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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, heavily distorted, very low pitched guitars, as well as somewhat-distorted vocals, but in some instances can have normal 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, although the British band Killing Joke is generally considered a pioneer of industrial rock and was a major influence on many industrial metal bands. Coming out of the late 70's/early 80's, their sound, considered post-punk at the time, combined dark punk/quasi-metallic post-punk with synthesizers and rhythms that alternated between dance (a disco influence), thrash, and tribal. 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 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. In 1988, former Napalm Death guitarist Justin Broadrick's Killing Joke-influenced band, Fall of Because, reformed, changed their name to Godflesh and started playing industrial metal. 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 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. Artists Record labels Samples | ||||||||
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