ALEC Empire prepares for a vicious attack on the music industry next year with a sneak preview in TJ's next week.

The Atari Teenage riot front-man is making a rare Welsh appearance and will perform material from his new solo album, Intelligence and Sacrifice, out in March.

If you thought Atari Teenage Riot were an uncomfortable yet strangely fulfilling listening experience or have dabbled in the industrial grind of SPK or Throbbing Gristle, then Alec Empire's sonic terror should tear your inner ear, just right.

"My music takes people to places where they've never been before," he said. "Some never return, and those who did are scared to go back."

Drones and distortion are his main building blocks and the tools he employs can be anything. He has been known to make music with nothing but a Gameboy but the 29-year-old Berliner's solo album, Intelligence and Sacrifice, is more expansive. "It really reflects what I am about right now," he said, logically enough.

"To keep it simple I recorded and produced CD1 with a new band. I took the hard metal element of ATR, added electronic rock beats and a lot of guitars and noise, and then, of course, my vocals. Yes, you're right: It's Digital Hardcore's Rock album, our ticket to headlining festivals and the stadium tours.

"CD2 is the opposite. It's not songs, it's very 'far out' electronic music without any vocals. The concept is, 'A cycle that never ends,' you find the beginning of track one at the end of the CD, so you can loop the whole thing, and it goes around and around. It's a downward spiral. It's very personal. The making of this album was very complex and each CD took over a year to record. With ATR we used to have eight tracks or less, here I had up to 120."

*Alec Empire plays TJ's, Newport on Wednesday December 5 with support from Zan Lyons. Doors open 9pm.