full swing in the Netherlands. At the Natuurkundig Laboratorium in Eindhoven, Philips just completed their second computer, the Philips Akelig Snelle Calculator (Philips Frighteningly Fast Calculator), or short PASCAL.

The head of the NatLab at the time, a certain W. Nijenhuis, had the idea of installing a small amplifier and loudspeaker on the PASCAL, which would pick up radio frequency interference generated by the machine. Unsurprisingly, the usual course of events unfolds: While actually intended for diagnostic purposes, people quickly discovered that they could abuse the speaker to make simple music. But Mr Nijenhuis, rather than scolding his staff for the waste of precious calculation time, actually decides to record those rekengeluiden (computing noises) on a 45 rpm vinyl..."

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Lou Reed - "Metal Machine Music" [1975]

Artist: Lou Reed
Title: Metal Machine Music
Genre: Noise Rock
Country: USA
Release date: 1975

The famous "unlistenable" album by Lou Reed (R.I.P.), consisting of more than a hour of guitar noise. Reed himself has later stated that he has invented heavy metal with this album, and asserted that it was the ultimate conclusion of that genre. That said, while the word "metal" in the title does reflect the nature of the album (which indeed sounds like metallic, scrapping noise), it's very far from what the early metal bands (such as Black Sabbath) were playing at that time; on the other hand, "Metal Machine Music" was highly influental on industrial music, punk, and noise rock. MMM had been included in various lists of the "worst albums of all time" quite a lot of times, but I'm sure no one would raise an eyebrow if something like this was released by Merzbow or Boyd Rice, not Lou Reed.

MMM is said to be primarily influenced by the works of the Theatre Of Eternal Music, a mid-1960s neo-Dadaist sound art project associated with The Velvet Underground. I haven't heard any of their music yet, but it seems like they playing mostly minimalistic noise and drone. Speaking of drone: the top comment on Youtube for MMM says "This is just Sunn O))) high-pitched". Well, the music of Sunn O))) always was an inexhaustible source of jokes, but this time it worked especially well. Some of the other comments are spot on too, for example: "Sounds like something Dalek the rapper would sample, i can dig it".

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Kraftwerk - "Radio-Activity" [1975]

Artist: Kraftwerk
Title: Radio-Activity
Genre: Electronic
Country: Germany
Release date: 1975

Track List: 
  1. Geiger Counter
  2. Radioactivity
  3. Radioland
  4. Airwaves
  5. Intermission
  6. News
  7. The Voice of Energy
  8. Antenna
  9. Radio Stars
  10. Uranium
  11. Transistor
  12. Ohm Sweet Ohm
Bonus:
  1. Radioactivity (Single Edit)
  2. Antenna (Single Edit)
  3. Geiger Counter/Radioactivity (Live)
  4. Airwaves (Live)
  5. The Voice of Energy/Radio Stars/Ohm Sweet Ohm
While I'm at it, let's post my favourite album in the whole Kraftwerk discography (and one of my most favourite ones in general). It isn't quite as popular as "Autobahn" or "Die Mensch-Maschine" (which is understandable because it certainly sounds more experimental than these ones), but its influence on electronic music is undisputable.

In Dmitry "DMT" Tolmatsky's Industrial Culture FAQ, Kraftwerk, The Residents and Sand are mentioned as examples of bands which were "playing industrial before the industrial music scene even existed". Of course this album can't be put in the same category with "The Second Annual Report" by Throbbing Gristle which came out a couple of years later, but it does feature a lot of topics and sound techniques that later became commonplace in industrial music. It's a concept album dealing with everything that has to do with radiation, from α/β/γ-rays to harmless radio waves, and it personally touches me not only because I've studied all this stuff a lot during my university years, but also because it reflects the atmosphere of the "nuclear scare" that was prevalent during the Cold War years (and even during my early childhood).

Kraftwerk - "Kraftwerk II" [1971]

Artist: Kraftwerk
Title: Kraftwerk 2
Genre: Krautrock, Ambient
Country: Germany
Release date: 1971

Track List: 
  1. Klingklang
  2. Atem
  3. Strom
  4. Spule 4
  5. Wellenlänge
  6. Harmonika
The follow-up to the debut album of Kraftwerk was released on Philips in 1971 (some sources say 1972), and, like in the case with its predecessor, the musicians didn't bother to give it a title - so, nowadays it's known just as "Kraftwerk 2". It's much more meditative and hypnotic than the debut album, akin to the "Berlin school" of mid-70s krautrock (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schultze). This album can be seen as something in between with Kraftwerk's krautrock debur and their later electronic stuff ("Autobahn" etc.).

Kraftwerk - "Kraftwerk I" [1970]

Artist: Kraftwerk
Title: Kraftwerk
Genre: Krautrock
Country: Germany
Release date: 1970

Track List: 
  1. Ruckzuck
  2. Stratovarius
  3. Megaherz
  4. Vom Himmel Hoch
While Kraftwerkare best known for their electronic works of the 80s & late 70s, let't not forget that they started their musical career from playing psychedelic prog-rock in the vein of Faust and Can. Their debut self-titled album, released in 1970, is a prime example of this. Sadly it's a very overlooked release compared to their later works, and it even wasn't officially re-released on CD (at least according to Discogs, there was only one unofficial CD reissue). I understand there aren't many krautrock fans nowadays, but I still think this album deserves more recognition.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Kraftwerk - "Die Mensch-Maschine" [1978]

Artist: Kraftwerk
Title: Die Mensch-Maschine
Genre: Electronic, Techno
Country: Germany
Release date: 1978

Track List: 
  1. Die Roboter
  2. Spacelab
  3. Metropolis
  4. Das Model
  5. Neonlicht
  6. Die Mensch-Maschine
Bonus Tracks:
  1. Die Roboter (Single Edit)
  2. Spacelab (Single Edit)
  3. Neonlicht (Single Version)
  4. Die Mensch-Maschine (Remix)
  5. Die Mensch-Maschine (Album Edit)
  6. Das Model (Live)
This album might be not the most obvious choice to post on the Cosmonautics' Day, but it isn't completely unrelated either. Back in the time, it was considered one of the most futuristic and innovative recordings, not to mention being an immensely influental release on the early electronic (particularly synthpop) music scene. However, it's much more simplistic and accessible to an average listener than most earlier works by Kraftwerk, especially when it comes to the tracks like "Das Model".

The visual style of Kraftwerk as it was presented on the cover art of this album, primarily based on the aesthetics of constructivism, also had a great influence on the image of many later industrial and synthpop bands. Overall, this is an awesome classic albums that shouldn't be missed, especially if you're interested in sci-fi and transhumanist themes in art. I personally recommend this (original) version of "Die Mensch-Maschine", with most of the lyrics in German (and, at times, Russian). The Enghish versions of the same songs ("The Robots", "The Model", "Neon Lights" etc.) just don't have the same effect on me.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Die Krupps - "Stahlwerksynfonie (2 CD Remastered)" [2010]

Artist: Die Krupps
Title: Stahlwerksynfonie (2 CD Remastered)
Genre: Industrial
Country: Germany
Release date: 1981 (2010 re-release)

Track List: 

CD 1
  1. Stahlwerksymphonie Ur-Werk
  2. Stahlwerksymphonie A
  3. Stahlwerksymphonie B
CD 2
  1. Wahre Arbeit Wahrer Lohn
  2. Stahlbad
  3. Schmerz aus Eisen
  4. Diese Nacht
  5. Alles verbrennt
  6. Stahlwerksinfonie
The very first album of Die Krupps, recorded in 1981 and re-released in 2010 as a double CD, with addition of several live tracks recorded in Krefeld on June 6, 1981. The first CD, which contains the remastered version of the original album, sounds much less noisy than the albums of other classics of German industrial music - E.Neubauten - that were recorded circa the same time. In fact, it's clearly influenced by the krautrock scene of 1970s, and serves as a good illustration to these often overlooked roots of German industrial scene. The second CD, with the live tracks, is much more noisy and improvisation-based. Overall, this is one of my favourites in the whole Die Krupps' discography (I don't like their famous 90s' albums that much).

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Rome - "Coriolan" [2016]

Artist: Rome
Title: Coriolan
Genre: Neofolk, Post-Punk
Country: Luxembourg
Release date: 2016

Track List: 
  1. Investiture
  2. Make You A Sword Of Me
  3. Broken
  4. Fragments
  5. This Light Shall Undress All
  6. Corolian
  7. Der Krieg
  8. Funeratio
Jérôme Reuter's name is well familiar to the majority of modern fans of neofolk and martial industrial, since he's a founding member of one of the most original and successful neofolk bands of the late ~15 years: Rome. Their newest album, released just a couple of weeks ago, is titled "Coriolan" (apparently inspired by the Shakespeare's play "The Tragedy of Coriolanus"). Discogs.com lists it as a full album, but I think it rather belongs to the "Singles & EPs" section.

Like many other Rome albums, "Coriolan" is a concept work, and while it isn't a masterpiece, it's fairly enjoyable, especially if you're OK with Rome taking a post-punk direction on this one. My favourite album in Rome's discography is "Masse Mensch Material", and the least favourite is probably "Hell Money" (which many people found to be quite boring, but the follow-up "The Passage To Rhodesia" turned out to be much more interesting). For sure, "Coriolan" doesn't reach the level of "MMM", yet it isn't bad or boring either. Sadly, Rome don't use Bandcamp so I can't insert the player here (which would be quite convenient), but if you want to hear/download "Coriolan" - it's already posted on a lot of places, including dark-world.ru.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

dälek - "Asphalt For Eden" [2016]

Artist: dälek
Title: Asphalt For Eden
Genre: Industrial Hip-Hop
Country: USA
Release date: 2016

Track List:
  1. Shattered
  2. Guaranteed Struggle
  3. Masked Laughter (Nothing's Left)
  4. Critical
  5. 6bB
  6. Control
  7. It Just Is
Finally, after several year of waiting, a new full-length album of dälek is going to be out on April 22! Only two tracks off "Asphalt For Eden" were officially shown to the public yet, but the leaked copy of the whole album is alrealy available on P2P networks, and it sounds awesome. Maybe it's not up to the level of dälek's best album "Absence", yet certainly no worse than "Gutter Tactics".

"“Asphalt For Eden” sees a new creative peak for DÄLEK and will bring a new awareness for this cult hip-hop entity now resurrected once again and ready to show a formidable display of true hip hop artistry and experimentation through their new album and the plethora of touring the band have planned in support of it. A band which many see as one of the most genuine underground DIY hip hop iconoclasts" (Profound Lore Recs.)

KMFDM - "Opium" [1984]

Artist: KMFDM
Title: Opium
Genre: Industrial
Country: Germany
Release date: 1984

Track List: 
  1. Fix Me Up
  2. Splatter
  3. The Smell
  4. Helmut Mein Helmut
  5. Warp'd
  6. Penetration
  7. Entschuldigung
  8. Cuntboy
  9. Raf OK
  10. Mating Sounds Of Helicopters
Here's the very first cassette released by one of my all-time industrial rock favourites (and the most played band on my last.fm account as well). Some purists even call it "the only truly industrial album of KMFDM". While I don't subscribe to the notions like "the industrial scene ceased to exist after Throbbing Grisle split up, everything past that should be called post-industrial etc.", I like this album much more than the rest of 80's KMFDM albums. Note also that the album cover doesn't feature the classic KMFDM logo and the usual cover art by Brute.

"Opium" was re-released by KMFDM records in 2002, and later by Metropolis Records. According to the release notes:

"...Opium is what some believe to be the debut album by KMFDM, originally released in 1984.

It is not that, however, it is so much more.

Opium was originally circulated among a group of fellow-patrons in the underground scene of Hamburg in 1984 as a home taped run of a handful of cassette-tapes. There never existed any actual master tapes, let alone any professional equipment to record the album. In the early 90's, one of the original cassette tapes, sharing a sealed leaden box with a rotting sausage, was salvaged from a WWII air-raid-shelter, flooded with sewage during the aftermath of a fire which had ravaged the building above. The tape, though not in perfect condition, contained everything that Opium would be, the "missing link to 'Where did KMFDM even come from in the first place?'," which Sascha Konietzko said, would be missed out on, if a new listener to KMFDM began with What Do You Know, Deutschland?.

Opium shows the roots of KMFDM, from the bold experimentation and dissonant sound effects, but contained within these tracks is the wellspring from which the KMFDM "ultra heavy beat” was born..."

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Der Eisenrost & Chu Ishikawa - "Armored Weapon" [1995]

Artist: Der Eisenrost
Title: Armored Weapon
Genre: Avant-Garde, Percussion Industrial
Country: Japan
Release date: 1995

Track List: 
  1. AW-225
  2. Isolation
  3. Sort Of Foods
  4. M. D / D - 6
  5. White Way Of Delight
  6. Preamous
  7. Paradise
  8. Megatron
  9. Wirerd
  10. Cootys Rat Semen
  11. Tyrants
If you're into industrial music and the culture surrounding it, you most likely know about Shinya Tsukamoto and his experimental movies, most notably "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (1989) - an infamous low-budget "body horror" / cyberpunk movie that still has a potential to shock many viewers even in our day and age.. The OST for Tetsuo (and many other Tsukamoto's movies) was composed by Chu Ishikawa, who's also the founding member of a band called Der Eisenrost. Any information about them is quite hard to find (even their official site has only a very brief biography in Japanese), but their only LP titled "Armored Weapon: Live Documents '93-'94" (judging from the title, it's a collection of live recordings) is impressive. They'd really deserve to be called "Japanese E.Neubauten" if only they've released more albums like this.

As a side note: I think I should do a better work reviewing my less obscure favourites that are available on Youtube as full albums. At least I haven't yet heard about any blog taken down for copyright violation because it posted an Youtube video...

Maximum Sexy Pigeon - "Unfit For Human Consumption" [2015]

Artist: Maximum Sexy Pigeon
Title: Unfit For Human Consumption
Genre: Industrial Metal/Rock
Country: Australia
Release date: 2015

Track List: 
  1. Tunguska!
  2. Dave Unlimited
  3. Army Of Arseholes
  4. Mindless Life Siphon
  5. Headkick
This band name might seem ridiculous at first, but it isn't that far removed from the names of many other industrial rock bands (mostly from the 1990s): Snake River Conspiracy, Think About Mutation, Sister Machine Gun, God Lives Underwater, etc. As for the music, it's actually pretty cool and not ridiculous at all. This EP might be not a masterpiece, but it's still old school industrial rock played the way it should be.

If I'm not mistaken, MSP also have contributed a couple of their songs to the OST of Carmageddon: Reincarnation (I haven't played it, though). You can read a short interview with this Sydney-based duo here in case if you're interested.


Saturday, April 2, 2016

Crunch - "Total Works 1993-1996" [2005]

Artist: Crunch
Title: Total Works 1993-1996
Genre: Industrial Metal, "Monolithic Industrial"
Country: Russia
Release date: 2005

Track List:
  1. Foundry 46
  2. Unreality
  3. Future Power
  4. Total Masturbation
  5. Fuse Chain
  6. Hydraulic Sperm
  7. My Flesh Is Dead
  8. Chance
  9. Help Me Feel You
  10. Total Masturbation (Exclusive Masturbation Mix)
  11. Catastrophe
  12. Absence
  13. Untitled
After Вой split up in 1992, Alex "Crunch" formed another project which also was unique for the post-Soviet underground music scene of the time. If the first demo by Neutral can be considered one of the first examples of Russian aggro-industrial, then the material presented on "Total Works" by Crunch is one of the earliest examples of Russian industrial metal. It's monotonous, unemotional and "mechanical", yet very atmospheric music in the best traditions of early industrial metal scene (Godflesh, Head Of David, Sonic Violence). Maybe it isn't as interesting as, say, Roncsipar, but its historical importance is undeniable.

Released on CD by MetalAgen Records in 2005. Tracks 1 to 6 previously released in 1993-1994 as "Tears Factory / Total Masturbation" cassette on Swing Street Ltd.; tracks 7 to 12 previously released in 1996 as "Excrete" cassette on MetalAgen Records. The band broke up circa 1996, but reunited in early 2010s.