The difference, by ear
Both use machines. Industrial metal locks humans to a grid; cybergrind lets the machine do things no human could be locked to.
Industrial metal is part sung, part screamed where cybergrind is growled or screamed, and much slower: 100 to 140 bpm against 250 to 400. Songs run longer in industrial metal: usually 4 to 6 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in cybergrind. To hear the difference, play Agoraphobic Nosebleed next to Ministry. They share a root in heavy metal, and industrial metal came first, by eleven years.
In figures
Cybergrind
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Grindcore › Cybergrind
In short
Grindcore with programmed drums nobody could play and electronic elements. Made in bedrooms more often than in studios.
How it sounds
- Drums programmed at physically impossible speeds, often past a nominal 1000 bpm.
- Electronic elements: noise, synthesizers, samples.
- Fully digital production, frequently made by one person alone.
Key acts
- Agoraphobic Nosebleed
- The Berzerker
- Genghis Tron
Start here
The pickGridlink - Longhena. Twenty-two minutes, and it counts as a long album here.
Full page →Industrial metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Industrial metal
In short
Metal riffs over programmed drums, samples and synths. Mechanical by design.
How it sounds
- Programmed or heavily processed drums with samples of mechanical sounds.
- Repetitive, staccato riffing, with the guitar treated as a rhythmic element.
- Distorted vocals, declaimed or shouted through effects.
Key acts
- Ministry
- Fear Factory
- Rammstein
- Godflesh
Start here
The pickGodflesh - Streetcleaner. It sounds like an industrial city collapsing, which is the subject.
Full page →