Nail

I kind of expected to hate this but found it to be very good and interesting. Misses a top rating for me because I just really couldn't get into the vocals.

I understand why a lot of people dislike this album: the noises, bombastic sound and horrific lyrics. These things together make it a very special experience and an acquired taste. I adore it!

This album was all over the place and I loved it. It is a disconcerted industrial post-punk record that incorporates elements of noise and experimental music. The instrumentation was great and the vocal delivery was menacing and theatrical. What’s not to like?

Not bad. Sort of a silly Nine Inch Nails. Better than their awful band name would indicate! I kind of truly dug it by the end.

My ears met Thirlwell in more literally cinematic environs. Scraping the 90s, this record demonstrates craft and remains a particularly accessible instance of dark cabaret aesthetics. Implied are the traditional industrial obsessions and a wide embrace of the musical non-traditional. Stylish and an odd companion, lacks the raw impact of certain contemporaries.

I have loved several tracks from this album for a very long time. Descent Into the Inferno is one of my faves.

Abrasive, but that's the point. I'd say it sounds "dated", but I think for industrial, that's fine and within the genre specs. It's performed well, crazed, even. I'd say there are probably one too many instrumentals here, but the runtime is short enough to where the record passes over pretty well. There is some pop songwriting throughout that makes the medicine go down easier. Won me over in the end. Favorite tracks: "Descent Into The Inferno", "Enter The Exterminator"

I first encountered this album in my college roommate's music collection circa 1987. I was not impressed with the band name or the music. Strange how I found it kind of catchy this time.

If you had told me I heard a song off this album sometime in the late 80s, I would have denied it before a friend proved it to me today. Not sure how I forgot this artist’s name… I thought this would be awful, but instead I found it surprising and kind of fun in a twisted way. Who knew I would meet the Manhattan Transfer on my Descent Into the Inferno?

That was certainly a mixed bag, but it had it's moments.

This entire album sounded like the villain song in a sitcom's special musical episode.

I look into my crystal ball and this is gonna be weird. Hardcore? Butthole Surfers type stuff? Ok, no idea how to describe this. Like if Nick Cave was jokey rather than flat out depressing? It's like the gothy end of new wave mixed with beat poetry and industrial noises? Closest I've heard to it is the second Ministry album, but that is also a much more serious affair. Ridiculous, but preferable to more folk. 3/5.

Sounds like if Tom Waits was in an industrial/post-punk band (like an extension to Bone Machine, I guess). What a nightmare!

Oh what a lovely album. I’m thinking of playing this at my wedding someday, as long as my wife to be approves, but, with beauty like this, who could say no. The vocals are angelic, so soulful. The songwriting is next to none. “Eatin' up the wallpaper, crawlin' the walls Sick on the ceiling, dead in the head”. Such poetry. I fear man may never create anything this good ever again. What a blessing to live in a world where Scraping Foetus of the Wall has created ‘Nail’! An instant classic!!! I didn’t fuckin enjoy it. 2/5

Not nearly as noisy and bad as the band name suggests! Was expecting USA hardcore punk/metal and actually heard slightly rockabilly/blues-tinged songs with relatively acceptable singing. Brings to mind The Cramps and Birthday Party with a hint of “Rain Dogs” era Waits.

When you want something in between Tom Waits and Nine Inch Nails.

Holy Chaotic Hell and thank you to whomever submitted this. A new discovery for me. At first, Nail feels like pure chaos, but by the second track you realise it’s brilliant chaos. “Throne of Agony” could pass for Bauhaus or early Nick Cave funneled through an industrial grinder, while “Pigswill” bangs together junk percussion, strings, and synths into something completely deranged but strangely addictive. “Descent Into the Inferno” might be the peak, a grotesque cabaret that’s equal parts hilarious and horrifying. It’s wild to think this came from one guy in his early 20s, fresh out of Melbourne, hammering all of this together in London. You can hear Neubauten’s metal-bashing, Swans’ weight, and The Birthday Party’s chaos, but Thirlwell makes it his own with manic variety and a black sense of humor. This isn’t background music. It’s abrasive, theatrical, and constantly on edge. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, Nail is an underground gem that shows just how much fun industrial and noise rock could be. I'm a convert

Some fun dark motifs, but tenors trying to evoke power is a mistake

When I look back through these rating and relisten to albums that I marked, this one will either get a “wtf was I thinking” or “woah this is a weird niche of music that I enjoy”. Definitely sounds a lot like a NiN/tom waits and rob zombie mix. Vocals can be hit or miss but the music is cool!

I've often heard of the various "Foetus" projects from JG Thirwell. They were always something of a mystery to me as they were impossible to find in the days before the Internet. Even my music geek friends and the best indie record stores I had around knew nothing about this music. Surely, neither the music nor the titles were very marketable. The only way to experience Thirwell's music was through the very experimental remixes he did for Nine Inch Nails. I can easily see why Trent Reznor was a fan. The core style feels like a pretty well developed kind of industrial rock for its era and was surely very influential on albums like "The Downward Spiral". As an album, "Nail" is fairly eclectic. The variety of styles is more kitsch than talent though and the industrial songs are the ones that stand out the most. This will be a difficult listen for some but as a fan of the genre, I really enjoyed finally getting to hear this beautiful, grating mess. I hope to hear more sometime.

I respect this pick because it very well could have been one of those 80s industrial albums featured on the main list only to end up in the bottom 20 on the website (and I don't mean that as shade because I actually like Kollaps, Opus Dei, Duck Stab, Throbbing Gristle, etc.) 3.5/5

Foetus is always a surprise, and if you allow the name of the band to pre-color your interpretation of the album, you're doing yourself a disservice.

Listened to the whole album, still don't know what it is, but it's pretty cool overall. I'd call it an industrial album, but it strays pretty far from that at times. Definitely far less abrasive than I was expecting from the album title 4/5

Very cool. Aussie mad genius JG Thirlwell mixes various elements generally found in The Birthday Party / early Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Einsturzende Neubaten, The Killing Joke, Sisters Of Mercy, Swans and Nine Inch Nails (anticipating the latter), and adds his own extravagant parodic touches owing to big band and classical shenanigans (played on synths, with a layered result that's pretty impressive for the eighties!). The result comes off as some sort of hectic industrial off-Broadway musical whose tempos never stay in one place long -- often manically accelerating mid-song -- filled with crazy percussions that have lost none of their groundbreaking power decades later. To return to some of the references I mentioned up there, it's as if The Birthday Party had decided to organize their swamp blues chaos a little, or as if Neubaten had realized being fun (and even funny) was actually not a crime punished by the thought police. Who said freaks left to their own devices couldn't have a good time in a dystopian world? With only six proper songs and four interludes, the only thing missing in this album is one pivotal highlight that could have specified the overall concept underlying Foetus' music (although opener "The Throne Of Agony" comes close to it) -- I don't know, something up to the level of Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat", maybe... But it's probably absurd to expect Thirlwell would even bother trying to please the masses when his thing was all about having fun in the studio and come up with the most bizarre ideas he was able to muster up. In a way, it's because extravagant figures like him exist, working far from the spotlights, that other ones such as Nick Cave, Trent Reznor or even Michael Gira eventually end up reaching said masses later on. Guess a tribute of sorts is in order here, hence my rounded up 4/5 grade. Squares won't get it, of course. But what do they know? 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 30 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 40 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 74 --- Émile, il y a déjà une partie de mes réponses au-dessus. Il y en aura d'autres en dessous...

I love hearing the early things in industrial. Enjoyed the listen. Definitely needs to be heard on a good sound system.

J.G. Thirlwell, a pivotal figure in the industrial music scene, is renowned for his involvement in a diverse array of projects, including Foetus, Nine Inch Nails (NIN), and F242. While Foetus, his primary musical outlet, might be considered more niche within the industrial genre, this particular album gained significant traction. Beyond his contributions to industrial music, Thirlwell has also composed music for popular animated series like The Venture Bros. and Archer, showcasing his versatility across different media. His extensive discography demonstrates a creative range that extends far beyond the confines of a single genre.

Mostly sounds like three or more songs being played at the same time - but it works more often than you'd think. An artist I knew by name, but hadn't listened to a full album until today - so thanks!

Not as terrible as the edgelordy name would suggest.

Wacky, disturbed, chaotic: An industrial classic

I think I’ve heard of Scraping Foetus off the Wheel before, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where I’ve heard of them from. I certainly couldn’t tell you what type of music this is, and I have no idea what this album is going to sound like. Oh wow, this is an industrial album, cool! For the most part, I thought this album was pretty enjoyable. I enjoyed the way the arrangements were constructed, and I enjoyed the overall industrial sound. My knowledge of industrial music is pretty much limited to what I encountered on the main list, but while this album was enjoyable to listen to, I don’t think it did anything new or trailblazing for the genre. It did get a bit too goofy for my tastes at times, but after the goofy songs, it was able to rebound nicely. As an added bonus, after I finished this album, Spotify started up an Einstürzende album where the cover has a picture of a red horse ejaculating on the ground. Neato! The ejaculating horse will not impact my rating.

Why notson!

Dark Zappa. Three and a half stars.

The name makes this sound a lot worse. I am not big into industrial music but this wasn't completely into that genre since it has a bit of silliness throughout. Still didn't make me enjoy industrial music, but it was definitely better than others. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

I didn't love this but I did enjoy it in places. Can't say I'd want to listen again but it was interesting.

This is pretty good. Not my favorite by him.

Back before "eclectic mix" albums were irredeemably nerd-coded. Kinda coming across like a clunkier NiN

Nine Inch Nails meets Butthole Surfers meets that one Futurama episode where Bender goes to Robot Hell. Really dumb. On purpose of course. Also fun and way more musically diverse than you'd expect from an album like this. Enjoyed it. Not as good as "Hole" though, the only other Foetus album I've heard. Strong 3/5.

April 19, 2025 The fact that this guy has collaborated with Nick Cave, The The & Einsturzende Neubaten shouldn’t surprise me, because so far, Nail evokes all 3. Particularly the last two. An abrasive and ugly album, but also somehow arranged like an operetta, with instrumental flourishes and an explosive finale. I didn’t love it today, but I respect its convention-shattering ways.

Pretty good

Soooo edgy

Kinda left a tinny taste on the tongue.

Wasn't boring

Interesting

Melodramatic and outrageous in a fun way, but a little goes a long way. The band's name was kind of extreme back in the day and suggests a different kind of listening experience, but the album itself is mostly a haphazard industrial sound with psychobilly leanings. The instrumental bits are very good, but they don't really fit in with the rest of it. Fave Songs: The Overture from Pigdom Come, Anything (Viva!), The Throne of Agony, Descent into the Inferno

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Enter the exterminator

Never heard of them prior. Interesting album.

Yeah, I mean not awful industrial, so I think it could make an argument to get there, but I still don't have to like it.

6/10. Better than the title lead me to expect, but not exactly my thing either.

I’m not quite sure what this was but it was a little silly and I like that

Pretty much already knew this was going to be in 1-2 area based on the band name. The dude sounds like Tom Waits but singing over industrial music that reminds me of NIN. Idk some moments were redeeming but overall that was a pretty tough listen. Low 2.

That was incredibly strange. It was like if Tom Waits was the front man for Kollaps. I can't necessarily say that I enjoyed it but it had some pretty cool points. Mostly unsettling though.

Pop-rock un tanto experimental y diferente de escuchar. Suena a un tanto ochentero. Ninguna canción sin pegada especial. Desapercibido y sin aportar nada, más allá de ser algo original.

if Rob Zombie, Trent Reznor, and Iggy Pop made a record together... unfortunately, the idea sounds better than the execution.

Not as terrible as I expected, but nothing I would come back to. I kinda like "Enter the Exterminator."

Désolé, j’ai vraiment haïs mon écoute, j’ai rien de bon à dire à celui qui a soumis cet album à part mange d’la marde, bisou chiao

I'm all for the "industrial Tom Waits" thing but frankly this is just not for me. I have a hard time with most dark cabaret albums and this is one of them

Not as bad as I was expecting from the name.

Too weird for me

Didn't enjoy this one much. Sorry.

Sort of interesting sort of annoying sort of ridiculous

Not for me, but thanks for sharing.

Expected worse, wanted better. Industrial music is almost never anything I'm interested in. This one dragged down by lousy university-level over-effort Tom Waits like vocals and dated drum and keyboard sounds. Really just a hard pass for me, Milton. 4/10 2 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

Feel no love with this....

Certainly interesting and unique. The vocals remind me a bit of Tom Waits. I appreciate it intellectually more than I actually enjoy it though I'd say.

It as terrible as the score would indicate, but dated and scatter shot 80s nonsense.

Industrial, industrial rock, avant-garde. No me gusta. Un 2.

Industrial, industrial rock, avant-garde. Canciones inconexas.

Nope! This accompanied a stressy trip to Sainsbury's and it didn't help. Not my bag. Irritating. But did like references to pigs, as always

Hmm. Right. Uh.

A quite interesting combination of punky industrial noise with some quite ambitious orchestral movements that fit together slightly better than expected. Didn’t love it but not as violently abrasive as the band name suggests

Not for me this one

Not so sure about this one, almost like if Tom Waits grew a spine and decided to try out heavier rock.

Yikes. Whole album came and went and not a single song caught my ear. Nothing saved for me, very rare honestly. Not really fair to call it bad, but it’s a no from me.

Fourth studio album! Yeah! It's a weird album to listen to. A bit difficult at times, also. I guess ultimately, it's not an album I would go back to often.

Not necessary. Buster Poindexter and Tom Waits combined with early Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. Though the Throne of Agony had me interested for a moment, the style quickly became a bit tiresome and didn't do too much for me.

The vocals on this one just put me off too much to enjoy or recommend

I probably would've enjoyed this more 20 years ago. Some of it was pretty good but it got on my nerves on some songs.

It's not without merit, as 'edgy' hard rock goes, but it feels a bit like Laibach bought from Temu? The none more 80s production doesn't help ..

Industrial, industrial rock, avant-garde. No me gusta. Un 2.

The level of noise that one would expect by the band name.

Thought I would hate this, going off the band name, really liked the classically styled opener, then the vocals were a bit of a let down and I struggled to finish it, even with a few interesting highlights. 2.1

It was a weird 80s metal album. I don't need to listen to it again. Thankfully it was short.

Not great, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting based on the cover and the description. 2 stars.

An alternative take on the industrial genre. Does it make it more listenable? Yes. Does it make me enjoy it more though? Not really

I think NIN would have listened to this a lot. I however did not make it to the end. Too much undefined stremming.

With an album title like this, my expectations already drop significantly. Whomever thought they were being funny and clever when they came up with this deserves a spanking. Musically, there's also not much to like here. Annoying.

Top 3 worst band names I've ever heard. I made it to Pigswill, but I really cannot do this. It feels like NiN without any of the redeeming elements. The songs are hardly qualifiable as such, and while some of the experimentation is pretty cool (Descent into the Inferno being one such), the vocals and mixing have such a campy element to them that it distracts completely. I'm like a 1.5 here. Not for me.

Horrible horrible name. ... Horrible, horrible music.

Nail is the correct word! Sounds like a couple on a chalkboard. No. thank. you.

Intriguingly obnoxious, but primarily the latter. Multi-dimensionally awful, completely on par with the name. Zero stars.

They sound like if Trent Reznor joined Spinal Tap. It is unintentionally comical and very, very bad.

Great title and cover, but, like Tom Waits, I can't understand why this grating, wonky racket is so popular.

Unpleasant, for sure but I was expecting talentless punk and I got industrial goth. Still really didn’t like it though.

I hate this album. 1 or 2 stars. All noise, no payoff.

When I was 14 I wrote a story that I was hoping would shock the teacher reading it. Looking back it’s embarrassing now. I wonder if this band feel the same about their band name. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I’m afraid I always judge a band by its name, and this one is going straight to jail. As for the music, just couldn’t get behind it.

I never liked this band at the time and now I'm thnking they were mid-80s and this is areaction to the stuff going on at the time. But even so this is random stuff- no cohesion and a mixture of all sorts of genres.

I had some hopes reading the notes that Nail might be up my street, some heavy rock with weird influences, but no, it's just crap. Horrible 80s sound particularly on the drums underpinning it, poorly produced, tries to make each song a mini-story which is somewhat effective but it just makes for really bad music. 1.

The extra list we are following feels a bit like revenge of the metal heads

I hate this. I hate the name of the band because it is too gruesomely visual for me. And everything else is just a big shake 'n' bake of shit and slime. No.

This is either a shitpost or a submission by the most pretentious man who ever lived. Like I get that it’s super eclectic and goofy or whatever but that doesn’t make the shitty final sound and god awful vocals worth it. Oh wow you put in the hall of the mountain king in your weird song congrats. There’s literally an interlude that’s just metal chairs dragging on the floor and pots clanging.