Industrial started out as a reflection on the dark 80s and Test Dept was a British pioneer of the genre. With instruments of scrap iron and other industrial waste, which gave rise to wild dance rhythms, they protested loudly against the aggressive liberal politics of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan at the time. The highlight was the collaboration with a choir of British striking miners in 1985
… on the album . It is striking how Test Dept sounds unabatedly left and angry on their first album since 1998. Of course they have every reason to do so in present-day troubled England. Although forms of protest changed over the years, Test Dept's weapons remained unchanged. These consist of militant electro and body music with a lot of grinding and clattering metal and angry growling vocals full of inflammatory slogans. Grim sounds that certainly do not seem inaccessible or dated. With this turbulent music for turbulent times, Test Dept once again proves to be an urgent band. (MR)more