You’ve seen the name floating around. You’ve listened to and loved some of the stuff that it’s attached to. But what is exactly Death Industrial? That’s the question this article will try to answer.
Death Industrial. That term has an aura. To me it smells like fungus and dust in some long forgotten catacombs. It’s very cold. But it’s also very hot, because of all the crematorium machines you can hear running in the background.
… No but for real, what is it ?
OK. To put it simply, it’s pretty much like if Power Electronics and Dark ambient had a child. Imagine screeching machine-like drone sounds pulsating on a steady and very repetitive rhythm. Tracks tend to be long. Vocals can be present but they’re not as vindictive as in power electronics, they’re more subdued, often buried in the mix, and can have a solemn or ritual feel.
The term was first coined in 1988 by Roger Karmanik to describe Brighter Death Now’s first tape Pain in Progress.
In an interview published in Chad Hensley’s ”EsoTerra: The Journal of Extreme Culture”, Karmanik said :
“Death Industrial is just a funny name I made up to describe Brighter Death Now’s first tape, Pain In Progress. Everyone wants to put a name to things, so I found Death Industrial to be a good fit. It is darker, more sinister and harsher than the normal Industrial”
The need to emphasize the gloominess of the BDN debut makes sense as in the late 80s, the original Industrial sound – harsh provocative and non-musical- forged in the 70s by bands like Throbbing Gristle and SPK had evolved into a much more danceable and radio-friendly sound with bands like Skinny Puppy and the emergence of Electro-Industrial.
Death Industrial then not only felt like a return to the roots of Industrial but a new direct evolution of the 70s original sound, but with a solemn ghastly feel to it.
Brighter Death Now and Roger Karmanik’s legendary record label Cold Meat Industry have remained the biggest names attached to the Death Industrial genre and that, despite always venturing into new territories, sometimes harsher for Brighter Death Now and even reaching Folk territories for Cold Meat Industry.
Another big figure for the development of Death Industrial is the Italian artist Marco Corbelli, better known by his moniker Atrax Morgue. Marco was so impressed by this new Swedish sound, he actually once sent a congratulation letter to Karmanik about Cold Meat Industry. One could actually say that Black Slaughter and In Search of Death might be the Atrax Morgue albums most influinced by BDN.
Corbelli was also important in the history Death industrial for his work as a curator, releasing other death industrial staple artists such as Megaptera or Subklinik on his own label, Slaughter Productions.
The two Death Odors compilation releases by Slaughter in 1994 and 1997 still remain holy grails for Death Industrial collectors.
So far, Death Industrial may sound like a very European thing, but an American scene soon emerged thanks to the help of labels like Malignant Records who carried on the flame of harsher industrial. The very first American Death Industrial project might have been the aforementioned Subklinik but the most notable current American artists also include Steel Hook Prosthesis, The Vomit Arsonist and Gnawed.
Another interesting aspect of the genre’s most recent years is the growing number of female artists in the scene with acts like Military Position, Sewer Electronics or the press acclaimed project Lingua Ignota by artist Kristin Hayter who made this sound get heard by a new audience.
One thing is sure tho, it’s that Death Industrial, drapped in its abysmal shadows, has never aimed for the light. Some may say it’s one of the most obscure subgenres ever. And it’s true. Very little has been written about it. And despite being non-exhaustive, I hope this article helped with that.
