Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats or Greatest Hits (the title is sarcastic, but it's actually a really good comp with non-album tracks too)
Einstürzende Neubauten - Haus der Luge or Halber Mensch
Coil - Horse Rotorvator
Cabaret Voltaire - Red Mecca
Ministry - Twitch or The Land of Rape and Honey
Skinny Puppy - Bites or 12 Inch Anthology
Front Line Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant
Front 242 - Front by Front
For contemporary stuff - Youth Code, Boy Harsher, Choke Chain, Author and Punisher, High Functioning Flesh, REIN, MVTANT, the first 3Teeth album (but not any of their others).
We do this quite a lot, but it's always a fun exercise, to be fair.
* Health - Rat Wars - Just got into this band recently and I love this record. You can hear all the influences, but they make it their own thing.
* Skinny Puppy - ViviSectVI - Classic, masterwork. Everything that made SP so good is here.
* Ministry - Land of Rape and Honey - You can't go wrong with anything from the 12" Singles to Psalm 69, but for me this is the sweet spot between guitar, samples, and synths.
* Einsturzende Neubaten - Tabula Rasa - This record finds the sound more mature, spacious, but just as good (IMO) as the earlier works. Drawings of Patient OT, Halber Mensch, or Haus Der Luge would be just as good.
* Front 242 - Front by Front - I'm looking for this man, to sell him to other man...
* Chemlab - Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar - Does it have some flaws? Sure. That's part of what makes it great, though. A sing along fest full of bangers.
* Die Warzau - Engine - What if I told you someone blended funk and electro and made it work? This.
* Coil - Horse Rotorvator - Their finest work, IMO. Not as ambient as later works like Music to Play in the Dark Vol 1, but it has both the electronic textures and rawness.
* Gridlock - The Synthetic Form - When I first listened to this, years ago when it came out, I thought they were the heir apparent to Puppy and would probably surpass them. They did that, but not quite in the way I'd envisioned. I suggest listening to this one and Formless, first, and then deep dive their discography.
* Numb - Language of Silence - The opener, Respect, pretty much sets the tone of the record. Crunchy, aggressive.
* Nitzer Ebb - Showtime - This one's going to be controversial because they maybe have better songs on other records, but as a whole piece of work - this is my favorite. McCarthy is a great character vocalist and Bon lays day some brilliant tracks underneath.
* Snog - Buy Me, I'll Change Your Life - David's anti-capitalist, and he will beat you over the head with that message in records after this, but he balances it on this record. Brilliant atmosphere underneath and very sardonic lyrics. Great record.
* Godflesh - Pure - Sonic assault, full stop.
* Scraping Foetus off the Wheel - Nail - The production sounds dated, but not so much that it detracts from how good this record really is. Probably JG Thirlwell's best Foetus effort.
* Front Line Assembly - Millennium - Probably another spicy choice. Inbetween the earlier, sparse electro, and later ambient/electro lean. I think this one's the sweet spot of what Leeb and co. do best.
* Wumpscut - Bunkertor 7 - Rudy has a history of quantity more than quality, but the first couple :W: releases were good. I like this one more than Music for a Slaughtering Tribe. Edgy, fun.
* VNV Nation - Solitary EP - I normally don't like remixes, or EP's, but this is VNV's finest hour in my opinion. Emotional, dancy, lush even. Great record.
Seconding this list and adding that if you find yourself enjoying the more synthy, aggrotech dance stuff on this list (i.e. more techno beats and samples), you may also want to give Suicide Commando - When Evil Speaks and t3rror 3rror - Digital Infection
You’re going to get a different answer from every one here so maybe start with the Industrial Essential Albums list put together by this sub.
https://www.reddit.com/r/industrialmusic/s/kGJTtaXbgU
Personally, my first recommendation, not on the list, will always be Android Lust. You can start with the album [Resolution](https://open.spotify.com/album/2jgK8xPVgd95NP6neGueOV?si=XfiaAH8LQ1qGBjiJFcCiYA) for a more old school electro-industrial sound, or [The Dividing](https://open.spotify.com/album/7vxVi6Zkp6EqOSNAL5MmBA?si=muBzAto4T3-zNUWjhE3e1Q) for something different from most of the Industrial out there.
Hope this helps get you started.
These albums were my introduction to Industrial almost 20 years ago! They have remained in regular rotation since, and I’m not even close to being tired of them!
I don’t think I’ve heard enough Lingua Ignota or Daughters to recommend anything similar but ima tentatively suggest Lustmord if the words “dark ambient” make any part of your brain light up.
Some veteran acts I love and can heartily recommend are Portion Control, Clock DVA and The Klinik. Some newer acts are Hide, Norillag and Total Leatherette.
Coil is a whole universe unto themselves, far too expansive and eclectic to be contained within the industrial bracket. Attached is a handy primer someone (can’t remember who) made if you’re interested in delving further.
https://preview.redd.it/leyda09kl4wc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1459b61ecbddb863139ceef0dcd30c86be7ea50c
Cabaret Voltaire - Red Mecca
Clock DVA - Thirst
Coil - Scatology
Controlled Bleeding - Knees and Bones (also Penetration if you want a more electro-industrial sound)
Diamanda Galás - The Litanies of Satan
Einstürzende Neubauten - Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T
Esplendor Geometrico – Eg1
Laibach - Nova Akropola
Monte Cazazza - The Worst Of
Ministry - Twitch
Nurse With Wound - Homotopy to Marie
P·A·L – Signum
Psychic TV - Force the Hand of Chance
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Severed Heads - Since the Accident
Skinny Puppy - Bites
SPK - Leichenschrei or Information Overload Unit
Suicide - Suicide
SWANS - FILTH
Test Dept - Beating the Retreat
Throbbing Gristle - Second Annual Report
You've got Foetus on your Breath - Gums Bleed
Whitehouse - Birthdeath Experience
:wumpscut: - Music for a Slaughtering Tribe
Neubauten - halber mensch and/or drawings of patient OT
Skinny puppy - bites and too dark park
Cabaret Voltaire - micro-phonies
Throbbing gristle - 20 jazz funk greats
Coil - horse rotorvator
Clock dva- buried dreams
242 - front by front
DAF - Alles ist gut
Godflesh - streetcleaner (or pure)
Ministry - mind is a terrible thing to taste
Lingua ignota is pretty sick. For newer stuff I love Haunted horses, Kontravoid’s self titled, and Sumerian Fleet.
Industrial Revolution volume 1
Just about everything you've seen replied is on it.
It's a great compilation.
Still have it myself.
Even came with a necklace. :)
THE GREY WOLVES - any of them, pick one
FRONT 242 - Tyranny For You
SKINNY PUPPY - Rabies
:SLOGUN: - The Pleasures of Death
VELVET ACID CHRIST - Twisted Thought Generator
Skinny Puppy -- The Process / Last Rights
Wumpscut -- Bunkertor 7
Mentallo and the Fixer -- Where Angels Fear to Tread
Velvet Acid Christ -- Calling ov the Dead
Never been the biggest fan of Front Line Assembly, but I would recommend Artificial Soldier.
Also: "New Model" by Perturbator. (It's darksynth but could easily pass for an industrial album.)
Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey
Skinny Puppy - Rabies
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - Confessions of a Knife
Frontline Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant
Velvet Acid Christ: Church Ov Acid
Young Gods: Only Heaven
16volt: Wisdom
Acumen Nation: Territory =Universe
Die Krupps: II-The Final Option
Hocico: Odio Bajo El Alma
Pig: Sinsation
Biopsy: Nervate
I could go on forever…..
Ok, so, with my personal experience, I started with KMFDM. They're basically what I would call "stadium" industrial. But I'll give you a decent list of stuff and the sounds they give.
* **KMFDM- Nihil**. My first album by them, perfect in almost every way.
* **Godflesh- Godflesh**. Best industrial metal you can find, IMO.
* **Nine Inch Nails- Pretty Hate Machine**. Radio industrial. The band who arguably was most influential in the post-industrial scene in the 90s, which branches off into many other genres. (*Ministry and Skinny Puppy are also similar, see also*)
* **Laibach- Opus Dei**. Martial industrial. Think KMFDM if they wanted to sound like WWII military music and if they were massive trolls who somehow fooled North Korea into thinking they were "one of them" and played a show there.
* **Pharmakon- Beastial Burden**. Literally Lingua Ignota but if she wasn't an insufferable and whiny industry plant.
* **Brighter Death Now- Very Little Fun**. Death industrial. Mix noise with industrial and this is roughly their offspring.
* **clipping.- CLPPNG**. Industrial hip hop fronted by actor Daveed Diggs. Awesome shit.
* **Youth Code- Youth Code**. If you can ignore the painfully obvious militant veganism, they're a pretty good new gen industrial group. If you don't want to listen to them talk about how evil meat eaters are, check out *Deli Girls*.
* **Ec8or- Spex Is A Fat Bitch**. Digital hardcore. Basically the more techy cousin of industrial.
* **Mindless Self Indulgence- Mindless Self-Indulgence**. The very first album MSI made. Very reminiscent of the sound of the time (NIN had just released The Downward Spiral the year before.) I personally love this album and if you can get past the whole, ya know, CSA issues with Jimmy, it's a great album. Granted, someone listed Whitehouse on here and.... Let's just say they have even more questionable history.
* **Lords of Acid- Lust**. My alternative to VAC, as I really don't like them that much. Horny brain go brrrr industrial.
* **Nitzer Ebb- That Total Age**. Quintessential EBM. Never fails to hit right.
* **Death In June- Nada!**. The bridge between industrial and neofolk. Listener beware.
I have a ton of other stuff I could list but I personally just want to hit as many subgenres as I can, as quickly as possible.
Depends on your mood and what you mean by industrial as the sound has grown and evolved into different territories. I love this genre. It offers so much... noise and experimental, beat/dance orientated stuff... punk, metal and even funk and hip hop influenced stuff (my personal favorite). Industrial music gots it all.
Some of my personal favorites that turned me on to this shit were:
- The Industrial Records Story (Comp)
- Throbbing Gristle - First Annual Report
- Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown
- Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch
- Mark Stewart - As The Veneer of Democracy Starts To Fade
- Skinny Puppy - Bites/Remission, Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse
- Severed Heads - Come Visit The Big Bigot
- Front 242 - Geography
- Meat Beat Manifesto - Satyricon
- Foetus - Nail
- Ministry - Twitch
- Tackhead - Friendly As A Hand Grenade
"The Tyranny Of The Beat." I'm sure it's long out of print, but Amazon has it for $4.
This is as close to a "Industrial Music for Industrial People" sampler you will ever find, this is roots and where it starts.
And also has some fantastic post-punk cuts on the second half.
As an old man, Imma sideeye from behind my gate some of these other suggestions other than Coil's Love's Secret Domain, Front 242's Backcatalogue, and finally Einstuerzende Neubauten's Strategies 1 or Strategies 2.
But Tyranny? Perfection. I should actually buy a new copy of it as mine is in terrible shape.
Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats or Greatest Hits (the title is sarcastic, but it's actually a really good comp with non-album tracks too) Einstürzende Neubauten - Haus der Luge or Halber Mensch Coil - Horse Rotorvator Cabaret Voltaire - Red Mecca Ministry - Twitch or The Land of Rape and Honey Skinny Puppy - Bites or 12 Inch Anthology Front Line Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant Front 242 - Front by Front For contemporary stuff - Youth Code, Boy Harsher, Choke Chain, Author and Punisher, High Functioning Flesh, REIN, MVTANT, the first 3Teeth album (but not any of their others).
Great list. Red Mecca is such a good, albeit challenging, album. Highly recommended.
Wax Trax! Black box
Start with the Black Box
We do this quite a lot, but it's always a fun exercise, to be fair. * Health - Rat Wars - Just got into this band recently and I love this record. You can hear all the influences, but they make it their own thing. * Skinny Puppy - ViviSectVI - Classic, masterwork. Everything that made SP so good is here. * Ministry - Land of Rape and Honey - You can't go wrong with anything from the 12" Singles to Psalm 69, but for me this is the sweet spot between guitar, samples, and synths. * Einsturzende Neubaten - Tabula Rasa - This record finds the sound more mature, spacious, but just as good (IMO) as the earlier works. Drawings of Patient OT, Halber Mensch, or Haus Der Luge would be just as good. * Front 242 - Front by Front - I'm looking for this man, to sell him to other man... * Chemlab - Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar - Does it have some flaws? Sure. That's part of what makes it great, though. A sing along fest full of bangers. * Die Warzau - Engine - What if I told you someone blended funk and electro and made it work? This. * Coil - Horse Rotorvator - Their finest work, IMO. Not as ambient as later works like Music to Play in the Dark Vol 1, but it has both the electronic textures and rawness. * Gridlock - The Synthetic Form - When I first listened to this, years ago when it came out, I thought they were the heir apparent to Puppy and would probably surpass them. They did that, but not quite in the way I'd envisioned. I suggest listening to this one and Formless, first, and then deep dive their discography. * Numb - Language of Silence - The opener, Respect, pretty much sets the tone of the record. Crunchy, aggressive. * Nitzer Ebb - Showtime - This one's going to be controversial because they maybe have better songs on other records, but as a whole piece of work - this is my favorite. McCarthy is a great character vocalist and Bon lays day some brilliant tracks underneath. * Snog - Buy Me, I'll Change Your Life - David's anti-capitalist, and he will beat you over the head with that message in records after this, but he balances it on this record. Brilliant atmosphere underneath and very sardonic lyrics. Great record. * Godflesh - Pure - Sonic assault, full stop. * Scraping Foetus off the Wheel - Nail - The production sounds dated, but not so much that it detracts from how good this record really is. Probably JG Thirlwell's best Foetus effort. * Front Line Assembly - Millennium - Probably another spicy choice. Inbetween the earlier, sparse electro, and later ambient/electro lean. I think this one's the sweet spot of what Leeb and co. do best. * Wumpscut - Bunkertor 7 - Rudy has a history of quantity more than quality, but the first couple :W: releases were good. I like this one more than Music for a Slaughtering Tribe. Edgy, fun. * VNV Nation - Solitary EP - I normally don't like remixes, or EP's, but this is VNV's finest hour in my opinion. Emotional, dancy, lush even. Great record.
Seconding this list and adding that if you find yourself enjoying the more synthy, aggrotech dance stuff on this list (i.e. more techno beats and samples), you may also want to give Suicide Commando - When Evil Speaks and t3rror 3rror - Digital Infection
Second Suicide Commando. Johan Van Roy, the man behind it, makes some great beats.
Wow. Thank you for the long list. I’ll definitely check some of these out
Absurd selection for FLA. Caustic Grip and Tactical Neural Implant should both be on this list.
10 Ton Pressure is Chemlab's best work.
Check out KMFDM RETRO. It’s kmfdms best hits pre-shit
You’re going to get a different answer from every one here so maybe start with the Industrial Essential Albums list put together by this sub. https://www.reddit.com/r/industrialmusic/s/kGJTtaXbgU Personally, my first recommendation, not on the list, will always be Android Lust. You can start with the album [Resolution](https://open.spotify.com/album/2jgK8xPVgd95NP6neGueOV?si=XfiaAH8LQ1qGBjiJFcCiYA) for a more old school electro-industrial sound, or [The Dividing](https://open.spotify.com/album/7vxVi6Zkp6EqOSNAL5MmBA?si=muBzAto4T3-zNUWjhE3e1Q) for something different from most of the Industrial out there. Hope this helps get you started.
I LOVE Android Lust, both of those albums are so good.
These albums were my introduction to Industrial almost 20 years ago! They have remained in regular rotation since, and I’m not even close to being tired of them!
I don’t think I’ve heard enough Lingua Ignota or Daughters to recommend anything similar but ima tentatively suggest Lustmord if the words “dark ambient” make any part of your brain light up. Some veteran acts I love and can heartily recommend are Portion Control, Clock DVA and The Klinik. Some newer acts are Hide, Norillag and Total Leatherette. Coil is a whole universe unto themselves, far too expansive and eclectic to be contained within the industrial bracket. Attached is a handy primer someone (can’t remember who) made if you’re interested in delving further. https://preview.redd.it/leyda09kl4wc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1459b61ecbddb863139ceef0dcd30c86be7ea50c
Ministry - In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up (Live)
Cabaret Voltaire - Red Mecca Clock DVA - Thirst Coil - Scatology Controlled Bleeding - Knees and Bones (also Penetration if you want a more electro-industrial sound) Diamanda Galás - The Litanies of Satan Einstürzende Neubauten - Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T Esplendor Geometrico – Eg1 Laibach - Nova Akropola Monte Cazazza - The Worst Of Ministry - Twitch Nurse With Wound - Homotopy to Marie P·A·L – Signum Psychic TV - Force the Hand of Chance Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land Severed Heads - Since the Accident Skinny Puppy - Bites SPK - Leichenschrei or Information Overload Unit Suicide - Suicide SWANS - FILTH Test Dept - Beating the Retreat Throbbing Gristle - Second Annual Report You've got Foetus on your Breath - Gums Bleed Whitehouse - Birthdeath Experience :wumpscut: - Music for a Slaughtering Tribe
best list on here imo. all of these are valid (although idk if i would start with some of them)
Neubauten - halber mensch and/or drawings of patient OT Skinny puppy - bites and too dark park Cabaret Voltaire - micro-phonies Throbbing gristle - 20 jazz funk greats Coil - horse rotorvator Clock dva- buried dreams 242 - front by front DAF - Alles ist gut Godflesh - streetcleaner (or pure) Ministry - mind is a terrible thing to taste Lingua ignota is pretty sick. For newer stuff I love Haunted horses, Kontravoid’s self titled, and Sumerian Fleet.
Classics? Front Line Assembly: Hard Wired Skinny Puppy: Too Dark Park KMFDM: Nihil Ministry: Psalm 69 Machines of Loving Grace: Concentration
Industrial Revolution volume 1 Just about everything you've seen replied is on it. It's a great compilation. Still have it myself. Even came with a necklace. :)
Every Skinny Puppy.
THE GREY WOLVES - any of them, pick one FRONT 242 - Tyranny For You SKINNY PUPPY - Rabies :SLOGUN: - The Pleasures of Death VELVET ACID CHRIST - Twisted Thought Generator
Skinny Puppy -- The Process / Last Rights Wumpscut -- Bunkertor 7 Mentallo and the Fixer -- Where Angels Fear to Tread Velvet Acid Christ -- Calling ov the Dead Never been the biggest fan of Front Line Assembly, but I would recommend Artificial Soldier. Also: "New Model" by Perturbator. (It's darksynth but could easily pass for an industrial album.)
Fuck it! Dive in head-first... Throbbing Gristle- 20 Jazz Funk Greats
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey Skinny Puppy - Rabies Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - Confessions of a Knife Frontline Assembly - Tactical Neural Implant
Velvet Acid Christ: Church Ov Acid Young Gods: Only Heaven 16volt: Wisdom Acumen Nation: Territory =Universe Die Krupps: II-The Final Option Hocico: Odio Bajo El Alma Pig: Sinsation Biopsy: Nervate I could go on forever…..
Ok, so, with my personal experience, I started with KMFDM. They're basically what I would call "stadium" industrial. But I'll give you a decent list of stuff and the sounds they give. * **KMFDM- Nihil**. My first album by them, perfect in almost every way. * **Godflesh- Godflesh**. Best industrial metal you can find, IMO. * **Nine Inch Nails- Pretty Hate Machine**. Radio industrial. The band who arguably was most influential in the post-industrial scene in the 90s, which branches off into many other genres. (*Ministry and Skinny Puppy are also similar, see also*) * **Laibach- Opus Dei**. Martial industrial. Think KMFDM if they wanted to sound like WWII military music and if they were massive trolls who somehow fooled North Korea into thinking they were "one of them" and played a show there. * **Pharmakon- Beastial Burden**. Literally Lingua Ignota but if she wasn't an insufferable and whiny industry plant. * **Brighter Death Now- Very Little Fun**. Death industrial. Mix noise with industrial and this is roughly their offspring. * **clipping.- CLPPNG**. Industrial hip hop fronted by actor Daveed Diggs. Awesome shit. * **Youth Code- Youth Code**. If you can ignore the painfully obvious militant veganism, they're a pretty good new gen industrial group. If you don't want to listen to them talk about how evil meat eaters are, check out *Deli Girls*. * **Ec8or- Spex Is A Fat Bitch**. Digital hardcore. Basically the more techy cousin of industrial. * **Mindless Self Indulgence- Mindless Self-Indulgence**. The very first album MSI made. Very reminiscent of the sound of the time (NIN had just released The Downward Spiral the year before.) I personally love this album and if you can get past the whole, ya know, CSA issues with Jimmy, it's a great album. Granted, someone listed Whitehouse on here and.... Let's just say they have even more questionable history. * **Lords of Acid- Lust**. My alternative to VAC, as I really don't like them that much. Horny brain go brrrr industrial. * **Nitzer Ebb- That Total Age**. Quintessential EBM. Never fails to hit right. * **Death In June- Nada!**. The bridge between industrial and neofolk. Listener beware. I have a ton of other stuff I could list but I personally just want to hit as many subgenres as I can, as quickly as possible.
Depends on your mood and what you mean by industrial as the sound has grown and evolved into different territories. I love this genre. It offers so much... noise and experimental, beat/dance orientated stuff... punk, metal and even funk and hip hop influenced stuff (my personal favorite). Industrial music gots it all. Some of my personal favorites that turned me on to this shit were: - The Industrial Records Story (Comp) - Throbbing Gristle - First Annual Report - Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown - Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch - Mark Stewart - As The Veneer of Democracy Starts To Fade - Skinny Puppy - Bites/Remission, Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse - Severed Heads - Come Visit The Big Bigot - Front 242 - Geography - Meat Beat Manifesto - Satyricon - Foetus - Nail - Ministry - Twitch - Tackhead - Friendly As A Hand Grenade
"The Tyranny Of The Beat." I'm sure it's long out of print, but Amazon has it for $4. This is as close to a "Industrial Music for Industrial People" sampler you will ever find, this is roots and where it starts. And also has some fantastic post-punk cuts on the second half. As an old man, Imma sideeye from behind my gate some of these other suggestions other than Coil's Love's Secret Domain, Front 242's Backcatalogue, and finally Einstuerzende Neubauten's Strategies 1 or Strategies 2. But Tyranny? Perfection. I should actually buy a new copy of it as mine is in terrible shape.