10 Classic Industrial Albums for People Who Don’t Know Shit About Industrial Music

2. Front 242 - Official Version (1987)


LA Weekly sez:

The second of the "great industrial Fronts," Front 242 are the sole Belgian representatives on the list. Like Sheep on Drugs, Front 242 were born on the electronic side of the industrial spectrum, albeit much earlier, in 1981. Founders Daniel Bressanutti and Dirk Bergen wanted to create music and graphic design using emerging technologies. The beats are hard but not quite as frantic as other genre projects, while the vocals are far more chill. As a result, the vibe is less sinister than most other albums on this list but no less exciting — all of which is illustrated perfectly with 1987's Official Version, their third album.
 
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1. Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch (1985)

HalberMenschAlbumCover.jpg


View album 8
@Nickyboy called it.

LA Weekly sez:

What people often consider the "German industrial sound" is in fact the "Berlin industrial sound." Listen to Einstürzende Neubauten and then Hamburg's KMFDM and there's little to place them together outside of the broad genre definition. But listen to Halber Mensch and then anything by fellow Berlin band Rammstein and it'll all make sense. These guys formed in 1980 and set about creating instruments out of scrap metal and whatever they could find lying around (making them perhaps the most truly "industrial" band on this list), creating music that was bleak but beautiful and uncompromisingly dark. Halter Mensch is a masterpiece beginning to end. The opening title track is almost choral, but with a military vibe, resulting in something quite disconcerting. It only gets creepier from there. The fact that the lyrics are in German does nothing to ease the music's glorious discomfort.

:5.0: on the Sam-O-Meter. An album that truly transcends its genre.

To be honest, I enjoyed this series a whole lot more than I expected to. Next week I will start another one from LA Weekly.
 
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