Letters to the Editor

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- From: Kevin Trout [ctrout@telusplanet.net]

It is a dark day indeed as Vlad takes over responsibility as editor. I can only shudder at the twisted direction Vlad will take the magazine in the months to come. Perhaps Vlad should hide his thesaurus/dictionary when writing musical reviews. The usage of complex and non-commonplace English vocabulary does not increase a readers perception of the writers intelligence if the text ceases to contain any real perceptible meaning. Is the reason Vlad has been handed the editor positon because he can't find himself a job? Is this a paying position? If so, I would be available to remove Vlad in October.

- From: Blaine Buxton

+Did industrial grow from metal, or techno, or something else?+

I just thought I'd add some insight on this topic. I think you are sadly mistaken about where industrial came from. It could be argued that industrial was started in the 18th century with people making music from banging pots and pans and other assorted kitchen items. But, modern industrial music began actually in the 70's. The most influential industrial bands from this era were Throbbing Gristle and Einsturzende Neubauten. the main intent of these bands was to create music without the normal conventions of music. By that, I mean they didn't want to use conventional instruments or standard musical notation. They wanted something more and to strike a chord in the soul with having to use the comzmon western scales. Throbbing used a vast array of electronic devices that they made themselves and tape loops. They also used a lot of percusive instruments. Einsturzende was mainly percussive in their approach, but followed along the same lines. From these two groups came to be what is now known as industrial. Overtime, bands have simplified their approach and made the genre more musical.

Then came what I call the second wave of industrial bands. The most influential of this second wave were the bands Skinny Puppy and Foetus. The first being more into using keyboards and dance beats (and eventually over time becoming closer to the Throbbing Gristle side of things because of their weirdness) and the latter being more influenced by Einsturzende, but adding more to it. Foetus who is my favorite "industrial" artist and I don't even consider him industrial. But, he has influenced many artists. He incorportated heavily percussive music with a sort of quirkiness and added elements of big band music, surf music, and anything else he dreamed of. He is a total genius. OOps, I almost forgot to mention Laibach who were very instrumental in the growth of industrial in the beginning.

Now, came the third wave. Bands like COntrolled Bleeding, Meat Beat Manifesto, Ministry, Die Krupps, and a few others all took industrial to new heights. At the same time, the second wave bands were also still in existence and pushing the boundaries as well. These bands brought industrial to what it is today. There have been bands like Front Line Assembly and Wumpscut that have blurred the lines between techno and industrial. And they have paved the way for the new industrial acts.

Now, how does metal enter this picture? I think one must admit that Die Krupps, KMFDM, and Ministry were the first to incorporate metal into their industrial mixes. I think it was envitable that these two style would bang heads together (no pun intended). Both were primal in nature and very aggressive. Eventually though, even some of the older bands have incorporated metal in some of their releases like Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, Controlled Bleeding, Liabach, and a lot more. So, as you can see metal did not influence industrial, but industrial came into being on its own. The "industrial" of today has little to do with the first wave of bands from the 70's and not a whole lot from the "second" wave. So, it was an eventual meeting. I just had to clear things up a bit. I think a lot of metal heads would enjoy some of the earlier industrial since it is very primal.

Recommended industrial picks:

- From: John Pulaski [grubbish@iserv.net]

Who is Kevin Trout? Where is Kevin Trout? Probably still listening to his Steelheart Cd somewhere. I read his review of Stuck Mojo and the only thing I can say is it's time to pull your head out.

- From: [Stoniga@aol.com]

Re: Behemoth "Bewitched" review:

Well, I just read the review, and just one remark: Inferno and Baal Ravenlock are not the same guys. Lord Ravenlock has left the band (about a year ago.) Inferno used to play in Damnation, a death metal band from the same area as Behemoth (Gdansk), the band in which infact Nergal plays bass guitar now.

- From: Melissa [moe@hci.net]

hello dickhead, your opinion sucks about my nigger Bonz. who asked you anyway you worthless twat! fuck you blow me lick my ass! you alternative faggot. let me guess if kurt cobain was still alive you would be fucking him in the ass you little cunt. you dont know dick about music! well, we will let you get back to your busy cocksucking schedule. BRUISE YOUR KNEES BITCH! from mojo fans. make your ass wiggle!

- From: [Guitar1983@aol.com]

Kevin, the guy who reviewed Stuck Mojo sucks. Damn motherfucker better not say anything else about stuck mojo

- From: Randy [rs2367@cs.arbor.edu]

hey... didn't you know that 'ziners aren't supposed to have opinions?!?! being a fellow 'ziner, i'd like to deeply express my understanding and sympathy for having to put up with the arrogant jerks you've had to listen to thus far. i mean, disagreeing is one thing, but the pathetic display of unintelligence running rampant through the pages of your "letters" column is just incredible.

keep doing what you do. and the self-centered egotists reading this and getting mad... grow a brain and get a life.

- From: Fritte [fritte@alfaskop.net]

Hello!

This is Fritte of Mental Crypt! Almost a year after your (Neil's) review of our demo "Sects of doom" we have finally signed with Black Mark productions! We are entering the studio in November, and the CD will be out sometime in early -98.

We must say a great THANK YOU to you and all other Metal/Underground magazines for all the great reviews we've got. We probably wouldn't have made it without you. We'll let you know when the North American release date is set.

Keep up the good work, and Stay Metal!

Mental Crypt / Fritte
http://www.alfaskop.net/~fritte/mental
fritte@alfaskop.net

Tracks Of Creation Issue #13 (October / November 1997)
Copyright ©1997 dis-Emi-A TM
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