Industrial rock has always been a hotbed of ambitious, experimental and fascinating works. The online magazine Consequence has relaunched an editorial list of the 50 best albums of the genre. “Although some of rock's biggest names emerged from the industrial scene, the genre has remained largely underground since its appearance in the late 1970s – writes Spencer Kaufman in the introduction – For every successful phenomenon like Nine Inch Nails or Rammstein there are dozens of groups who never made it to the top. mainstream. Yet, within the industrial universe, many of these artists are considered legends. Early pioneers like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire paved the way for the industrial revolution of the 1980s that included Ministry, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb and others. In the early 1990s, Nine Inch Nails took the genre to a new level, as Trent Reznor's blend of aggression and melody found resonance with millions of listeners. Over time, industrial has taken on many forms: from dissonant noise to metal-laden riffs to dancefloor bangers. The common thread remains the presence of electronic and mechanical elements, capable of holding together a single musical category, although difficult to define precisely.
Here is Consequence's ranking of the 50 best industrial albums of all time (here is the complete report)
50. Front Line Assembly – “Gashed Senses & Crossfire”
49. Die Krupps – “Stahlwerksynfonie”
48. 3Teeth – “Metawar”
47. Front 242 – “Official Version”
46. Code Orange – “Underneath”
45. Lingua Ignota – “All Bitches Die”
44. Health – “Death Magic”
43. Youth Code – “Commitment to Complications”
42. Nitzer Ebb – “Showtime”
41. Rammstein – “Sehnsucht”
40. KMFDM – “Angst”
39. Einstürzende Neubauten – “Kollaps”
38. Skinny Puppy – “VIVIsectVI”
37. Lard – “The Last Temptation of Reid”
36. Filter – “Title of Record”
35. DAF – “Ein Produkt der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Freundschaft”
34. Pigface – “Gub”
33. Ministry – “The Land of Rape and Honey”
32. Stabbing Westward – “Darkest Days”
31. Nine Inch Nails – “The Fragile”
30. White Zombie – “Astro Creep: 2000”
29. Pharmakon – “Abandon”
28. Death Grips – “The Money Store”
27. Cabaret Voltaire – “Red Mecca”
26. Strapping Young Lad – “City”
25. Revolting Cocks – “Beers, Steers + Queers”
24. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult – “Sexplosion!”
23. Static-X – “Wisconsin Death Trip”
22. Swans – “Filth”
21. Coil – “Horse Rotorvator”
20. Fear Factory – “Demanufacture”
19. Lords of Acid – “Voodoo-U”
18. KMFDM – “Nihil”
17. Foetus – “Nail”
16. Rammstein – “Mutter”
15. Big Black – “Songs About Fucking”
14. Nitzer Ebb – “That Total Age”
13. Nurse With Wound – “Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella”
12. Front Line Assembly – “Tactical Neural Implant”
11. Godflesh – “Streetcleaner”
10. Ministry – “The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste”
09. Front 242 – “Front By Front”
08. Killing Joke – “Killing Joke”
07. Nine Inch Nails – “The Downward Spiral”
06. Laibach – “Opus Dei”
05. Skinny Puppy – “Too Dark Park”
04. Einstürzende Neubauten – “Halber Mensch”
03. Throbbing Gristle – “20 Jazz Funk Greats”
02. Nine Inch Nails – “Pretty Hate Machine”
01. Ministry – “Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs”
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
