The difference, by ear
Both are hostile and machine-adjacent. Industrial rock built a method; no wave deliberately refused to.
Industrial rock is part sung, part screamed where no wave is shouted, and keeps to a narrower band: 110 to 150 bpm against 100 to 200. Songs run longer in industrial rock: usually 3½ to 6 minutes, against 1½ to 4 minutes in no wave. To hear the difference, play Teenage Jesus and the Jerks next to Killing Joke. Both grew out of post-punk, no wave first and industrial rock four years after.
In figures
No wave
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › No wave
In short
A total refusal of melody and standard tuning. Short-lived, extreme and hugely influential on noise rock.
How it sounds
- Random or modified tunings, with the guitar used as a percussion object.
- A refusal of melody, tonal harmony and repeatable structure.
- Screamed or spoken vocals, dissonant saxophone, primitive drumming.
Key acts
- Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
- DNA
- Swans
Start here
The pickNo New York. Four bands, sixteen tracks, one manifesto.
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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