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Synth RockSynth Rock is a musical genre that emerged in the late 1990's. Musically, Synth Rock draws it's style from 80's New Wave (especially artists like Gary Numan, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode), and 80's/90's Electro Rock (aka. Industrial Rock and Industrial Metal)(Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson etc.). Other influences are Glam Rock (such as David Bowie and T Rex) and Goth Rock (such as Bauhaus and The Sisters Of Mercy). The overall sound has been termed "Death Pop," "Shock Pop," "Cyber Glam," "Techno Goth," "Undercore," "Wave Metal" and "Cyber-Punk," by various people, although the label Synth Rock is essentially being agreed upon. The sound of Synth Rock is hard to describe, yet it has its unique qualities, mostly because of incredibly intricate guitar processing methods, as well as the use of Guitar Synthesis (which may also get heavily processed) alongside standard keyboard synthesis. Further, many bands in this area prefer to use electronic percussion (Such as Electronic Drum Sets) over normal percussion. Finally, this genre tends to use electronics very thickly, making many people question whether it can properly be considered a "Rock" genre (although some Synth Rock bands are more 'rock oriented' than electronically oriented, such as Orgy). Although many Synth Rock artists will cite Industrial bands (such as Experimental Electro-Industrial legends Skinny Puppy) as influences, this influence tends to be limited to the use of effects. The pure electronic elements are not very harsh. This genre still gets the majority of the heaviness from guitars, and hence cannot be considered a subgenre of Industrial Music. Image-wise, Synth Rock tends to borrow heavily from its New Wave heritage, as well as its Glam and Goth heritages, and at times will soak this in futurism. The overall look has its similarities to the Futurepop-driven Cybergoth subculture. Synth Rockers have been known to wear heavy, glamorous makeup regardless of sex (Orgy being particularly notorious for this), yet they can also play a slicker, more subtle look (such as The Anix). A traditional setup for a Synth Rock band involves a Drummer using an electronic kit, a Bassist (with a large amount of effects, or possibly a Bass Guitar Synthesizer), A Guitarist (with a very large quantity of effects to choose from), A MIDI-Guitarist (using a Guitar as a Synth controller, for example using a Roland G-Synth or a Starr Labs Z-Tar) and a Keyboard Synthesist. Usually, the Guitarist or MIDI Guitarist will handle vocals. Of course, not all Synth Rock bands follow this formula but most of them do. Synth Rock Artists include Orgy, Deadsy, The Anix and Vanity Beach.
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