Blackhouse is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

industrial band based in

Eureka, California Eureka ( ; Wiyot: ; Hupa: ; ) is a city and the county seat of Humboldt County, located on the North Coast of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt Bay, north of San Francisco and south of the Oreg ...

. Blackhouse plays what has been cited as "primo industrial rock", contrasting with

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrom ...

styles promulgated by artists such as NIN, Klank, or

Circle of Dust Circle of Dust is an industrial music project from New York City created by Klayton, who later became known as Celldweller. The project was active as a band from 1988 to 1998 and then re-started in 2015 after Klayton gained back ownership of his ...

. Blackhouse was formed in 1984 and is cited as the first band to make industrial music for the Christian market.

Background

Musically acclaimed and sometimes cited as being a founding band of the entire genre, Blackhouse has ensued for over three decades, and the band has produced a myriad of releases in that time. Often the band finds itself riding the fine line between artistic expression and forming a message in a way that could be accepted in the broad Christian community. One album featured a cover showing a rabbit crucified, with the thought of exposing the real meaning of

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. The sound that Blackhouse offered was far outside the norms of Christian music at the time of the band's formation, and live performances met with resistance from both the

Christian right The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation ...

and

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

youth organizations. The Neo-Nazi groups protested the religious content, which was unusual in a genre more known for espousing negative themes including

nihilism Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that Existential nihilism, life is meaningless, that Moral nihilism, moral values are baseless, and ...

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

sadomasochism Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...

, and

drug culture Drug cultures are examples of countercultures that are primarily defined by Entheogen, spiritual, Self-medication, medical, and recreational drug use. They may be focused on a single drug, or endorse polydrug use. They sometimes eagerly or reluct ...

, and the Christians took point with the style that the band offered, again due to its association with negative elements of society. After a time the band went underground, focusing on producing recorded material rather than touring. Their music continues to be on the cutting edge of creativity and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

avant-garde music Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term "avant-garde" implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original elem ...

. One review of their 2006 collaborative project ''Beetu Lathri Kwan'' found that their genre-mixing produced what was deemed an "intentional dissolution of traditional concepts of... music." The music's effect on the reviewers has shown a great variety of responses. One reviewer reported that the sound finds the "border of our conscious and unconscious thinking", while others have insisted that the sound is "barely good for background noise" or "more frustrating than enjoyable". Lyrics are generally noted as being few and far between, but containing positive messages and espousing Christian faith.

Members

Brian Ladd is the sole permanent member of Blackhouse. Early releases were credited to Ivo Cutler and Sterling Cross. Ladd has explained this was because "I always thought of Blackhouse as being SUPERMAN and I was merely a Clark Kent".

Discography

Studio albums

*''Pro-Life'' (1984) *''Hope Like A Candle'' (1985) *''Five Minutes After I Die'' (1986) *''Holy War'' (1987) *''We Will Fight Back!'' (1988) *''Stairway To Heaven'' (1989) *''The Father, The Son, And The Holy Ghost'' (1990) *''Material World'' (1990) *''Hidden Beneath The Metal'' (1991) *''Stairway To A Gospel World'' (1994) *''Shock The Nation!'' (1995) *''Shades Of Black'' (1998) *''Lawnmowerman'' (1998) *''Sex Sex Sex'' (1999) *''Dreams Like These'' (2000) *''Heart Of Black'' (2002) *''Yuen'' (2015) *''Ignite Blackhouse Youth'' (2016) *''X Communicator'' (2023)

Compilation albums

*''Dribbles'' (2005) *''25th Years Anniversary + Hope'' (2010) *''Beyond The Gates Of Good & Evil'' (2012) *''One Man's Collection'' (2019)

Video albums

*''Thirty In 30'' (2012)

Split albums

*''Ice Skin / The Gospel According To The Men In Black'' (1991, split with Nightmare Lodge) *''Comin' On Strong'' (2011, split with Hypnoskull) *''Sacrificium Messiae'' (2016, split with

Maurizio Bianchi Maurizio Bianchi (born 4 December 1955 in Pomponesco in the Province of Mantua) is an Italian pioneer of industrial music, originating from Milan. Biography 1979–1983 Bianchi was inspired by the music of Tangerine Dream, Conrad Schnitzler ...

)

Singles

*"Reason For The Season" 7" (1997) *"y2k / Millennium" 7" (1999) *"Material World" Video CD-R (2005) *"Robots" 7" Picture Disc (2018)

Psyclones

Psyclones is an

industrial band started in 1980 by vocalist-guitarist Brian Ladd, bass guitarist Julie Frith, drummer Po (Robert) Poston, and rhythm guitarist Dale Cairnes. Psyclones are a long-standing band with a diverse sound, ranging from punk/post-rock/synth-pop to electronic industrial/ambient music. They released their Greatest Hits (1981–1991) CD which spans over a decade of intensely rich, enthusiastic music and lyrics that exemplify an era in their creative past. Sounds range from hardcore punk/grunge/rock to industrial-core noise rock. Most of the tracks are very dance worthy. The overall sound is heavy and harsh, "musical mayhem." Psyclones also put out many lps and singles on other their own label Ladd-Frith. Joining other independent musicians in on various

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette (format) (or ''cassette tape''), a format that contains magnetic tape for audio, video, and data storage and playback * Compact Cassette, a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ...

/ LPs / industrial music /

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

compilations. Their performance at Club Foot was noteworthy. A live show in a small San Francisco underground club, the Psyclones played synth, tapes, echo trumpet, guitar, etc.....The show was industrial improvisational, but so subtle and fluid that you never thought, you were merely manipulated into thinking.UnSound Magazine (UnSound Vol.2 No.3/4 _1985 676w).

References

External links

BandCamp PageDiscogs pageYoutube pageInterview PeekABoo Magazine''Cross Rhythms'' artist Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackhouse American industrial music groups Power electronics music groups