5 Industrial Albums You Should Own

Welcome to the end of Industrial Metal Insanity fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

It’s that time in every one of these music festival hosts that I show off some albums that are essential for their respective genres. I confess this list will be strange, as some of the records in question might not be as widely known as others within the Industrial Metal fandom. Regardless, all of the releases on this list are worthy of your time, and worthy of being in your collection if you acquire them. With that said, here are 5 Industrial Metal albums you should own. Let’s begin.

1) Laibach - Opus Dei (Sample Song)

I had a hard time figuring one which of the 3 bands from part one of Industrial Metal Insanity to put here. I knew right away that Throbbing Gristle wasn’t going to be on here, but choosing between Laibach & Nine Inch Nails was a little tricky. Ultimately, I decided to have Laibach take this spot, as while Pretty Hate Machine had all the bells & whistles of an Industrial Metal group, Laibach felt like one more. Opus Dei may not have any metal in it, but the band really cranked up the Industrial with their 3rd release. Better production quality & better sound when compared to other 80s Industrial music guaranteed that it would stay in people’s memories. If you want to hear one of the progenitors of this genre, then Opus Dei is a perfect place to start.

2) Minister - Psalm 69 (Sample Song)

I was incredibly tempted to put Rio Grande Blood here. If you saw my Ministry overview (Which you can read here), not to mention my review for the album from last month (Which you can read here), you know I speak quite fondly of it. Putting objectivity into the equation, I decided to put their first release of the 90s on this list instead. The first full-blown Industrial Metal album, Psalm 69 really blew people’s minds away back in 1992, and served as a launching pad for many Industrial bands in that decade. Like Opus Dei it has weathered the decades well, and is really something potential Ministry fans should try. You won’t regret it!

3) Samael - Passage (Sample Song)

Of all the Industrial Metal bands I’ve discovered, none have ever intrigued or fascinated me quite like this group from Sion, Switzerland. First starting off as a Black Metal band, they became something more once they began to incorporate Industrial elements, and by the mid 90s, they merged into a full-blown Industrial/Black Metal group. Even over 2 decades since it’s release, Passage has been praised for pushing the Industrial Black Metal style into the spotlight. If you happen to like your Black Metal a little more electronic, you might like Passage. Give it a go, and see what you think.

4) Rammstein - Mutter (Sample Song) & Turmion Kätilöt - Dance Panique (Sample Song)

I genuinely do the best I can to not do ties on these lists (Ironic, given who’s at 5). I really do! However, when the time came to make this post, these two bands had to be here. First up is Mutter: the very first time I ever heard Industrial Metal, much less a metal band from a foreign country, I was hooked immediately. As I stated in my review at the start of this month (Which you can read here), this was a completely new musical experience for me. It’s moments like that you don’t feel often in life, but when you do it’s magical.

Turmion Kätilöt, on the other hand, are kind of different. I didn’t discover them on my own, but rather were suggested to me by an acquaintance of mine way back in my college days (A friend at the time was directed towards this band as well). Whereas Rammstein was a well-oiled machine, Turmion Kätilöt was a chaotic mass of pain, sensuality, and fun. Their latest album (Soon to be replaced by their record coming out in September this year), Dance Panique really personifies this. From the title track all the way to the ending song, you are in for a really wild ride. In fact, I use the music video as an intro to a rather risque series of panels I host. Given what’s in the video, you shouldn’t be surprised.

5) Kreator - Endorama (Sample Song) & Septicflesh - Revolution DNA (Sample Song)

I’ve already kind of touched on this first album back in my 5 Thrash Albums You Should own (Which you can see here), so I won’t repeat every single detail here again. I will say that for a band that transitioned from Thrash Metal to Industrial Metal (With some Gothic Metal hints), Kreator did it surprisingly well. There’s bare hints of Thrash on Endorama, but they’re so minor that it’s incredibly hard to tell. Regardless, give Endorama a try, and see if it makes it to your collection.

Revolution DNA is kind of in the same boat. Since the Ophidian Wheel, Septicflesh experimented with newer styles. First they began with Gothic Metal, and by the late 90s embraced Industrial Metal as well. The end result is an album that knows exactly what it is, but at the same time doesn’t necessarily forget when the band first came from. The record is really interesting to listen to, but it’s such a shame that outside of Septicflesh’s fans (Or Industrial Metal fans in general), Revolution DNA isn’t really well known.

So these were 5 Industrial Metal albums you should own. This metal subgenre isn’t for everybody. Not by a longshot! However, if one was to get into the style, then anyone of these albums were probably the gateway into one of the more unique styles of Heavy Metal. So with that, our 3rd music festival is now closed, and I hope you had a lot of fun. See you all in a few weeks, when one of the most essential Gothic Metal albums has it’s 25th anniversary. See you then!


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For my review of Revolution DNA, check out the link below:

Revolution DNA (Review)