Cyber Metal

A branch of industrial metal named in the mid-1990s for the music of *Fear Factory*, in which the machinery of extreme metal is fused with the programmed pulse of electronic dance music. Cyber metal pairs downtuned, rhythmically exact guitar riffs and blast patterns with sequenced synthesizers, samples and four-on-the-floor or breakbeat-derived drums; vocals alternate between harsh screaming, mechanized chanting and melodic singing. Later European acts added symphonic keyboards and cleaner production, moving the style toward a polished, futuristic sheen. Its writing consistently addresses technology, artificial intelligence, dystopia and the erosion of the boundary between human and machine.