Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a
musical genre which is a fusion of
industrial music and
rock music.
Industrial rock is similar to
industrial metal. By convention, all industrial metal artists may be more vaguely described as industrial rock, but not all industrial rock artists are properly described as industrial metal.
Industrial rock augments the
guitar-based music and songwriting structure of rock with the
electronic instruments and noisy
production techniques of industrial. Though superficially abrasive and often aggressive, industrial rock is generally more listener-friendly than traditional industrial.
Typical instrumentation for industrial rock bands centers on heavily-
distorted or otherwise-
effected guitars and
synthesizers.
Bass guitars and
drums may be played live, or they may be replaced by
sequencers and
drum machines. Many groups also make extensive use of
samplers.
The term "industrial rock" most likely had its genesis in the mid-
1990s as a reaction to such
crossover bands being referred to as simply "industrial." The industrial rock designation called attention to the fundamental similarities with rock, as opposed to industrial. However, casual listeners still often use "industrial" to refer to the more accessible industrial rock style.
There were early influences on the genre (such as
KMFDM,
Foetus and
Big Black), but the
archetypal industrial rock band is arguably
Nine Inch Nails (NIN).
NIN combined many influences, from mainstream rock (
David Bowie,
Queen, and
Kiss), noisy industrial groups (
Skinny Puppy and
Coil), and industrial metal acts (
Ministry), but running it all through
Trent Reznor's vision to produce "industrial-flavored" music that enjoyed massive
mainstream success. Indeed, industrial rock's general popularity came largely in the wake of Nine Inch Nails'
multi-platinum The Downward Spiral (
1994), as record companies promoted bands with similar aesthetics, such as
Filter,
Stabbing Westward,
Gravity Kills and NIN-protégé
Marilyn Manson.
Established bands who formed long before Industrial rock existed, have later gone on to experiment with the genres stylings;
Glam rock musicians such as,
David Bowie during the albums
Earthling and
Outside, as well as
Alice Cooper during
Dragontown and
Brutal Planet are prime examples of this. Bowie also toured with NIN in
1995. Another example is ex-
Misfits legend
Glenn Danzig, who experimenter with Industrial rock on his infamous album
Blackacidevil.
Other examples of this are
W.A.S.P. with their
1997 album
Kill Fuck Die and the later/current works of
Synthpop icon
Gary Numan.
As the 1990s drew to a close, industrial rock's mainstream popularity waned. The genre still remains alive, however, with groups like
Pig and
KMFDM maintaining considerable grassroots followings. The influence of industrial rock has been acknowledged in the
popularization of nu-metal.
*
List of industrial rock bands*
Cleopatra Records*
Invisible Records*
Metropolis Records*
Nothing Records*
Slipdisc Records*
Wax Trax! Records
