One-time progressive metallers Thought Industry threw the metal world for a loop with their first three albums. Chaotic, weird, unconventional affairs they were -- truly what progressive metal should be (but rarely is) all about. The band's penchant for jarring time changes, diverse influences, and bizarre lyrics made each song and album an intense listen, not the kind of music that can be casually placed in the background. Best of those three (and the most metallic) would be Mods Carve The Pig, with the debut Songs For Insects a close second.
It stood to reason that a band as experimental as Thought Industry probably wouldn't stay in one place for too long, and that's just what happened. In 1997 the band released Black Umbrella, an album which bore little resemblance to any of their previous work. Here the focus is on simpler songwriting and a definite alternative rock influence, albeit in a less poppy manner than that term would normally imply. After the Recruiting ... retrospective (one of those live/unreleased/alternate-version semi-compilation releases), 2001 saw the band finally releasing a new album, Short Wave On A Cold Day, which continued their migration away from the heavier stuff -- they're still experimental and quirky (judging from the song titles, they haven't lost anything on the lyrics side of things), they're just not very metallic anymore. As much as the earlier material was admired and will be missed, the band can be commended by continuing to record on their own terms. They are still active, currently working on new material.