Consequence’s Industrial Week kicks off with a staff list of the genre’s Top 50 albums. Keep checking back throughout the week for more lists, artist-driven content, premieres, essays, and more.
While a handful of rock’s biggest acts have come out of the industrial music scene, the genre has largely remained underground since its emergence in the late 1970s. For every Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein, there are dozens of bands that never broke through to the mainstream. Yet, within the industrial universe, many of these artists are considered legendary acts.
Early pioneers like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire paved the way for an industrial revolution in the ’80s that included Ministry, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and others. Nine Inch Nails took the genre to new heights in the early ’90s, as Trent Reznor’s mix of aggression and melody resonated with millions of fans.
Over the years, industrial has taken on many forms, from dissonant noise to metal-heavy riffs to dance-club bangers, with a common thread being electronic and mechanical elements that tie them into one singular, yet hard-to-define musical category.
The greatest industrial albums represent the wide diversity that the genre has to offer, showcasing a style of music that continues to thrive, even as it predominantly remains under the radar. Take a trip through Consequence’s picks for the 50 Best Industrial Albums of All Time below.
-Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence
50. Front Line Assembly – Gashed Senses & Crossfire
Gashed Senses & Crossfire shows the frenetic capacity of Front Line Assembly, and is a little more eclectic than other albums in their discography. Working with Michael Balch instead of Rhys Fulber this time, Bill Leeb’s vocality was menacingly oppressive when paired with Balch’s approach to synths and percussion. Gashed Senses & Crossfire is appropriately named, as it will certainly leave you feeling like you’re being caught in the crossfires with gashed senses. — Cervanté Pope
49. Die Krupps – Stahlwerksynfonie
This German ensemble would eventually settle into a sound closer to what we would consider traditional industrial but in their earliest incarnation, Jürgen Engler, Bernward Malaka, and Ralf Dörper set loose on their instruments like furious primates. The guitars sound like they are being pulled forcibly apart while the drummer appears willing to reduce his kit to a pile of sawdust and metal filings. And is that a saxophone losing all notion of melody as it wails through this racket? You may find pure enjoyment listening to this album but you might also find that it threatens the structural integrity of your home. — Robert Ham
48. 3Teeth – Metawar
A staple in the goth rock scene in Los Angeles, 3Teeth are one of the modern bands keeping industrial alive. Metawar was produced by Sean Beavan, known for mixing Nine Inch Nails’ first two albums, among other notable releases. This LP goes deep down the industrial rock rabbit hole with dark churning beats, hooky keyboards, and scraping guitars on songs like “AMERICAN LANDFILL,” EXXXIT,” and “AFFLUENZA.” And don’t forget the band’s dark cover of “Pumped Up Kicks.” — Colette Claire
47. Front 242 – Official Version
An album that, even after 35 years, still sounds like a missive sent back to us from a dystopian future. It would give us pause for our potential demise at the hands of our AI overlords if it weren’t so damn danceable. While the arpeggios and electro beats send bodies flying into states of ecstasy, vocalists Jean-Luc De Meyer and Richard 23 bring listeners back down to Earth with visions of BDSM rituals, lethal wounds, and capitalism run amok. — R. Ham
46. Code Orange – Underneath
Underneath sees Code Orange doubling down on their penchant for industrial coatings that made them an early CoSigns artist. Glitchy prelude “(deeperthanbefore)” is a hauntingly dissonant introduction reminiscent of NIN at their most bleakly minimalistic. Later, “You and You Alone,” “A Silver,” “Autumn and Carbine,” and “The Easy Way” maintain those digitized accentuations while delving into some beautiful breakdowns. Conversely, gems such as “In Fear” and “Back Inside the Glass” ooze metalcore magic. Simply put, Underneath is a fluidly flowing amalgamation of Code Orange’s various personas, and with the help of numerous guests, it’s another ambitiously diverse and essential disc. — Jordan Blum
45. Lingua Ignota – All Bitches Die
There isn’t always beauty in music, and that’s something that makes the harshness of this particular din what it is. In the case of Lingua Ignota (real name Kristin Hayter), the lack of beauty in All Bitches Die comes with cathartic intention — an exorcism of every type of abuse that’s cursed her. You can hear it in her voice, which is the main instrument in her productions that she “plays” discordantly well. That’s deliberate, purposefully painful for her to execute so that pain can be felt… and heard. All Bitches Die was an attempt to put to death the traumas afflicting her, and her voice was one hell of a weapon to wield. — C. Pope
44. HEALTH – Death Magic
HEALTH combine hedonism, nihilism, and destruction, repackaging industrial’s violent tendencies into syrupy pop music. They filter their noise influences through a blunt and stylized lens akin to that of Blade’s opening vampire rave scene. Their third album, Death Magic, succeeds by ramping up the tension and drama to a sensory-only experience that vocalist Jake Duzsik emulates rather than describes. He preaches, without discretion or posturing, doing drugs in the face of death as modernity unravels into a rave. While industrial music tends to pulverize, Death Magic seduces the listener. — Colin Dempsey
43. Youth Code – Commitment to Complications
Back in 2013, LA’s Youth Code were new tadpoles in the city’s large pond of musical production. They had just released their self-titled debut at a time when not many were doing the same thing, but then, the great industrial resurgence of 2016 happened. Youth Code’s sophomore album, Commitment to Complications, was one of the considerable driving forces of that movement, blending fiercely vile vocals from Sara Taylor with the grating chords from Ryan George. There’s a reason they managed to tour with Skinny Puppy so early in their infancy — because of their animalistic reinvigoration of the genre itself. — C. Pope
42. Nitzer Ebb – Showtime
Nitzer Ebb’s music made a move from the head and fists to the hips and loins on their third LP, Showtime. The duo of Bon Harris and Douglas McCarthy stayed true to the pounding house beats and changed vocals but a welcome soulfulness melted over the top of the music like a satin sheet as well as a funkiness that Parliament leader George Clinton played up in his remix of the anthemic, “Fun to Be Had.” Though they mellowed out more on future albums, it was here that they hit on a sound adaptable for both animalistic sex and sensual lovemaking. — R. Ham
41. Rammstein – Sehnsucht
Rammstein are one of the most commercially successful industrial metal bands ever, which is especially surprising considering that their lyrics are in German. Released in 1997, Sehnsucht was the band’s second studio album, but it was the first that brought them to international attention, thanks to the single “Du Hast.” Sehnsucht has a steady, consistent energy from start to finish on songs like “Engel,” “Spiel Mit Mir,” and “Alter Mann” that overlay the grittiness of the music with beautiful keyboard melodies and vocalist Till Lindemann’s dramatic baritone. Rammstein’s seemingly incongruous mix of synthetic hooks, rhythmic guitars, and catchy beats becomes what is essentially danceable thrash metal, a natural evolution from clear influences like Ministry and KMFDM. — C. Claire
40. KMFDM – Angst
A Wax Trax! Records gem, Angst makes it clear why KMFDM are pivotal to the industrial genre. Released in 1993, the opening track “Light,” builds up then bursts into a catchy-as-hell crunchy guitar riff and a high-hat-laden, quintessentially-industrial drum beat. One can’t forget about songs like “A Hole in the Wall” and “The Problem,” which showcase the more rock ‘n’ roll and pop elements. The lyrics to singles “Light,” “A Drug Against War,” and “Sucks” also perfectly showcase KMFDM’s ironic sense of humor (and puts them in the running for most lyrical uses of a band’s name on their own album). — C. Claire
39. Einstürzende Neubauten – Kollaps
Germany’s Einstürzende Neubauten helped set the foundation for the industrial music revolution with their 1981 debut, Kollaps. Even their band name screams “industrial,” as it translates to “collapsing new buildings.” Debuting with Kollaps was an appropriate feat, as it’s an album of unbridled release. From exclamations demanding pleasure, like the repetitive “gier” (meaning “lust”) in the opener “Tanz Debil,” to calls for safety from surrounding turmoil (“Lock yourself in with me/ Here we are safe” as on “Draussen ist feindlich”), Einstürzende Neubauten’s first LP remains highly influential. — C. Pope
38. Skinny Puppy – VIVIsectVI
The creative tug of war between founding Skinny Puppy members cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre found a beautiful balance on the group’s fourth album, VIVIsectVI. By narrowing their lyrical focus to the various assaults on the human body (drug addiction, AIDS) and how those are mirrored in our indifference toward the natural world (environmental destruction, animal experimentation), the group honed its music in response. The dark synthpop of earlier efforts proved a comfortable fit for the more metallic, thudding beats and Ogre’s distorted vocal spew. — R. Ham
37. Lard – The Last Temptation of Reid
Combine two artists known for their sociopolitical lyrics — Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra and Ministry’s Al Jourgensen — and you get a collection of punk-fueled industrial songs that pull no punches with their subject matter. It’s a frenetic LP highlighted by tracks like “Forkboy” (featured on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack) and “Pineapple Face” (mocking Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega), and stands out as a highlight in the legendary careers of both Biafra and Jourgensen. — Spencer Kaufman
36. Filter – Title of Record
After exiting Nine Inch Nails just before they became the world’s leading industrial band, singer-guitarist Richard Patrick immediately launched his own band, Filter (and scored a hit with their 1995 debut Short Bus, and the popular single “Hey Man Nice Shot”). And while their sophomore effort issued four years later, Title of Record, is probably best known for the surprisingly melodic alt radio hit, “Take a Picture,” Filter were still indeed industrial rockers – as heard by the hard-hitting album opening “Sand/Welcome to the Fold,” plus “Captain Bligh,” and the very NIN-like “Jurassitol.” — Greg Prato
35. D.A.F. – Ein Produkt der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Freundschaft
German ensemble D.A.F. may have honed their sound into something more palatable and danceable on later recordings, but their greatest influence on the industrial genre came from their 1979 debut. With vocalist Gabi Delgado-López out of the picture briefly, the remaining quartet recorded an unrelenting collection of scorched noise-punk instrumentals that fade in and out of one another like chapters in a cyberpunk nightmare. The darkness at the heart of their improvisations seeps through and would soon fill the troughs of future German industrial pioneers like Einstürzende Neubauten and Die Krupps. — R. Ham
34. Pigface – Gub
Industrial fans were salivating from the moment this project was announced: a bona fide supergroup of artists from the heaviest hitting groups of the era. The lineup is still capable of inducing jaw dropping awe. Anchored by Ministry drummers Martin Atkins and Bill Rieflin, Pigface boasts contributions from En Esch of KMDFM, Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy, Trent Reznor, RevCo member Chris Connelly and more. What could have been a “too many cooks” situation instead became a rhythm-centric assault on body and mind akin to jumping in a mosh pit populated by battlebots. — R. Ham
33. Ministry – The Land of Rape and Honey
Putting together two very disparate things as rape and honey make just as much sense for the name of this record as do the discordant-sounding tracks that comprise it. There’s no real rhyme or reason to it, but that’s kind of the point. Congruence falls to the wayside in exchange for overwhelming atmospheres. Take the title track, for instance: It’s Al Jourgensen at full Al Jourgensen, intensely derisive roars over the back-and-forth pitch levels of the verses. The album offers something vulgar and something sweet, which may be the roots of its title. — C. Pope
32. Stabbing Westward – Darkest Days
Stabbing Westward were one of the more mainstream-sounding industrial bands to surface in the 1990s, offering dark industrial music that was a bit more easily digestible than some of the extreme bands in the genre. The group went more pop with their 2001 self-titled release, but for the album before it, 1998’s Darkest Days, the band presented some of their heaviest material that’s most deserving of the “industrial” label. On Darkest Days, they experimented with different electronic sounds and styles and showed they weren’t afraid to take real musical risks. — Anne Erickson
31. Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile
Following Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral was always going to be difficult, yet NIN mastermind Trent Reznor and company did a phenomenal job with 1999’s The Fragile. A sequel to its predecessor, the conceptual double album tackles similarly dark subject matter with a wider, more experimental stylistic palette (including more instrumentals). For example, the symphonically disgruntled and dynamic “The Day the World Went Away” is brilliantly juxtaposed by electronic loops of “Even Deeper” and the gruff immediacy of “Into the Void.” The Fragile is easily among Reznor’s most ambitious works. — J. Blum
30. White Zombie – Astro Creep: 2000
Were they industrial? Metal? Horror rock? Towards the end of their career, White Zombie were an amalgamation of multiple genres – as evidenced by their final studio album (before singer Rob Zombie set sail on a highly successful solo career), Astro Creep: 2000. Although the best-known tune was the MTV favorite “More Human Than Human,” you have to give the band extra props for some of the best song titles ever (“Grease Paint and Monkey Brains,” “El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama,” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Bug Parade Begins”). — G. Prato
29. Pharmakon – Abandon
The disquiet of Abandon, the 2013 release from Pharmakon, is right there on the cover: a shot of the artist with hands and crotch covered in maggots. It only gets worse when the music kicks off with a strained scream that turns into a sustained, piercing drone joined by machinery clatter and her voice strangling through digital processes. The future of this genre doesn’t depend on the continued work of artists like Nine Inch Nails and Jonathan Davis, and a more realistic path is being forcibly carved out by the truly terrifying soundscapes, flashes of noise, lumbering rhythms, and death-dealing shrieks heard throughout this incredible work. — R. Ham
28. Death Grips – The Money Store
Although Death Grips’ later work would eclipse The Money Store’s raw power, their 2012 release has aged wonderfully. It doesn’t hit as hard as it once did, but that allows its other aspects to shine as time moves forward, like the production that slammed Music from Saharan Cell Phones samples alongside commuter trains, plus MC Ride’s charisma and precision. That the group is no longer treated as a hodgepodge of memes and styles and instead as an institution may be self-fulfilling, but The Money Store led that shift in thought. — C. Dempsey
27. Cabaret Voltaire – Red Mecca
The third studio album by Sheffield trio Cabaret Voltaire was a pivot point. The vestiges of the band’s challenging, grating early work were still audible, but cutting through the waves of metal shavings and frayed wires were the first blushes of their more accessible and funkier future. Slap bass burbles up in “Sly Doubt” and “A Thousand Ways,” and pop hooks fight for room amid the ever-tightening squeeze of drones and beats from a barely functional drum machine. They even dare to cover a Mancini film theme. In this quagmire of beautiful ugliness is the blueprint for Nine Inch Nails and the nastier corners of Aphex Twin’s discography. — R. Ham
26. Strapping Young Lad – City
City, from its opening seconds, sounds like a magnum opus. Strapping Young Lad’s dystopian desecration of Los Angeles is a maximalist album largely due to mastermind Devin Townsend’s production which asserts every instrument to the forefront of the mix while giving them a distinct role. This approach births some of the most beautiful moments in ’90s metal (“All Hail the New Flesh”), some of its most cathartic (the bridge on “Detox”), and one of the most intimidating climaxes on “Spirituality,” a microcosm of Townsend’s awe-inducing ambition.— C. Dempsey
