Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a
musical genre which draws elements from
industrial music and
heavy metal music. Industrial metal music is usually centered around metal
guitar riffs and industrial
synthesizer/
sequencer lines, as well as heavily-distorted vocals. This term is used quite loosely, describing everything from industrial bands
sampling metal riffs to heavy metal groups augmented with sequencers. Industrial metal encompasses industrial subgenres such as aggro-industrial and coldwave (see
list of industrial music subgenres) and often overlaps some elements of
nu-metal and
post-punk.
It is difficult to distinguish many industrial metal artists and
industrial rock because both genres leave much room for ingenuity and creativity. By convention, all industrial metal artists may be more vaguely described as industrial rock as well, but not all industrial rock artists are properly described as industrial metal.
Early innovators
Though guitars had been used by industrial groups like
Throbbing Gristle since the early days of the genre, it wasn't until the late-
1980s that industrial and metal began to fuse into a common genre. The industrial metal scene was the result of the convergence of a number of different musical trends.
A number of electronic bands had begun to add elements of metal to their music, with
Al Jourgensen at the forefront of the fusion on
Ministry's The Land of Rape and Honey (
1988). Previously a guitarless band, Ministry's inclusion of metal guitars on "Stigmata", "The Missing", and "Deity" proved to be a watershed event. Subsequent albums,
The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste and
ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (commonly referred to as simply "Psalm 69"), would establish Ministry as a premier industrial metal act.
At the same time,
KMFDM was bringing metal influences to its guitars in singles like
1989's Virus and
1990s Godlike. In 1990, the seminal post-punk act
Killing Joke reformed and released the explosive
Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions, which built the band's earlier dark, brooding sound and electronic experiments into an industrial metal sound.
Approaching from the opposite end of the spectrum, former
Napalm Death guitarist
Justin Broadrick founded the industrial metal band
Godflesh in 1988. Influenced by metal, industrial,
no wave, and
post-punk, Godflesh featured live metal guitar,
bass and
vocals on top of mechanical
drum machine beats. Canadian band
Malhavoc had been cutting demos as early as 1985 featuring drum machines, keyboards, metal guitars and distorted vocals. In 1991, they put out their first official release, entitled "The Release".
A final element was added by a number of technologically advanced bands within the metal scene, spearheaded by Canadians,
Voivod. British metal band
Pitchshifter titled their first album "Industrial" when they were still largely a metal band. In subsequent years, they have included far more industrial metal elements, as well as drum n' bass and techno, in their music. This style of music was far less electronic than the later forms of industrial metal, but it did stimulate interest in the metal scene that later helped bring bands like Ministry to such a high level of cross-scene popularity.
Later developments
Industrial metal blossomed in the early
1990s, particularly in
North America where it outstripped pure industrial in popularity. The original strain of industrial metal became known as aggro-industrial, while a new form featuring
punk- and
hardcore-influenced guitars and more pronounced synthesizer accompaniment became known as
coldwave. Prominent coldwave bands included
Chemlab,
16 Volt, and Acumen (later
Acumen Nation). In Europe, some groups such as
Young Gods and
Swamp Terrorists would create industrial metal without live guitars, relying wholly on samplers. Many established industrial groups adopted industrial-metal techniques around this period, either temporarily or permanently, including Skinny Puppy (on the Jourgensen-
produced Rabies),
Front Line Assembly, and
Die Krupps.
More recently, groups like
Rammstein and
Oomph! have taken inspiration from
electronic music as well as industrial and
hard rock to create a style called
Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness) or what Rammstein describe as "Tanz-Metall" or "dance metal".
The influence of industrial metal has permeated throughout the heavy metal genre, with a number of bands accenting their live instrumentation with industrial programming and sampling.
Fear Factory is one of the most notable, incorporating electronic elements from a very early stage and often being produced by
Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly.
Devin Townsend's death metal band,
Strapping Young Lad, also features pronounced industrial-metal aspects. Many contemporary metal/nu-metal groups, drawing influences from industrial,
hip hop, and
electronica, have incorporated samplers and sequencers. As a result, acts like
Rob Zombie,
Static-X,and
dope are often, though inconsistently, included in industrial metal. In Germany, a genre called
Neue Deutsche Härte has sprung up recently (and can be attributed to artists such as
Joachim Witt,
Rammstein, and
Oomph!) which uses many elements of industrial music (synths, keyboard, electric guitars, sometimes drum machines) with of course German vocals (though not all songs are sung in German).
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16 Volt - USA
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Acumen Nation - USA
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American Head Charge - USA
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The Axis of Perdition - England
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Betty X - USA
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Bile - USA
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Blut aus Nord - France
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Circle of Dust *
Clawfinger - Sweden
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Cubanate - England
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Coal Chamber-USA
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Cyanotic - USA
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Deathstars - Sweden
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Die Krupps - Germany
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Fear Factory - USA
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Genitorturers - USA
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Ghost in the Machine (GITM) - USA
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Godflesh - England
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Hanzel und Gretyl - USA
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Inner Surge - Canada
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Jerk - Australia
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Jesu - England
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Klank - USA
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Klutæ - Denmark
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KMFDM - Germany/England/USA
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The Kovenant - Norway
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Machinae Supremacy - Sweden
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Marilyn Manson - USA
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Ministry - USA
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Misery Loves Company - Sweden
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Mnemic - Denmark
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Nine Inch Nails - USA
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Pain - Sweden
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Peace, Love & Pitbulls - Sweden
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Pitchshifter - England
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Red Harvest - Norway
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Rob Zombie - USA
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Ruoska - Finland
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Slick Idiot - Germany
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Skrew - USA
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Static-X - USA
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Strapping Young Lad - Canada
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Swamp Terrorists - Germany
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Spineshank - USA
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Terminal Choice - Germany
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Testify - Germany
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The Young Gods - Switzerland
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Treponem Pal - France
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Turmion Kätilöt - Finland
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Ulver - Norway
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Vargotah - Germany
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Velcra - Finland
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Waltari - Finland
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Invisible Records*
Metropolis Records*
Wax Trax! Records*
Van Richter Records
