The 30 Best Industrial Metal Bands of All Time

Industrial metal fused the mechanical fury of industrial music with the crushing heaviness of metal, spawning some of the most abrasive and provocative sounds in rock history. From Nine Inch Nails and Ministry to Rammstein and Godflesh, these bands redefined what it means to push music to its most extreme and innovative limits. Vote for the act that best represents the genre's legacy of noise, power, and uncompromising artistic vision.

1. 1
   Nine Inch Nails

   Trent Reznor's industrial rock/metal project, known for "Closer" and "Hurt"
   1000pts
2. 2
   Zeromancer

   Norwegian band formed in 1999 by former Seigmen members, known for synth-driven industrial rock like Clone Your Lover.
   717pts
3. 3
   Stabbing Westward

   Chicago industrial rock band known for "What Do I Have to Do?"
   581pts
4. 4
   Dope

   New York band formed by Edsel Dope in 1997 whose aggressive industrial metal broke through with the album Felons and Revolutionaries and Die MF Die.
   546pts
5. 5
   Megaherz

   Munich band formed in 1993, one of the original Neue Deutsche Härte groups alongside Rammstein and Oomph!, known for Miststück and Himmelfahrt.
   507pts
6. 6
   Rammstein

   German Neue Deutsche Härte band known for explosive live shows
   507pts
7. 7
   Powerman 5000

   Boston band fronted by Spider One whose sci-fi industrial metal album Tonight the Stars Revolt! went platinum in 1999.
   507pts
8. 8
   KMFDM

   German industrial rock band known for their ultra-heavy sound
   464pts
9. 9
   White Zombie

   Rob Zombie's industrial metal band known for "More Human Than Human"
   464pts
10. 10
    Combichrist

    Andy LaPlegua's project that evolved from aggrotech into full industrial metal, scoring the 2013 game DmC: Devil May Cry.
    464pts
11. 11
    Fear Factory

    Los Angeles industrial metal band known for precise machine-like rhythms
    415pts
12. 12
    Ministry

    Chicago industrial metal pioneers known for "Jesus Built My Hotrod"
    415pts
13. 13
    Strapping Young Lad

    Devin Townsend's Vancouver band, active 1994 to 2007, whose wall-of-sound album City is a landmark of extreme industrial metal.
    415pts
14. 14
    Mushroomhead

    Masked Cleveland collective formed in 1993 whose theatrical mix of industrial and alternative metal built a huge cult following.
    360pts
15. 15
    Oomph!

    Wolfsburg band formed in 1989, founders of the Neue Deutsche Härte sound, who topped the German chart with Augen auf! in 2004.
    360pts
16. 16
    Godflesh

    British industrial metal band known for crushing guitar and drum machine sound
    360pts
17. 17
    Pitchshifter

    Nottingham band formed in 1989 that moved from Godflesh-style heaviness to the drum-and-bass-laced industrial metal of www.pitchshifter.com.
    360pts
18. 18
    Filter

    Cleveland band formed in 1993 by former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Richard Patrick, famous for the industrial rock hit Hey Man, Nice Shot.
    360pts
19. 19
    Prong

    New York metal band known for their mechanical groove-based sound
    296pts
20. 20
    Deathstars

    Stockholm band formed in 2000 that blends industrial and gothic metal with dark glam, best known for Blitzkrieg and Cyanide.
    296pts
21. 21
    3Teeth

    Los Angeles band formed in 2013 whose bleak industrial metal earned them tours with Tool and a place among the genre's new wave.
    296pts
22. 22
    Static-X

    Industrial metal band known for "Push It" and Wayne Static's distinctive hair
    223pts
23. 23
    Die Krupps

    Düsseldorf pioneers formed in 1980 who moved from metal-percussion electronics to full industrial metal on II – The Final Option and their Metallica tribute.
    223pts
24. 24
    Eisbrecher

    Bavarian band founded in 2003 by Alexx Wesselsky and Noel Pix, a leading Neue Deutsche Härte act with chart-topping albums in Germany.
    223pts
25. 25
    Celldweller

    Klayton's Detroit project whose 2003 debut mixed industrial metal and electronica, with tracks used widely in films, trailers and games.
    223pts
26. 26
    Marilyn Manson

    Shock rock and industrial metal artist known for provocative performances
    138pts
27. 27
    Pig

    Industrial project of Raymond Watts known for abrasive electronic metal
    138pts
28. 28
    Killing Joke

    London band formed in 1978 by Jaz Coleman whose grinding, tribal riffs became a blueprint for industrial metal and influenced Ministry and Nine Inch Nails.
    138pts
29. 29
    Author & Punisher

    San Diego one-man project of engineer Tristan Shone, who performs crushing industrial doom metal on machines he builds himself.
    138pts
30. 30
    Orgy

    Los Angeles band whose 1998 industrial cover of New Order's Blue Monday became a hit and defined their self-styled death pop.
    138pts

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