Industrial metal

Industrial metal
Stylistic origins	Industrial music, heavy metal music
Cultural origins	Late 1980s, United States, United Kingdom, Canada
Typical instruments	Electric guitar - Synthesizer - Drum machine - Drums - Sequencer - Keyboard - Sampler)
(complete list)
Fusion genres
Industrial rock
Other topics
Notable artists - List of subgenres

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 vaugely described as industrial rock as well, but not all industrial rock artists are properly described as industrial metal. This is ironic considering industrial metal emerged before industrial rock.

Early innovators

Though guitars had been used by industrial groups like Throbbing Gristle and Skinny Puppy 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. Al Jourgensen was 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 refered 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 (the latter copying a riff from Slayer's "Angel of Death"). 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. A 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".

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 dance music as well as industrial to create what Rammstein describe as tanz-metall, "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, dope, and Mushroomhead are often, though inconsistently, included in industrial metal.

Artists

• Aborym
• Acumen Nation
• Aatmaa
• American Head Charge
• Blut Aus Nord
• Chemlab
• Circle of Dust
• Cubanate
• Cult of Luna
• Cyanotic
• Die Krupps
• Eisbrecher
• Fear Factory
• Genitorturers
• Godflesh
• Hanzel Und Gretyl
• Head of David
• Inner Surge
• Jerk
• jesu
• Klank
• Klutæ (not to be confused with drum'n'bass artist Klute)
• KreuzDammer
• The Kovenant
• Machinae Supremacy
• Media Violence
• Megaherz
• Ministry
• Misery Loves Company
• Mnemic
• PAIN
• Peace, Love & Pitbulls
• Pitchshifter
• Rammstein
• Red Harvest
• Skrew
• Static-X
• Strapping Young Lad
• Swamp Terrorists
• The Young Gods
• Theatre of Tragedy
• Treponem Pal
• Turmion Kätilöt
• Vargotah
• Velcra
• Violent Work of Art
• Waltari
• Zeni Geva
• Zeromancer

Labels

• Invisible Records
• Wax Trax! Records