About

    Welcome to the Scrap Metal Archive. This project was started late 2022 by two industrial music fans who have an intense obsession with the sounds of metal on metal. Industrial music is a term used to describe a genre of experimental music which emerged out of England in the 1970's. Since its inception, it has become increasingly incoherent, encompassing dark techno, EBM, metal with drum machines, to full on harsh noise and heavy electronics.

    While industrial music can mean and be a lot of things, what has captivated our attention is a quite niche and distinct style based around the use of found materials, scrap metals, homemade recordings of machinery, factory equipment, power tools, and other industrial components. So-called "literal industrial music." The most recognizable names in this style being Einstürzende Neubauten, Test Dept., and Z'EV.

Why start this project? 

     Having this obsession hold over us for years, we found it difficult to a great degree to find artists who played in this style, artists who explore the sounds of metal on metal, the sounds of industry. After years of accruing knowledge on this style, we both put our heads together to bring together a definitive list of bands, artists, and projects who use scrap metals and other industrial noises in their music.

    The idea is to make it easier for people who are into this rather niche style of music to find artists, and also to provide a foundation for newcomers to get into this sound. More down the road, we hope that this archive can provide inspiration for future musicians to create their own scrap metal industrial music. 

    We hope that this archive can act as a definitive list charting the rich history of this style, and also show that there are far more than Einstürzende Neubauten and Test Dept! We hope that this archive can develop into a base for a more cohesive scene to exist around this sound, for people to come together and share this art that we love.

 Information on organization and subgenres: 

    We realize that many different artists use these sounds in a vast variety of ways. Some artists use scrap metal as percussion, some use scrap metal to create walls of harsh noise, while some only use these sounds as accents for music only tangentially related to industrial music. There are also artists who only do one-off records exploring this sound. Our goal is to include them all, but categorize them to the best of our ability, make it easier for listeners to find specific kinds of sounds, and include important information like detailed descriptions, facts, and which album we think best represents the industrial sound.

Submissions:

     There are artists that we have not yet heard, or even new artists making stuff that's flying under the radar. We highly encourage people to send us anything they have, especially new artists. Industrial is rooted in the DIY, the underground, it's important to us that underground artists are reaching an audience with interest.

    Please email scrapmetalarchive@gmail.com with your submission.

    Format the subject line as ARCHIVE SUBMISSION: [Artist] - [Example album]

    The example album should be a release that best represents the artist's scrap metal industrial sound. In the body of the email, include any information you might have about the artist, like location, years active, and any other kinds of interesting facts.

    Thank you for your help!

The future of Scrap Metal Archive:

    This is a massive undertaking which will take a long time. While we have scoured the internet for years gathering information, we know that there are always artists under our radar waiting to be unearthed. There are also new, modern artists who are yet to be discovered. Eventually, we hope to even write reviews on new and classic records from this genre, and hopefully help new music get out there to the appropriate audience! Ultimately, we hope to gather them all to the best of our ability.