 Industrial metal blossomed in the early 1990s , particularly in North America , where it would eventually sell close to 35 million units . It first became a commercial force in 1992 when Nine Inch Nails ' Broken and Ministry 's Psalm 69 went platinum in America , though the latter took three years to reach that status . Both groups were nominated for the Best Metal Performance in the 1992 Grammy Awards , with Nine Inch Nails winning . Two years later , Nine Inch Nails released The Downward Spiral , which debuted at No. 2 , and would eventually go quadruple @-@ platinum . This record is considered by Allmusic as " one of the bleakest multi @-@ platinum albums ever . " 
