Back catalogue: Industrial/Noise

Review: CyberindustrialEBMwavepost-punkIDMmutantelectro. No commas, no punctuation, just one throbbing, convulsing, dystopian mass informed by the bleakest visions of a sci-fi future we deserve but definitely don't want. Originally hailing from Australia, but long-since relocating to Berlin's eastern ends, Kristian Bahoudian, AKA Kris Baha, has clearly absorbed his surrounds, grown through them, and learnt how to channel that brutalism into something truly potent. It's also narratively driven, with the titular spirits in the system a reference to humans in the age of advanced artificial intelligence - beholden to dictatorial codes that rob us of our essence, vitality and individuality. An awakening among a select few means a small number of people become self-aware, again, and can begin pushing back. And this point of tension, between human and machine, plays out sonically. Talk about painting a vivid picture.

Review: Diamanda Galas's The Divine Punishment was the first album in her Masque of the Red Death trilogy and is a stark, confrontational record that was produced in response to the AIDs epidemic. On the same day it was first released back in 1986, the Supreme Court criminalized consensual sex between men at a time when then epidemic was truly taking hold. Galas uses her voice both to deliver oration taken from the Old Testament as well represent AIDS and its ill effects. Dark analogue synth drones by Dave Hunt and haunting atmospheres complete this most brilliantly bleak put poignant work.

Review: Adding to the seemingly endless pile of reissues/retrospectives that focus on anything remotely related to COUM Transmissions or Throbbing Gristle, here comes 'Dreams Less Suite', which is a compilation album made up entirely of Hafler Trio and Genesis P-Orridge's unused film soundtracks, live shows and versions. Describable perhaps as 'dream noise', this album somehow straddles both the grating and the serene, quickly hopping between everything from industrial techno to glassy hell sounsdcapes.

Review: Japanese industrial noise duo The Grogerigegege are something of an urban legend within the underground music scene. Apparently meeting at a sex club where a shared appreciation for envelope pushing sex acts, punishing aural sonics and a bizarre avant-garde perspective on art would lock them together for ensuing decades of musical mayhem. Known for incorporating nudity, violence, broken glass and hoovers into their live set, the pair would even take a lengthy respite while one of the members simply disappeared for years on end before reconnecting with his counterpart. As If It Had Always Been Determined Since This Day Was Born transports listeners back to the pair's earliest forays into calculated extremity with blown out, overdriven remixes taken directly from the master tapes of their first 7" single released back in 1988. This includes the long sought after remaster of 'Mistress' originally used in the legendary Enoshima Beach Flexi Burning Live (which the pair opted to burn all original pressings of rather than make readily available). You do have to remember these are the same lads who sold dried out octopus tentacles in cassette cases during one tour as a limited release, and smashed up the master recording of another work and put the broken pieces in a metallic box that the listener shook to hear the album, hence the title You Are The Music Maker. If the utter lunacy of The Grogerigegege isn't detailed enough here, well this pressing comes complete with 5500 word essay-style liner notes penned by 55 year old Gero himself (Juntaro Yamanouchi).

Review: Gesaffelstein's fourth album, GAMMA, marks a departure from his previous work, embracing camp over cool. With influences ranging from seventies electro-punk to synth-pop, the album is a riot of overdriven synth-pop and vintage rock'n'roll. Singer Yan Wagner's oily baritone adds depth, channeling Dave Gahan's toughness with a humorous twist. The album's eccentricity shines through in Wagner's deranged lyrics and unpredictable delivery, injecting humor and unpredictability into the mix. Tracks like 'The Urge' and 'Hysteria' showcase Gesaffelstein's knack for crafting sharp hooks and infectious grooves. Clocking in at concise lengths, each track contributes to the album's charm, focusing on thrusting hips and sharpened hooks rather than lofty concepts. GAMMA is a refreshing departure from Gesaffelstein's previous sound and a exciting new direction.

Review: Purge is the much anticipated new album from rock behemoths Godflesh. The band is led by frontman Justin Broadwick - formerly half of Techno Animal with The Bug's Kevin Martin - who has expressed his discomfort at being quizzed about his music on social media. He battles with autism and PTSD and uses music as therapy and a release from the stress and isolationism that comes with those conditions. This record finds the band look back to their 1992 album Pure which is what first marked them out as special and it's raw, dense, unrelenting heavy rock with snarled vocals that offer comfort for the despairing.

Review: Godflesh are back with a new single taken from their new and upcoming album Purge which finds frontman Justin Broadwick - formerly half of Techno Animal with The Bug's Kevin Martin - using music as a way of processing his autism and PTSD. It is full throttle, dense post-rock music with his guttural vocals front and centre amidst walls of scuzzy guitar and industrial drum sounds. The original of 'Nero' comes remixed, and also as a dub and alternative version which is even more head-twisting. Not for the faint of heart, this one.