
Industrial metal added a new layer of heaviness to the rock formats of the 1980s. The best industrial metal albums often feature harsh guitar tones, robotic rhythms, and post-apocalyptic doom & gloom feel about them. Boy, they’re great!
Many industrial metal bands managed to carve a long artistic path, avoiding self-repetition. Even more surprisingly, some of the genre’s most famous names are some of modern rock’s biggest attractions.
That is why today I’m dressing up for doomsday, scouting abandoned factories nearby, and ranking the 10 best industrial metal albums of all time.
Ministry – “The Land of Rape and Honey” (1988)
“The Land of Rape and Honey” was the album that launched a thousand Ministry imitators. It was dark, menacing, and sounded heavier than most thrash bands, the titans of heavy music at the time. Besides all of this, it featured a relatively seductive tone.
To be fair, the idea of creating a metal and industrial rock hybrid was hanging in the air.
Bands like Throbbing Gristle or Einstürzende Neubauten had shown what could happen when avant-garde art and building equipment used as instruments could be brought together. Bands like Swans or The Cure had created the “darker than everything else” aesthetic.
Ministry, a group that had started their careers playing synth-pop, brought it to its logical extreme. “Stigmata” is a particularly apt taster for the album. And the band’s leader, Al Jourgensen, has not looked back since.
Godflesh – “Streetcleaner” (1989)
Metal bands must’ve thought playing drums and guitar well was the only way to achieve unbearing heaviness. Godflesh’s “Streetcleaner” proved them all wrong.
The songs’ bass pummels the speakers, while all the other elements seem to be a strain test on the listener’s ears. It’s unpleasant to hear, but, no doubt, Godflesh is certainly a highly influential band.
Along with Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Killing Joke, and Fear Factory, they paved the way for similar groups in the future.
Nine Inch Nails – “Pretty Hate Machine” (1989)
Al Jourgensen may have shown bands what industrial metal could be, but Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor knew how to perfect the sound and launch it into the mainstream.
“Pretty Hate Machine” was the record that aligned industrial with the burgeoning alt-rock movement. And, to everyone’s surprise, this DIY effort became a bonafide hit.
Sure, Reznor played up to the image of the industrial metalhead as a nihilistic, doomsday peddler. The lyrics are bleak, and bandmembers would routinely have fights on stage.
Still, the angsty “Head Like a Hole” or “Down in It” remain some of the genre’s most potent singles.
Skinny Puppy – “Too Dark Park” (1990)
While their contemporaries were stepping into commercially-viable material, Skinny Puppy stuck by the original law of industrial metal. Their music was dark and foreboding and rarely relied on a melodic hook.
“Too Dark Park” is one of the band’s crowning achievements in a discography focused on the darkest aspects of the human condition.
It didn’t exactly provide the veteran band with a bonafide hit. However, their contemporaries certainly learned a thing or two from songs like “Tormentor” and “Spasmolytic.”
KMFDM – “Nihil” (1995)
KMFDM always sounded like an illegal rave taking place on the government’s front lawn. On “Nihil” the band take their noise-metal and anti-authority stance and create one of the industrial’s finest records.
KMFDM would help inspire generations of similar-minded bands. They’ve especially helped launch a music scene in Germany. And their iconic logo, slogans, and comic book imagery have long been copied by similar-minded groups.
On “Nihil” songs like “Juke-Joint Jezebel” or “Ultra” are highlights, although standing out has never been the band’s main objective.
White Zombie – “Astro-Creep: 2000” (1995)
Industrial metal has produced a number of mavericks, but few are more successful than Rob Zombie. “Astro-Creep: 2000,” with its funky horror-themed songs, was one of the genre’s breakthrough hits.
The catchiness of songs like “More Human Than Human” or “Super-Charger Heaven” certainly helped the cause. But so did the groove of the songs and the deranged party atmosphere that accompanied White Zombie performances.
Marilyn Manson – “Antichrist Superstar” (1996)
All of the industrial metal bands courted controversy. None were as successful in getting it as Marilyn Manson. On “Antichrist Superstar,” the singer and his band create a sturdy bridge between Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie.
The presentation is certainly key to “Antichrist Superstar.” The music videos and promotional photos featuring fore, shlock, and a tribute to serial killers seduced teens and frightened their parents.
However, the music’s merits can’t be denied. “The Beautiful People” or “Irresponsible Hate Anthem” are hateful, memorable anthems. And the album’s loose concept helps make this a fascinating listen.
Ministry – “Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed & The Way to Suck Eggs” (1992)
Ministry may be equally the funniest and scariest band on the list. On “Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed & The Way to Suck Eggs,” the band developed a revved-up, threatening sound that captured the charts.
What made the band irresistible wasn’t just the quality of the songs. It was also the fact that Jourgenson & co, heavily drug addicted at the time, seemed to care little about their inevitable success.
“N.W.O.” certified the band’s bleak outlook on the world, while “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” featuring vocals from The Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes, was an inescapable MTV hit.
Rammstein – “Sehnsucht” (1997)
Rammstein cleverly blended EDM elements and a brutal Germanic image with the sound of industrial metal, and became with “Sehnsucht” one of the genre’s biggest bands.
The German metal unit continues to be one of rock’s biggest acts. While this may seem unusual on paper, the Berlin-based band has elements that practically ensured their success.
Songs are menacing but danceable. The lyrics are simple yet emphasize Die Deutsche Sprache’s menacing aspects. And the line-up, which hasn’t changed, throughout the band’s existence looks, well, plenty menacing.
“Du Hast” and “Engel” frightened casual listeners and television viewers and became global hits.
Static-X – “Wisconsin Death Trip” (1999)
For a while, no band was cooler than Static-X. The band cleverly blended industrial elements with the up-and-coming nu-metal sound on their debut, “Wisconsin Death Trip.”
“Push It” and “Bled for Days” expertly crafted a hooky, dance-oriented heavy sound that numerous bands, Static-X included, have tried to replicate since then.
Nine Inch Nails – “The Downward Spiral” (1994)
A landmark release by Trent Reznor, “The Downward Spiral,” showed just how ambitious and competent the musician could be. “The Downward Spiral” is industrial-metal’s most important album.
There are many reasons for that. Part of this is due to the tone. “The Downward Spiral” is regularly featured on lists of the most depressing albums ever released.
Another element is the artistry involved. “The Downward Spiral” is a concept record. It features complex instrumentation, great dynamics, and a mysterious, otherworldly vibe.
Lastly, “The Downward Spiral” has great songs. “Closer” and “Hurt” are two of the few industrial metal songs that have been overplayed. But this is because they’re excellently written.
With the “The Downward Spiral,” Nine Inch Nails confirmed their immense potential and Trent Reznor has rarely set a foot wrong since then.
my favorite music genre since Highschool, they are d best!