Laibach

About

One of the founding members of the art movement known as Neue Slowenische Kunst, also referred to as NSK or New Slovenian Art, the experimental project Laibach was formed in Trbovlje, Slovenia in 1980. Though it is best known for its pop song covers, the band has always sported a heavy political agenda by offering commentary on totalitarian regimes within all realms, whether critiquing dictatorships of rock music hierarchies. Labeled as a radical band in Yugoslavia, the band was outlawed in the Communist state and forced to operate under its black cross logo but continues to create its avaunt-garde music. Laibach's sound evolved from avant-garde to ambient noise to industrial music, which includes elements of hip-hop, electro, techno and electronic body music. The group earned international recognition in 1987 with its third studio album Opus Dei, which prompted the Catholic organization of the same name to unsuccessfully sue the band for what it saw as slander against the Church. The band eventually entered the realm of mainstream success while maintaining its use of industrial percussion, rhythms and abrasive vocals.