Driven by the pummeling beats of hard rock, the grit of heavy metal and the iconoclasm of punk, a volatile collision occurred in the early '80s and became known as Industrial. Sonically, this genre often resembles the din and clanging of a factory where distortion, metallic objects, power tools and heavily tweaked electronics are aggressively fused to form some of the most caustic and extreme music ever produced.

Short bursts of distorted riffs, hammering percussion and growling vocals mark the presence of a good industrial piece where the compositional structure replicates the sounds of gears and conveyors moving systematically, abruptly and yet, violently.

Emblematic works in this genre are almost always tight, terse, and caustic, often producing a jarring effect on the nervous system.

Notable Artists: Einsturzende Neu Bauten, Front 242, Throbbing Gristle, Ministry