Industrial metal
Encyclopedia
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music
and many different types of heavy metal
, using repeating metal
guitar
riffs, sampling
, synthesizer
or sequencer
lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry
, Godflesh
, and KMFDM
.
Industrial metal's popularity led to some criticism from other artists associated with the industrial scene. Subsequently, it is most well known in various European permutations. Industrial metal groups have produced many acclaimed music videos.
Though electric guitars
had been used by industrial artists since the early days of the genre, archetypal industrial groups such as Throbbing Gristle
displayed a strong anti-rock
stance. British post-punk
band Killing Joke
pioneered the crossing over between styles, and was an influence on major industrial metal bands such as Ministry
, Godflesh
, Malhavoc and Nine Inch Nails
. Another pioneer industrial rock group, Big Black
, also impacted some later groups. The early works of the No Wave
band Swans
, with their visceral, minimalist instrumentation and dark, often violent lyrics, would also prove influential in industrial metal.
By the late 1980s industrial and heavy metal began to fuse into a common genre, with Godflesh's self-titled EP
and Ministry's The Land of Rape and Honey
at the forefront. Godflesh was founded by former Napalm Death
guitarist Justin Broadrick
. Drawing from a wide array of influences — power electronics
forefathers Whitehouse
, noise rock
band Swans, ambient music
creator Brian Eno
and fellow Birmingham
hard rockers Black Sabbath—the Godflesh sound was once described as "Pornography
-era Cure
on Quaaludes". Though not a top-seller, Godflesh nonetheless became an influential act, their name mentioned by Korn
, Metallica
, Danzig
, Faith No More
, and Fear Factory
.
Ministry emerged from the scene surrounding Wax Trax! Records
, a Chicago label dedicated to industrial music. Ministry's initial foray into guitar rock happened during a recording session of The Land of Rape and Honey on Southern Studios
, in London. The band's frontman, the Cuban-born Al Jourgensen
, explained this transition:
Jourgensen seemed particularly fond of thrash metal
. After the release of Land, he recruited guitarist Mike Scaccia
from Texas thrashers Rigor Mortis
. On one occasion, Jourgensen told the press that Sepultura
was his favorite band. He also expressed the desire to produce a Metallica
album. Jourgensen's interest in dance-oriented electronic music
did not entirely fade, however; he also formed the side-project Revolting Cocks
, a more electronic body music
-inflected collaboration with Richard 23 of Front 242
.
German
industrial band Die Krupps
began to utilize guitars and more sounds derived from heavy metal music in the early 1990s. It was a pioneering move that led to a number of other bands using the electronic/metal combo as a template in keeping with a deeper industrial sound. The band continued in this vein through the 1990s, culminating in the heavily metal-influenced album Paradise Now in 1997.
Fellow German
band KMFDM
was another seminal industrial metal group. Although not a metal fan, KMFDM leader Sascha Konietzko
's "infatuation with ripping off metal licks
" stemmed from his experiments with of E-mu
's Emax
sampler
in late 1986. He told Guitar World
that,
A Swiss trio, The Young Gods
, brushed with the style on their second album, L'Eau Rouge
(1989). Prior to its release, singer Franz Treichler declared:
Pigface
, formed by Martin Atkins
and including Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin, emerged as an industrial metal collective of sorts, participating with many figures from the noise rock
and industrial worlds. Nine Inch Nails, the "one-man-band" formed by Trent Reznor
, brought the genre to mainstream audiences with albums such as the Grammy-winning Broken and the best-selling The Downward Spiral
, accompanied by their groundbreaking performance at Woodstock '94
. The rivethead
subculture also developed at this time, along with the so-called "coldwave" subgenre, which encompassed Chemlab
, 16 Volt
, and Acumen Nation
. Some electro-industrial
groups adopted industrial metal techniques in this period, including Skinny Puppy
(on the Jourgensen-produced
Rabies), and Front Line Assembly
.
British
band Pitchshifter
, formed in 1989 by brothers Jon
and Mark Clayden, also started as an industrial metal band. The band later included elements of drum and bass
. Frontman JS mentions He also mentions that he dislikes the industrial tag. Stating that
groups, including Megadeth
, Sepultura
, and Anthrax
, to request remixes by "industrial" artists. Some musicians emerging from the death metal
scene, such as Fear Factory
, Nailbomb
, and Meathook Seed
, also began to experiment with industrial. Fear Factory, from Los Angeles, were initially influenced by the Earache
roster (namely Godflesh, Napalm Death
and Bolt Thrower). Sepultura
singer Max Cavalera
's Nailbomb
, a collaboration with Alex Newport
, also practiced a combination of extreme metal and industrial production techniques. A lesser-known example of industrial death metal is Meathook Seed, made up of members of Napalm Death and the Florida death metal group Obituary
. An industrial music fan, Obituary guitarist Trevor Peres suggested drum machines for The End Complete
, Obituary's most successful album. The other band members' refusal led him to form Meathook Seed.
scene began to incorporate elements of industrial music. Mysticum, formed in 1991, were the first of these groups. DHG
(Dødheimsgard), Thorns
from Norway or Blut Aus Nord
- a French black metal
group, has been acclaimed for their incorporation of industrial elements. Other industrial black metal musicians include Samael
, The Axis of Perdition
, Aborym
, and ...And Oceans
. In addition, The Kovenant
, Mortiis
and Ulver
emerged from the Norwegian black metal scene, but later chose to experiment with industrial music.
, where it would eventually sell close to 35 million units. It first became a commercial force in 1992 when Nine Inch Nails' Broken and Ministry's Psalm 69
went platinum
in America, though the latter took three years to reach that status. Both groups were nominated for the Best Metal Performance
in the 1992 Grammy Awards, with Nine Inch Nails winning. Two years later, Nine Inch Nails released The Downward Spiral, which debuted on #2, and would eventually go quadruple-platinum. This record is considered by Allmusic as "one of the bleakest multi-platinum albums ever."
Following Nine Inch Nails' success, Marilyn Manson
, led by a protegé of Reznor's, came to prominence. The group's live performance and its transgressive appeal was often more commented on than their music.
Industrial metal reached its commercial zenith in the latter half of the 1990s - according to the RIAA databases, its top-selling artists sold around 17.5 million units combined. Records by major industrial metal artists routinely debuted on the top spots of the Billboard 200
chart: Fear Factory's Obsolete (album)
(#1), Rob Zombie
's Hellbilly Deluxe
(#5), Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar
(#3), and Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile
(#1). A number of industrial metal albums performed well on Billboard's Heatseekers
chart: Filter
's Short Bus
(#3), Stabbing Westward
's Wither Blister Burn + Peel
(#1), Rammstein
's Sehnsucht
(#2), Orgy
's Candyass
(#1), and Static-X
's Wisconsin Death Trip
(#1). Around that time Trent Reznor
, the movement's most well-known person, was chosen by Time
as one of the most influential Americans of 1997. Its popularity was such that established glam metal
groups, including Guns N' Roses
and Mötley Crüe
, began to dabble in the style. Figures from the hip hop
scene also began to seek out collaborations with and remixes from industrial metal musicians.
When industrial metal climbed the charts of the late 1990s, its sudden popularity was met with negative reactions from the early innovators of industrial music
. Peter Christopherson
told The Wire
that he no longer felt any kinship with the industrial scene: "this is not me, this is not what I'm about". Lustmord
, a prominent early industrial musician, declared that "Ministry just doesn't interest [him]" and "[he has] no time for all this rock and roll
shit they're doing now." Skinny Puppy
were unimpressed by The Downward Spiral, with cEvin Key
attributing NIN's success to "a bit of hype", and Nivek Ogre
going further, dismissing Nine Inch Nails as "cock rock
", although admitting an appreciation for Ministry's Psalm 69.
Industrial metal suffered a critical backlash at the turn of the millennium. In an April 2000 review for the Chicago Sun Times, Jim DeRogatis
dismissed Nine Inch Nails' new music as a "generic brand of industrial thrash" and accused Ministry of repeating an act that "was old by 1992". Although The Fragile reached the top spot of the Billboard 200 and went on to earn double platinum
status, DeRogatis considered it a "flop" nonetheless.
Around this time, veteran industrial metal artists (Ministry, Godflesh, and White Zombie) began to repudiate the industrial label. Sales remained high throughout 2000-2005; at least 10 million records were sold during that time frame. Many groups began to take influence from hip hop and electronic music
, in addition to industrial metal. As a result, acts like Powerman 5000
are often described as industrial metal as well as nu metal
.
, Aidan Hughes
's graphics for KMFDM, Nine Inch Nails' work with Mark Romanek
, Rob Zombie's visual work for White Zombie (for which he received the MTV Video Music Award
for Best Hard Rock Video), and Marilyn Manson's output with Richard Kern
and Floria Sigismondi
. NIN later collaborated with Bill Viola
for live accompaniment. Trent Reznor also produced the soundtracks for the films Natural Born Killers
and Lost Highway, and served as "musical consultant" for Man on Fire
. Rob Zombie has directed three films. As of 2009, Marilyn Manson is in the process of directing Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll
. Other films that have included prominent contributions from industrial metal artists include The Crow
, Johnny Mnemonic
, Spawn
, The Matrix
, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
, then head of the Republican Party, sharply criticized Time Warner
after a meeting between Michael J. Fuchs
(head of the Warner Music Group), William Bennett
, and C. Delores Tucker
, at which Tucker and Bennett demanded that Fuchs read lyrics from NIN's "Big Man with a Gun". A year later, Bennett, Tucker, and Joseph Lieberman launched a similar campaign against MCA Records
for their distribution of Marilyn Manson's music. Many of his concerts were cancelled by authorities after this uproar. In addition, Dennis Cooper
cited Ministry's video for "Just One Fix
", which featured footage of William S. Burroughs
, as an early example of heroin chic
. Some initial reports claimed that Columbine High School shooters
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
were Marilyn Manson fans. In fact, they preferred KMFDM and Rammstein. Asa Coon, another school shooter, was a Manson fan.
Manson published a detailed response to the controversy following the Columbine shootings in an article published in Rolling Stone
. It concluded:
Sascha Konietzko reported that KMFDM was "sick and appalled" by the shootings, issuing a statement the following day saying:
Rammstein stated that they "have no lyrical content or political beliefs that could have possibly influenced such behavior." Rammstein have also been controversial for their use of Nazi imagery, including footage shot by Leni Riefenstahl
for Olympia
in their video for "Stripped". Alec Empire
, a German digital hardcore
musician, declared that "[Rammstein is] successful for all the wrong reasons. I think they're not a fascist
band at all, but I think in Germany there's a lot of misunderstanding and that's why they sell records and I think that's dangerous." In response to the controversy, Rammstein stated that "We are not Nazis, Neo-Nazis, or any other kind of Nazi. We are against racism, bigotry or any other type of discrimination."
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and many different types of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, using repeating metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
riffs, sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
or sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, Godflesh
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
, and KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
.
Industrial metal's popularity led to some criticism from other artists associated with the industrial scene. Subsequently, it is most well known in various European permutations. Industrial metal groups have produced many acclaimed music videos.
Early innovators
Electric Guitars
Electric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
had been used by industrial artists since the early days of the genre, archetypal industrial groups such as Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
displayed a strong anti-rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
stance. British post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
pioneered the crossing over between styles, and was an influence on major industrial metal bands such as Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, Godflesh
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
, Malhavoc and Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
. Another pioneer industrial rock group, Big Black
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
, also impacted some later groups. The early works of the No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
band Swans
Swans
Swans can refer to:*Swan, the birdMusic*Swans , an American band formed in 1982*Swans , an EP by the above band*Swans, an EP by the Filipino electronic act Names Are For Tombstones...
, with their visceral, minimalist instrumentation and dark, often violent lyrics, would also prove influential in industrial metal.
By the late 1980s industrial and heavy metal began to fuse into a common genre, with Godflesh's self-titled EP
Godflesh (EP)
Godflesh is the eponymous first release by the influential industrial metal band. It was originally released in 1988 through Swordfish Records, and was later reissued by Earache Records with two additional tracks....
and Ministry's The Land of Rape and Honey
The Land of Rape and Honey
The Land of Rape and Honey is the third studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 1988 on Sire Records. The image on the cover appears to be an electronically processed version of a photo of a burned corpse in the Leipzig-Thekla sub-camp of Buchenwald...
at the forefront. Godflesh was founded by former Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
guitarist Justin Broadrick
Justin Broadrick
Justin Karl Michael Broadrick is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music.-Biography:Broadrick was born in the council estates of inner...
. Drawing from a wide array of influences — power electronics
Power electronics
Power electronics is the application of solid-state electronics for the control and conversion of electric power.-Introduction:Power electronic converters can be found wherever there is a need to modify a form of electrical energy...
forefathers Whitehouse
Whitehouse (band)
Whitehouse are a pioneering English power electronics band formed in 1980, largely credited for the founding of the power electronics subgenre.-History and personnel:...
, noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
band Swans, ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
creator Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and fellow Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
hard rockers Black Sabbath—the Godflesh sound was once described as "Pornography
Pornography (album)
NME reviewer Dave Hill wrote, "This record portrays and parades its currency of exposed futility and naked fear with so few distractions or adornments, and so little sense of shame...
-era Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
on Quaaludes". Though not a top-seller, Godflesh nonetheless became an influential act, their name mentioned by Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
, Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
, and Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
.
Ministry emerged from the scene surrounding Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records was an independent record label in the United States. Wax Trax! began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado opened by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. They sold the store in 1978 and, in November of that year, opened a new one under the same name at 2449 North Lincoln Avenue in...
, a Chicago label dedicated to industrial music. Ministry's initial foray into guitar rock happened during a recording session of The Land of Rape and Honey on Southern Studios
Southern Studios
Southern Studios is a recording studio in the Wood Green area of London. It was founded in 1974 by John Loder, and came to be the recording studio of choice for Crass and their record label Crass Records. Southern Studios Ltd. continues to grow its label and provide label management and...
, in London. The band's frontman, the Cuban-born Al Jourgensen
Al Jourgensen
Alain David Jourgensen , is a Cuban-American musician best known as the founder and frontman of the industrial metal band Ministry. He is sometimes credited as Alain Jourgensen, Alien Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa , Dog, Alien Dog Star and Buck Satan...
, explained this transition:
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. After the release of Land, he recruited guitarist Mike Scaccia
Mike Scaccia
Michael "Mike" Scaccia is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the metal bands Ministry, Rigor Mortis, and The Revolting Cocks.- Professional life :...
from Texas thrashers Rigor Mortis
Rigor Mortis (band)
Rigor Mortis is a speed metal band that formed in 1983. Two schoolmates Harden Harrison and Casey Orr formed the band when they met Mike Scaccia . The three young men shared an interest in horror/gore films and very heavy music. With Bruce Corbitt on vocals they created some of the heaviest...
. On one occasion, Jourgensen told the press that Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
was his favorite band. He also expressed the desire to produce a Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
album. Jourgensen's interest in dance-oriented electronic music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
did not entirely fade, however; he also formed the side-project Revolting Cocks
Revolting Cocks
Revolting Cocks, also known as RevCo, is an American–Belgian industrial rock band and sometime supergroup that began as a musical side-project for Richard 23 of Front 242, Luc Van Acker, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry.-History:...
, a more electronic body music
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
-inflected collaboration with Richard 23 of Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
.
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
industrial band Die Krupps
Die Krupps
Die Krupps is a German industrial rock/EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf.-History:Their initial sound throughout the 1980s combined synthesizers with metallic percussion...
began to utilize guitars and more sounds derived from heavy metal music in the early 1990s. It was a pioneering move that led to a number of other bands using the electronic/metal combo as a template in keeping with a deeper industrial sound. The band continued in this vein through the 1990s, culminating in the heavily metal-influenced album Paradise Now in 1997.
Fellow German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
band KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
was another seminal industrial metal group. Although not a metal fan, KMFDM leader Sascha Konietzko
Sascha Konietzko
Sascha Konietzko , also known as Sascha K and Käpt'n K, is a German musician and producer. He is the founder, frontman, and "anchor" of industrial rock band KMFDM. Konietzko jokingly purports himself to be the father of industrial rock...
's "infatuation with ripping off metal licks
Lick (music)
In popular music genres such as rock or jazz music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short series of notes that is used in solos and melodic lines...
" stemmed from his experiments with of E-mu
E-mu Systems
E-mu Systems, Inc. is a synthesizer maker and pioneer in samplers and low-cost digital sampling music workstations.-History:Founded in 1971 by Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum, E-mu began making modular synthesizers...
's Emax
E-mu Emax
The Emax was a line of samplers, developed, manufactured, and sold by E-mu Systems from 1986 to 1995. Sold alongside their more expensive Emulator II and III samplers, the Emax line was conceived after the release of the Akai S-612 and Sequential Prophet 2000, and was designed to compete for the...
sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
in late 1986. He told Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
that,
A Swiss trio, The Young Gods
The Young Gods
The Young Gods are a Swiss post-industrial band. The band's lineup has generally consisted of a vocalist, a sampler operator and a drummer. Their instrumentation often includes sampled electric guitars, drums, keyboards, and other samples. The lyrics are depicted in English, French and...
, brushed with the style on their second album, L'Eau Rouge
L'Eau Rouge
L'Eau Rouge, released in 1989, is the second album by Industrial band The Young Gods. It is usually referred to as their masterpiece and was included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die in 2005.-Accolades:-Tracklisting:...
(1989). Prior to its release, singer Franz Treichler declared:
Pigface
Pigface
Pigface is an industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin.-History:Pigface was formed from Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste tour, which produced the In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up live album and video. For the tour, Al Jourgensen brought...
, formed by Martin Atkins
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
and including Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin, emerged as an industrial metal collective of sorts, participating with many figures from the noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
and industrial worlds. Nine Inch Nails, the "one-man-band" formed by Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
, brought the genre to mainstream audiences with albums such as the Grammy-winning Broken and the best-selling The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released March 8, 1994, on Interscope Records. It is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his "downward spiral" to his climactic attempt at suicide...
, accompanied by their groundbreaking performance at Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94, often called the "commercial Woodstock" or "Mudstock", was a music festival organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival of 1969...
. The rivethead
Rivethead
Rivethead can mean:* The head of a rivet* Formerly, since the 1940s, a nickname for American automotive assembly line workers* A fashion style, as described here----...
subculture also developed at this time, along with the so-called "coldwave" subgenre, which encompassed Chemlab
Chemlab
Chemlab is a coldwave and industrial rock band formed in Washington D.C., USA, in 1989 by Dylan Thomas More, Joe Frank , and Jared Louche . Influenced by the pioneers of the industrial genre, such as Throbbing Gristle, Chemlab mixed experimental sounds with rock and metal, which they dubbed...
, 16 Volt
16 Volt
16Volt is an industrial rock band featuring Eric Powell and Mike Peoples with various other performers added for live shows.-History:Powell became interested in music early on, and formed 16Volt in 1988. While shopping his demos several years later, he met up with a college-radio music director who...
, and Acumen Nation
Acumen Nation
Acumen Nation is an industrial rock band based in Chicago, Illinois.-History:Formed in the late 1980s as Acumen by Jason Novak and Ethan Novak , the band released several cassette demos before self-releasing the CD demo "Transmissions from Eville" in 1994. The two along with bassist Greg Lopez put...
. Some electro-industrial
Electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
groups adopted industrial metal techniques in this period, including Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
(on the Jourgensen-produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Rabies), and Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
.
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band Pitchshifter
Pitchshifter
Pitchshifter are a British five-piece electronic-metal band from Nottingham, United Kingdom formed in 1989. The band was started by bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden, lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A...
, formed in 1989 by brothers Jon
JS Clayden
JS Clayden is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as the frontman of the band Pitchshifter. He moved to several towns in the United Kingdom, settling in Nottingham, England for a number of years before emigrating to Los Angeles, California...
and Mark Clayden, also started as an industrial metal band. The band later included elements of drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
. Frontman JS mentions He also mentions that he dislikes the industrial tag. Stating that
Industrial thrash and death metal
Industrial metal's popularity led a number of successful thrash metalThrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
groups, including Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
, and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, to request remixes by "industrial" artists. Some musicians emerging from the death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
scene, such as Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
, Nailbomb
Nailbomb
Nailbomb was an industrial / thrash metal band. The band formed as side project by Brazilian musician Max Cavalera of Sepultura and Soulfly and English musician Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel...
, and Meathook Seed
Meathook Seed
Meathook Seed was an industrial metal project formed in 1992 by Napalm Death guitarist Mitch Harris.Since its founding, two Meathook Seed albums were released.-Embedded:...
, also began to experiment with industrial. Fear Factory, from Los Angeles, were initially influenced by the Earache
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
roster (namely Godflesh, Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
and Bolt Thrower). Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
singer Max Cavalera
Max Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
's Nailbomb
Nailbomb
Nailbomb was an industrial / thrash metal band. The band formed as side project by Brazilian musician Max Cavalera of Sepultura and Soulfly and English musician Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel...
, a collaboration with Alex Newport
Alex Newport
Alex Newport is a Grammy-nominated record producer, mixer and engineer, based in New York City.Newport was born in Wolverhampton, UK, in 1970 and grew up in the Midlands area....
, also practiced a combination of extreme metal and industrial production techniques. A lesser-known example of industrial death metal is Meathook Seed, made up of members of Napalm Death and the Florida death metal group Obituary
Obituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
. An industrial music fan, Obituary guitarist Trevor Peres suggested drum machines for The End Complete
The End Complete
The End Complete is a 1992 album by American death metal band Obituary.This album is Obituary's best selling, with over 200,000 copies sold in the U.S. and more than 550,000 worldwide. It reached #16 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart...
, Obituary's most successful album. The other band members' refusal led him to form Meathook Seed.
Industrial black metal
In the early years of the 21st century, groups from the black metalBlack metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
scene began to incorporate elements of industrial music. Mysticum, formed in 1991, were the first of these groups. DHG
Dødheimsgard
Dødheimsgard is a Norwegian heavy metal band formed in 1994. Dødheimsgard was originally a black metal band, but 1999's 666 International saw them change into an experimental and avant-garde / industrial metal band. In 2000, they shortened their name to DHG...
(Dødheimsgard), Thorns
Thorns (band)
Thorns is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album....
from Norway or Blut Aus Nord
Blut Aus Nord
Blut Aus Nord is a black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, France, which has incorporated avant-garde elements in its music.-Biography:Vindsval began a solo project, under the name "Vlad", in 1994. He released two demos before changing the project's name to Blut aus Nord, before the release of...
- a French black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
group, has been acclaimed for their incorporation of industrial elements. Other industrial black metal musicians include Samael
Samael (band)
Samael is a industrial black metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Switzerland.-Biography:Although much of their music from the mid-1990s onwards has incorporated electronic sounds which would best define their genre as industrial metal, they are an early 2nd Wave black metal band and an innovator for...
, The Axis of Perdition
The Axis of Perdition
The Axis of Perdition is a British industrial black metal band, from Middlesbrough. They are signed to Code666 Records.The band rose from the ashes of Minethorn and consists of Tetsuo Unit BRJ and Test Subject MGB The Axis of Perdition is a British industrial black metal band, from Middlesbrough....
, Aborym
Aborym
Aborym is an Italian/Norwegian industrial black metal band, initially hailing from Taranto, Apulia, in Italy. The band has described their music as "alien-black-hard/industrial", whilst Allmusic described them as playing "a truly original brand of futuristic black metal [with] jagged samples,...
, and ...And Oceans
...And Oceans
Havoc Unit, formerly known as ...and Oceans, is an industrial black metal band from Finland. It was formed in 1989 as a death metal outfit called Festerday, but soon changed its style to symphonic black metal. It released its first album as ...and Oceans in 1998, and in the following years it...
. In addition, The Kovenant
The Kovenant
The Kovenant is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo/Hamar. The band originally formed as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name....
, Mortiis
Mortiis
Mortiis is a band from Notodden, Norway fronted by Håvard Ellefsen, who is also known as the namesake of the band. The name is a misspelling of the word 'mortis', which is the pronunciation used by the band. However, Mortiis started as the solo project of Ellefsen as a means to convey a story...
and Ulver
Ulver
Ulver is a musical group from Norway. Since their first, folklore-influenced black metal release entitled Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler , Ulver’s musical style has been fluid and increasingly eclectic, blending genres such as rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise and...
emerged from the Norwegian black metal scene, but later chose to experiment with industrial music.
Commercial rise
Industrial metal blossomed in the early 1990s, particularly in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where it would eventually sell close to 35 million units. It first became a commercial force in 1992 when Nine Inch Nails' Broken and Ministry's Psalm 69
Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
-Samples:Samples.N.W.O.*"All right! It's all right!" - Apocalypse Now*"What we are looking at is good and evil, right and wrong." "A new world order!" "We're not about to make that same mistake twice." "God bless America! [crowd cheering]" "Wait...watch and learn." "I believe in freedom." -...
went platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in America, though the latter took three years to reach that status. Both groups were nominated for the Best Metal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
in the 1992 Grammy Awards, with Nine Inch Nails winning. Two years later, Nine Inch Nails released The Downward Spiral, which debuted on #2, and would eventually go quadruple-platinum. This record is considered by Allmusic as "one of the bleakest multi-platinum albums ever."
Following Nine Inch Nails' success, Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
, led by a protegé of Reznor's, came to prominence. The group's live performance and its transgressive appeal was often more commented on than their music.
Industrial metal reached its commercial zenith in the latter half of the 1990s - according to the RIAA databases, its top-selling artists sold around 17.5 million units combined. Records by major industrial metal artists routinely debuted on the top spots of the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart: Fear Factory's Obsolete (album)
Obsolete (album)
Obsolete is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Fear Factory, released on July 28, 1998. Conceptually, it is a sequel to 1995's Demanufacture...
(#1), Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
's Hellbilly Deluxe
Hellbilly Deluxe
* Danny Lohner - Additional Guitar on Meet the Creeper.* Tommy Lee - Drums on Meet the Creeper.-Chart positions:AlbumSingles...
(#5), Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. The record's success in mainstream charts propelled the band into a household name and turned its frontman overnight...
(#3), and Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile
The Fragile
In terms of narrative, virtually no references are made to the aspects depicted in The Downward Spiral. Like The Downward Spiral, The Fragile is a concept album, but, as a double album, is nearly twice the length of its predecessor. Reznor's vocals, for the most part, are much more melodic and...
(#1). A number of industrial metal albums performed well on Billboard's Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart: Filter
Filter (band)
Filter is a rock group formed in 1993 in Cleveland by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist/programmer Brian Liesegang. Filter has released five studio albums, the most recent being The Trouble with Angels, which was released on August 17, 2010....
's Short Bus
Short Bus (album)
Short Bus is the debut album from Filter. It was released in 1995 and has sold over 1 million copies in the United States. It's best known for their hit song "Hey Man Nice Shot".-Track listing:All songs were written by Richard Patrick....
(#3), Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward was an American industrial rock and alternative rock band. They formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois and began recording in the 1990s. The band announced a dissolution in 2002.- Early years :...
's Wither Blister Burn + Peel
Wither Blister Burn & Peel
Wither Blister Burn & Peel is the second album released on Columbia Records by the American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The album was recorded in New York State in late 1995, and was released on January 4, 1996 in New York City and Los Angeles...
(#1), Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
's Sehnsucht
Sehnsucht (Rammstein album)
-Chart positions:- Personnel :*Till Lindemann – Vocals*Richard Z. Kruspe – Lead guitars, backing vocals*Paul Landers – Rhythm guitars*Oliver Riedel – Bass guitar*Christoph Schneider – Drums*Christian "Flake" Lorenz – Keyboards*Bobo – Additional female vocals...
(#2), Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...
's Candyass
Candyass
Candyass is the debut album of the rock band Orgy. It was released on August 18, 1998.- Track listing :# "Social Enemies" – 4:05# "Stitches" – 3:18# "Dissention" – 3:31# "Platinum" – 3:42# "Fetisha" – 4:02# "Fiend" – 4:29# "Blue Monday" – 4:26...
(#1), and Static-X
Static-X
Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....
's Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip (album)
Wisconsin Death Trip is the debut studio album by the American industrial metal band Static-X. Originating in the Midwestern United States when lead singer Wayne Static , and drummer Ken Jay , met at a Virgin Records store in Chicago, it was not long after they were introduced by the lead singer of...
(#1). Around that time Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
, the movement's most well-known person, was chosen by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
as one of the most influential Americans of 1997. Its popularity was such that established glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
groups, including Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
and Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, began to dabble in the style. Figures from the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
scene also began to seek out collaborations with and remixes from industrial metal musicians.
When industrial metal climbed the charts of the late 1990s, its sudden popularity was met with negative reactions from the early innovators of industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
. Peter Christopherson
Peter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
told The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
that he no longer felt any kinship with the industrial scene: "this is not me, this is not what I'm about". Lustmord
Lustmord
Brian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.- History :Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982...
, a prominent early industrial musician, declared that "Ministry just doesn't interest [him]" and "[he has] no time for all this rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
shit they're doing now." Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
were unimpressed by The Downward Spiral, with cEvin Key
CEvin Key
cEvin Key is the pseudonym of Kevin William Crompton , who was a founding member of the industrial music band Skinny Puppy, along with Nivek Ogre. In addition to his work with Skinny Puppy, cEvin Key has had several side projects, including Doubting Thomas, Cyberaktif, and Hilt...
attributing NIN's success to "a bit of hype", and Nivek Ogre
Nivek Ogre
Nivek Ogre is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor best known as a founding member of the industrial band Skinny Puppy. Since that band featured another Kevin and was produced by another Ogilvie Nivek Ogre (born Kevin Graham Ogilvie December 5, 1962) is a Canadian musician,...
going further, dismissing Nine Inch Nails as "cock rock
Cock rock
Cock rock is a term, typically used derogatively, to describe a style of rock music that emphasised an aggressive form of male sexuality. It developed in the later 1960s and came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s.-Use of the term:...
", although admitting an appreciation for Ministry's Psalm 69.
Industrial metal suffered a critical backlash at the turn of the millennium. In an April 2000 review for the Chicago Sun Times, Jim DeRogatis
Jim DeRogatis
James "Jim" DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for fifteen years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.He joined Columbia College Chicago as a full-time...
dismissed Nine Inch Nails' new music as a "generic brand of industrial thrash" and accused Ministry of repeating an act that "was old by 1992". Although The Fragile reached the top spot of the Billboard 200 and went on to earn double platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status, DeRogatis considered it a "flop" nonetheless.
Around this time, veteran industrial metal artists (Ministry, Godflesh, and White Zombie) began to repudiate the industrial label. Sales remained high throughout 2000-2005; at least 10 million records were sold during that time frame. Many groups began to take influence from hip hop and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, in addition to industrial metal. As a result, acts like Powerman 5000
Powerman 5000
Powerman 5000 is an American Metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!...
are often described as industrial metal as well as nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
.
Film and video
Several industrial metal groups produced eye-catching videos. These included Godflesh's collaboration with Andres SerranoAndres Serrano
Andres Serrano is an American photographer and artist who has become notorious through his photos of corpses and his use of feces and bodily fluids in his work, notably his controversial work "Piss Christ", a red-tinged photograph of a crucifix submerged in a glass container of what was purported...
, Aidan Hughes
Aidan Hughes
Aidan Hughes is a commercial artist. He was born in 1956 in Merseyside, England, and was trained as an artist by his father, himself a landscape painter.In the 1980s, Hughes published a pulp-style magazine called BRUTE! which earned him notoriety...
's graphics for KMFDM, Nine Inch Nails' work with Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek is an American filmmaker, whose directing work includes feature films, music videos and commercials.He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2002 film One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams...
, Rob Zombie's visual work for White Zombie (for which he received the MTV Video Music Award
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
for Best Hard Rock Video), and Marilyn Manson's output with Richard Kern
Richard Kern
Richard Kern is a New York underground filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental films featuring underground personalities of the time...
and Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
. NIN later collaborated with Bill Viola
Bill Viola
Bill Viola is a contemporary video artist. He is considered a leading figure in the generation of artists whose artistic expression depends upon electronic, sound, and image technology in New Media...
for live accompaniment. Trent Reznor also produced the soundtracks for the films Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers is a 1994 crime/black comedy film directed by Oliver Stone about two victims of traumatic childhoods who became lovers and psychopathic serial killers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media...
and Lost Highway, and served as "musical consultant" for Man on Fire
Man on Fire (2004 film)
Man on Fire is a 2004 American thriller film, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. Another film based on the same novel was also filmed in 1987....
. Rob Zombie has directed three films. As of 2009, Marilyn Manson is in the process of directing Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll
Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll
Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll is an upcoming fantasy-horror film by Marilyn Manson with Geoffrey Cox and Anthony Silva. It is directed by Marilyn Manson as part of his Celebritarian Corporation art movement, and is his directorial debut as a feature filmmaker. It is being produced by...
. Other films that have included prominent contributions from industrial metal artists include The Crow
The Crow (film)
The Crow is a 1994 American action film based on the 1989 comic book of the same name by James O'Barr. The film was written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, and directed by Alex Proyas...
, Johnny Mnemonic
Johnny Mnemonic (film)
Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 cyberpunk film, loosely based on the short story "Johnny Mnemonic" by William Gibson. The title character, a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information, is played by Keanu Reeves. The film portrays Gibson's dystopian view of the future with the world...
, Spawn
Spawn (film)
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film loosely based on the comic book of the same name, by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Directed and co-written by Mark A.Z. Dippé , the film stars Michael Jai White in the leading role...
, The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Controversy
Its emphasis on transgressive themes has made a few industrial metal groups vulnerable to attack from American social conservatives. For example, Sen. Bob DoleBob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
, then head of the Republican Party, sharply criticized Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
after a meeting between Michael J. Fuchs
Michael J. Fuchs
Michael J. Fuchs isan American executive producer for premium cable television network HBO.-Career:Fuchs is the son of Charles Fuchs a Real Estate Executive...
(head of the Warner Music Group), William Bennett
William Bennett
William John "Bill" Bennett is an American conservative pundit, politician, and political theorist. He served as United States Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988. He also held the post of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H. W...
, and C. Delores Tucker
C. Delores Tucker
C. DeLores Tucker was a U.S. politician and civil rights activist best known for her participation in the Civil Rights Movement and stance against gangsta rap music.-Early life:...
, at which Tucker and Bennett demanded that Fuchs read lyrics from NIN's "Big Man with a Gun". A year later, Bennett, Tucker, and Joseph Lieberman launched a similar campaign against MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
for their distribution of Marilyn Manson's music. Many of his concerts were cancelled by authorities after this uproar. In addition, Dennis Cooper
Dennis Cooper
Dennis Cooper is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist.-Career:Cooper grew up the son of a wealthy businessman in Arcadia, California. His first forays into literature came early, focusing on imitations of Rimbaud, Verlaine, de Sade, and Baudelaire...
cited Ministry's video for "Just One Fix
Just One Fix
-Ministry:*Al Jourgensen – vocals , guitar, programming, production*Paul Barker – bass guitar, programming, production-Additional Personnel:*Bill Rieflin – drums*Mike Scaccia – guitar*Michael Balch – programming*William S...
", which featured footage of William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, as an early example of heroin chic
Heroin chic
Heroin chic was a look popularized in mid-1990s fashion and characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, and jutting bones.The look, which promoted emaciated features and androgyny, was an alternative that stood in direct contradiction to the "healthy" and vibrant look of models...
. Some initial reports claimed that Columbine High School shooters
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennet Klebold were American high school seniors who committed the Columbine High School massacre. They killed 13 people—including teacher Dave Sanders—and injured 24 others, three of whom were injured as they escaped the attack...
were Marilyn Manson fans. In fact, they preferred KMFDM and Rammstein. Asa Coon, another school shooter, was a Manson fan.
Manson published a detailed response to the controversy following the Columbine shootings in an article published in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. It concluded:
Sascha Konietzko reported that KMFDM was "sick and appalled" by the shootings, issuing a statement the following day saying:
Rammstein stated that they "have no lyrical content or political beliefs that could have possibly influenced such behavior." Rammstein have also been controversial for their use of Nazi imagery, including footage shot by Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
for Olympia
Olympia (1938 film)
Olympia is a 1938 Nazi propaganda film by Leni Riefenstahl documenting the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. The film was released in two parts: Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker and Olympia 2. Teil — Fest der Schönheit . It was the first documentary feature...
in their video for "Stripped". Alec Empire
Alec Empire
Alec Empire is a German musician who is best known as a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot. Also a prolific and distinguished solo artist, producer and DJ, he has released well over a hundred albums, EPs and singles and remixed over seventy tracks for various artists including Björk...
, a German digital hardcore
Digital hardcore
Digital hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk incorporating influences from electronic music. Digital hardcore fuses elements of hardcore punk with various forms of electronic music...
musician, declared that "[Rammstein is] successful for all the wrong reasons. I think they're not a fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
band at all, but I think in Germany there's a lot of misunderstanding and that's why they sell records and I think that's dangerous." In response to the controversy, Rammstein stated that "We are not Nazis, Neo-Nazis, or any other kind of Nazi. We are against racism, bigotry or any other type of discrimination."
See also
- List of industrial metal bands
- Heavy metal musicHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
- Industrialized metal webzineIndustrialized metal webzineThe Industrialized Metal Webzine is a webzine that concentrates on the industrial metal subgenre and everything related to it. It contains album reviews, concert reviews and interviews, as well they're known for organising underground live shows, DJ sets and compilation releases.The webzine is...
Further reading
- Alexander, Phil (1995). Alien Soundtracks! Kerrang!, 528, 52-53.
- Arnopp, Jason (1993). De-Construction! Kerrang!, 462, 41.
- Arnopp, Jason (1993). Industrial Metal: A User's Guide. Kerrang!, 462, 44.
- Barcinski, André (1992). Máquina Mortífera. Bizz, 79, 24-29.
- Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House.
- Chantler, Chris (2002). Splitting Heirs. Terrorizer, 96, 54-55.
- Collins, Karen (2005). Dead Channel Surfing: the Commonalities between Cyberpunk Literature and Industrial Music. Popular Music, 24(2), 165-178.
- Di Perna, Alan (1995). Jackhammer of the Gods. Guitar World, 15(6), 54-59, 61-62, 67, 69, 71.
- Di Perna, Alan (1995). White Zombie: Zombies Gave Me Lunch! Guitar World, 15(6), 33, 35-26, 38, 40, 46, 170, 172.
- Fergunson, Paul (1993). Terror Against Terror: Lustmord's Dancefloor Coup. Industrial Nation, 7, 53-7.
- Gill, Chris (1996). Swine Before Pearls: Wallowing In the Muck with Ministry's Al Jourgensen. Guitar Player, 30(3), 84-89.
- Gill, C., Rotondi, J. (1996). Heady Metal. Guitar Player, 30(3), 74-82.
- Gitter, Mike (1990). Ministry: Sole Survivors. Thrasher, January: 76-77, 100.
- Kaye, Don (1992). Flesh Eaters. Kerrang!, 388, 16-17.
- Martin, Jim (2004). Sadness Will Prevail. Terrorizer!, 123, 24-25.
- Mörat (1990). Flesh for Fantasy. Kerrang!, 320, 14-15.
- Mudrian, Albert (2004). Choosing Death: the Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House.
- Paytress, Mark (1995). Industrial Music. Record Collector, 185, 92-99.
- Pettigrew, Jason (1991). Godflesh: the Power of Positive Paradoxes. Alternative Press, 5(36), 22-23.
- Pettigrew, Jason (1996). Watch Yourself and Watch What You Say. Alternative Press, 92, 44-51.
- Reynolds, Simon (1988, August 20). Detonation Angels. Melody Maker, pp. 28–30.
- Stud, B., Stud, T. (1987, June 20). Heaven Up Here. Melody Maker, pp. 26–27.
- The Ministry of Noise (1989). Modern Keyboard, March, 49-50.
- Thompson, Dave (1994). Industrial Revolution. Los Angeles, CA: Cleopatra.
- Vale, V., Juno, A. (1983). RE/Search #6-#7: Industrial Culture Handbook. San Francisco, CA: RE/SEARCH PUBLICATIONS.
- Wiederhorn, Jon (1994). Industrious Metal. Pulse, 64, 64.
- Yates, Catherine (2001). Souls of a New Machine. Kerrang!, 871, 18-20.