Industrial Music Guide: A Brief History of Industrial Music

Industrial music is a genre that combines elements of hardcore punk rock, heavy metal, electronic music, and propulsive club beats. Industrial bands like Ministry, KMFDM, Nine Inch Nails, and Front Line Assembly use rock instruments like guitar, bass, and drums paired with synthesizers and sequencers more common to dub, hip hop, and dance music.

Industrial rock songs typically include vocals, and the lyrics tend to be macabre, provocative, and transgressive. Some industrial artists—particularly those inspired by Lou Reed's highly controversial 1975 album Metal Machine Music—approach industrial music as avant-garde performance art and may include literal industrial sounds from machines as part of their recordings. This industrial subgenre is often called power electronics.

Industrial music got its start in the 1970s with the British label Industrial Records.

• Early beginnings: The genre got its name from the British label Industrial Records, which formed in 1976 to release the music of Throbbing Gristle. Other 1970s industrial artists include Cabaret Voltaire, Monte Cazazza, Nurse With Wound, Clock DVA, and SPK. Based in Europe and America, these groups were eager to explore the potential of new keyboard synthesizers and drum samplers entering the consumer marketplace. In this regard, industrial acts followed in the footsteps of German electronic pioneers like Kraftwerk. Still, industrial music was far more lyrically provocative from the start.
• Wax Trax: In the United States, Chicago label Wax Trax became home to numerous industrial bands, including KMFDM, Coil, Meat Beat Manifesto, Front Line Assembly, Young Gods, Sister Machine Gun, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Chris & Cosey, and Laibach.
• Industrial metal: Chicago cemented its place as an industrial rock capital thanks to singer/instrumentalist Al Jourgensen, the founder of Ministry, Revolting Cocks, and several other bands. Ministry helped to develop industrial metal, a style adapted by Godflesh, Rammstein, and Marilyn Manson.
• Mainstream: Industrial music achieved mainstream crossover during a multi-album run from Nine Inch Nails, a collective formed in Cleveland by singer/guitarist/programmer Trent Reznor. On records like Pretty Hate Machine, Broken, and The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails combined post-punk emotion, synthpop beats, and goth aesthetics to sell millions of records and win multiple Grammy awards.

Several key characteristics define most industrial music:

1. 1. Embrace of technology: From the very beginning, industrial music pioneers Genesis P-Orridge (of Throbbing Gristle) and Monte Cazazza sought out the most cutting-edge synthesizers and samplers they could afford, which set the standard for many industrial acts to come.
2. 2. Danceable rhythms: Many industrial music bands share characteristics with new wave and synth-pop groups. The subgenre known as electronic body music (EBM) particularly accentuates dance beats. Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy, and Front 242 all specialize in this danceable form.
3. 3. Heavy metal instrumentation: Industrial metal bands like Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, and Ministry merged the elements of distorted guitars and thunderous drums of heavy metal with samplers and synthesizers to produce their signature sound.
4. 4. Provocative lyrics: Industrial rock lyrics often deal with sexual deviance, torture, and mutilation, making tension and controversy part of the art form.
5. 5. Occasional pop hooks: While some industrial bands are fiercely non-commercial, others are willing to embrace certain tropes of pop music. The 1980s bands Psychic TV, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Cabaret Voltaire incorporated melodic hooks reminiscent of new wave. The 1990s stars Nine Inch Nails mined hard rock and heavy metal and won the Grammy for heavy metal performance in 1993.

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Tom Morello, St. Vincent, Sheila E., Timbaland, Itzhak Perlman, Herbie Hancock, and more.