The day of industrial rock has yet to pass. Being passed down from generation to generation from the likes of Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Wayne Static amongst many others while serving itself not as a serving of crudeness and violence, but a curious dabble into the underbelly of society – a unique and undeterred examination into the taboo and existentialist catch-22’s that we face. The Pretty Fragile are such a band who find that. As a three piece industrial metal group from Exeter, Devon with two albums and two EPs under their belt, the shock metal trio have already made themselves comfortable with their sound – fat guitar tones, mechanized drums and a flavour of gothic theatre.
In their most recent single Absorb Aggression, The Pretty Fragile portray the harrow of physically transforming your physical essence to be viewed preferably of others. Paul Abrey takes the role of the narrator of the song, wherein he talks to the “patient” of the song, taking pleasure in the knowing of how the beauty displayed isn’t real.

Instrumentally speaking, the song itself lends itself well to the gothic theatre, playing like part of Phantom of the Opera. Zeke Furness works his magic on his 8 string, bringing with him a sweeping sound that’s left to ring underneath Paul’s lyrics, while Mat Simo’s staccato bass playing adds to the unnerving terror of the song as the “Patient” goes under. After the third verse the song goes all out wild, synths and choral chants echoing menacingly before going into an astonishing breakdown, one similar in sounding to the likes of Lamb of God and Nine Inch Nails – laden in synths while the syncopated guitar and drum pattern is unleashed to devastating effect.

As a whole, Absorb Aggression takes note from the gravitas bought to the musical industrial metal table and turns it into a nightmare – the nightmare that as soon as you go under the figurative knife to change yourself, you won’t see that again. The Pretty Fragile draws from the distasteful niches and cross examines them with an unwavering set of eyes, enticing their listeners to join them down the rabbit hole of the dark and the dammed.

Credit: Review by Connor Flello - www.connorflello.com