Is there a future for aggrotech?

I’ve been wondering lately if there is a future for the sub-genre of industrial music known as aggrotech, or if it will gradually fade away to near-invisibility, like power noise almost has. For those who aren’t familiar with it, aggrotech (also known by some even sillier names, such as "Butcher EBM" or "Hellektro", urgh) is a split-off of EBM that begun really with Suicide Commando’s 2000 album Mindstrip. It’s a form of EBM that keeps the traditional EBM synth sounds but adds distinctly aggressive overtones through heavy distortions of vocals and often drums. I believe Suicide Commando's "Hellraiser" probably exhibits aggrotech in its most pure and traditional form:


I will admit, I really have a soft spot for this stuff. It tickles my fancy and puts me in a good mood. Why? Who on earth can say. But I really feel that the genre is stagnating.

About five years ago, it had become arguably the most popular and dominant form of industrial music worldwide; Mexico’s Hocico were putting out stunning albums, Suicide Commando was packing out festivals in Europe and releasing live DVDs and commemorative CD releases all over the place, and a legion of “clone” bands were infecting compilations and DJ playlists around the world. Tactical Sekt in 2006 released one of the definitive classics of the genre, Syncope, which thoroughly kicked my arse and the arse of anyone who listened to it (it even eclipsed their strong Burn Process EP).

However, nothing much of interest is happening in the genre. Suicide Commando is regularly putting out albums that are slightly worse than the one before; let’s hope he stops before he paints himself into a corner of irrelevance. Hocico are still putting out solid releases which are very listenable, but almost identical to the last couple. The innumerable clone bands are rapidly becoming tiresome and pointless. Tactical Sekt have sadly become completely inactive.

So who are the potential saviours who can resurrect this flagging style, like Mind.in.a.box did for EBM in 2005 and SKET did for power noise in 2006? I see two possibilities, two young bands that have recently produced genuinely interesting aggrotech music (especially the latter).

Distorted Memory: This one-man project has only put out one release, a debut album on Noitekk in 2006. While the album as a whole is inconsistent in quality, when it hits its stride and delivers (God’s Wrath, Burning Heaven), it is some of the best music this genre has ever produced.

Things unfortunately seem very quiet on the Distorted Memory front; let’s hope Jeremy Pillipow is working away under the covers and will have something new to show us soon.

The Panic Lift: This New Jersey act released a truly outstanding album (Witness to our Collapse) on the excellent Hive Records in 2008, just before they sadly departed this world (RIP Hive). It is an uncompromising, intelligent and intensely emotional work that pushed the boundaries of aggrotech as far as they probably can go… or can they possibly raise the bar higher? A new album is due this year and this could be the one that places them at the top of this genre (or perhaps in a genre of their own).

Essential aggrotech albums: Suicide Commando’s Mindstripor Axis of Evil, Hocico’s Sangre Hirviente or Tempos de Furia (or basically anything except Wrack and Ruin), Tactical Sekt’s Syncope, Distorted Memory’s Burning Heaven, Panic Lift’s Witness to our Collapse.