MP3: Sanctum - {-}
Back in the early 90s I went through a period of being all about industrial music. Part of that was a result of being heavily steeped in BBS culture, though I never did go as far as to sew old circuit boards into my army jacket or anything like that. The dumb shaved-under haircut - yes, I will admit to that. While some of that music has aged well (Skinny Puppy being a prime example, up to "Last rights" at least), most of it has not (please let me never hear "Pretty hate machine" ever again). I bring this up because, even though I quickly became immersed in punk for the rest of my teenage years, I still kept a sympathetic ear open to the sounds of industrial. Discovering Cold Meat Industry later that decade was like a godsend - not only did it satisfy my desire for more Scandinavian music, but it also made me nostalgic for my roots. That many CMI artists were also on the fringes of black-metal was a bonus.
1998's two-disc sampler "The absolute supper" is the perfect introduction to the sound of CMI. The first disc offered the more "melodic" (I use that term very lightly) side of the label and the second was almost all brutal noise. The standout track: Sanctum's curiously titled "{-}" also known as "The library song". I believe the pictograph is meant to represent the ladder referenced in the first line. This is about as pop-oriented as CMI will ever get and I suppose it's not too far off from Portishead, though the rest of Sanctum's material is far more cold and dark. Approach lightly!
Sanctum - {-}