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Taken from Newcity Music (Nov 20, 2020) and Taken from Newcity Music (Nov 27, 2020)
Heart of Darkness: A Brief History of Chicago Industrial
Part One
by Ashley Perez Hollingsworth
Ministry |
When Ministry released its groundbreaking album, "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste," thirty-one years ago, industrial music was seeping into the mainstream. Moving out of the underground, the bastardization of EBM, house and synthpop infiltrated suburban homes and Billboard charts. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly were unexpected MTV stars and the scene spread worldwide, finding homes in Japan and Europe. But it was Chicago that would be one of industrial's hubs. Though Ministry became the face of Chicago industrial, many of the scene's most influential figures call the city home. No matter if they're quietly releasing music or have been forgotten due to the cruelty of time, these acts left their mark on the scene.
A New Sound is Born
Born from electronic dance music, mechanical synths and noise experiments, industrial emerged at the end of the seventies and was popularized in the UK by bands like Throbbing Gristle. The music spread at the dawn of the eighties, creating a buzz in Chicago's underground scene. Industrial continued to grow with the help of Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher's Wax Trax! Records. The store on Lincoln Avenue and its label were a haven for artists too weird or risque for the mainstream. Supporting music he truly cared about, Nash signed acts like KMFDM, Meat Beat Manifesto and Young Gods, but Ministry proved to be the label's biggest success.
Formed by Al Jourgensen in 1981, the band became a staple of Wax Trax! with its debut singles "Cold Life" and "I'm Falling." Its catchy synth-pop sound was a mainstay in local clubs, which caught the attention of Arista Records. Arista signed the band in 1982. Stevo George, who joined Ministry's live lineup the year prior, worked with Jourgensen on the band's debut album, "With Sympathy" (1983). Despite praise from critics and fans alike, Jourgensen despised the music, feeling it didn't represent what he wanted to create. Searching for complete artistic freedom, Ministry returned to Wax Trax! in 1984.
Transforming Ministry from a sugary synth-pop band into an industrial powerhouse, Jourgensen teamed up with the Blackouts' Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin. This lineup released a string of successful singles, including "(Every Day) Is Halloween" and "All Day," which hinted at its new sound. After signing with Sire Records, they continued to evolve, going in a heavier, darker direction discovered on their second album, "Twitch" (1986).
Influenced by groups like Front 242 and Cabaret Voltaire, the album bore no resemblance to the band's synth-pop origins. This new sound was aggressive and unfriendly with its use of distortion, white noise and sampling. But it was only the beginning of Ministry's rebirth. The band's follow-up, 1988's "The Land of Rape and Honey," was meaner, uglier and heavier than anything it had done before. Expanding the abrasive sound of "Twitch," it focused less on synths and more on crunchy heavy metal guitars. Fully shedding its bubblegum-synth past, Ministry had arrived.
With newfound success in the underground, Jourgensen and Barker focused on the next album. Little did they know that "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" (1989) would mark another turning point for Ministry. Continuing the harsh, guitar-driven sound, the album started Ministry's journey from the underground to the mainstream, which it would finally break with 1992's "Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs." Singles "Jesus Built My Hotrod" and "N.W.O" became MTV favorites, while the latter earned a Grammy nomination. The album brought industrial to the masses and established the band as a major player.
Despite lineup changes, infighting and Jourgensen's drug addictions, Ministry pushed forward, releasing nine more albums, including "Filth Pig" (1996), "Animositisomina" (2003) and "Houses of the Mole" (2004), the first in a trilogy that condemned the Bush administration. "The Last Sucker" (2007) would be Ministry's final album until re-forming in 2011. The death of Mike Scaccia in 2012 would put the band on hiatus again, with "From Beer to Eternity" (2013) signaling Ministry's end. Three years later the band again regrouped; its latest album, "AmeriKKKant," was released in 2018.
Ministry has a tumultuous history with all the cliched highs and lows, yet it thrives. Its no-holds-barred, violent approach to industrial still reaches new generations of fans. Jourgensen remains one of the scene's most prolific players, establishing successful acts including Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo DJs, Lard and Pail. While Ministry didn't invent the genre, it elevated it into a sound that could not be ignored.
Let's Start a Kult
As Ministry was in the midst of transforming itself, another landmark group took shape. After meeting on Ministry's "Twitch" tour, Frankie Nardiello and Marston Daley formed My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult in 1987. The project began as an art film with the same name (which was never finished). The movie's soundtrack caught the attention of Wax Trax! Records, which wanted to release it on the label. After adopting the film's name and rebranding themselves as Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy, Nardiello and Daley released Thrill Kill Kult's first EP later that year.
The band's debut album, "I See Good Spirits and I See Bad Spirits," followed in 1988. In a way similar to their peers, their music used harsh guitars, distorted melodies and samples from horror movies. But what made the band stand out was its revolving lineup, over-the-top campy image and pseudo-Satanic associations. Thrill Kill Kult was tongue-in-cheek about its occult imagery. Using Satanic and religious iconography for satire rather than serious proclamations, the band provoked controversy with singles "Nervous Xians" and "Kooler Than Jesus." They continued to stoke the flames on their second album, "Confessions of a Knife" (1990), which featured even more Satanic imagery and blunt references to sex.
By its third album and final Wax Trax! release, 1991's "Sexplosion," the band moved away from its industrial roots and cultivated Satanic image. Leaving the darkness behind, Thrill Kill Kult adopted a sleazy disco sound with a focus on heavy dance beats and psychedelic grooves. It became a commercial success and helped them land a deal with Interscope Records. The unique sound also earned spots on movie soundtracks, including "The Crow," "The Flintstones" and "Showgirls."
As it evolved, the group outgrew its industrial image for one that was indefinable. It continued to expand its sound, incorporating lounge music, funk, garage rock and rockabilly on albums like "Hit & Run Holiday," "Gay, Black and Married," and "13 Above the Night." While the band reinvented itself with each record, its love of camp, decadent nature and discussion of all things taboo did not change.
In 1996 the band left Interscope and teamed up with Red Ant Entertainment for its sixth album, "A Crime for All Seasons." They returned in 2001 with "The Reincarnation of Luna," released on its own Sleazebox Records. In addition to working on side projects Bomb Gang Girlz, Darkling Kandie and The Katastrophe Klown, Thrill Kill Kult continues to release music, including its latest release, "In the House of Strange Affairs."
Throughout its thirty-two-year history, Thrill Kill Kult constantly pushed boundaries with its ever-evolving sound, controversial image and love for all things decadent. Always the wild card of the scene, the group took the foundations of industrial, injected it with their wicked sense of humor, love of disco and lots of dirty sex for a sound that could only be described as My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult.
A Scene on the Rise
By the end of the eighties, industrial music had moved into suburban homes, and was no longer confined to a niche audience. Ministry and Skinny Puppy were on the rise and newcomers Nine Inch Nails further propelled industrial with "Pretty Hate Machine" (1989). Inspired by the growing scene, performance artists Jim Marcus and Van Christie formed Die Warzau in 1987.
The pair recorded several demos before meeting the head of Fiction Records, Chris Perry, while he was in town looking for new house bands. He signed them to the label and their debut album, "Disco Rigido," followed in 1989. The record took industrial's harsh electronics and combined it with catchy rhythms, hard rock riffs and hip-hop elements for a sound that crossed genres. Die Warzau's socially conscious lyrics offered thoughtful yet provocative commentary on racism and sexuality. The singles "I've Got to Make Sense" and "Land of the Free" both charted on Billboard, but it was "Welcome to America" that gained the most notoriety with a racy video and unapologetic depiction of sex, violence and drug use as a commentary on American society.
The band continued breaking genre barriers on its 1991 album, "Big Electric Metal Bass Face," incorporating elements of funk, house and rap into the sound. The success of the album landed them a spot on Nine Inch Nails' Sin tour that same year. At the end of the trek, the band took an extended break and reemerged in 1994 to record its next album. Leaving Fiction Records, they teamed up with TVT/Wax Trax! to release their third album, "Engine," in 1995.
Widely considered an essential industrial album, "Engine" redefined the possibilities of industrial music. The band took the genre to new places with its fusion of industrial, psychedelica, EBM, rock and world music. With its featured singles "Liberated" and "All Good Girls," it remains Die Warzau's most popular release. But just as the band was finding success, its members grew frustrated with the industry. Constant label interference and stifled creativity caused them to end the band in 1995. With Die Warzau on hiatus, the founders moved on to other projects. Marcus founded funk group Everplastic, while Christie formed Eco-Hed.
Christie and Marcus reunited in 2002 to work on Eco-Hed's "Land of the Free" for the Positron! Records compilation "Komposi001." Recording together again inspired them to resurrect Die Warzau for one final album in 2005, "Convenience." Die Warzau continued for six more years. The band re-formed in 2013 to play Chicago's Cold Waves II festival, and in 2015 joined Pop Will Eat Itself to play its first show in New York in over twenty years. This would mark their final performance as Die Warzau.
Die Warzau's bold nature showed there were few limitations to industrial music. It dared to transform the genre, taking it to unimaginable places and giving it new life. Its refusal to be pigeonholed and ferocious drive left a mark on the scene.
Heart of Darkness: A Brief History of Chicago Industrial
Part Two
by Ashley Perez Hollingsworth
Nine Inch Nails |
'90s Boom
With the turn of the decade, alternative music was on the rise and industrial finally reached the mainstream. Ministry's fifth album, "Psalm 69," peaked at twenty-seven on the Billboard charts; Nine Inch Nails earned its first Grammy for "Wish;" and videos by Skinny Puppy and KMFDM received heavy MTV airplay. Industrial was now worldwide with more countries fostering a scene, but Chicago continued to produce some of the genre's most prolific bands, such as Pigface.
After wrapping up a 1990 tour with Ministry, Martin Atkins and Bill Rieflin formed Pigface to avoid turning into a Ministry cover band. Rounded out by fellow touring mates Nick Ogre (Skinny Puppy) and Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks), they recruited with KMFDM's En Esch, David Yow, and William Tucker to record their debut album, "Gub" (1991).
More akin to a collection of sounds, the record captures their anything-goes attitude with its use of loops, intense drumming and random vocals for an eclectic and chaotic sound. The band's experimental ethos was emphasized by its ever-changing lineup. Operating on a revolving door policy, Pigface's roster boasted a who's-who of industrial including, Trent Reznor, Ministry's Paul Barker, Steve Albini, Pixies' Black Francis, Thrill Kill Kult's Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy, Sister Machine Gun's Chris Randall and Lydia Lunch, to name a few.
After its first tour, Rieflin left the band to work with KMFDM, Swans, and his own music up until his death in 2020. Meanwhile, Pigface released five more albums, including "Fook" (1992) and "Notes from Thee Underground" (1994), each featuring a new group of collaborators. In 2009 Pigface released its final album, "6", before embarking on a seven-year hiatus. Meanwhile, Atkins formed several side projects, including Murder Inc., The Damage Manual, Ritalin, and The Love Interest before reviving the band for two hometown performances in 2016.
Last year, Pigface reformed for its first tour in fourteen years. The thirteen-date run not only saw the return of previous collaborators, like Mary Byker, Lesley Rankine, and Curse Mackey, it also featured new additions like Lamb of God's Randy Blythe and folk singer Greta Brinkman showing the band's influence outside of industrial. A larger nationwide tour was planned for 2020 but was scrapped due to the global pandemic.
Pigface broke the confines of industrial and played by its own rules. Though it has industrial roots, its music explored the realms of hip hop, psychedelic, rock, slam poetry, punk and metal. It created a distinct sound that they themselves couldn't duplicate. Not limited by one sound made Pigface one of the scene's most exciting bands.
Sweet Soul Sister
During industrial's rise in the '90s, Wax Trax! was on its last legs. Contractual issues and money mismanagement forced it to declare bankruptcy in 1992. Even after their acquisition from TVT, it struggled to stay afloat. To make matters worse, its most popular artists moved on to major labels and took their back catalogs with them. Despite this, Sister Machine Gun emerged as one of the last prominent acts of the label.
Chris Randall and Guilherme Machado formed Sister Machine Gun in 1990 while living in New York. After touring with KMFDM, Randall relocated the band to Chicago, splitting his time between working in the Wax Trax! mailroom and recording demos with Die Warzau. While mixing the demo, KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko handed it to Jim Nash, who fell in love with it and signed Sister Machine Gun to the label.
After a lineup change, which saw the departure of Machado and the recruitment of Steve Stoll and Tom Gaul, the band released its debut album, "Sins of the Flesh," in 1992. The album was standard industrial fare, mixing abrasive synth with pop melodies. The band started moving away from the sound on its second album, "The Torture Technique" (1994). This year saw another iteration of the band with Gaul out and Greg Lucas and Scott Churilla in. After joining KMFDM and Chemlab on tour, Chris Kelly, who joined after the release of the first album, left the band.
Now primarily a project spearheaded by Randall, Sister Machine Gun released its third album, "Burn," in 1995. Its shift away from the synth and bass-heavy industrial sound that permeated its first releases marked new territory as it focused on blues and psychedelic influences. It became the band's most successful album, and its title track became a hit due to its inclusion on the "Mortal Kombat" soundtrack.
Though they were a Wax Trax! staple, the band left the label after 1997's "Metropolis." Randall continued releasing music under Sister Machine Gun via Positron! Records, which he founded with his wife in 1998. They continued to evolve sonically and internally with more lineup changes on subsequent albums "[R]evolution" (1999) and "6.0" (2000). After its seventh record, "Influence," Sister Machine Gun disbanded in 2007.
Randall embarked on a solo career and formed side projects Scanalyzer and Micronaut. He surprised fans by reforming Sister Machine Gun in 2014. They released what is currently their final EP, The Future Unformed, the following year. Randall has since stepped away from the spotlight shifting his focus on his software company Audio Damage.
Sister Machine Gun helped industrial thrive during its mainstream decline. Shedding unfavorable comparisons to their peers, the band kept growing and cultivated a sound that continues to captivate new fans.
Industrial Invades the Mainstream
By the mid-'90s, industrial had reached its peak. The success of Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral" caused a frenzy among labels desperate to find their own Trent Reznor. Bands like Marilyn Manson and White Zombie used industrial elements to their advantage and quickly became MTV favorites. As mainstream industrial neared its bursting point, the underground scene continued to grow with promising acts, like Acumen Nation.
Brothers Jason and Ethan Novak formed Acumen Nation nee Acumen in 1988 while attending DePaul University. With the addition of Greg Lopez, the group recorded several demos before self-releasing "Transmissions from Eville" in 1994 under the imprint Robot Records. Guitarist-engineer Jamie Duffy joined the live lineup later that year and eventually became a permanent member. The band's raw, mean sound caught the attention of Fifth Colvmn Records, who gave them a deal re-released "Transmissions from Eville" in 1995.
Their second album, "Territory = Universe," released the following year and wound up being the final album as Acumen. Forced to change their name after a lawsuit with a preexisting prog rock band, they redubbed themselves Acumen Nation. Moving away from their heavy, intense sound, "More Human Heart" (1997), emphasized more melody with songs with infectious hooks and groove-centric beats.
Around this time, Jason Novak and Duffy launched drum-and-bass side project DJ? Acucrack. In 2000 they founded CrackNation Records, which would release future Acumen Nation albums. With more focus on the side project rather than the band, Acumen Nation planned a hiatus with "Live Farewell 2001," meant to be their final release. At this point, both Lopez and Ethan Novak were no longer in the band. Surprisingly, they returned with a new album, "The 5ifth Column," the following year. Feeling reinvigorated, the band continued releasing albums throughout the 2000s, including "Lord of the Cynics" and "Anticore" until Duffy's 2012 death put the band on permanent hiatus.
Acumen Nation remains an industrial staple making numerous appearances at Chicago's Cold Waves Festival, including this year's virtual celebration. Jason Novak continues making music under various side projects, including Cocksure with Chris Connelly. Though it hasn't released any new music, Acumen Nation still has a loyal fan base. Its unapologetic, tough-as nails sound still resonates with new listeners looking for an outlet for their own frustration.
Go West Young Man
By the time industrial reached the masses, Stabbing Westward had already been around for six years. Formed in 1985, Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus started the band in Macomb, Illinois. After they relocated to Chicago, Jim Clanin joined, but would later be replaced by Andrew Hunter. Bassist Jim Sellers rounded out the lineup. With new members in tow, the band set to work on their debut EP, "Iwo Jesus," which they released independently.
After a brief stint with Die Warzau, Hall started recording demos for the next album with Chris Vrenna. The demos would help Stabbing Westward land a deal with Columbia Records, but by this time Vrenna moved on to Nine Inch Nails and was replaced by Stuart Zechman. David Suycott also joined to replace Hunter, who left the band prior to the demos.
1994 saw the release of Stabbing Westward's debut album, "Ungod," which featured the singles "Violent Mood Swings," "Control" and "Lies." The album's melodic songs and catchy hooks proved to be popular with listeners. The moderate success of the album, tours with Depeche Mode and Killing Joke, and inclusion on several movie soundtracks made them a favorite in the booming industrial scene.
Before the band started work on their next album, Zechman left due to personal differences. This forced Andy Kubiszewski, who replaced Suycott on the previous tour, to take over songwriting duties. Kubiszewski's demos from his previous band Exotic Birds, which featured a young Trent Reznor, would eventually find new life on Stabbing Westward's breakthrough album, "Wither Blister Burn & Peel" (1996). Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, lead single "What Do I Have to Do?" became the band's first hit, peaking at number seven on the Modern Rock Charts.
Its ambitious third album, "Darkest Days," followed in 1998 and became another hit for the band. While it didn't match the success of its predecessor, its darker, more complex sound and concept story made it a fan favorite. But just as the band was finally hitting its stride, it was dropped by Columbia in 2000. It signed with Koch Records for the release of its eponymous fourth album in 2001. Despite the success of lead single "So Far Away," the album's lighter, pop-focused sound failed to connect with audiences worldwide. Disillusioned with the music business, Stabbing Westward broke up in 2002.
Hall and Flakus wouldn't reunite until 2013 when Flakus joined Hall's new band, The Dreaming. With Stabbing Westward's thirtieth anniversary on the horizon, the two decided to reform the band in 2016 for Chicago's Cold Waves Festival and Dracula's Ball in Philadelphia. Though two shows were planned, fan demand prompted them to embark on tours in 2017 and 2018. Inspired to write new music, they released Dead and Gone (2020), their first new material in nineteen years.
Stabbing Westward may not have been one of the pioneers of industrial, but they helped carry the torch well into the '90s when the scene was losing favor. No longer dead and gone, they're ready to continue making music that connects with listeners on an emotional level.
A Scene Reborn
Industrial never really died. Over time it was forgotten by the mainstream, but the bands and fans kept it alive, always lurking in the underground. Yet over the last few years, industrial has slowly crept back into our collective consciousness. The mighty Wax Trax! returned to celebrate its history and reopen as an online store. Chicago's Cold Waves festival celebrates the legacy of the scene highlighting old and new acts alike. New bands like Chicago's HIDE, Youth Code, 5 R V L N 5, 3Teeth, and CONTRACULT Collective are leading industrial's resurgence. Legendary acts Ministry and Frontline Assembly continue to release new music. With Nine Inch Nails' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, all eyes are on industrial once again. As the genre reemerges, Chicago's influence on the scene will continue to spread far and wide.
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