16 Volt - Wisdom (1993)

   After it was proven in the '80s by projects like Skinny Puppy and Godflesh that electronic music could have a darker side too, from the early '90s industrial had a renaissance led by bands like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails.
   It was clear that this field still had untapped perspectives, there were plenty of different tones which were not shown yet. If 16 Volt might sound familiar by style even for those who never heard of them, that's because of their wide influence, though their name wasn't so known out of the industrial scene. They also mixed rock/metal music with industrial, but in a more chilling way. "Wisdom" had it's dark tone of course (it's probably their most melancholic album), common slow speed, cold sound, and mysterious whispering vocals are the main features of the album. It's typically early '90s music, but still includes strong '80s influences. That showes that it was a lingering development, mostly because not many bands tried to mix so different styles, and only a few of them had successful and effective results. Though 16 Volt is quite underrated, their music showed a new possible direction and became one of the classics of the industrial scene.