#023 - Bile

A lets jump back to USA. From there we find a band called Bile. The group is lead by thrash metal band Napalm's former vocalist Krztoff (he's also active member in legendary Pigface). Band was founded 1992 and they've become known for performances including up to eleven people on-stage — including a dominatrix and fire-breather. They've released something like ten albums (some of those must be compilations though). Latest, Hate Radio, coming out last year.

When I start listening first track from Hate Radio album, I keep on wondering who the hell they sound like. Like the Plague sounds so familiar, can someone tell which song that track sounds like? Anyway, their combination of Ministry-like industrial meets even more metallic side of industrial (they have been tagged even with grindcore in Last.fm, which is little bit too much though) sounds really good and songs are catchy. Nightmare Before Krztoff sounds actually really spooky even, which is of course the point also. Overall Bile is really nice surprise.

Here's a track from their Sex Reflex album called In League. Song is featured also in movie Strangeland written by Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister.


Some links:
http://www.teknowhore.com
http://www.myspace.com/bile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bile_%28band%29
http://www.last.fm/music/Bile
http://open.spotify.com/artist/7rBp0ChNSds53ArYsOJNSj

#022 - Bigod 20

Suprisingly again from Germany comes now already defunct Bigod 20. The band, categorized as EBM or electro-industrial, was formed already in 1988 by producers Andreas Tomalla and Markus Nikolai. So we have a duo here again. They release two albums in early 90s, which both are available in Spotify. Of course lots of singles are also released during their under 10 years career. Band was actually eventually signed to legendary Sire Records.

Bands sound is actually still very relevant and interesting. Although they don't reach any mindblowing levels, overall these albums are really nice to listen. Using a lot of speach sections in their songs and varying the vocals a lot between the songs, they keep the interest level up all the time.

Here's a clip from Carpe Diem single which is actually not included to any album.


Some links:
http://www.myspace.com/bigod20official
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigod_20
http://www.last.fm/music/Bigod+20
http://open.spotify.com/artist/6ShRDU9xWQPPKJQobL61Xd

#021 - Bella Morte

From America, more precisely from Charlottesville, Virginia, comes a gothic industrial combo called Bella Morte (I think this translates to Beutiful Death which is actually their latest album also). I've always had little problems with this whole gothic thing. Most of the time these bands just sounds so fake. Everything is so "bloody" dark and gloomy. And at the same time you're so transparently populist.

Founded already 1996 has a lot more industrial elements in their sound on their earlier releases. Latest offerings unfortunately contains much less samplings and they sound more and more just another gothic rock band. And I have to say that I'm not surprised why HIM is so big in America. This is just again just another gothic nail to that coffin that that one day will be buried and maybe then they won't rise anymore.

The earlier records sounds little bit better, but still that gothic twist ruins everything..



Some links:
http://www.bellamorte.com
http://www.myspace.com/bellamorte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_Morte
http://www.last.fm/music/Bella%2520Morte
http://open.spotify.com/artist/2SyimynlSU0Oii7p3NYtSV

#020 - Bahntier

Bahntier is an Italian trio originally founded 1999. The founder of the group is Stefano Rossello, who was the sole member also in the beginning. After a year Filippo Corradin and Justin Bennett (live drummer for Skinny Puppy) joined the group. They are signed to Rustblade which is an Italian independent label run by Stefano Rossello.

I don't quite get what Bahntier tries to achieve. Backgrounds are way too simple to create any real atmosphere, vocals are really bland and arrangements really unsurprising. Maybe they try to catch some noise atmosphere, but I've to say this is quite boring. At least based on 2005 released Revulsive.



Some links:
http://www.bahntier.com
http://www.myspace.com/bahtier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahntier
http://www.last.fm/music/Bahntier
http://open.spotify.com/artist/0OMQ0wxQhRGHacUNW7BWz3

#019 - Ayria

Last artist starting with letter A on my list at the moment that can be found from Spotify (doesn't mean that I'm done with these, I just come back to these later).

Again interesting sounds from Canada. This country seem to have some real issues with this kind of music, since so many good artist in industrial scene comes from Canada. Ayria (pronounced area) is a futurepop project formed by it's vocalist Jennifer Parkin.Signed to Belgian label Alfa Matrix they've released three albums and two EPs since formation 2003.

Ayrias sound is quite minimal but i have to say I like the combination of real simple backgrounds and Parkins melodic vocals. I can't say that this is something that would rock my world in any way, but I definately check these later if I somewhere crash to them. Here's a video trackMy Device from their Flicker album released 2005.


Have to mention also that they've made also Deftones cover Change. I've liked Deftones many many year and I have to say that cover version was a total waste of time. No new ideas inserted there and it was just boring interpretation, there was no sound of Ayria in that. Don't do those kind of version anymore.

Some links: 
http://www.ayria.com
http://www.myspace.com/ayria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayria
http://www.last.fm/music/Ayria
http://open.spotify.com/artist/4BTJnYa0TMqVLjAJ0yFoOE

#018 - Atrocity

German Atrocity has not that much to do with industrial. Their history is more like travelling from death metal to gothic and power metal kinda world while adding some small industrial elements to this mix. The portion of these elements is anyway quite small. This industrial "sticker" most propably comes from their 1995 released Die Liebe album which they did in collaboration with fellow countrymen Das Ich who are much much more electro oriented.

That album is actually much more interesting also compared to Atrocitys normal sound. Combining the metallic side of Atrocity with dark or even black sound of Das Ich, the combination sounds really haunting at it's best. Check out this title track for example (the sound could be little bit better in that YouTube though, but you get the idea).


One thing have to be mentioned still. Atrocity has done two cover albums also where they give their view on some 80s disco hits like Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, People are People by Depeche Mode and Don't you Forget About Me by Simple Minds just to mention few from that "second coming" album Werk 80 II.

WARNING! Don't touch those, those are dangerous.

Some links:
http://www.atrocity.de
http://www.myspace.com/atrocitypage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_%28band%29
http://www.last.fm/music/Atrocity
http://open.spotify.com/artist/050NpEYZ5xFUS1BOAZjVmX

#017 - Astrovamps

Not so much an industrial band anymore, but since it's somewhere linked to industrial also lets check this also. Coming from Los Angeles Astrovamps is described as death rock band. I'd say this is more like b-movie kinda horror punk, which I usually like quite a lot. Founded early 90s and they released four albums before disbanding late 2007.

As mentioned I'm quite into this kind of dark, ironic and sinister punk that can be described as musical version of b-movies. But unfortunately I have to admit that, I don't like Astrovamps version so much. It just not go far enough and everything seems just too sloppy. This has been done so much better also that I just don't like to waste my time too much on this one. You either got IT or not and my verdict on this case is: you don't have IT.

Here's one sample from their Amerikan Gothick (2004) album song called Alice in Gothland (SIC!).







Some links:
http://www.astrovamps.com
http://www.myspace.com/astrovamps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrovamps
http://www.last.fm/music/Astrovamps
http://open.spotify.com/artist/3WPARgSLhpj9JFHCwcfelz

#016 - Assemblage 23

Founded already 1988 in Seattle, USA Assemblage 23 represents a little bit different seattle sound compared to grunge. This "band" is a brain child of it's sole member Tom Shear. It started when he was experimenting with electronic music when he was the opening act for Depeche Mode late 80s. Depeche Mode must be also one of the key influence for Assemblage 23.

I like his soudn quite a lot. Really poppy sound and reminds quite a lot about Depeche Mode as mentioned. Since starting his label career (surprise surprise he's on Metropolis also nowadays) the sound hasn't changed that much. If you compare the 2001 released Failure to Compass released last year, of course there's some changes since especially this kind of music has had quite a big jumps soundwise. But the overall feeling is quite similar. Have to get more familiar with this guys also in the future. I definately recommend to check this one.

Here's a sample from 2007 released Meta album, a song called Damaged.






Some links:
http://www.assemblage23.com
http://www.myspace.com/officialassemblage23
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_23
http://www.last.fm/music/Assemblage%252023
http://open.spotify.com/artist/7pwThElmrxl0pjTwXMojCx

#015 - Asmodeus X

This electro-indu-goth due from USA sounds surprisingly lot like those German counterparts. Lead vocalist Paul Fredric has some really strange accent, he must have some German roots. The band has said to be influenced by the music of Laibach, Kraftwerk, Death in June and Front 242 so that might explaind that vocal works orientation. Band was founded by Fredric with Brad Marshal when their old goth band Morphine Angel disbanded.

I have to admit that I don't like the vocals at all, it just sounds stoopid. Maybe I should have been born little bit earlier so I would have got into this 80s kinda industrial/synth/electro sound. Asmodeus X is a strange group in that sence also that even thought their sound is straight from the Eighties its roots go only back to 1999. Well they must like that sound then, well I don't.

But you judge yourself. Here's a track called MuZ. Don't know from which album this is taken, but you get the idea.






Some links:
http://www.asmodeusx.com
http://www.myspace.com/asmodeusx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus_X
http://www.last.fm/music/Asmodeus%2520X
http://open.spotify.com/artist/40aXgEzU7Hyhuvb7tOLb8d

#014 - Ascension of the Watchers

And then another Fear Factory related artist just after Arkaea. Ascension of the Watchers is a band formed by Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell together with keyboardist John Bechdel whose back catalogue is really impressing at least in industrial metal environment. He's been in Ministry, Fear Factory, Killing Joke, Prong, Murder, Inc. among others. They also added guitarist Edu Messi to the lineup later.

After self released early career EP Iconoclast they've released one album Numinosum throught former Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen's label 13th Planet Records. Numinosum is really ambient influenced album, some might say also gothish. I fell in love with their sound immediately. There's something really catchy in their works. Bell's vocals are also much more cleaner compared to Fear Factory and that just works perfectly with the backgrounds.

Here's one example from that debut album. An animated video for the song Residual Presence.








Some links:
http://www.thewatchers.org
http://www.myspace.com/aotw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_of_the_Watchers
http://www.last.fm/music/Ascension%20of%20the%20Watchers
http://open.spotify.com/artist/0O8vxTRA2m8oHMPquL6tlz