Released November 2021
Machines With Human Skin is the industrial rock project of multi-instrumentalist Adrian Halo, initially conceived in the late 90s when Halo was a teenager first discovering Wax Trax! artists and industrial rock bands like KMFDM, Sister Machine Gun, Nine Inch Nails, Chemlab, and 16Volt.
Machines With Human Skin evolved through a few incarnations until its most recent, when Halo was living in California and came out as a transgender man. Halo writes all lyrics, sings, and plays all instruments on his albums with occasional guests. His transition inspired new songs centered aroundthemes of self-discovery, self-denial, alienation, and pushing back against the status quo. He recently relocated to Chicago from Los Angeles, wanting to be closer to the friends he’s collaborated with such as various members of The Joy Thieves including Wax Trax! veteran Chris Connelly, industrial bands
W.O.R.M. and Flood Damage for which he plays bass, saxophonist Roger Ebner of Bitter Elixir and Pigface, and Jim Marcus of Die Warzau and Go Fight.
Despite the challenges of 2020, it was a breakout year for Machines With Human Skin, culminating in remixes for Go Fight, Sapphira Vee, and Stoneburner among others, an interview on the dark alternative radio show Situation 47, a live stream performance on Twitch to benefit animal rights, and an appearance on several compilations, including the Riveting Music tribute to Pink Floyd’s The Wall and the acclaimed final volume of Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music To Cure Cancer. Machines With Human Skin has a new album, Transience, released November 5. The album was mixed and mastered by Jules Seifert of Epic Audio Media (The Joy Thieves, PIG, Chemlab) with the first single, “Watch It Burn,” mixed by the legendary John Fryer (Black Needle Noise, This Mortal Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, Sister Machine Gun). “Watch It Burn” was also included on a compilation series by veteran industrial
label COP International, Broken Hearts & Robot Parts 1.
The album opens with a blinding track called “The Tide”, the tracks vocals are brilliant and somewhere between Sister machine Gun and Chemlab. The lyrics are fantastic and well written. The deposit sounding beat is there that this album is set to blow your mind.
Track 4: Watch it Burn, with a sound musically that reminds me of 80s Goth but with a modern twist is absolutely a gem.
Needing You – Track 9: Oh wow this is so good and the addition of the saxophone is class.
This album is so damn good from song to song lyrically and musically. I defy any critic of this album as its probably as near to perfection as can be. I genuinely could listen a million times to this album and not be bored as it has such a banging beat and the lyrics are from the heart but come across as so powerful.
If you love your music, get this album as its pure class by Machines with Human Skin.
-VK Mike
