re: Rank your top 10 Industrial Metal albums of all time

Well Industrial is pretty much my genre and all listened to in the late 80's. But Industrial Metal? Well this is a blurry line b/c true Industrial is more electronic. So looking at your list it appears we're going with both. Al Jourgensen was the one who really blurred the line with the metal edge but just as important to this genre was Flood(Mark Ellis). But I'll get to that later. I won't be able to give you a top 10. No way I could do it but I can give you a list of important albums I consider great.

Killing Joke - Killing Joke. I think at the top of the list has to be this one. Every Industrial artist would credit them and this album as the one. Al Jourgensen, Trent Reznor, even Metallica tout this one.


Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey was beginning the transition from techno to metal and I actually enjoy this one over A Mind is a terrible thing to taste. But it's only preference. Stigmata, Missing, Deity, Golden Dawn, just great album.

Nitzer Ebb - Showtime. I'm not sure there would be a NIN without this band but more importantly, Flood producing their albums. If we were doing more an Industrial list but not with metal, I'd have chosen one of their earlier albums. But this one is where they started introducing the heavy riffs. Getting Close the opening track is one of the best intro of any album. It seems Flood experimented with Nitzer Ebb's work and then perfected the sound on NIN's albums. Nitzer Ebb would always have a release a few months before NIN and the sound would be mirrored. The biggest difference is Trent Reznor was a better crafter than Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb.

NIN - Broken. Only an EP, this is the pinnacle of Industrial Metal in my mind. Edgier, darker, heavier than Pretty Hate machine "pop." Again though if you track back to Nitzer Ebb and listen to their earlier released Ebbhead, the tracks produced by Flood and not Alan Wilder you can detect the pattern and direction. Again though, Broken is the pinnacle in my mind even over Al Jourgensen's work.

Of course I could throw in Al Jourgensen's other side projects like Revolting Cocks or 10,000 Homo Dj's who Trent reznor "didn't" participate in because of a dispute with his record label. I just don't think I could rank them all.

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My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Confessions of a Knife (more of a dance metal album, but still qualifies)

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I like how you threw this on in there. Everyone should catch a live performance of Thrill Kill once in their life.

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After that, Al has made a bunch of great sounding but ultimately inferior records. Once he got on his George Bush ranting, he became stale

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yep.

It's hard to imagine Thrill Kill still touring.

On my list I considered adding the likes of Skinny Puppy, Front 242, Cabaret Voltaire, KMFDM, and all bu tin my mind that's techno side *even though I have Nitzer ebb on mine.

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It's funny you talk about Paul Barker and then how Filth Pig was a downgrade. From what I understand, that record is a big reason PB left. Al wanted to go back to more metal while PB was more experimental. Personally I love Filth Pig; it's a completely revolutionary sound for them. It was trying to merge ProgRock elements into their industrial metal sound. It didn't work for many, but it's one of their best IMO.

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I have heard the same, but must wonder if that's any reason to not be on speaking terms. I think there were some issues within the courts between the two over copyrights and royalties, etc. Still, the two should want to collaborate. Al now has a touring band with not near the power he had in the late 80's and then in the mid to late 90's. Some of the guys he has on his 2015 tour -- well, they're not quite what I would be used to. Minus JOhn Bechdel, however, who made so mnay metal/industrial bands have melody from Econoline Crush to Fear Factory to now Ministry. That dude is sick. Sin and Campos are okay. I do not know who the lead guitarist even is.

I think I saw one of Paul Barker's last Ministry shows in NOLA back in '99 at HOB. But then again, I cannot be certain. He was there that night though -- unmistakable -- always looked like half nerd half stallion with his thick glasses and his mid-buttoned shirts.

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Thrill Kill

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HOB on Saturday Sep 26

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I'll be there!

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Nitzer Ebb

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Love their music. Hate their goofy arse videos.

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Everyone should catch a live performance of Thrill Kill once in their life

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I agree. I need to see them in September.

I saw Front 242 and KMFDM/Pigg back in 1998. So far, along with Ministry on the DarkSide of the Spoon Tour, those are my tops. I am sure MLWTTKK will be just as awesome.

I thought of this one


Neurosis- Through Silver in Blood

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Hate their goofy arse videos.

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Yeah, they're a little campy. Especially that early stuff. But looking back at a lot of the 80's Industrial, Goth, alternative stuff, it's all goofy.

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I am sure MLWTTKK will be just as awesome

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I saw them early 90's and it was a acid trip set to a technicolor fetish lounge act. Rocky Horror meets bad vegas style. So awesome.

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It's such a great genre that has disappeared over the last few years

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You should check out Author & Punisher for some new stuff. I'm not a huge fan but all the metal critics seem to love him. He's on Phil Anselmo's record label so you should have plenty of chances to see him live around here. His live show is kinda weird, but in a good way.