The difference, by ear
Industrial rock is aggressive and confrontational with its machines. Coldwave is melancholy and withdrawn with the same equipment.
Industrial rock is part sung, part screamed where coldwave / minimal wave is sung cleanly, and a little faster: 110 to 150 bpm against 90 to 130. To hear the difference, play Trisomie 21 next to Killing Joke. Both grew out of post-punk, coldwave / minimal wave first and industrial rock a year after.
In figures
Coldwave / minimal wave
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Coldwave / minimal wave
In short
European post-punk on cheap drum machines: cold synths, distant vocals, the atmosphere of a grey housing block in winter.
How it sounds
- A cheap drum machine - Roland TR-606, Korg - and a monophonic synthesizer.
- Chorused guitar, used sparingly and for texture.
- Distant vocals, often in French, over lo-fi production.
Key acts
- Trisomie 21
- Asylum Party
- Martin Dupont
Start here
The pickTrisomie 21 - Le Repos des Enfants Heureux. Grey-tower-block melancholy in pure form.
Full page →Industrial rock
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › Industrial rock
In short
Guitars over programmed drums, sampling and factory noise. The bridge to industrial metal.
How it sounds
- Programmed drums or samples of struck metal in place of a conventional rhythm section.
- Digitally processed guitar, often chopped up and reassembled.
- Vocals distorted through a megaphone or digital processing.
Key acts
- Killing Joke
- Ministry
- Nine Inch Nails
Start here
The pickNine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral. Recorded, not at all by chance, in a house with a grim history.
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