New releases last eight weeks: Industrial/Noise

Review: It's not a scam... it's Skam! To the Skam sister label Kasm comes Russell Haswell with a mitre-sawing electro release, veering toward brash abstraction. A gobby intonation is wrought from the distortion send here, where drums near-vocally poke through the muck, like rambunctious talking ghosts in machines. Warring allusions to lost humanity take shape on titles like 'Fractured Bones' and 'Tournament Species', where cyborg gladiators rise from their catacomb internments to face off against each other again and again, in haunted perpetuity. 'Different Takes' is the best example of the record's at times tempoless ferocity, scattering what remains as an intuitive pulse across phase-distorted gargles and made-wonky beat hydraulics.

Review: Kop-Z reveals that he first encountered the term 'A Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamic System' in a book costing L2 in a Manchester junk shop. It is a term to describe humans as systems constantly battling entropy and the world's challenges to survive. "But we're also systems that work together, creating art and music," he reflects, appreciating the contrast between opposites like day and night, love and hate. His work merges autobiographical field recordings, looped vinyl and childhood video games with kinetic programming systems that are all influenced by jungle, footwork, noise, rave, post-punk and reggae. The result is a rich fabric of sound that blends human experience with machine chaos.

Review: Andrew Bowen, formerly of AnD and Shadows, debuts a fresh EP for a fresh alias: Slave To Society. An entirely unique exploration of breakneck jungle and bass, 'Abstract Venom' explores the extremities of the harshest facets of darkside electronica, with a self-proclaimed disregard "for BPMs, rules, regulations, or trends". While that claim might be somewhat hyperbolic, there is some truth to it. We hear vestiges of punk, industrial, noise, and experimental music in this overarchingly drum & bass project; while at the same time, cuts like the title track and 'Tribulations Of An Alien' indulge everything from rule-ribbing polyrhythms to mega-tight, neuromantic breakcore.

Review: A genre-defying exploration of industrial, noise and breakbeat influences. With a strong vocal presence and a deep understanding of break-based rhythms, YSSUE creates a unique sonic landscape that challenges conventions. Side-1 opens with 'Count 7/8', blending acoustic and synthetic sounds in a way that feels both experimental and grounded. The track's rhythmic complexity and textural depth set the tone for the rest of the album. 'Wherever' follows, merging jungle breakbeats with industrial intensity, while maintaining a catchy, accessible edge that will appeal to fans of both genres. The title track, 'Human Nature', stands out with its gritty, downtempo atmosphere. Reminiscent of Massive Attack's Mezzanine, the track's production is dark and atmospheric, layering dub elements with a subtle, edgy intensity that captures the essence of the human condition. Side-2 opens with 'No Cops In Paradise', where dub meets breakcore in a clash of electronics, creating a chaotic yet controlled rhythm. 'Hefty Dub' closes the album with a tribute to dub, offering a deep, immersive groove that wraps up the journey with a satisfying, bass-heavy finish. Human Nature is a bold, boundary-pushing record that successfully fuses disparate influences into something entirely fresh.

Review: First released in November 2024, Belief Disconnect's Desire & Discontent follows up on the preceding Decadent Yet Depraved, and cements their status as commentators of our times. If last time took a sledgehammer to the monstrous face of a world presenting as one thing but actually something more brutal and savage, this marks our arrival in different time. Masks, like gloves, are off, sides drawn, and the knife edge society and civilisation now rest upon is cast in sharp relief. This is dark, and we mean very, very dark, stuff. It's industrial. Like, super factory-sized industry. Tracks are full of rage. There's the sense that human aspects, a vocal for example, are emanating from solitary confinement somewhere in the depths of a Borg ship. And yet hearing and listening are acts of catharsis - Desire & Discontent is as much about giving us an outlet as it is reflecting a dystopian sci fi narrative which may be on the verge of coming true. Belief Defect certainly seem to think there's a chance, anyway.

Review: DJ Cypher pops up on our radar for the first time here and the indelible mark he makes too. This new album is visceral and coruscated electro funk with dark low ends and ripping acid lines all making it a high-impact assault on your senses. 'Freetwo' in particular is devilishly potent and textured. 'Second Voice' is a barrage of kinetic drum programming and throbbing bass and 'Freeone' is a silky, lithe workout with slamming hits and alien bass energy. Brilliant stuff.

Review: Harlem, the Stockholm-based duo, return with an eight-track exploration of dark, pulsating electronics. Drawing on influences ranging from King Tubby's dub to Robert Hood's minimal techno, they craft a sound that defies easy categorisation. Echoing the no wave dissonance of early ESG and the industrial edge of Cabaret Voltaire, they fuse these disparate elements into a potent sonic cocktail. 'Shut Your Body' opens with a muscular intensity reminiscent of Nitzer Ebb, its driving rhythms and gritty textures setting the stage. 'Fantasy Scan' picks up the pace, a dancefloor-ready jam that recalls Underground Resistance's hypnotic grooves. 'Blow By Blow' channels a nihilistic energy, its sparse arrangement and spoken-word vocals evoking the cold wave sounds of Kas Product. The B-side continues the sonic exploration with 'Dummy Up', a track that evokes the frenetic energy of a cult gathering, its electro and body influences recalling the darker side of the 80s underground. 'Sleuth' takes a more introspective turn, its repetitive grind suggesting a relentless search for the unknown. 'Contact High' brings back the seductive energy, its dancefloor-ready rhythms and infectious melodies reminiscent of early Detroit techno. The album closes with 'Wiggle Walker', a melancholic track that suggests a journey into the unknown. Harlem's music is a thrilling ride through a landscape of sonic extremes, a sonic experience that is both exhilarating and unsettling. Visceral but thought-provoking, this is a potent blend of genres and influences that defies expectations.

Review: The respected DIY hero Xin Lie's reputation has spread far from his native Bangdung in the Indonesian province of West Java - and this eight track debut album will no doubt add to his international repute even further. Electronica is one of the hardest genres in which to forge an original, distinctive path but Lie does it here effortlessly, from the juddering bass-driven half speed groover 'Parat' and the frenetic, polymetric rhythmic riddle that is 'Ngalengkah', to the tribal percussiveness meets mangled robotics of 'Papait Nu Amis', it never settles into accepted ways of doing things, constantly challenging you to keep up. "Perhaps it's best imagined as the soundtrack to a multi-sensory art installation," Lie suggests, "or a performance staged not in a gallery but in an unassuming house down your street." Fine. Or just a really compelling record, you could equally argue.

Review: The somewhat surprising return and attempt at redemption from the industrial metal shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has been a bold pill to swallow, with the once iconic provocateur seeking to avoid the many allegations and numerous controversies he has garnered over the last decade. Attending rehab and becoming fully sober over the past few years has seen dramatic weight loss, a notably more lowkey public demeanour and a newly signed record deal with Nuclear Blast (having been dropped by Loma Vista not long after 2020's We Are Chaos) turn a few heads, simultaneously cautious and curious as to the authenticity of this humble arc. With lawsuits recently thrown out, the court of public opinion appears to be the only form of due process that shall occur, leaving it to individual listeners to make up their mind as to the merit of the artist as a person. As to the art itself, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 is the 12th album to adorn the name Marilyn Manson, and it's his best since 2000's Holy Wood. Tapping Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to oversee the entire project has helped to create a generational bridge between how out of sync Manson himself had become with his own artistic strengths and audience desire, and Bates' insider knowledge as a younger fan first, collaborator second. Together they rediscover the core industrialist menace, gothic romanticism and hedonistic nihilism that kept listeners hooked after the initial shock of aesthetic would cease, but for the first time in decades, it feels earnest and earned rather than forced. Boasting Antichrist Superstar style buzzsaw synths and chug-heavy breakdowns on cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand', while the self-deprecating admission of using drugs to hide behind monstrous flaws on the gloomy balladry of 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' harks back to the most fragile moments of Mechanical Albums. Be it a cynical cashgrab or attempt to regain fan adoration, or the genuine musings of a tortured artist finally learning to face his own demons head on, there's simply no denying that this is Manson at his most potent, intimate and focused, begging the question of how different of a career trajectory and latter day output might we have had if the man had learned to look inward long before hitting the bottom.

Review: This extended triple vinyl edition of Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets revives Merzbow's groundbreaking second vinyl release from 1986 in an all-new and special package. Widely regarded as one of the Japanese master's finest albums, this is its first-ever reissue on vinyl and the first release featuring the original recordings. The 1986 RRRec edition was a remix by the label, whereas this version presents the original tracks but also it includes bonus material from the same era to offer a definitive and immersive look at Merzbow's early work. Noise and experimental music fans, do not sniff at this one.

Review: Kiyoshi Mizutani is a cult hero to noise fans. The Merzbow co-founder is celebrated by them for his unique approach to sound which finds him building immersive worlds that blend noise, field recordings and abstract textures. he Same Thing Makes Always Her Laugh is a brilliant experimental album recorded in 1989 and a perfect primer for those new to his work. It manipulates everyday sounds into something deeply atmospheric and evocative and while rooted in the avant-garde, it maintains an emotional depth that sets it apart. A truly boundary-pushing work of noise art.

Review: 'Power Starved/Human Waste' is as scary to hear as it is to read the track title. As far as album openers go, it certainly sets the scene vividly. A dark, dystopian, murky futurism where people - or at least their ears - listen from beneath the boot of oppressive forces, inaudible vocals echoing and expanding, reverberating and dissipating into a distance we can never really hear because of how forceful foregrounded sounds are. Industrial, EBM, noise, elektro-punk. There are many ways to describe what's here but they all point to a 21st Century cloaked in darkness and anxiety. The irony, of course, is that this is a very human expressionism, despite the harsh machines that seem to dominate the soundscapes. The distorted screams and thumping bass drums of 'Safety Net' perfectly summarise the point.

Review: After debuting on Hospital Productions in 2017, Scanning Backwards was the sophomore album from Phase Fatale back in 2020 on Ostgut. To mark its fifth birthday it gets reissued here and still sounds as good as new. Payne blends post-punk, noise and shoegaze influences into broken rhythms and slow-burning, textured soundscapes that merge sonic warfare with functional dance music. This album drew from historical and fictional narratives to explore sound as a form of power and Each track reflects Berghain's influence as both a space and instrument. It's powerful stuff in more ways than one.

Review: Swedish duo SHXCXCHCXSH distort club music by using a refined, idiosyncratic palette that challenges functionality. As logophiles, they twist language into fragmented, barely recognisable sequences, reflecting their experimental process. Their new album marks their debut for Northern Electronics and showcases a broader exploration of sound. Spanning 15 tracks in style, it combines drone elements, shredded vocals and chaotic melodies to make for a dark, intense atmosphere. Interspersed with brooding yet effervescent breaks, ......t is their most focused and comprehensive work to date and it also pushes their sound into new territories.