Metal on Music Theory Print

African heavy metal

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Southern Africa#

The author Edward Banchs traveled extensively through African countries, exploring the most prominent metal scenes, and in 2016, he published a book, titled Heavy Metal Africa: Life, Passion, and Heavy Metal in the Forgotten Continent, covering the musicians and the rise and struggles of the respective cultures in the Sub-Saharan and island countries. According to Banchs, South Africa has developed a robust metal community due to the existing music industry and a large population. South Africa In South Africa, heavy metal was introduced from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s in Johannesburg and saw the relative success of bands such as Odyssey, Ragnärok, Urban Assault, and Voice of Destruction. The arrival of metal music in the country was controversial. For example, the government and the N.G Kerk banned certain records from being imported, and fans of the genre faced hostility from the public, with accusations of Satanism. The first black metal band in South Africa with all Black members, Demogoroth Satanum, was formed in 2009 and works to change the perception of metal music as a genre for White people and to attract more Black fans. Vulvodynia is a deathcore/grindcore band with both Black and White members. Botswana The Botswana heavy metal scene started in the 1970s, with the introduction of classic rock, and evolved into a distinctive subculture with a cowboy-inspired aesthetic. Wrust, Overthrust, and Skinflint have achieved some international success and recognition. The 2014 documentary March of the Gods: Botswana Metalheads documents the heavy metal scene in the country. In 2009, South African photographer Frank Marshall made a photo exhibition called “Renegades”, documenting the metal scene in Botswana. The fashion encyclopedia Stylepedia uses the term “Renegades” as the name for the fashion movement derived from Botswana’s metal scene. Other countries Other southern African countries such as Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar have developing metal scenes as well. The documentary film Terra Pesada explores the metal community in Mozambique. Namibia held a metal festival in Windhoek intermittently between 2007 and 2014, called the Windhoek Metal Fest. Zimbabwe held its first documented metal concert in Harare in 2015, and the first album in Shona, by the band Dividing the Element, was released in 2018. The Angola metal scene was documented and featured in the film Death Metal Angola. Madagascar also has a growing metal community, covered by Banchs.

Alternative metal

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Characteristics#

One of the main characteristics of alternative metal and its subgenres are heavily downtuned, mid-paced “chug”-like guitar riffs. However, funk metal bands often use a more conventional riffing style influenced by 1980s thrash metal. Alternative metal features clean and melodic vocals, Examples include alternative metal bands associated with the nu metal movement, such as Korn and Deftones, who have been described as having “bipolar vocals”. Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times wrote in 1990 “Just as rock has an alternative, left wing-bands like the Replacements and Dinosaur Jr.-so does metal. Alternative metal is alternative music that rocks. And alternative metal these days can reach 10 times the audience of other alternative rock. Jane’s Addiction plays an intense brand of ’70s-influenced arty metal; so does Soundgarden. In fact, the arty meanderings of Sabbath and Zeppelin themselves would be considered alternative metal.” Houston Press has described the genre as being a “compromise for people for whom Nirvana was not heavy enough but Metallica was too heavy.” The first wave of alternative metal bands emerged from many backgrounds, including hardcore punk (Bad Brains, Rollins Band, Life of Agony, Corrosion of Conformity), noise rock (Helmet, the Jesus Lizard, Today Is the Day), Seattle’s grunge scene (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden), stoner rock (Clutch, Kyuss), sludge metal (Fudge Tunnel, Melvins), gothic metal (Type O Negative), groove metal (Pantera, White Zombie) and industrial (Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry). These bands never formed a distinct movement or scene; rather they were bound by their incorporation of traditional metal influences and openness to experimentation. while Primus were influenced by progressive rock, and funk and Faith No More mixed progressive rock, R&B, funk and hip hop. Fudge Tunnel’s style of alternative metal included influences from both sludge metal and noise rock.

Avant-garde metal

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Characteristics#

“Avant-garde metal” is interchangeable with “experimental metal” and “avant-metal”, Avant-garde metal is related to progressive metal, but avant-garde metal often has more experimentation, while progressive metal usually has a tighter focus on traditional metal instrumentation and higher levels of technical complexity. Avant-garde metal also uses unusual sounds, breaks conventions, and often includes new elements. The lyrics and visual presentation of the genre are eclectic as well. The Canadian group Voivod also influenced future bands in the genre, pioneering technique such as robotic vocal effects, unusual time signatures, and fractured, dissonant, unorthodox guitar sounds.

Bay Area thrash metal

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Exodus and Metallica#

The earliest documented roots of the Bay Area thrash scene date back to the formation of Exodus in 1979. By the time the group recorded their full-length album four years later, five different guitarists or bassists had already passed through the lineup, with some going on to join or form bands that were equally relevant to the area’s burgeoning metal scene. In November 1982, Exodus opened a show at San Francisco’s Old Waldorf venue for Metallica, a then-relatively unknown (and unsigned) band from Southern California who were recently discovered by Brian Slagel and had appeared on the first volume of his Metal Massacre compilation. Exodus (who were also unsigned at this time) had distributed an untitled demo the same year with a lineup that included guitarist Kirk Hammett. Although Metallica had initially formed in Los Angeles, it was not until their February 1983 relocation to the East Bay area that Cliff Burton formerly from Trauma joined as bassist, sealing the band’s first, formative lineup. The group (which then consisted of Burton, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Dave Mustaine) had moved into a Carlson Blvd. house in El Cerrito, near Albany Hill, which had been rented by Mark Whitaker, then-manager of Exodus. After Mustaine was removed from the lineup that same year, then-Exodus guitarist Hammett would replace him following Whitaker’s recommendation; in turn, Mustaine would move back to Los Angeles to form Megadeth. Metallica’s signing to Megaforce Records, the release of their first album and the songwriting process and rehearsals for Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets had all taken place while the group resided at Whitaker’s El Cerrito home.

Beatdown hardcore

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Characteristics#

Beatdown makes use of low pitched, shouted vocals, downtuned guitars and thrash metal–inspired drum rhythms, putting a particular emphasis on breakdowns. Many bands make use of palm muted guitar riffs, influenced by slam death metal, in conjunction with hip hop-influenced vocals. According to Bandcamp Daily writer Kevin Warwick, after the 1990s the genre expanded from a specific style of metal-influenced hardcore to “encompass a larger variety of mosh-friendly, breakdown-fixated groups”, which includes both 1990s-style hardcore revivalists like Absolute Suffering and more metallic groups like Knocked Loose. One prominent characteristic of beatdown is its close association to hardcore crews particularly New York’s DMS and Boston’s Friends Stand United, to the extent that academic Jeff Purchla used the term “crew scene hardcore” to refer to the genre in his 2011 essay The Powers that be: Processes of Control in ‘Crew Scene Hardcore. Sociology academic Edgar M. Peralta defined crews as being people involved in hardcore scene who unify “based on reciprocal ties and varying interests, including non-criminal elements such as music or sports, but also including some criminal elements, which often include violence and graffiti”, specifically originating as a means to oppose the white supremacist currents in their scenes. Beatdown bands often make use of hip hop–inspired imagery, with logos being based on graffiti designs and band members wearing sagged pants and baseball caps on irregular angles.

Biker metal

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Characteristics#

Biker metal has been described as being influenced by punk rock, rock and roll, heavy metal and blues. Sleazegrinder, a writer at Classic Rock, described biker metal as “glam metal gone Mad Max”. Biker metal is characterized by its mid-tempo approach to metal, its “gritty and American” sound, and its alignment with biker culture as a whole. The genre has been contrasted with slower and more operatic forms of metal, such as Judas Priest’s work in the early 2000s. Similarly, biker metal eschews the speed and virtuosity that rose to prominence in the 1980s. Bands such as Black Moth, Orange Goblin, The Obsessed, Earthride and Black Label Society have been described as fusing the style with doom metal, whereas Clutch have been described as merging elements of biker metal and Southern rock into their stoner rock sound. Black Sabbath’s song “Paranoid” has been considered a classic of the genre. Biker metal has proven influential to genres ranging from speed metal to hardcore punk and crust punk, and was integral to the development of extreme metal.

Black metal

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Characteristics#

Although black metal now typically refers to the Norwegian style with shrieking vocals, the term has been applied to bands with widely differing sounds, such as the Greek and Finnish bands that emerged around the same time as the Norwegian scene.

Instrumentation and song structure#

Manish Agarwal of Time Out describes black metal as “a cult strain of ultra-thrash” characterized by “icy noise”. Norwegian-inspired black metal guitarists usually favor high-pitched or trebly guitar tones and heavy distortion. The guitar is usually played with fast, un-muted tremolo picking and power chords. Guitarists often use dissonance—along with specific scales, intervals and chord progressions—to create a sense of dread. The tritone, or flat-fifth, is often used. Guitar solos and low guitar tunings are rare in black metal. Even still, authenticity is still prioritized over technique. “This professionalism has to go,” insists well-respected drummer Fenriz (Gylve Fenris Nagell) of Darkthrone. “I want to de-learn playing drums, I want to play primitive and simple, I don’t want to play like a drum solo all the time and make these complicated riffs”. Black metal songs often stray from conventional song structure and often lack clear verse-chorus sections. Instead, many black metal songs contain lengthy and repetitive instrumental sections. The Greek style—established by Rotting Christ, Necromantia and Varathron —has more death metal traits than Norwegian black metal.

Blackened death metal

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Characteristics#

The genre is commonly death metal that incorporates musical, lyrical or ideological elements of black metal, such as an increased use of tremolo picking, anti-Christian or Satanic lyrical themes and chord progressions similar to those used in black metal. Blackened death metal bands are also more likely to wear corpse paint and suits of armour, than bands from other styles of death metal. Lower range guitar tunings, death growls and abrupt tempo changes are common in the genre. Some blackened death metal bands, such as Goatwhore and Angelcorpse, even take significant influence from thrash metal.

Blackgaze

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Development#

Michael Nelson of Stereogum tracks the origins of blackgaze to the early work of French musician Neige, who pioneered the fusion through projects including Alcest, Amesoeurs and Lantlôs. According to Nelson, Alcest’s 2005 EP Le Secret was “the birth of blackgaze”; he noted that it sounded “like a Cocteau Twins/Burzum collaborative split” and that " r oughly half the time, vocals were delivered in an angelic coo; the other half, they were a raw, distant shriek". Natalie Zina Walschots of Exclaim! also credits Neige with pioneering the style, while noting that American band Deafheaven has pushed the genre to “greater prominence”.

Brutal death metal

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Characteristics#

Brutal death metal is characterised by its use of death growls deeper than convention death metal vocals (usually referred to as “gutturals” to distinguish from regular growls), tempos that are either groove driven or incredibly high tempo, downtuned guitars and pinch harmonics. The style blends death metal with grindcore. Metal Hammer editor Dom Lawson also cited the influence of New York hardcore as a key part of the sound. Academic Michelle Phillipov defined it as “privileg ing heaviness, speed, and rhythmic complexity over conventional signifiers of melody and tunefulness.”

Celtic metal

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History#

The origins of Celtic metal can be traced to the earliest known exponent of folk metal, the English band Skyclad. Their “ambitious” and “groundbreaking” debut album The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth was released in 1990 with the song “The Widdershins Jig” acclaimed as “particularly significant” and “a certain first in the realms of Metal”. This debut album made an impact on a young Keith Fay who had formed a Tolkien-inspired black metal band by the name of Minas Tirith. Inspired by the music of Skyclad and Horslips, Keith Fay set out to combine black metal with the folk music of Ireland. Like Waylander, Keith Fay also credits the Irish rock band Horslips as a “huge influence on Cruachan,” further noting that “what they were doing in the 70s is the equivalent of what we do now.” With a specific focus on Celtic music and the use of Celtic mythology in their lyrics, Cruachan’s style of folk metal is known today as Celtic metal. Parallel to Cruachan, the black metal act Primordial also released a demo recording in 1993 and “found themselves heralded as frontrunners in the burgeoning second-wave black metal movement.” Irish music plays “a very big role” in Primordial but in “a dark and subtle way” through the chords and timings. The year 1993 also saw the formation of Waylander. With vocalist Ciaran O’Hagan fronting the group, they released a demo recording in 1995. A debut album Reawakening Pride Once Lost was unveiled in 1998. O’Hagan notes that it was a coincidence that “Primordial, Cruachan and Waylander sprang up within little more than a year of each other.” Since then a few other bands from Ireland have emerged to perform Celtic metal including Geasa Ithilien from Belgium, Mägo de Oz from Spain, Suidakra from Germany, Leah from Canada, Skiltron from Argentina, and Gun Ghaol - who perform entirely in Scottish Gaelic - from Scotland. Despite the Irish origins of the genre, Celtic metal is not known to be popular in Ireland. Ciaran O’Hagan of Waylander notes that while “Primordial are Ireland’s biggest Metal band in terms of sales and international profile” the band would be “lucky to sell much more than 500 copies of their albums in their own country or pull more than 300 punters to a gig.”

Crossover thrash

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Etymology#

The term “thrash” originated as a way of referring to hardcore punk, seen on the 1982 hardcore compilation New York Thrash. The name “crossover” was coined in reference to Dirty Rotten Imbeciles’s 1987 album Crossover.

Precursors#

Hybrid forms of metal and punk had existed as early as the mid-1970s, with the most notable act being Motörhead. However, Discharge were the first band to turn the fusion into “something a little more long-term”. With their 1980 EPs Reality of War, Fight Back and Decontrol, the band began to merge the nascent sounds of hardcore punk and street punk with elements of heavy metal. The band’s influence was immediate and widespread, helping influence the beginnings of grindcore, crust punk, black metal and D-beat, and notably pioneering thrash metal groups Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Sepultura. In his book Choosing Death author Albert Mudrian called Discharge “the ultimate crossover act, marrying the passion and intensity of punk with the speed and extremity of heavy metal.” The initial contact between punk rock and heavy metal involved a “fair amount of mutual loathing. Despite their shared devotion to speed, spite, shredded attire and stomping on distortion pedals, their relationship seemed, at first, unlikely.” Their 1982 split LP with fellow Washington band the Faith showed both bands exhibiting quick, fiery, high-speed punk rock. It has been argued that those recordings laid the foundation for early thrash metal, at least in terms of selected tempos, By 1985, pioneering Boston hardcore bands including SS Decontrol, DYS and the F.U.’s had begun to play heavy metal. Author Steven Blush said of the fusion: “It was natural. The most intense music, after Black Flag and Dead Kennedys, was Slayer and Metallica. Therefore, that’s where everybody was going. That turned into a culture war, basically.”

Death 'n' roll

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History#

While the “death ’n’ roll” tag was first associated with Swedish death metal band Entombed, Daniel Ekeroth associates the style with a previous group called Furbowl. After Entombed released Wolverine Blues, the band became associated with what the music press dubbed as “death ’n’ roll”, a label which has followed Entombed’s career ever since. In the years following the album’s release, the sound was embraced by Dismember on Massive Killing Capacity (1995), Carcass on Swansong (1996) and Six Feet Under on Warpath (1997). Similar to Entombed, Dutch band Gorefest also transitioned from its origins in death metal to incorporate a death ’n’ roll style. Elements of this approach were first evident on the band’s 1994 album Erase, but it was more fully realized on the subsequent release, Soul Survivor (1996), which also demonstrated significant influence from classic rock. Proof of that influence was the club tour organized by the band that same year, where Gorefest played songs by AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Gorefest broke up after their last 1990s album, Chapter 13, which continued the trend started in Soul Survivor, Two of its members currently play in Live & Dangerous, a Thin Lizzy tribute band from the Netherlands. When confronted with the “death ’n’ roll” label in interviews, the acts that the label is attached to react with skepticism. Entombed’s LG Petrov stated “We see it as Entombed music, if people see that as death ’n’ roll so be it. We just laugh, death ’n’ roll, why not? When we write songs, we aren’t thinking it has to be a particular style.”

Death metal

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Emergence and early history (early to mid–1980s)#

English extreme metal band Venom, from Newcastle, crystallized the elements of what later became known as thrash metal, death metal and black metal, with their first two albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal, released in late 1981 and 1982, respectively. Their dark, blistering sound, harsh vocals, and macabre, proudly Satanic imagery proved a major inspiration for extreme metal bands. Another highly influential band, Slayer, formed in 1981. Although the band was a thrash metal act, Slayer’s music was more violent than their thrash contemporaries Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Their breakneck speed and instrumental prowess combined with lyrics about death, violence, war, and Satanism won Slayer a cult following. According to Mike McPadden, Hell Awaits, Slayer’s second album, “largely invent ed much of the sound and fury that would evolve into death metal.” According to AllMusic, their third album Reign in Blood inspired the entire death metal genre. It had a big impact on genre leaders such as Death, Obituary, and Morbid Angel. While attributed as having a Slayer influence, current and former members of the band had actually cited Venom and Motörhead, as well as early work by Exodus, as the main influences on their sound. Although the group had released only two studio albums and an EP in their formative years, they have been described by music journalists and musicians as either being “monumental” in developing the death metal style, or as being the first death metal band. Earache Records noted that “the likes of Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel based what they were doing in their formative years on the Possessed blueprint laid down on the legendary Seven Churches recording. Possessed arguably did more to further the cause of ‘Death Metal’ than any of the early acts on the scene back in the mid-late 80’s.” During the same period as the dawn of Possessed, a second influential metal band was formed in Orlando, Florida. Originally called Mantas, Death was formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner, Kam Lee, and Rick Rozz. Inspired by the Brandon, Florida act Nasty Savage, they took the sound of Nasty Savage and deepened it. In 1984, they released their first demo entitled Death by Metal, followed by several more. The tapes circulated through the tape trader world, quickly establishing the band’s name. With Death guitarist Schuldiner adopting vocal duties, the band made a major impact in the emerging Florida death metal scene. The fast minor-key riffs and solos were complemented with fast drumming, creating a style that would catch on in tape trading circles. Schuldiner has been credited by AllMusic’s Eduardo Rivadavia for being widely recognized as the “Father of Death Metal”. Death’s 1987 debut release, Scream Bloody Gore, has been described by About.com’s Chad Bowar as being the “evolution from thrash metal to death metal”, and “the first true death metal record” by the San Francisco Chronicle. In an Interview Jeff Becerra talked about the discussions of being the creator of the genre, saying that Schuldiner cited Possessed as a massive influence, and Death were even called “Possessed clones” early on. Along with Possessed and Death, other pioneers of death metal in the United States include Macabre, Master, Massacre, Immolation, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and Post Mortem.

Deathcore

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Characteristics#

A fusion genre, deathcore melds elements of metalcore, hardcore and death metal. It is usually very fast and focuses on intensity. Deathcore typically combines deep ‘roaring’ and high ‘screaming’ vocals, down-tuned guitars, simplified death metal riffs, tremolo picking, double bass drumming and blast beat drumming. It is defined by its slower intense sections called breakdowns, which are also a key trait of metalcore. Vocals in deathcore are typically a mixture of deep roaring vocals similar to death growls, and higher-pitched screaming, as well as a style known as “pig squeals” or “pig squealing”. Sung vocals are rare, but they have been used by a few bands such as All Shall Perish (in the song “Awaken the Dreamers”) and Oceano (in the song “Incisions”). Lyrics in deathcore tend to be personal, angry and violent, often deal with male frustrations, and can include misogynistic language. In terms of fashion, deathcore is associated with short hair, baseball caps, earlobe plugs and sportswear, which is similar to metalcore and hardcore scenes, and differs from typical metalhead attire.

Djent

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Development#

Fredrik Thordendal, lead guitarist of Swedish band Meshuggah, coined the term in 2011. In a 2018 interview by Rauta, Meshuggah guitarist Mårten Hagström apologized for the band’s role in creating the “djent” style of guitar playing, calling it “a drunk misunderstanding”. Other bands important in the development of the style are Animals as Leaders, Periphery, Tesseract, Monuments and Textures, with Periphery and Animals as Leaders both emerging at the beginning of the coining of the phrase “Djent” and both hailing from the Washington DC Suburban area. The scene has grown rapidly, and members of the original online community, including the bands Chimp Spanner and Sithu Aye have gone on to tour and release albums commercially. Other bands influenced by djent include A Life Once Lost, Veil of Maya, Vildhjarta, Xerath, and Uneven Structure. Born of Osiris have also been described as being inspired by the djent movement. and DVSR are djent bands that use rapping as a primary vocal style.

Doom metal

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Instrumentation#

The electric guitar, bass guitar, and drum kit are the most common instruments used to play doom metal (although keyboards are sometimes used), but its structures are rooted in the same scales as in blues. Along with the usual heavy metal compositional technique of guitars and bass playing the same riff in unison, this creates a loud and bass-heavy wall of sound. Another defining characteristic is the consistent focus on slow tempos, and minor tonality with much use of dissonance (especially in the form of the tritone), employing the usage of repetitive rhythms with little regard to harmonic progression and musical structure.

Drone metal

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Characteristics#

Typically, the electric guitar is performed with a large amount of reverb or audio feedback while vocals may or may not be present. Songs often lack beat or rhythm in the traditional sense and are typically very long. The experience of a drone metal performance has been compared by novelist John Wray in The New York Times to listening to an Indian raga in the middle of an earthquake. Wray also states, “It’s hard to imagine any music being heavier or, for that matter, very much slower.” A pioneer band of drone metal called Sunn O))) has indicated a kinship with sound sculpture. Jan Tumlir indicates a “sustained infra-sound rumble of sub-bass—so-called brown noise”.

Electronicore

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Reception#

Attack Attack! is often recognized as the primary American contributor of the style, being inspired by British band Enter Shikari. Enter Shikari is an electronicore band that began in 1999 as Hybryd, adding their last member and adopting their current name in early 2003, in St Albans, England. The group has received international radio airplay and a substantial number of musical awards, from Kerrang!, NME, Rock Sound Magazine and BT Digital Music Awards. They express a relationship with electronic music genres such as trance and have been referred to as the “kings of trancecore.” In 2020, British band Bring Me The Horizon released Post Human: Survival Horror, which has notable elements of electronicore in a few tracks such as 1x1 which features duo Nova Twins.

Extreme metal

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Definitions#

“Extreme metal” generally refers to heavy metal that is extreme in terms of its sound, instrumentation, vocals, lyrics, and imagery. Extreme metal usually has heavily distorted guitars, harsh vocals (such as shouting, screaming and death growls), and complex drumming (such as double bass drumming and blast beats). Most extreme metal styles have very fast tempos (usually between 150 and 250 beats per minute). Most extreme metal eschews conventional melody and verse-chorus-verse song structure. It also tends to omit the blues element of traditional heavy metal. Extreme metal’s lyrics and imagery typically deal with dark themes such as death, killing, war, horror and the occult. They are often anti-Christian and may include references to Satanism or Paganism. A small number of extreme metal bands reference Nazi Germany, for example Slayer and Marduk. the defining characteristics of extreme metal are clearly transgressive: the “extreme” traits noted above are all meant to violate or transgress cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries. Kahn-Harris says that extreme metal can sometimes sound “close to being a formless noise” to the uninitiated listener. In most of the world, extreme metal does not receive much radio-play or achieve high chart positions.

First-wave black metal

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Characteristics#

During the first wave, black metal was not a distinct genre, but was part of a broader extreme metal umbrella alongside the earliest death metal, grindcore and thrash metal groups. It was not until around 1987 that these styles began to distinguish themselves from each other, and the borders of what now constitutes black metal were drawn. Music historian Joel McIver called Satanic lyrics and imagery the defining characteristic of the first wave of black metal. However, most bands in the wave were not Satanists; rather, they used Satanic themes to provoke controversy or gain attention. One of the few exceptions was Mercyful Fate singer and Church of Satan member King Diamond, whom Lords of Chaos authors Michael J. Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind called “one of the only performers of the ’80s Satanic metal who was more than just a poseur using a devilish image for shock value”. Metal Injection writer J Andrew cited “the speed and attitude” of punk rock and hardcore punk as what separated the style of the first wave of black metal from earlier styles of heavy metal.

Florida death metal

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Features of death metal#

Death metal is an extreme sub-genre of heavy metal music that features fast, distorted, down-tuned, and sometimes palm-muted guitar instrumentation, growled and screamed vocals, and hyper-fast, blast beat drumming. Death metal lyrics typically feature graphic, sometimes pornographic and misogynistic, themes of violence, gore, disease, and death; Satanic, blasphemous, and anti-Christian content; or, to a lesser extent, war, apocalypse, social and philosophical concerns, and esotericism and spiritualism. Through the work of producers such as Scott Burns, the raw, primitive sound of early bands transformed into a thicker, more brutal sound. and Glen Benton of Deicide also influenced the development of the death growl.

Folk metal

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Origins#

The English band Skyclad was formed in 1990 after vocalist Martin Walkyier left his previous band, the thrash metal group Sabbat. Skyclad began as a thrash metal band but added violins from session musician Mike Evans on several tracks from their debut album, The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth, an effort described by Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic as “ambitious” and “groundbreaking.” The song “The Widdershins Jig” from the debut album has been acclaimed as “particularly significant” and “a certain first in the realms of Metal”. With a full-time fiddler in their lineup, the band’s second album feature a “now legendary folky jig style” and “more prominent inclusion of the fiddle playing lead lines and melodies normally associated with the lead guitar parts of most other rock bands.” With the release of their debut album Wolfheart in the following year, the band made a transition into gothic metal and within a matter of years “quickly evolved into one of the major players of the European goth-metal scene.” Cruachan were formed in 1992 in Dublin, Ireland. From the outset their intention was to mix the native Irish folk music of their home country with the more extreme side of metal music. Their debut album Tuatha Na Gael was released in 1995 and was a full folk metal album from start to finish. In the Italian book Folk Metal, Dalle origini al Ragnarök, a comprehensive history of the genre, author Fabrizio Giosuè credits Cruachan as being the very first real folk metal band. He acknowledges that Skyclad did have some folk parts in some songs before Cruachan however he goes on to say Cruachan used folk music as much as they used heavy metal music. Cruachan also used arrangements of known folk songs and melodies, Skyclad wrote folk “sounding” parts. Spanish band Mägo de Oz was among early folk metal artists that were influenced by the Celtic folk music. The band introduced folk elements and instruments in their power metal-based music from their 1994 debut album. Another early developer of folk metal is the Finnish group Amorphis. They formed in 1990 with their debut album, The Karelian Isthmus, following two years later. Their sophomore effort Tales from the Thousand Lakes was released in 1994 with “plenty of fascinating melodies and song structures that drew heavily from the traditional folk music of their native country.” The album received a favorable reception from fans with “its content quickly being exalted across the metal underground as perhaps the very pinnacle of atmospheric death metal achievement.”

Funeral doom

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History#

An offshoot of death-doom, the genre was mostly inspired by the work of Autopsy, Winter, Cathedral and early Paradise Lost. Funeral doom truly came into being in the mid-1990s. The genre was birthed out of Finland; Thergothon and Skepticism are commonly cited as the earliest two bands in the style, as well as Unholy. Outside Scandinavia, the lines between death-doom and funeral doom pioneers were less clear cut. diSEMBOWELMENT, from Australia, Birmingham-based Esoteric, and American act Evoken are examples. With the turn of the millennium came releases of newer bands, such as Shape of Despair, Mournful Congregation, the “Nautik Doom” group Ahab and one-man-projects Nortt and Doom:VS. Funeral doom scenes cropped up over the world, such as the one in Russia. The Solitude Productions label, for example, became a major force in shaping its future. Like no metal subgenre before it, the internet boom greatly helped funeral doom reach new fans. Another sign of funeral doom’s increasing status was Peaceville’s move to buy the rights of Avantgarde Music’s back catalogue. Responsible for launching the careers of Autopsy, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, Peaceville was the major player in shaping what became known as death-doom. This now meant that Peaceville had a significant stake in funeral doom’s history: it owned all of Thergothon’s and Unholy’s discography, along with two Evoken albums. Although it has a substantial following, funeral doom has also its share of criticism. Chronicles of Chaos co-editor Pedro Azevedo argued that, to the average listener, funeral doom might sound “boring and repetitive”. Ciarán Tracey, in an article for Terrorizer, acknowledged that the increasing popularity of funeral doom also meant that it now had its “share of hangers-on and can act as a repository for pseudo-literary teen poetry and artless abstraction, so a certain critical scrutiny has become necessary.”

Funk metal

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Characteristics#

Funk metal has also been called thrash-funk or punk-funk. It was most prevalent in the American state of California, particularly in Los Angeles and San Francisco. According to AllMusic, funk metal “takes the loud guitars and riffs of heavy metal and melds them to the popping bass lines and syncopated rhythms of funk”. Faith No More, another Californian alternative group who emerged in the mid-1980s, have been described as a funk metal band that also dabbled in rap metal. Rage Against the Machine’s mix of funk and metal not only included rap, but also elements of hardcore. AllMusic formerly categorized funk metal as a style of alternative rock, in spite of the genre’s name. The website currently categorizes it as a style of heavy metal. Bands such as Primus and Mordred emerged from the thrash metal underground. Roy Shuker described the genre in his 1994 book Understanding Popular Music, writing: “the ‘classic’ distinction between rock and pop runs into some difficulties when we consider various forms of ‘alternative’ music, illustrating the difficulties of forcing genres into too rigid a typology. For example, where would we place the wild musical genre called ’thrash funk’, a fusion of 1970s funk, punk rock, rap, California surf, skateboard and hippy cultures, which, according to press reports, swept San Francisco clubs in 1990.” Shuker wrote about the genre again in the 2005 edition of his book Popular Music: The Key Concepts, calling it “less structured than earlier forms of metal, with the bass guitar relied on more than the lead.” The genre managed to gain some international popularity through foreign acts such as British groups Atom Seed and Scat Opera, as well as Super Junky Monkey, an all-female funk metal/avant-garde band from Japan. Although never breaking through in the United States, Swedish band Electric Boys attracted recognition throughout Europe, Funk metal’s prevalence in the late 1980s and 1990–91 predated the rise of grunge music in late 1991, which hurt the popularity of more traditional forms of hard rock/metal. In a January 1991 Spin article, Electric Boys singer Conny Bloom claimed funk metal had become a trend since people thought other hard rock of that era was “boring”.

Glam metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics, fashion, and terminology#

Musically, glam metal combines a traditional heavy metal sound with elements of hard rock and punk rock, adding pop-influenced catchy hooks and guitar riffs. Like other heavy metal songs of the 1980s (most notably thrash metal songs), they often feature shred guitar solos. They also include extensive use of harmonies, particularly in the characteristic power balladsslow, emotional songs that gradually build to a strong finale. These were among the most commercially successful singles in the genre and opened it up to a wider audience that would otherwise not have been attracted to traditional heavy metal. Lyrical themes often deal with love and lust, with songs often directed at a particular woman. Aesthetically glam metal draws heavily on the glam rock or glitter rock of the 1970s, often with very long backcombed hair, use of hair spray, use of make-up, gaudy clothing and accessories (chiefly consisting of tight denim or leather jeans, spandex, and headbands). The visual aspects of glam metal appealed to music television producers, particularly MTV, whose establishment coincided with the rise of the genre. Glam metal performers became infamous for their debauched lifestyles of drugs, strippers and late-night parties, which were widely covered in the tabloid press. Sociologist Deena Weinstein points to the large number of terms used to describe more commercial forms of heavy metal, which she groups together as lite metal. These include, beside glam metal: melodic metal, false metal, poodle bands, nerf metal, pop metal or metal pop, the last of which was coined by critic Philip Bashe in 1983 to describe bands such as Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard. AllMusic employs the umbrella term “pop metal”, which refers a late-1980s variation of pop metal characterized by flashy clothing and heavy makeup influenced by glam rock (as embodied by Poison and Mötley Crüe). Use of the derogatory term “hair metal” started in the early 1990s, as grunge gained popularity at the expense of 1980s metal. In the “definitive metal family tree” of his documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, anthropologist Sam Dunn differentiates pop metal, which includes bands like Def Leppard, Europe, and Whitesnake, from glam metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Poison.

Goregrind

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Despite the early impact of albums such as Repulsion’s Horrified and Impetigo’s Ultimo Mondo Cannibale, the origins of the genre lie with British band Carcass, who began their career in the late 1980s. In their Reek of Putrefaction era, Carcass used pitch shifters, medical imagery and several visceral associations—all of which would become synonymous with goregrind.

Characteristics#

According to Matthew Harvey, Zero Tolerance described goregrind as being defined by “detuned guitars, blasting drums (sometimes with a high-tuned, clanging ‘biscuit tin’ snare drum sound), sickening lyrics and often heavily processed/distorted vocals.” Goregrind bands commonly use extremely low or pitch-shifted vocals. The lyrics’ subject matter often features violent themes including gore, forensic pathology, death, and rape. Lyrics sometimes have a clear tongue-in-cheek Z-grade horror-movie feel and are not expected to be taken seriously. The medical pathophysiology terms of many later bands have earned the genre the occasional name of “medicore”.

Gothic metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

Some musicians have disputed the gothic label associated with their bands, including Rozz Williams of Christian Death and Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy. In the gothic metal subgenre, members from such groups as After Forever and Nightwish have similarly downplayed or dismissed the gothic label from their music.

Sonic traits#

The music of gothic metal is generally characterised by its dark atmospheres. The adjective “dark” is commonly used to describe gothic music in general while other terms that are less frequently used include deep, romantic, passionate and intense. Gothic metal has also sometimes been viewed as “a combination of the darkness and melancholy of goth rock with heavy metal”. Allmusic defines the genre as a fusion of “the bleak, icy atmospherics of goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal” and further notes that “true goth metal is always directly influenced by goth rock — ethereal synths and spooky textures are just as important as guitar riffs, if not more so”. Gothic metal is a varied genre with bands pursuing many different directions, from “slow and crushing variations” to “orchestral and bombastic”. The doom metal background of early pioneers like Anathema, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride has been taken up by groups like Artrosis, Ava Inferi and Draconian. The black metal approach of Cradle of Filth, Theatres des Vampires and early Moonspell can be found in such subsequent bands as Graveworm and Samsas Traum.

Grindcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Known for being “among the noisiest, fastest and rawest kinds of metal,” grindcore is influenced by crust punk, thrashcore, as well as noise musical acts like Swans. The name derives from the fact that grind is a British term for thrash; that term was prepended to -core from hardcore. Grindcore relies on standard hardcore punk instrumentation: electric guitar, bass and drums. A characteristic of some grindcore songs is the “microsong,” lasting only a few seconds. In 2001, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded Brutal Truth the record for “Shortest Music Video” for 1994’s “Collateral Damage” (the song lasts four seconds). In 2007, the video for the Napalm Death song “You Suffer” set a new “Shortest Music Video” record: 1.3 seconds. Beyond the microsong, it is characteristic of grindcore to have short songs in general; for example, Carcass’ debut album Reek of Putrefaction (1988) consists of 22 tracks with an average length of 1 minute and 48 seconds. It is common for grindcore albums to be very short when compared to other genres, usually consisting of a large track list but having a total length of only 15 to 20 minutes. Many grindcore groups experiment with tuned-down guitars and play mostly with downstrokes of the pick, power chords and heavy distortion. While the vinyl A-side of Napalm Death’s debut, 1987’s Scum, is set to Eb tuning, on side B, the guitars are tuned down to C. Their second album From Enslavement to Obliteration and the Mentally Murdered EP were tuned to C ♯. Harmony Corruption, their third full-length album, was tuned up to a D. Bolt Thrower went further, dropping 3½ steps down (A). The bass playing is often overdriven.

Groove metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Groove metal makes use of elements of thrash metal, but plays them in a slower tempo, making use of bouncy, unconventional rhythms. Music journalist Gary Graff also noted the influence of hardcore punk as integral to groove metal.

Origins#

In their book Hellraisers: A Complete Visual History of Heavy Metal Mayhem, journalists Axl Rosenberg and Christopher Krovatin traced the origins of groove metal to New Orleans’ Exhorder and New York’s Prong. Exhorder, formed in 1985, recorded their first demo in the summer of 1986, The band were immediately influential in the New Orleans metal scene, with pioneering sludge metal bands Eyehategod, Soilent Green and Crowbar all playing some of their earliest live performances in support of them. Prong, on the other hand, originated from the New York hardcore scene. The band originally played crossover thrash before slowing their tempos and incorporating heavier percussion on their second album Beg to Differ (1990). A number of writers have also noted the Bad Brains’s post-1987 music, particularly Quickness (1989), as helping to pioneer the genre. White Zombie, formed in 1985, playing music influenced by the noise rock of Honeymoon Killers, Swans and Pussy Galore, 1970s rock of Van Halen, Kiss and AC/DC, as well as Black Sabbath, the Cramps and gothic rock. Their early career was spent playing in the New York City noise rock scene, before being approached by the members of the Cro-Mags and Biohazard to instead begin playing in the New York hardcore scene. During this time, some New York hardcore bands were embracing metal influence and grooves, to the extent that bands including Sick of It All and Leeway self-identified as “Jackson Heights groove metal”. White Zombie began leaning into the nascent sound of groove metal on their second album Make Them Die Slowly (1989). The band achieved mainstream success in the mid-1990s, with La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One (1992) peaking at number 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in 1993 and was certified double-platinum by the RIAA in July 1998. White Zombie’s music videos were featured on Beavis and Butt-Head, helping to increase the band’s sales. Their 1995 follow-up Astro Creep: 2000 peaked at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and sold 104,000 copies in its first week of release; it was certified double-platinum by the RIAA. White Zombie’s song “More Human than Human” achieved mainstream success in 1995, peaking at number 53 on Billboard ’s Radio Songs chart, number 7 on the Alternative Songs chart, and number 10 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The song was played frequently on MTV and won the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video award at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. Venice crossover thrash band Excel’s second album The Joke’s on You (1989) took a more groove-driven direction. Far Out cited the introduction to the track “Tapping into the Emotional Void” as an early example of groove metal. Texas heavy metal band Pantera’s 1990 album Cowboys from Hell is often considered the album that codified and popularized groove metal. They continued releasing influential albums through the 1990s; the 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power featured an even heavier sound than its predecessor, while its follow-up Far Beyond Driven (1994) peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 186,000 copies its first week of release. Thrash pioneers Metallica’s Black Album (1991) included multiple groove metal tracks, including “Sad but True” and “The Struggle Within”. Brazilian band Sepultura, previously established as having a deathrash sound, released their fifth studio album Chaos A.D. in 1993, which saw the band slow their tempos and embrace the influence of New York hardcore acts like the Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front and Sick of It All. Sound of the Beast author Ian Christe credited Chaos A.D. with helping to developing groove metal and as being widely influential. Machine Head released their debut album Burn My Eyes in 1994. The album helped the band achieve underground success and sold over 145,000 copies.

Indigenous metal music

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Themes and lyrics#

The term “indigenous metal” is sometimes conflated with “tribal metal,” which is more broadly influenced by pan-indigenous stories and follows Viking metal bands’ approach to capturing their culture. Indigenous metal is often explicitly defined as exploring themes of “experienced dispossession, liberation, and death” in addition to preserving linguistic and cultural heritage. Native American metal bands in the Southwest United States sometimes refer to their musical style as “Rez metal,” as it concerns political issues that make it popular among youth on reservations. Many bands focus on linguistic preservation by singing either partially or exclusively in their indigenous languages. Notably, New Zealand band Alien Weaponry have performed several songs in the Māori language on international stages. Bands Aborigene and Araña, who write about Maya civilization and Pipil stories, are among the most popular metal acts from El Salvador.

Industrial metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early innovators#

Though electric guitars had been used by industrial artists since the early days of the genre, archetypal industrial groups such as Throbbing Gristle displayed a strong anti-rock stance. British post-punk band Killing Joke pioneered the crossing over between styles and was an influence on major acts associated with industrial metal such as Ministry, Godflesh, and Nine Inch Nails. Another pioneer industrial rock group, Big Black, also impacted some later groups. By the late 1980s industrial and heavy metal began to fuse into a common genre, with Godflesh’s self-titled EP and Ministry’s The Land of Rape and Honey at the forefront. Godflesh was founded by former Napalm Death guitarist Justin Broadrick. Drawing from a wide array of influences—power electronics forefathers Whitehouse, noise rock band Swans, ambient music creator Brian Eno Faith No More, and Fear Factory. Ministry emerged from the scene surrounding Wax Trax! Records, a Chicago indie label dedicated to industrial music. Ministry’s initial foray into guitar rock happened during a recording session of The Land of Rape and Honey on Southern Studios, in London. The band’s frontman, the Cuban-born Al Jourgensen, explained this transition: Jourgensen seemed particularly fond of thrash metal. After the release of Land, he recruited guitarist Mike Scaccia from Texas thrashers Rigor Mortis. On one occasion, Jourgensen told the press that Sepultura was his favorite band. He also expressed the desire to produce a Metallica album. Jourgensen’s interest in dance-oriented electronic music did not entirely fade, however; he also formed the side-project Revolting Cocks, a more electronic body music-inflected collaboration with Richard23 of Front 242. German band KMFDM was another seminal industrial metal group. Although not a metal fan, KMFDM leader Sascha Konietzko’s “infatuation with ripping off metal licks” stemmed from his experiments with E-mu’s Emax sampler in late 1986. He told Guitar World that, A Swiss trio, The Young Gods, brushed with the style on their second album, L’Eau Rouge (1989). Prior to its release, singer Franz Treichler declared: Canadian thrash metal band Malhavoc became one of the earlier acts of the genre when they began to mix extreme metal with industrial music in the late 1980s. Pigface, formed by Martin Atkins and including Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin, emerged as an industrial metal collective of sorts, participating with many figures from the noise rock and industrial worlds. Nine Inch Nails, the “one-man-band” formed by Trent Reznor, brought the genre to mainstream audiences with albums such as the Grammy-winning Broken and the best-selling The Downward Spiral, accompanied by their groundbreaking performance at Woodstock ‘94. The rivethead subculture also developed at this time, along with the so-called “coldwave” subgenre, which encompassed Chemlab, 16 Volt, and Acumen Nation. Some electro-industrial groups adopted industrial metal techniques in this period, including Skinny Puppy (on their Rabies, co-produced by Jourgensen), and Front Line Assembly. British band Pitchshifter, formed in 1989 by brothers Jon and Mark Clayden, also started as an industrial metal band. The band later included elements of drum and bass. Frontman JS mentions:

Kawaii metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History and characteristics#

Japanese heavy metal idol group Babymetal are considered the inventors of the kawaii metal genre. The concept of kawaii metal started with Key “Kobametal” Kobayashi, the producer behind the group Babymetal. In an interview conducted by Billboard, Kobayashi explains that he was “just trying to do something no one had heard before”. Kawaii metal gained international popularity in 2014, when the group Babymetal uploaded a song to Youtube called “Gimme Chocolate!!” Angelica Wallingford of City Times opined that Babymetal’s eponymous debut album had pioneered the kawaii metal musical genre. Wallingford also defined the genre, and album, as a “mixture of varying genres including pop, rock, heavy metal, electronic dance music, industrial and symphonic death metal”. A guest contributor at The Independent believed that the genre was a derivative of J-pop and various extreme metal genres, namely “speed metal, power metal, black metal, and industrial metal”. While discussing Babymetal, The Sydney Morning Heralds Rob Nash stated that the genre consisted of “sugary pop melodies over thrash metal”. Nash also believed that the group’s song “Awadama Fever” exemplified the genre, with its “slabs of angry guitar and undanceably fast breakbeats, while the girls Babymetal squeak about ‘bubble ball fever’ and chewing gum”. Babymetal has remained extremely popular. In 2019, Babymetal became the first Asian artists to top Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, with their third studio album, Metal Galaxy. Murray Stassen in Music Week commented that “Babymetal is, without a doubt, a genuine cross-genre musical phenomenon” and that, despite how the juxtaposition of metal and J-pop might not seem to make sense on paper: " Babymetal has proved that it can, and does work, and resistance to the Babymetal phenomenon is futile." Discussing Ladybeard, and Ladybaby, Jake Cleland of The Sydney Morning Herald defined the genre as “saccharine pop with his heavy metal growling”. Alex Weiss of Paper defined the genre as “hard rock with sugary sweet pop hooks”. Weiss also used Babymetal’s songs “Karate” and “Road of Resistance” as examples to explain the differing lyrical perspective between the kawaii metal and other metal genres, stating that kawaii metal songs “offer a perspective often missing from the hyper-masculine, aggressive lyrics usually present in most of the metal genre’s hits”. Felix Clay of Cracked.com also believed that the genre had less aggressive lyricism, citing the genre had lyrics about “pop music topics like kittens, chocolate, and fun”.

Latin metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

An early mention of the term comes from critic Robert Christgau, who referred to Carlos Santana’s music from the 1970s as “Latin-metal pop,” making it a possible forerunner in the genre. Latin metal started in the 1970s and 1980s, originating in many countries of Latin America, thanks to the increasing worldwide popularity of heavy metal and heavy rock from Europe (obviously including Spain, with bands such as Baron Rojo and Angeles del Infierno singing in Spanish and reaching international success in the 1980s) and United States, with Argentina having an important scene as well (Rata Blanca, V8). It may also have profited from the “Latin explosion” in the United States of the 1990s, though some critics contend that the gap between Ricky Martin-style pop and metal is too great for Latin metal to have profited greatly. Still, record companies in the 1990s sought to profit from the rise of Latin pop, as evidenced from the Metalo compilation of Latin metal bands by the Grita! Records label, which included songs by Ill Niño and Puya, and bands from the 1990s such as Sepultura and Soulfly are cited as predecessors in the genre. In the United States, Ill Niño is probably the best-known exponent of the genre; their first two albums (with “philosophical and bilingual lyrics” about such topics as growing up fatherless) were commercially successful and got them strong radio play in for instance the San Antonio area.

Mathcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Mathcore has been referred to as the “nerdy fusion cousin” of metalcore by Ultimate Guitar. According to the staff of Metal Hammer, the genre is akin to “the sound of metal being twisted into startling new shapes.” but Loudwire stated that the genre is “almost indistinguishable from progressive metal.”

Instrumentation#

Mathcore typically features irregular time signatures, polymeters, syncopations and tempo changes, while retaining the intensity of hardcore. In the words of The Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson, their “choppy rhythms that people get kind of tongue-twisted on” are “Latin rhythms” mixed with the speed and “stamina” of heavy metal, drawing a parallel between them and John McLaughlin’s use of Eastern sounds within a jazz context. Most pioneering mathcore drummers had jazz, orchestral or academic backgrounds, including Dazzling Killmen’s Blake Fleming, Craw’s Neil Chastain, Coalesce’s James Dewees, Botch’s Tim Latona, The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Chris Pennie, and Converge’s Ben Koller. As with the rhythm section, the guitars perform riffs that constantly change and are seldom repeated after one section. Early bands were almost completely atonal with the guitars or all the instruments playing polyphonic dissonance. In a 2016 article, Ian Cory of Invisible Oranges described mathcore’s emphasis on technical complexity as “the means by which” they attain the aggressiveness of punk, “but never the end unto itself”, distinguishing it from “the overflowing excess” of progressive metal.

Medieval metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Precursors#

The medieval folk band Corvus Corax was formed in 1989 and released a debut album in the same year. The group relies on period instruments that include the cister, hurdy-gurdy, biniou, buccina, davul, riq and cornetto curvo with the most prominent being the shawm and bagpipes. They describe their approach as “louder, dirtier and more powerful than any interpretation of medieval music before.” The result has been associated more with medieval taverns and pubs rather than the royal courts or church. one of the inspirations for the genre is the English folk metal band Skyclad. Formed in 1990 as a thrash metal band, they added violins from session musician Mike Evans on several tracks from their debut album, The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth, with the song “The Widdershins Jig” was acclaimed as “particularly significant” and “a certain first in the realms of Metal”. The band added a full time violinist to their ranks and has since been credited not only as the originators and pioneers of folk metal but also as a direct inspiration for medieval metal bands.

Melodic death metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Melodic death metal combines death metal with elements of traditional heavy metal ranging as far as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, especially melodic or harmonized guitar riffs, with the heavily distorted guitars, fast double-bass drum patterns and occasional blast beats of death metal. Alternative Press Magazine describes the style as “incorporat ing stylistically ‘pretty’ and epic sounds” into the death metal formula, augmented by “blazing” guitar solos and “buzz-saw”-like guitar tones. The vocal style typically features harsh screams or low-pitched growling (similar to traditional death metal) but often features clean sung vocals as well. Melodic death metal is said to be more musically diverse than traditional death metal. According to Vlad Nichols of Ultimate Guitar, the boundaries of melodic death metal " grant much more artistic freedom" to artists as opposed to traditional death metal, and enables enjoyment of death metal sounds by a wider audience. He assessed, “the heaviness was still there, but it was now made all the more enjoyable by the diversity of musical and thematic expression it provided.” Some melodic death metal bands fuse the style with other styles of heavy metal and extreme metal. For example, Finnish band Children of Bodom is known for incorporating strong elements of power metal into their style.

Melodic metalcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

In the late 1990s, a wave of metalcore bands began incorporating elements of melodic death metal into their sound. This formed an early version of what would become the melodic metalcore genre. The first band to make use of this fusion was Overcast, who were soon followed by Shadows Fall on Somber Eyes to the Sky (1997), Undying on This Day All Gods Die (1999), Darkest Hour on The Prophecy Fulfilled (1999), Unearth on Above the Fall of Man (1999) and Prayer for Cleansing on Rain in Endless Fall (1999). CMJ writer Anthony Delia also credited Florida’s Poison the Well and their first two releases The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation (1999) and Tear from the Red (2002) as “design ing the template for most of” the melodic metalcore bands to come. Killswitch Engage have also been called a pioneering force in the genre by publications such as Revolver, along with artists such as 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Chimaira, Dead to Fall and Heaven Shall Burn. Belgian groups also played a large part in the development of the genre in its early years, as bands such as Arkangel began embracing the sounds of melodic death metal in their traditional metalcore sound, as early as 1998.

Metalcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The term “metalcore” is a portmanteau of the words “metal” and “hardcore”, and was originally tongue-in-cheek. During the 1980s, Maximumrocknroll had used early variations of the term, referring to Richmond band Black Pyramid as “heavy-metal core” in February 1985; Oxnard band False Confessions as “metal-core” in December 1985; Mesa band Desecration as “death metal core” in May 1986; and Austin band Last Will as “ghoulish metal/core” in December 1986. Phillip Trapp of Loudwire states that Shai Hulud guitarist Matt Fox is widely credited for playing a role in “popularizing” the term. However, in a 2008 interview, Fox claimed the term had already been in use before his band began releasing music. He recalled: “There were bands before Shai Hulud started that my friends and I were referring to as ‘metalcore.’ Bands like Burn, Deadguy, Earth Crisis, even Integrity. These bands that were heavier than the average hardcore bands. These bands that were more progressive … my friends and I would always refer to them as ‘metalcore’ because it wasn’t purely hardcore and it wasn’t purely metal … so we would joke around and say, ‘Hey, it’s metalcore. Cool!’ But it was definitely a tongue-in-cheek term.” Alternatively, Jorge Rosado of Merauder claimed in a 2014 interview that he and his band coined the term. Luke Morton of Metal Hammer stated that the word “means different things to different people,” highlighting the fact that the tag has been variously applied to stylistically dissimilar bands such as Killswitch Engage, Earth Crisis, Asking Alexandria and Parkway Drive.

Nagoya kei

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Early notable Nagoya kei acts include Silver~~Rose (formed 1989), Kuroyume, and Merry Go Round (both formed 1991). According to Fanatic Crisis guitarist Shun, Silver~~Rose and Kuroyume were the “big two” of the early scene. Keito Ozaki of Japanese pop culture website Real Sound wrote that many Nagoya kei bands eventually diverge into different directions; Kuroyume turned to punk rock and hardcore punk, Laputa turned to a digital sound, Fanatic Crisis went pop, and Merry Go Round went in a “maniacal, ero guro and underground direction.” However, Ozaki wrote that Lynch. has more than a few traits in common with Nagoya kei. Particularly noting how, due to the popularity of Dir En Grey, many contemporary bands have heavier sounds with low-tuned guitars, including those in Nagoya. Despite not being from Nagoya, Arlequin (formed 2013) were influenced by its bands and have labeled themselves the “next generation of Nagoya kei.”

National Socialist black metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Black metal#

Black metal is generally not political music and the vast majority of bands do not express political views. Black metal originated in the 1980s from the work of thrash metal bands such as Venom (whose 1982 album Black Metal coined the term), Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Slayer, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and Sodom. These bands did not form a scene of their own, nor did they have a common musical style. A lyrical focus that is anti-Christian, Satanist, neopagan, or a combination thereof, is often considered a prerequisite for the genre, and originally the term “black metal” was synonymous with “Satanic metal”. A stricter definition still requires Satanism for a band to be classified as black metal. Non-Satanic bands from the same surroundings originally used other terms for their own music, such as pagan metal or Viking metal. In the late-1980s and early-1990s, the early Norwegian black metal scene, developed by bands such as Mayhem, Thorns, Immortal, Darkthrone, Burzum, Emperor, Satyricon, and Ulver, established a more specific sonic template that came to define Norwegian black metal blast beats and double-bass drumming, a thin, shrieking vocal style , heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking and power chords,

Neoclassical metal

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Definition#

Neoclassical metal takes its name from a broad conception of classical music. In this it is a concept distinct from how neoclassicism is understood within the classical music tradition. Neoclassical music usually refers to a movement in musical modernism which developed roughly a century after the end of the Classical period and peaked during the years between the two World Wars. On the other hand, neoclassical metal music does not restrict itself to a return to classical aesthetic ideals, such as equilibrium and formalism. Its influences include both the Romantic musical period and the Baroque period of the seventeenth and first half of the eighteenth centuries. The music of late Baroque composers such as Vivaldi, Handel and Bach was often highly ornate. Neoclassical metal musicians such as Yngwie Malmsteen are inspired by this aspect of Baroque music and also by later composers such as the violinist Niccolò Paganini in using runs and other decorative and showy techniques in their performances. Neoclassical metal music thus looks to classical music as broadly understood by the general public and not to the more specialist technical definition used within classical circles.

Neue Deutsche Härte

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

describes a crossover style that is influenced by Neue Deutsche Welle, alternative metal and groove metal combining it with elements from electro-industrial and techno. The lyrics are generally in German. NDH uses the basic setup of instruments for metal: electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals, along with keyboard, synthesizers, samples and sometimes additional percussion. Emphasis is on a demonstration of predominance, by over-pronouncing certain syllables and sounds (such as the uvular or alveolar trill). The vocals are dominantly presenting in deep, male and clean voice. Some bands use screaming and death growls, which is also common, being heard in certain songs by Oomph!, Rammstein, Joachim Witt, Megaherz and Eisbrecher. NDH imagery is often strongly masculine and militaristic. Guitars are tuned low, usually to drop D or drop C, and are generally heavily distorted. The NDH style has crossed borders and its popularity has grown in recent years to such an extent that there are already bands outside Germany, such as the Spanish band Bloody Kitchen, who do not use German in their songs as usual and their lyrics are also entirely in Spanish.

New wave of British heavy metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

In the second half of the 1970s, the United Kingdom was in a state of social unrest and widespread poverty as a result of the ineffective social politics of both Conservative and Labour Party governments during a three-year period of economic recession. As a consequence of deindustrialisation, the unemployment rate was exceptionally high, especially among working class youth. It continued to rise in the early 1980s, peaking in February 1983. The discontent of so many people caused social unrest with frequent strikes, and culminated in a series of riots, including one in Brixton and another in Toxteth. During this period, the mass of young people, deprived of the prospect of even relatively low-skill jobs that were available to the previous generations, searched for different ways to earn money in the music and entertainment businesses. The explosion of new bands and new musical styles coming from the UK in the late 1970s was a result of their efforts to make a living in the economic depression that hit the country before and during the governments of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The desperation and the violent reaction of a generation robbed of a safe future are well-represented by the British punk movement of 1977–1978, whose rebellion against the establishment continued diluted in the new wave and post-punk music of the 1980s. These self-proclaimed punks were politically militant, relishing their anarchic attitude and stage practices like pogo dancing. They wore short and spiked hairstyles or shaved heads, often with safety pins and ripped clothes, and considered musical prowess unimportant as long as the music was simple and loud. However, not all working-class male youths embraced the punk movement; some preferred to escape from their grim reality in heavy metal, which was equally effective in providing fun, stress relief, and peer companionship, otherwise denied because of their unemployment.

New wave of traditional heavy metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin#

The N.W.O.T.H.M. initially started in the mid-2000s with a number of bands, such as Cauldron, Skull Fist, and Enforcer, who began to write and record music that reflected the style and sound of classic heavy metal. These bands combined elements of the metal genres from the ’70s and ’80s, especially those of the N.W.O.B.H.M., although some bands are also influenced from genres such as speed metal, power metal and hard rock.

Nintendocore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Referred to as the “bastard child of chiptune and metal,” Nintendocore frequently features the use of electric guitars, drum kits, and typical rock instrumentation alongside synthesizers, chiptune, 8-bit sounds, and electronically produced beats. Loudwire described the style as “literally sound ing like a bunch of scene kids got lost inside a Mario game.” The publication categorized it as a subgenre of both hardcore punk and scene music. It originated primarily from hardcore punk and heavy metal, and subgenres of those styles such as post-hardcore, and screamo. Artists in the genre have also incorporated elements of electro, and post-rock. Math the Band includes electro and dance-punk styles. Minibosses use Kyuss-inspired heavy metal riffing, and The Advantage is associated with styles such as noise rock and post-rock. The Depreciation Guild was an indie band that incorporated 8-bit sounds, video game music, and elements of shoegaze. Others, such as Horse the Band and Math the Band, add screamed vocals into the mix. But yet other groups are strictly instrumental, such as Minibosses, While otherwise diverse, all Nintendocore groups “use specific instruments to mimic the sounds of Nintendo games.”

Nu metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Terminology and origins#

Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal. Sometimes stylized as nü-metal, the genre has also been dubbed aggro-metal or simply aggro. MTV states that the early nu metal group Korn “arrived in 1993 into the burgeoning alternative metal scene, which would morph into nü-metal the way college rock became alternative rock.” Nu metal merges elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip-hop, grunge, funk, and alternative rock according to Blabbermouth.net. Some nu metal bands, such as Static-X and Dope, made nu metal music with elements of industrial metal. In contrast with other heavy metal subgenres, nu metal tends to use the same structure of verses, choruses, and bridges as those in pop music.

Nu metalcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Nu metalcore often makes use of both screamed and sung vocals, breakdowns, heavy guitar riffs, hip hop-influenced drum beats and electronic music elements. Metal Injection writer Max Heilman specifically stated the style of metalcore that nu metalcore bands draw on is the original 1990s “metallic hardcore” style. An editorial for Thrash Hits cited Contemporary R&B as a key influence on the genre, comparing it to the influence hip hop had on the original nu metal genre.

Pagan metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Pagan metal is “more of an idea than a genre” and consequently bands tend to be “wildly different” from one another. Heri Joensen expressed a similar description of pagan metal as bands that sing about “pre-Christian, European traditions, be they historical or mythological” and notes that it is “musically extremely diverse because it is more about the lyrics than the music”. Some bands are known to be “sprightly and spirited” while others are “bleak and doomy”. Vocal styles range from “melodic chanting to unearthly growling” and while some acts sing in their native language, others sing in English.

Pirate metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins and early history#

The earliest example of pirate metal most likely appeared when Australian heavy metal band Black Jack released their 1979 and 1983 demos, and their later 1985 vinyl EP, Five Pieces O’ Eight. Their pirate themes, lyrics, stage shows and imagery were a precursor to later, more mainstream pirate metal. Black Jack’s stage show featured costumes, sets, props and mock hangings. Additionally, on their 1984 album, Walpurgis Night, German band Stormwitch included a song titled “Skull and Crossbones.” Pirate metal was more widely established and popularized by German heavy metal band Running Wild. They released their third album, Under Jolly Roger in 1987, and according to Rolf Kasparek, lead singer and guitarist for the band, the album’s pirate theme was not planned. Instead, it grew from the album’s title song. Eventually, the album’s artwork was changed to match the title, and set decorations and costumes for future concerts were designed. The piratical lyrics also became a way to convey the band’s political message, since their use of the devil as a symbolic figure was being misunderstood on their first album Gates to Purgatory. Kasparek began reading about pirates and, after finding “everything very interesting”, he incorporated the motifs into their music. The subject matter was expanded during rehearsals for the fourth release, Port Royal, and their trademark style was solidified. Although Kasparek was more interested in the true histories of the Golden Age of Piracy, pirate metal would eventually be inspired, to a greater extent, by the inaccuracies as invented or portrayed in novels and Hollywood films. Another band that adopted a pirate motif before the official coining of “Pirate Metal” is Detritus from the UK. They were founded in 1989. Their music combines thrash metal, Christian metal and pirate motifs They continue to release music, with their most recent album coming out in 2020. Visions of Atlantis, an Austrian symphonic metal band, was founded in 2000. Their original concept was focused around the mythical lost city of Atlantis and adventuring on the sea in general, but their more recent work is directly about pirates. In 2019 the symphonic power metal band Visions of Atlantis released the album Wanderers, which touched on some nautical and piratical themes. With the release of their next album, Pirates, in 2022 they had embraced the pirate theme changing into a mix of symphonic power metal to more power pirate metal. This trend would continue with their latest album, Pirates II – Armada, released on July 5, 2024.

Pop metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Pop metal is a variation of heavy metal which emphasizes catchy pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs. It was influenced by the anthemic choruses of arena rock. In the “definitive metal family tree” of his documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, anthropologist Sam Dunn differentiates pop metal, which includes bands like Def Leppard, Europe, and Whitesnake, from glam metal bands that include Mötley Crüe and Poison.

History#

The catchy hard rock of Kiss and Van Halen in the 1970s helped spawn the genre, The arrival of grunge in 1991 largely turned audiences away from pop metal. Andrew W.K., Architects, Bring Me the Horizon, Coheed and Cambria, Dead by April, Evanescence, Halestorm, Ghost, In Flames, In This Moment, Issues, Lacuna Coil, Poppy, Shinedown, The Pretty Reckless, We Are the Fallen, and Weezer.

Pornogrind

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

The genre is related and similar to goregrind but does bear distinguishing features. Besides the eponymous emphasis on graphic sexual themes in lyrics and album artwork, which “would keep these records out of most stores”, Natalie Purcell, however, in her book Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture, suggests that pornogrind is defined solely on the basis of its lyrical content and unique imagery, its focus on pornographic content. Notable bands of the genre include Gut and Cock and Ball Torture.

Post-metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Predecessors#

The groundwork for post-metal was laid in the 1980s and early 1990s by various artists (mostly in the US) combining heavy metal and punk rock sounds with an “avant-garde sensibility”, such as the Melvins (particularly on 1991’s Bullhead), The Flying Luttenbachers, Justin Broadrick of Napalm Death and Godflesh, Many of these artists emerged from hardcore punk and post-punk circles but their combination of sonic violence with experimentation and eclecticism made them difficult to categorize under any one genre.

Power metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Stylistic origins#

Anthropologist Sam Dunn traced the origins of power metal back to the late 1970s, when the groundwork for power metal lyrical style was laid down by Ronnie James Dio. The fantasy-oriented lyrics he wrote for Rainbow, concentrated around medieval, renaissance, folk, and science fiction themes, directly influenced modern power metal bands. According to Dunn, the songs “Stargazer” and “A Light in the Black” from the 1976 album Rising, as well as “Kill the King” and “Lady of the Lake” from the 1978 album Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll, might be among the earliest examples of power metal. In his 2011 documentary series Metal Evolution, Dunn further explained how Rob Halford of Judas Priest created a blueprint for power metal vocal delivery. His almost constant high-pitched singing became one of the main characteristics of power metal. The twin-guitar sound promoted by Judas Priest’s duo of K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton also highly influenced this subgenre. Another British band, Iron Maiden, brought epic and melodic sensibility to metal, creating anthemic, singalong music, an approach widely embraced by modern power metal musicians. Referred to as the “main prototype” of the power metal genre, Iron Maiden was heavily influenced by Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules (the first two albums of Black Sabbath’s Dio-era), which would also go on to influence modern power metal. The emergence of the early German power metal scene in particular was made possible by Scorpions and Accept. Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen made a significant impact on many future power metal guitarists, with his accurate and fast neo-classical style. His bandmate Jens Johansson modernized the keyboard sound of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, which was further incorporated into the genre. Manowar’s mythological sword and sorcery lyrics influenced a number of power metal bands. Throughout the early 1980s (especially during 1982 and 1983), the US power metal style first emerged from traditional heavy metal, the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), and thrash/speed metal backgrounds. Although the genre’s precise stylistic origins are often contested, acts such as Cirith Ungol, Jag Panzer, Manilla Road, Omen, Riot, Savatage, Metal Church and Warlord are generally believed to have influenced the earliest development of the style. More concretely, in 1987 German band Helloween released their second album, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I, cited by AllMusic as “a landmark recording that remains arguably the single most influential power metal album to date. Its volatile combination of power and melody would inspire an entire generation of metal bands”. This release influenced a European power metal style to evolve, which proliferated throughout the globe and since the start of the 1990s is still the most commonly heard style of power metal.

Progressive metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Metal Hammer describes progressive metal as “a genre with way fewer boundaries than the rest of the heavy metal family tree, meaning that each year will always bring fresh sounds from unexpected places.” The publication stated that in the 1980s, “metal took on the DNA of progressive rock,” that gave way to “a mutant strain of music that married volume and aggression with brain-melting complexity, far-reaching ambition and barking mad concepts.” According to AllMusic, the genre’s earliest acts such as Fates Warning and Queensrÿche developed their sounds by “merg ing their love of Yes and Rush with their admiration for Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.” Most bands labeled under the genre have considerably different musical influences when compared to each other. Bands such as Dream Theater, Planet X and Puya have a jazz influence, with extended solo sections that often feature “trading solos”. Some progressive metal bands incorporate ballads and acoustic music into their arrangements. Loudwire stated that the genre is “unaffected by trends.” Lyrics in progressive metal draw influence from fantasy and literature, similar to the progressive rock of the 1970s. Themes may also include outer space and anti-capitalism.

Progressive metalcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Progressive metalcore evolved from progressive metal and metalcore in the 90s. According to the digital ticketing corporation AXS, “After The Burial play progressive metalcore and have been a key contributor to the sound of djent.” Erra has been referred to as “the spearhead of the whole modern/progressive metalcore movement” and noted for their “balance between involved riffs, beautiful clean moments and tasty solos.” They were formed in 2009 and express their unique version of “progressive technical metalcore” by utilizing “precise stop-and-start arrangements.” According to Metal Insider in 2010, “progressive metalcore bands are now appearing all over the place.” I, the Breather “weren’t exactly the first” to perform “technical metalcore,” but are noted for their “well constructed” instrumentation; they have influenced the style alongside For Today and Born of Osiris, who have been referred to as “the bastions of modern technical metalcore” for their 2013 release Tomorrow We Die Alive. Carcer City is a progressive metalcore band that showcases “technical riffs amid more prominent atmospheric sections.” They have been described as “ambient metalcore.” According to Corey Deiterman of the Houston Press, Northlane is a primary contributor of the style, and is “making waves with their particular brand of progressive metalcore, which features … interesting use of space and ambiance.” Invent Animate is a progressive metalcore band that formed in Texas in 2011. They have been compared with Northlane and Erra. Volumes is a djent-influenced progressive metalcore band that has received critical acclaim for their “career-defining” song “Edge Of The Earth,” and their 2017 release, Different Animals.

Rap metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins and early development (1980s–early 1990s)#

Rap metal’s roots are based both in hip hop acts who sampled heavy metal music, such as Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Esham and Run-DMC, and rock bands who fused heavy metal and hip hop influences, such as 24-7 Spyz and Faith No More. Scott Ian of Anthrax (who helped pioneer the genre) believes Rage Against the Machine invented the genre. In 1987, the heavy metal band Anthrax fused hip hop with heavy metal for their extended play I’m the Man. The next year rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot teamed up with Metal Church for his 1988 single “Iron Man”, from his debut album Swass, loosely based upon the Black Sabbath song of the same name. Rap metal can be found in a track from the industrial metal band Ministry in their 1989 album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste on the track “Test” for which they hired rappers The Grand Wizard (K. Lite) and The Slogan God (Tommie Boyskee) to perform vocals. In 1990, the rapper Ice-T formed a heavy metal band called Body Count, and while performing at the 1991 Lollapalooza tour performed a set that was half rap songs and half metal songs. Stuck Mojo and Clawfinger, both formed in 1989, are considered to be another two pioneers of the genre. Anthrax in 1991 teamed up with Public Enemy for a remake of the latter’s “Bring the Noise” that fused hip hop with thrash metal. Also in 1991, the thrash metal band Tourniquet featured the hip hop group P.I.D. on the song “Spineless” from their album Psycho Surgery. That same year the hair metal band Whitecross featured a rap by Alton Hood of the hip hop group D.O.C. on their album In The Kingdom.

Risecore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In the mid-2000s, many pop screamo bands began to push their music further into the prevailing metalcore sound, particularly Alesana, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Blessthefall and From First to Last. In turn, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Alesana, Blessthefall, A Skylit Drive and Escape the Fate became early pioneers of Risecore. By the end of the decade, this style had been popularised by Attack Attack!, the Devil Wears Prada, I See Stars, We Came As Romans and Of Mice & Men. By early 2012, Risecore had declined in popularity, as the metalcore scene shifted towards srscore.

Sludge metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Alex Deller of Metal Hammer describes sludge metal as a “mutant cousin to both doom and stoner metal”, incorporating the “misery of the former and the prodigious narcotic consumption of the latter while spewing nihilism, self loathing and frenzied punk rock aggression into the vomitous mix.” He also described the style as “arguably the biggest, ugliest mutt” of the extreme metal subgenres. The key characteristics of sludge metal are a slow tempo combined with down-tuned, heavily distorted guitars. Many sludge bands also make use of elements of industrial music, southern rock Drug addiction is a common theme, while discussion of poverty and pollution are also prevalent. Sludge bands who lean more towards hardcore are sometimes called sludgecore by music historians including Garry Sharpe-Young and David Pearson. New Orleans is the birthplace of the sludgecore movement, with Eyehategod being this style’s frontrunner.

Speed metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

New wave of British heavy metal#

One of the key influences on the development of speed metal was the new wave of British heavy metal, or NWOBHM. This was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. NWOBHM bands toned down the blues influences of earlier acts, incorporated elements of punk, increased the tempo, and adopted a “tougher” sound, taking a harder approach to their music. It was an era directed almost exclusively at heavy metal fans and is considered to be a major foundation stone for the extreme metal genres. The NWOBHM came to dominate the heavy metal scene of the early-mid-1980s. It was musically characterised by fast upbeat tempo songs, power chords, fast guitar solos and melodic, soaring vocals. Groups such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Venom, Saxon and Motörhead as well as many lesser-known ones, became part of the canon that influenced American bands that formed in the early eighties.

Stoner rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Stoner rock is typically slow- to mid-tempo and features a heavily distorted, groove-laden bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and “retro” production. Due to the similarities between stoner and sludge metal, there is often a crossover between the two genres. This hybrid has traits of both styles, but generally lacks stoner metal’s laid back atmosphere and its usage of psychedelia. Bands such as Weedeater, High on Fire and Electric Wizard creatively fuse both styles.

Symphonic black metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

One of the earliest forerunners in what would come to be the sound of symphonic metal was Celtic Frost on their 1987 album Into the Pandemonium. The first extreme metal bands incorporating classical, orchestral, and operatic elements into their music were Mekong Delta, Bulldozer on their album Neurodeliri (1988), Believer on Sanity Obscure (1990) and Dimensions (1993), Master’s Hammer on Ritual (1991) and Jilemnický okultista (1992 demo and 1993 album) and Sigh on their debut Scorn Defeat (1993). The style on Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse (1994) had a pioneering influence though and was the main inspiration for many keyboard-based black metal bands following after. Troll’s Drep de kristne (1995) and Arcturus’ Aspera Hiems Symfonia (1996) are other notable early works of symphonic black metal, before the genre was commercialised by the international success of bands like Dimmu Borgir and Bal-Sagoth.

Symphonic metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Musical characteristics#

The metal subgenres most typically featuring a subset of symphonic bands are gothic metal, power metal, black metal, death metal and classic heavy metal. As with many other metal bands, those adopting a symphonic style may feature influences from several metal subgenres. Music workstation keyboards and orchestras are often a key feature of the style, distinguishing symphonic from non-symphonic bands within the same metal subgenre. Other instruments, including guitars, bass and drums, may in some cases play relatively simple parts in contrast to the complex and nuanced keyboard and/or orchestral parts, typically in the case of symphonic heavy metal and symphonic gothic metal acts. The use of such instruments (as well as the lead vocals) to play simpler, catchier melodies than those of the average non-symphonic band arguably makes the symphonic style one of the most accessible in metal. Bands that do not use live orchestral instrumentation on their recordings or when playing live typically utilize factory presets on workstation keyboards (i. e., strings, choirs, pianos, pipe organs, etc.) to conjure up a “pseudo-orchestral” sound, where parts are played idiomatically according to keyboard technique. This is particularly characteristic of lesser-known bands on tighter budgets. Some symphonic metal bands abstain from using keyboards entirely, preferring to use orchestral backing tracks pre-recorded by a live symphony orchestra and/or choir during an album session, or recorded using virtual software instruments in a sequencer. This is particularly characteristic of bands that feature deeper and more complex arrangements which could be more difficult for one or two keyboardists to reproduce faithfully in a live performance. On average, songs under the symphonic metal umbrella are often highly atmospheric, though more upbeat than those of many non-symphonic metal bands; songs with morbid themes routinely feature prominent major-key fanfares. Particularly central to creating mood and atmosphere is the choice of keyboard timbre. It is nonetheless hardly possible to generalize about the role played by the classic metal instruments (guitars, bass and drums) within symphonic bands, as it can entirely vary depending on the metal subgenre to which the symphonic band mostly belongs. Lyrics cover a broad range of topics. As with two of its often overlapping elements, power metal and opera (including symphonic progressive rock), fantasy and mythological themes are common. Concept albums styled after operas or epic poems are not uncommon. Bands in this genre may often feature a female lead vocalist, usually a soprano. Male vocalists (baritone or bass-baritone), are also common in gothic metal. Growling, death-metal-style vocals are not unknown but tend to be used less frequently than in other metal subgenres (a notable exception being Mark Jansen in Epica). Backing vocals, often consisting of a choral ensemble or full choir, may be employed. It is common for bands, particularly female-fronted bands, to feature operatic lead vocals. Such bands may be referred to as operatic symphonic metal and include the likes of Epica, Nightwish (Tarja Turunen, then Floor Jansen), Haggard,

Thrash metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Thrash metal generally features fast tempos, low-register, complex guitar riffs, high-register guitar solos, and double bass drumming. The rhythm guitar parts are played with heavy distortion, power chords and often palm muted to create a tighter and more precise sound. Vocally, thrash metal can employ anything from melodic singing to shouted or screamed vocals. Most guitar solos are played at high speed and technically demanding, as they are usually characterized by shredding, and use advanced techniques such as sweep picking, legato phrasing, alternate picking, tremolo picking, string skipping, and two-hand tapping. David Ellefson, the original bassist of Megadeth, described thrash metal as “a combination of the attitude from punk rock but the riffs and complexities of traditional metal.” On the origins of thrash metal, Dan Lilker (bassist and co-founding member of Anthrax, S.O.D. and Nuclear Assault) recalls: “Thrash was just what they called ‘faster hardcore,’ because you literally thrashed around when you were either playing it or reacting to it. And thrash metal was born because it was influenced by thrash hardcore, and they just thought it was more metal, so they said, ‘Okay, this is thrash metal.’” The guitar riffs often use chromatic scales and emphasize the tritone and diminished intervals, instead of using conventional single-scale-based riffing. For example, the intro riff of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” (the title track of the namesake album) is a chromatic descent, followed by an ascent based on the tritone. Cymbal stops/chokes are often used to transition from one riff to another or to precede an acceleration in tempo. To keep up with the other instruments, many bassists use a plectrum (pick). However, some prominent thrash metal bassists have used their fingers, most notably Frank Bello, Greg Christian, Steve Di Giorgio, Robert Trujillo, and Cliff Burton. Several bassists use a distorted bass tone, an approach popularized by Burton and Motörhead’s Lemmy. Lyrical themes in thrash metal include warfare, corruption, injustice, murder, suicide, isolation, alienation, addiction, and other maladies that afflict the individual and society. In addition, politics, particularly pessimism and dissatisfaction towards politics, are common themes among thrash metal bands. Humor and irony can occasionally be found (Anthrax for example), but they are limited, and are an exception rather than a rule.

Tough guy hardcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Over time, many New York hardcore bands developed a unique style that was based more around rhythm and less around the influence of punk. The palm muting guitar technique was a key aspect of this sound, Punknews.org described tough guy as “heavy breakdowns, growly vocals” and “the occasional metal riff”. The sound is particularly indebted to thrash metal. Lyrics in the genre often discuss being macho, unity, vigilance and interpersonal relationships, particularly betrayal. According to writer Brian J. Kochan, the genre “embraces the mystique of the gritty and hard working class lives of those in America’s big cities”. NoEcho writer Chris Suffer defined the genre as “Lyrics fueled by hatred and personal struggles bred some of the most violent live shows in the world turning clubs… into battlegrounds for a few hours.” One notable element of the genre is the use of shouted, “sing-along” choruses, an aspect originally influenced by English oi! bands. Jake Tiernan of webzine Heavy Blog Is Heavy criticized tough guy hardcore for its perceived hypermasculinity, writing that it encourages a herd mentality and causes physical violence, which defies what punk, hardcore’s roots, is about because punk is about individuality. Tiernan believed the genre hypermasculinity and socially mandatory mosh pits caused exclusion when the scene was initially intended to be about individuality and inclusion.

Unblack metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Unblack metal is a genre derived from black metal that focuses on Christian lyrical themes. Unblack metal incorporates black metal’s fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars, tremolo picking, double-kick drumming, repetition and often unconventional song structure. Garry Sharpe-Young’s 2001 encyclopedia A-Z of Black Metal states that " t opping the lot are Christian ‘Unblack’ acts who for all intents and purposes look like, sound like and employ the imagery of Black Metal whilst hidden in the unpenetrable vocal growls and distortions are the proclamations of Jesus Christ". Some unblack metal artists, such as Horde, write lyrics that explicitly attack Satanism. This remained a dominant theme throughout most of the 1990s. In the late 1990s, groups began to write more philosophical and ideological lyrics. These often include stories of conversion, doubt, salvation, struggles with faith, and the darker side of living a Christian life. Unblack metal bands may justify their use of the black metal style with reasons ranging from genuine appreciation of the musical genre, to evangelization towards the largely anti-Christian black metal scene, i.e. “bringing light into darkness”.

Viking metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Vikings#

Viking metal features the Vikings as its subject matter and for evocative imagery. The Vikings were Northern European seafarers and adventurers who, during the Middle Ages, relied on sailing vessels such as longships, knerrir, and karvi to explore, raid, pirate, trade, and settle along the North Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Caspian coasts and Eastern European river systems. The Viking Age is generally cited as beginning in 793, when a Viking raid struck Lindisfarne, and concluding in 1066, with the death of Harald Hardrada and the Norman conquest of England. During this two-hundred-year period, the Vikings ventured west as far as Ireland and Iceland in the North Atlantic and Greenland and what is now Newfoundland in North America, south as far as the Kingdom of Nekor (Morocco), Italy, Sicily, and Constantinople in the Mediterranean, and southeast as far as what are now Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine in Eastern Europe, Georgia in the Caucasus, and Baghdad in the Middle East. The Vikings originated from the Nordic countries and the Baltic states, and consisted mostly of Scandinavians, though Finns, Estonians, and Curonians, went on voyages as well. Sámi people also closely interacted with the Scandinavian Norse and engaged in widespread trade expeditions. While otherwise disparate peoples, they shared some commonalities in that they were not considered “civilized” and were not, at first, adherents to Christianity, instead following their indigenous Nordic and Finnic religions. They often adopted Christianity upon settling in an area, intermixing the faith with their own pagan traditions, and by the end of the Viking Age, all Scandinavian kingdoms were Christianized and what remained of Viking cultures was absorbed into Christian Europe.

Visual kei

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The term “visual kei” was derived from one of X Japan’s slogans, “Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock”, seen on the cover of their second studio album Blue Blood (1989). This derivation is credited as being coined by Seiichi Hoshiko, the founding editor of Shoxx magazine, which was founded in 1990 as the first publication devoted to the subject. However, he explained in a 2018 interview with JRock News that visual kei was technically coined, or at least inspired by, X Japan’s lead guitarist Hide. Hoshiko also said that at the time they were called , “but it simply felt… too cheap… Even though X Japan was a big band and people used the term ‘Okeshou kei’ to describe them, the term was still lacking substance, I didn’t like the term at all! Because of this, I tried to remind all the writers to not use this term as ‘They are not okeshou kei, they are visual-shock kei’. From there, it went from ‘Visual-shock kei’ to ‘Visual-kei’ to ‘V-kei’. After we spread the word, fans naturally abbreviated it to ‘V-kei’. The Japanese love to abbreviate everything as a matter of fact.” Hoshiko considers visual kei a distinctive Japanese music genre and defined it “as the music itself along with all the visual aspects of it.”