Industrial / Noise

Review: Kop-Z reveals that he first encountered the term 'A Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamic System' in a book costing L2 in a Manchester junk shop. It is a term to describe humans as systems constantly battling entropy and the world's challenges to survive. "But we're also systems that work together, creating art and music," he reflects, appreciating the contrast between opposites like day and night, love and hate. His work merges autobiographical field recordings, looped vinyl and childhood video games with kinetic programming systems that are all influenced by jungle, footwork, noise, rave, post-punk and reggae. The result is a rich fabric of sound that blends human experience with machine chaos.

Review: Laibach has announced the release of Opus Dei Revisited, a newly reworked version of their seminal 1987 album. This project features two distinct versions of the original work. The first disc showcases a complete reimagining of the tracks, developed during the band's ongoing Opus Dei Revisited tour. The second disc includes fresh remixes by Rico Conning, who produced the original album, allowing him to reinterpret the source material while preserving key elements. Opus Dei was Laibach's first release with Mute Records, propelling them into international recognition and spotlighting their unique sound. The album includes Leben heiBt Leben, a German-language adaptation of Opus' Live is Life, which will again be featured on this release. Formed in 1980 in the industrial town of Trbovlje, Slovenia, Laibach's provocative performances and imagery have earned them a reputation as one of Eastern Europe's most influential collectives. Opus Dei Revisited promises to challenge perceptions and expectations, echoing the band's relentless pursuit of artistic innovation.

Review: The respected DIY hero Xin Lie's reputation has spread far from his native Bangdung in the Indonesian province of West Java - and this eight track debut album will no doubt add to his international repute even further. Electronica is one of the hardest genres in which to forge an original, distinctive path but Lie does it here effortlessly, from the juddering bass-driven half speed groover 'Parat' and the frenetic, polymetric rhythmic riddle that is 'Ngalengkah', to the tribal percussiveness meets mangled robotics of 'Papait Nu Amis', it never settles into accepted ways of doing things, constantly challenging you to keep up. "Perhaps it's best imagined as the soundtrack to a multi-sensory art installation," Lie suggests, "or a performance staged not in a gallery but in an unassuming house down your street." Fine. Or just a really compelling record, you could equally argue.

Review: Returning with his redemption attempt follow up to 2020's We Are Chaos, industrial metal shock-rock provocateur Marilyn Manson seeks to skirt the numerous controversies and accusations accrued in the last few years with his most potent musical statement in decades. Signing with Nuclear Blast and enlisting the likes of Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to helm the project, his 12th full-length One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 (indicating that more is sure to follow), offers up some of the heaviest and introspective material of his career to date, with cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand' harking back to the unhinged angst of Antichrist Superstar, whereas 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' breathes with the same mercurial synth-gloom as the strongest moments on Mechanical Animals. A cynical attempt to regain fan adoration, or the sound of a tortured artist finally coming to terms with his own demons and attempting to rediscover former glory and prowess, the interpretation is entirely your own to consider.

Review: Argentinian crowds are probably the most exciting to play to in the world. And Marilyn Manson at this time had just released his Trent Reznor-produced masterpiece LP Antichrist Superstar and was at the peak of his game, so to say a ticket to this show at the Velez Sarsfield stadium in Buenos Aires was hot property is an understatement. This is about as good as heavy metal rock n' roll gets and not many will come close to the thrills that a 90s Marilyn Manson show brought. The setlist is monumental, with singles from Antichrist Superstar such as industrial metal banger 'The Beautiful People' and 'Tourniquet', which sounds like the blueprint to the nu-metal boom that was to come, among the highlights. Unusually for a live album, it's taut, with the track list limited to 11 songs, but this is for good reason. In a moment of Spinal Tap-esque horror, shortly after the final track you hear on the album, the band's drummer Ginger Fish received an electric shock whilst playing and the show ended abruptly. Putting his body on the line like that to deliver this blistering set is an heroic deed and it's a fantastic consolation to have this show fossilised onto vinyl.

Review: The somewhat surprising return and attempt at redemption from the industrial metal shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has been a bold pill to swallow, with the once iconic provocateur seeking to avoid the many allegations and numerous controversies he has garnered over the last decade. Attending rehab and becoming fully sober over the past few years has seen dramatic weight loss, a notably more lowkey public demeanour and a newly signed record deal with Nuclear Blast (having been dropped by Loma Vista not long after 2020's We Are Chaos) turn a few heads, simultaneously cautious and curious as to the authenticity of this humble arc. With lawsuits recently thrown out, the court of public opinion appears to be the only form of due process that shall occur, leaving it to individual listeners to make up their mind as to the merit of the artist as a person. As to the art itself, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 is the 12th album to adorn the name Marilyn Manson, and it's his best since 2000's Holy Wood. Tapping Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to oversee the entire project has helped to create a generational bridge between how out of sync Manson himself had become with his own artistic strengths and audience desire, and Bates' insider knowledge as a younger fan first, collaborator second. Together they rediscover the core industrialist menace, gothic romanticism and hedonistic nihilism that kept listeners hooked after the initial shock of aesthetic would cease, but for the first time in decades, it feels earnest and earned rather than forced. Boasting Antichrist Superstar style buzzsaw synths and chug-heavy breakdowns on cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand', while the self-deprecating admission of using drugs to hide behind monstrous flaws on the gloomy balladry of 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' harks back to the most fragile moments of Mechanical Albums. Be it a cynical cashgrab or attempt to regain fan adoration, or the genuine musings of a tortured artist finally learning to face his own demons head on, there's simply no denying that this is Manson at his most potent, intimate and focused, begging the question of how different of a career trajectory and latter day output might we have had if the man had learned to look inward long before hitting the bottom.

Review: Marilyn Manson is back with another of his famously bold and provocative new albums, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1. Mansn has always been known for pushing boundaries - as well as buttons - and comes through again here with a dark and gripping collection of tracks that blend his usual tropes of industrial rock, haunting melodies and raw, intense vocals that come from deep down inside and ooze with menace. This album explores themes of power, corruption and rebellion, all wrapped in Manson's signature mix of shock value and unusual expression. It adds up to a journey into a twisted, dystopian world filled with layers of atmospheric sounds and unsettling lyrics so is perfect for fans of Manson's uniquely confrontational style.

Review: This extended triple vinyl edition of Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets revives Merzbow's groundbreaking second vinyl release from 1986 in an all-new and special package. Widely regarded as one of the Japanese master's finest albums, this is its first-ever reissue on vinyl and the first release featuring the original recordings. The 1986 RRRec edition was a remix by the label, whereas this version presents the original tracks but also it includes bonus material from the same era to offer a definitive and immersive look at Merzbow's early work. Noise and experimental music fans, do not sniff at this one.

Review: Kiyoshi Mizutani is a cult hero to noise fans. The Merzbow co-founder is celebrated by them for his unique approach to sound which finds him building immersive worlds that blend noise, field recordings and abstract textures. he Same Thing Makes Always Her Laugh is a brilliant experimental album recorded in 1989 and a perfect primer for those new to his work. It manipulates everyday sounds into something deeply atmospheric and evocative and while rooted in the avant-garde, it maintains an emotional depth that sets it apart. A truly boundary-pushing work of noise art.

Review: Worldwide Heavy Industries Vol.1 is the latest wax drop from Flux Musical Art and Brutal Forms and it makes for an immersive trip deep into industrial soundscapes and futuristic themes. Dominik Muller's intricate 'Too Many Posers' soon sucks you in followed by Ryuji Takeuchi's dynamic 'In Your Mind' with its unusual rhythmic innovation. On the B-side, 6SISS and Hypnoskull's intense 'Losss' gets super raw with an industrial edge, while Low Order's 'Taste My Venom' explores darker experimental territory. Skumring's atmospheric 'Corpse-Ridden' closes the album with a mood as dark as you would expect given the title.

Review: Huffin' Rag Blues by Nurse With Wound is a highly unique the Steven Stapleton discography, and that really is saying something since it really can be quite hard to stand out if you're an album shaped by his hand. Originally released as a three-sided LP, this expanded edition now features all four audio sides for the first time; a chaotic fusion of exotica, lounge, blues, jazz, and more, created by Stapleton with collaborator Andrew Liles, this one verges on the lighter side of eerie, confusing elements of Dadaism and narrative waltz, and echoing variety entertainments of the 40s and 50s. Longtime friends Colin Potter and Matt Waldron add to the surreality, resulting in a delightful mess of surreal, dynamic tension full of humorous asides and suggestive epithets. Setting itself apart with more live instrumentation and vocals than typical NWW releases, Huffin' Rag Blues is a world of comparative eccentricity; it might happily alienate those avant-garde purists who prefer things dimmed a little more dark ambient.

Review: This expansive 2CD collection from Nurse With Wound compiles a range of experimental works from 2008-2011, offering a glimpse into their cut-and-paste sonic universe. Opening with the jarring 'Cruisin' For A Bruisin'', the set quickly plunges into a diverse array of sound, blending drones, rhythms and odd vocal samples. The first disc is split into 'The Bacteria Magnet' and 'Rushkoff Coercion', while the second features 'Erroneous, A Selection of Errors,' likely showcasing unreleased material. The music constantly shifts, moving from chaotic big band absurdity to African-inspired polyrhythms, cold techno and smoky ambient passagesiall within moments. Though the collection lacks a unifying theme, its disorienting patchwork of textures offers plenty of intriguing moments. As with any NWW release, it's difficult to categorise, but it's a skilful, unpredictable exploration of sound that keeps listeners engaged despite its ever-changing nature.

Review: 'Power Starved/Human Waste' is as scary to hear as it is to read the track title. As far as album openers go, it certainly sets the scene vividly. A dark, dystopian, murky futurism where people - or at least their ears - listen from beneath the boot of oppressive forces, inaudible vocals echoing and expanding, reverberating and dissipating into a distance we can never really hear because of how forceful foregrounded sounds are. Industrial, EBM, noise, elektro-punk. There are many ways to describe what's here but they all point to a 21st Century cloaked in darkness and anxiety. The irony, of course, is that this is a very human expressionism, despite the harsh machines that seem to dominate the soundscapes. The distorted screams and thumping bass drums of 'Safety Net' perfectly summarise the point.

Review: The latest EP by noise and industrial maverick Oxymosoon delves into the intricate interplay of ego, vulnerability and self-reflection. This genre-defying release combines haunting electronic textures with evocative melodies and poignant lyrics to create a sonic narrative that challenges conventional perceptions of self-identity. Each track flows seamlessly while blending ambient atmospheres with bold beats and experimental soundscapes. Oxymosoon's signature style shines through with compelling production and emotional depth all drawing you ever deeper into an introspective journey that explores the beauty and complexity of the human psyche.

Review: After debuting on Hospital Productions in 2017, Scanning Backwards was the sophomore album from Phase Fatale back in 2020 on Ostgut. To mark its fifth birthday it gets reissued here and still sounds as good as new. Payne blends post-punk, noise and shoegaze influences into broken rhythms and slow-burning, textured soundscapes that merge sonic warfare with functional dance music. This album drew from historical and fictional narratives to explore sound as a form of power and Each track reflects Berghain's influence as both a space and instrument. It's powerful stuff in more ways than one.