The difference, by ear
Big Black appear on both lists. Noise rock uses the drum machine for abrasion; industrial rock uses it as a compositional grid.
Noise rock is shouted where industrial rock is part sung, part screamed, at much the same pace, around 90 to 150 bpm. To hear the difference, play Killing Joke next to Sonic Youth. They share a root in rock, and industrial rock came first, by a year. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
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.
Full page →Noise rock
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Noise rock
In short
Alternate tunings, feedback as an instrument and rhythm sections that hit like machinery. The grandfather of sludge.
How it sounds
- Alternate tunings, often invented for a single song.
- Feedback and harmonics treated as musical material rather than accidents.
- A heavy, near-mechanical rhythm section with distorted bass up front.
Key acts
- Sonic Youth
- Big Black
- The Jesus Lizard
- Melvins
Start here
The pickThe Jesus Lizard - Goat. The rhythm section sounds like heavy plant in operation.
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