Merzbow - Hatonal (2025)

I don't review harsh noise very often, not because I don't like it, but because it's difficult to write about it. Trying to describe it seems a bit pointless. Noise is something you have to feel... What to say about this one? Merzbow aka Masami Akita is among the pioneers and great masters of noise, maybe even people not into it have seen or heard his name mentioned, maybe listened to one of his collaborative albums with rock/metal artists. On Hatonal he's doing his stuff, noise with just enough variations to keep you listening and enjoying it. Might be a patience test for most people, a pleasure for some, and in any case, an interesting listening experience.

 

The BC page

 

8 Hour Animal - Kill Your Boss (2023)

On Kill Your Boss, second album from one-man project 8 Hour Animal, again released by Sentient Ruin Laboratories, the music gets more industrial metal and EBM, and less power electronics. In any case, it confirms that 8 Hour Animal is a nice addition to the harsher side of the industrial scene.

The BC page.

 

Blastro - From the Beginning to the End (2013)

Relentless blast beats over a wall of noise : doesn't it sounds like the perfect recipe for sonic happiness? To me it does, and that's exactly what you'll get from Blastro, a Japanese trio with an ex C.C.C.C and an ex G.I.S.M. From the Beginning to the End has been recorded live and released ten years ago. 

And you need it. 

Full of Hell - Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021)

Garden of Burning Apparitions is maybe the most straigtforward and brutal and also most rocking album from Full of Hell. Their blackened hardcore is at its rawer and to the point delivery (with a less black metal and more chaotic noise hardcore feel this time, or less metal more punk), with some diversity and contrast provided by harsh noise, saxophone and noise rock elements. When more extreme and direct is also more catchy. Full of Hell is still one of the more extreme and best hardcore band around.

The BC page.

 

Favourite industrial music in 2021

Here's a list of what I liked the more in industrial music in 2020 (both electronic industrial and industrial metal). Click to go to the review. And feel free to say what you feel is missing in a comment.

 

Electro/industrial

 

8 Hour animal - Resigner

 

Andrew Nolan - Black Creek

 

Bergegas Mati - This is Going to Hurt

 

Droit Divin - Les Nouveaux Moralistes

 

G36 vs JKFlesh - Disintegration Dubs

 

Nun Gun - Mondo Decay

 

Pessimist - All Hope Lost

 

RNXRX - Impreciso

 

Scorn - The Only Place

 

The Bug - Fire

Torn Relics - Burning Injustice

 

 

Industrial metal

Drumcorps - Better Days

 

Ministry - Moral Hygiene

 

Youth Code & King Yosef - A Skeleton Key in the Doors of Depression

 

Merzbow / Prurient - Black Crows Cyborg (2021)

Black Crows Cyborg is a collaborative album between two famous noise artists, Merzbow and Prurient. And, even if I'd say we could have expected a more memorable result, this is anyway a  strong album. I especially enjoy the first track, more quiet and ambient than is usual from both artists, with its noise over subtle synth soundscape (my guess is Merzbow is doing the noise and Prurient the synth part). The second track isin  a more traditional harsh noise vein, with also a touch of power electronics. If you're not familiar with noise music this album would be a good introduction to it, if you are, then I guess you already are listening to Black Crows Cyborg by now...

The BC page.

 

Bergegas Mati - This Is Gonig to Hurt (2021)

If you've seen the cover art and read the album name, then you already know what it's all about. Yes this is harsh noise, and yes this is going to hurt...

But if you listened to the previous Bergegas Mati album, Conjunction (that I reviewed HERE) I'll add that This Is Going To Hurt has no vocals/screams this time and is two long tracks, so more like a usual harsh noise album. I'd say I prefered Conjunction, but This I Going To Hurt is definitely also a good harsh noise album.

The BC page.

 

K2 / Yasuhito Fujinami - Split cassette (2017)

Good split cassette released by two Japanese noise artists in 2017. Three tracks from Yasuhito Fujinami on the first side, the whole spectrum of noise going from ambient to harsh, rich and subtle, really good. On the other side is K2 (noise veteran Kimihide Kusafuka) with a long track more on the harsh side of noise, not the monolithic and dull kind, it has enough twists and turns and variations to keep your attention and build an interesting listening experience.

The BC page.

 

Bergegas Mati - Conjunction (2020)

Harsh noise's never easy listening, yes, but it's often monotonous, with very few variations, like a lasting uneasiness, often a bit boring, but it can also be like a chaotic succession of violent bursts, explosive and nightmarish like in Conjunction, released last year by Bergegas Mati (from Indonesia). The screams of Junko Hiroshige (Hijokaidan) on two tracks are adding even more madness. As harsh noise should be, this album is really a test for the listener. Can you take it?

The BC page.

 

CHRISTWVRKS - Teeth Fall From The Open Eye (2020)

 CHRISTWVRKS is the solo musical project of Jamie Christ (who's also a talented tattoo artist) and its album (released as a cassette) Teeth Fall From The Open Eye is one hour of power electronics mixed with black metal. Even though it has some excellent melodies in some songs, as you can guess this is not exactly feel-good music... but, unlike many albums in the style he uses to express, it is not a boring exercise in standardized monotony and on the contrary it manages to surprise and keep the attention through its intense negativity. A challenging and very rewarding listen. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

Pharmakon - Devour (2019)

To be honest I wasn't fully convinced by Pharmakon (Margaret Chardiet) previous releases, I don't know if Devour, released last year by Sacred Bones (but she's probably their noisiest and most extreme artist), is better or if I just listen differently to her music, but anyway I find this one really good. Excellent power electronics, with a bit of rhythm and somewhat melodies deep in the background, making each of tracks a distinct and memorable one.

The Bandcamp page.

Ten Thousand Miles of Arteries - Survival Bloom (2019)

Survival Bloom is the second album from Ten Thousand Miles of Arteries (Noah Lane Coleman), also on ANNIHILVS POWER ELECTRONIX. First one was excellent, this second one is confirming how good this guy is for making power electronics / industrial music. This new album is a bit more minimalistic, and with good results.  I also like the fine use of scrap metal noise. Highly recommended.

The BC page.

Lingua Ignota - Caligula (2019)

To be honest first time I listened to Lingua Ignota I wasn't impressed, but I think it was mostly because I was expecting something else. Then I saw her open a show with Author & Punisher, and the show made a huge impression on me, it was so intense! believe me, you NEED to witness a Lingua Ignota show in your life. After the show I listened to her music again and this time liked it immediately, just needed to be in the right mood... And now the new album Caligula, it's still mostly piano and harsh noise, operatic singing and screaming, on Caligula it's more piano less industrial, but same intensity. Unique and awesome.
Highly recommended.

The BC page.

Endon - Boy Meets Girl (2019)

On this third album, Boy Meets Girl released this year by Thrill Jockey, Endon(from Tokyo) still has the noise rock and crazy chaotic hardcore elements but this time the main element is power electronics, or we could say it's power electronics with bass lines and occasionnal outburst of frenetic harcore. It is extreme, radical and really good, with an abrasive groove punctuated by intense blasting parts. Oh, and this is supposed to be the soundscape of an imaginary horror love movie. Indeed it could be that. Third excellent album in a row, they really confirms they are one of the most interesting recent bands.
recommended!

The BC page.

Operant - Harnessed to Flesh (2018)

Operant is a duo from Berlin and Harnessed to Flesh is their third EP (and third release), all on Instruments of Discipine (a good tech/noise label, also based in Berlin). Their music combines rythmic noise, power electronic and industrial techno, with various dosage in the different tracks, and they do it very well wether it's more noisy, more beats driven, with or witout voice/synths, etc. Dark and abrasive. Good stuff.

The BC page.

SXAP - Cathedral (2017)

SXAP is a one man band (from the guy doing also Sxuperion) that could be described as atmospheric black metal, but more precisely the latest album, released last year and called Cathedral, is black metal riffs and blast beats played on a background of harsh noise (for a result that actually does not sound very different from very very low-fi more traditionnal black metal), with a bit of layers of synth and some screaming here and there. The noise, drumming and riffs being the dominant elements in the music. I like the mysterious, eerie and bleak atmosphere created, somewhat darkly psychedelic, and the riffs are discreet but good, making  Cathedral an album different from the usual black metal and really good. recommended stuff.

The BC page.

American - Violate and Control (2017)

Obviously associating black metal and industrial / noise music is a good idea, yet it's not that easy to do it properly. First American album, Coping With Loss, was a good album, but basically it was some good black metal with machine drum and two noise track. On their second album, Violate and Control, things get more interesting since in it the black metal and indus / noise mix sounds a lot more like a cohesive whole (although this time on some tracks we could say it's noise music with black metal bits...). They build a strong black and harsh atmosphere that explodes into some epic moments like in the excellent Amorous and Subdue in the middle of the album.

The Bandcamp page. 
 

CBN / Satanic Abortion - Cold Bloodied Satanist split (2016)

This split is not for the faint-hearted. This cassette called Cold Bloodied Satanist released by Out-of-Body records features two bands (well, two "one man band" more precisely I think) from Omaha, Nebraska.
On the first side CBN offers one long track of sinister noise with creepy synths. Very dark, but quiet compared to what comes next. But the two goes well together I'd say, it's complementary.
Satanic Abortion plays some raw black metal / noisegrind mayhem. Crazy stuff, the black metal element is very low-fi, raw and primitive and played with a loose grind attack and the noise / samples only adds to the chaos and aggression.
Combining black metal, grind and noise should indeed sound very intensely extreme and Satanic Abortion did a good job in achieving that.

The Bandcamp page.

Intensive care - Pay pig (2016)

Intensive Care is a new band with guys who were in from Column of Heaven and The Endless Blockade. On this casette, Pay Pig, their first release it sounds a bit like a development of the noise element in Column of Heaven. There's some Power electronics (especially on the three short tracks / interludes), mixed with the most sinister sludge and some early Godflesh (especially the two longer tracks). And they already really master that thing. A great first release and a very promising new band. Recommened!

http://survivalist-deathcult.blogspot.fr/

Concrete Mascara - Perennial Disappointment (2016)

This is not easy listening... this is power electronics. Concrete Mascara is an american power electronics trio and Perennial Disappointment is their debut on Malignant records (a reliable dealer in power electronics / dark ambiant stuff). But they had already released something like six albums plus other releases. They manage on this album to sound as "hard", extreme and abrasive as power electronics can but also easier to listen than other stuff of this kind because each tracks have it's own thing that makes it different from the rest of the album, unlike their previous album "History of Ruin", some tracks have rythmic elements (there's a good technoise track for exemple), some vocal parts, some instrumentals, more ambiant tracks. It's very extreme but not too much, too dense and boring. An excellent and, hum... "enjoyable" power electronics album.

Their blog

some tracks on Soundcloud