Foreword

Heavy metal music is generally accepted to have been around in some form or other for the past 40 years and since those early days it has become a rather crowded scene, comprising of sub-genres each following their own 'rules' and having their own differing fanbases.

This entry aims to briefly cover as much ground as possible, it is by no means exhaustive and whilst debate rages on as to what constitutes as metal and what does not, attempts have been made to present an unbiased, level view of distinctly metal sub-genres, as opposed to 'punk' or straightforward 'rock'.

To provide readers with some first-hand experience of the music herein, links to Last FM radio stations will be provided. Click the link and press play.

Sub-genres explored in this entry

• Ambient
• Black
• Death
• Doom
• Emo
• Grindcore
• Industrial
• Mathcore
• Metalcore
• Nu-Metal
• Power
• Prog
• Thrash

Ambient

^{The band 'Neurosis' at LAST FM}

^{The band 'Isis' at LAST FM}

A difficult sub-genre to define or even name. Many labels have been applied, ranging from 'atmospheric' to 'sludge metal' to 'post-rock'. Even leading bands in this sub-genre seem to struggle to apply themselves with a label: Isis frontman Aaron Turner described his band as "avant-garde, drone-oriented rock, but that doesn't completely cover the bases." and The Ocean call themselves 'Ambient Soundtrack Doomrock'. For the purposes of this entry, it will be called 'Ambient' music.

Ambient songs do not tend to follow a standard structure and are often lengthy and epic, slow and crushing - a trait often associated with doom metal. Some songs can be repetitive or may evolve throughout, eventually building up to a climatic crescendo of sound. Songs will often incorporate a mixture of quiet and loud, light and dark atmospheres. If vocals are present, they may often be buried under the production and largely harsh or grating. As the name suggests, ambient music aims to create an atmosphere or particular 'sound-world' - the guitars create a warm or full sound.

Bands may follow a certain theme or express certain ideas or emotions within their music - often reflecting upon society in a cynical manner.

Variation

The band Pelican play an instrumental variety of ambient metal, as do The Ocean on their 2003 release 'Fogdiver'. There is little variation in the ambient genre, though different bands may draw upon different influences within their music.

Isis, The Ocean, Pelican and Cult Of Luna may all be considered ambient.

Black metal

^{Black metal at LAST FM}

Black metal emerged in the early 1980's, developing from thrash metal. The term black metal was first coined by Venom in 1981, and was used as the title for their second album in 1982. Nowadays, black metal sounds quite different from the early recordings of the first black metal bands, such as Venom and Bathory. Black metal is typically associated with Scandinavia and most particularly Norway. A lot of black metal has a very anti-christian or satanic theme. It is common for a black metal band to wear 'corpse paint'¹ and for memebers to adopt pseudonyms. It should also be noted that in the mid-90's, the exploits of some black metal bands preceeded their music - members of the band Emperor being jailed for crimes including arson, buglary, desecration, knife assault and murder.

The black metal sound is characterised by fast guitars with tremelo picking², fast agressive drumming (usually blast beats³) and sometimes shrieked, screamed or high-pitched vocals, though more guttural 'death metal' style vocals may be applied. The musical atmosphere is cold, dark and gloomy and the production of albums is often very raw and the guitar sound relatively thin or relatively thick.

Variation

Modern black metal often makes use of a greater range of influences and styles, such as neo-classicalism and folk. Some black metal bands (both old and new) have begun to do away with 'corpse paint', pseudonyms and have begun to move away from the norms associated with this genre. Enslaved are just one example.

Perhaps the most acclaimed and well known black metal band, Emperor made use of these, as well as keyboards and sometimes even clean vocals. Their sound is often described as being 'magestic' or 'symphonic' and keyboards are quite a commonplace in the scene.

The band Finntroll make use of elements of black metal, yet also rely heavily on folk and polka influences in their music to create a very unusual sound.

Other examples of black metal bands are Darkthrone, (the now defunct) Immortal and 1349.

Dissention In The Black Metal Scene

Many people in the scene would argue that for a band to be considered black metal, it must not only comply with the above guidelines, but must maintain an 'underground' element. This is to say, the band must not become too successful, popular or of a 'mainstream' quality. The band must not sign to a major label, or lose sight of it's black metal 'roots'. In some extreme cases, people would argue that for a band to be considered black metal, they must adhere to the rule of raw production.

Almost certainly, the most resented band in the black metal scene is Cradle of Filth. Fans of black metal loathe for Cradle of Filth to be termed black metal as they see Cradle of Filth as a mainstream act. Cradle of Filth recieve great criticism for their major label status and popularity among young teenagers, most notably teenage 'goths'⁴.

Dimmu Borgir are similarly panned for their success and popularity. These bands are not deemed to be 'true' black metal.

Death metal

Much like black metal, death metal emerged in the 80's, evolving from thrash metal. It is commonly associated with Scandinavia, most particularly Sweden, yet the earliest death metal can be traced back to America, where Florida's Death, California's Possessed and Chicago's Master all pushed the format slightly, ultimately creating something substantially different from the thrash seed from which they spawned. Much like black metal, modern day death metal sounds quite different from these early releases.

The death metal sound utilises the fast, violent guitar and drumming commonplace in black metal. However, whilst black metal vocals are often shrieked, death vocals are distinguished by their guttural, low sound. It is said that death metal vocalists use their throat to achieve this sound, but many use a technique in which they push up from their diagphram to create the sound and to avoid damage to their vocal chords. Bands in this genre may use downtuned⁵ guitars. Lyrically, death metal sometimes focuses on violence, death, horror and mutilation, yet this is not essential and most bands break from this stereotype.

Variations

The band Opeth (who may also fall under the prog-metal category) originally were very much a melodic death metal band, using the twin guitar harmonies associated with the style, yet even back then they incorporated acoustic guitars, quieter passages and long, wandering songs into their sound. Their second album, 'Morningrise' even featured a song with clean vocals only. Some death metal fans are reluctant to accept melodic death metal, yet it is far more tolerated than 'untrue' black metal is by black metal fans.

Examples of death metal bands are Morbid Angel, Zyklon and Dismember.

Doom metal

Doom metal emerged as a recognised sub-genre in the mid-80's. It is slow, heavy and is strongly influenced by the early work of Black Sabbath, and a number of early Black Sabbath tracks, such as "Black Sabbath", are often considered embryonic or prototypical doom metal songs.

Variation

Doom metal itself can be further split into 4 categories: Death-Doom, Drone, Stoner and Traditional. These styles are recognised as being sufficiently different from one another to warrant individual classification.

• Death-doom


Death-doom emerged in the early 90's with British bands such as My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost and was so named because of it's distinct sound combining the slow, downtuned elements of doom with the faster, more agressive playing and growled vocals typical of death metal. Bands like My Dying Bride were very melodic and their lyrics took on a more poetic, personal feel. The atmosphere on these records was very dark and melancholy, My Dying Bride choosing to make use of violins, keyboards and female vocals to add to their sound. Nowadays, both Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride are still producing, but they are now joined by a host of other non-British bands, such as Finland's Swallow The Sun, Ireland's Primordial and America's Novembers Doom.

Death-doom metal is characterised by a mixture of both clean and death vocals, dark and melancholy music, emotive lyrics and often downtuned guitars. Although typically slow, the Death elements of the music are faster and more aggressive. Death-Doom is commonly called 'gothic' (this term can be attributed to Pardise Lost and their 1991 album of the same title).

• Drone


Drone doom is perhaps defined by the 'Anti-music' of Stephen O'Malley and his projects such as Khanate and Sunn 0))). Drone tracks typically last anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes and contain very little rhythm or melody in the traditional sense. Drums are often largely absent and guitars are downtuned and distorted to extremes. The vocals (if not absent) are often harsh and torturous, yet cannot be truly considered to be death vocals. Drone Doom is incredibly slow, the slowest of the doom genres listed here.

Sunn 0))) and Earth are considered to be most influential in this genre. Drone is slow, downtuned and difficult to listen to.

• Stoner


The most lively of the doom scene. Black Sabbath may be termed 'stoner doom' because of their blues influences and odes to the recreational drug connected to this genre's name such as 'Sweet Leaf'. Like all of Doom metal, Stoner doom makes use of downtuned guitars and sometimes slower tempos. It distinguishes itself from traditional doom by owing more to the groove and rhythm of blues music. Acclaimed British band Cathedral are a prime example. More recent stoner bands include Orange Goblin, Clutch and Electric Wizard.

Stoner bands are noted for not taking themselves too seriously and often have a reputation for drinking and recreational drug use - not surprising given the genres name.

• Traditional

It may be argued that perhaps the first 'traditional doom' band were Black Sabbath - the group most recognised as being the founders of heavy metal. This argument carries some weight, as it is true that Sabbath did make use of the dropped tuning and the unhurried, moderate pace, characteristic of the doom scene. A notable traditional doom band, this time founded in Sweden in the 80's were Candlemass. Again, Candlemass employed the drop tuning and slower tempos used years before by Black Sabbath. Candlemass split up in 2002, only to re-emerge in 2005 with their 8th studio release, simply entitled 'Candlemass'. Another doom band of note, also founded in the 80's was Trouble. Trouble were distinguished from a lot of other bands by their Christian faith, and this surfaced in their lyrics. Because of this, some people took to calling them 'White Sabbath'.

Traditional doom is typically heavy, drop-tuned, repetitive and moderately paced, though it is common for most bands to reach a 'galloping' speed at times.

Emo

This heavily mocked genre has become quite a force in the music scene of late. It is in a situation similar to nu-metal in that it is seen as a trend by a lot of the metal community and the emo fanbase is more typically teenage.

'Emo' is said to be short for 'emotional'. The music often has a lively feel and songs tend to be short. Emo songs often feature a very catchy chorus have a melodic nature. The vocals are often said to be 'whined' rather than sung and the lyrics may focus on teenage relationships or heartbreak.

Songs tend to follow a standard structure and the style of guitar playing is quite typical of a rock band - plenty of power chords ⁶.

Variation

Although emo is largely percieved to be a new genre, it existed as early as the mid-80s as a part of the hardcore scene. Naturally, fans of these early bands do not accept the new crop as 'true emo'. Albums by bands such as Weezer in the mid-90s are also considered emo.

The term emo has become very loose and has been applied to many bands, but My Chemical Romance, Funeral For A Friend and Fall Out Boy are all part of the current emo scene.

Grindcore

To some, this is merely a variation of death metal, yet it is often considered a sub-genre in itself. Without a doubt, the first grindcore bands emerged in Britain in the late 80's and early 90's, the first of these being Napalm Death⁷. Napalm had many of the qualities associated with death metal, yet the guitars were more 'grinding'. The band also had a disjointed quality, using abrupt time and tempo changes that would later become so vital to the mathcore genre. Napalm Death however, were metallers with a message, their lyrics often assuming a punk attitude and acute political awareness. An other influential grindcore band were Carcass, gaining notoriety for their lyrics and cover art, both being concerned with gore. Their lyrics in particular focused on mutialtion and decomposition of dead bodies. Musically, Carcass had much in common with death metal, though their sound was not quite as straightforward as death, it featured abrupt changes in riffing. Later on in their career, Carcass become more melodic and some would argue more accessible.

Many bands follow the early Carcass blueprint today, such as General Surgery, Impaled and Internal Bleeding.

Grindcore is musically similar to death metal, although the guitars are more grinding and there are often more abrupt changes in the music. Grindcore is a more obscure sub-genre than death metal.

Variation

Napalm Death are still recording and popular among metal fans today.

Industrial

Quite a broad heading, encompassing metal bands who rely on keyboards/synthesisers or sequencers and samples. The sound is generally heavily distorted and this often includes vocals.

The industrial guitar sound is aggressive and often features staccato⁸ riffing. It draws particularly from the hardcore⁹ genre. As suggested by the name, music in this genre can be quite cold, clinical and almost mechanical.

Variation

Some European groups such as Young God and Swamp Terrorists practiced industrial metal without live guitars, relying wholly on samples. The german industrial band Rammstein draw upon dance music for some influence.

Ministry, Rammstein and KMFDM are all industrial bands.

Mathcore

This genre is a fairly recent addition and there is still uncertainty over the name. As it is the heavy metal media that categorises bands, different outlets use different titles, yet mathcore is probably the most prevailing. Noisecore and jazz metal are also used to define this genre.

The roots of mathcore can be traced back to a Swedish band formed in the late 80's, Meshuggah. By the time of their 4th release in 1995, the much lauded 'Destroy Erase Improve' they had honed their sound, which featured downtuned, staccato riffing, unusual and ever-changing time signatures and fantastically technical drumming. The album proved a challenging listen, but was worth it.

Mathcore songs stop and start at the drop of a hat and frequently change tempo and time signature. Polyrhythms¹⁰ are also present. The vocals are harsh, often shrieked or shouted and have much in common with hardcore. Overall, mathcore tends to be harsh, disjointed and challenging for the listener.

Variation

Ephel Duath, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Pig Destroyer are all examples of mathcore.

Metalcore

^{Metalcore at LAST FM}

Another comparitively recent genre largely dismissed by more seasoned metal fans. As the name might suggest, this genre is a fusion between metal and hardcore music.

Bands may borrow quite heavily from the sound of thrash metal or the melodic death metal of At The Gates (amongst others). Metalcore songs tend towards the formulaic - chugging verses accompanied by screamed vocals give way to clean choruses, eventually leading to perhaps the most notorious element of this music; the breakdown.

The breakdown is a section of music featuring staccato, syncopated riffs and double bass drumming in time with these bursts of guitar. Typically the song slows down to half time, allowing the guitars the space to play the riffs.

Metalcore bands of late have enjoyed considerable success and do tend to appeal a more teenage male audience.

Examples of metalcore bands include Trivium, Unearth and Killswitch Engage

Nu-metal

Traditionally loathed by most older metal fans, but loved by teenage boys, nu-metal emerged in the 90s, only to fade out somewhat in the new millenium. It is said that nu-metal saw its beginnings in the funk influenced sounds of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the hip-hop and metal crossover of Rage Against The Machine, though more often than not Korn and Limp Bizkit are cited as the first nu-metal bands.

Nu-metal is perhaps most noted for it's angsty nature, lyrics revolving around stresses of everyday life, childhood and social alienation.

Nu-metal guitarists often make heavy use of drop-D tuning and numerous effects. Riffs tend towards simpler, palm muted rythyms, often comprising of a few notes or power chords. Guitar solos are very rare. It is due to this guitar style that the bass often takes a greater presence, usually playing loud, funky riffs. The drums are often quite simple and influenced slightly by hip-hop. Vocals will range from agressive and harsh to melodic and catchy and there may also be rapping.

Nu-metal is often heavily criticised for being simplistic and commercial and because of this derision many bands have chosen to drop the term nu-metal.

Variation

There can be large variances from band to band, some opting for a more complex sound than others, some making greater use of rapping and some incorporating samples and turntables into their sound. For example, Slipknot, a band seemingly on the verge of acceptance by the larger metal community were (and sometimes still are) termed nu-metal, but their sound is often so more complex nowadays than that label implies.

Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit and Korn are all nu-metal bands.

Power metal

Power metal owes heavily to the NWOBHM ¹¹band Iron Maiden. It emerged in the mid 80's with bands such as Helloween and Europe paying great deal of attention to the melodic development of the songs. Helloween mixed faster paced riffs with more melodic ones and added high, operatic, Maiden-esque vocals.

Power metal is a largely European genre. Bands strive to achieve an 'epic' sound and many use keyboards to this effect. Drumming is relatively simple but fast and the music tends towards a galloping quality. Guitars and bass are fast, though chord changes are slow. The guitarists will often rely on power chords. Very fast, intense guitar solos and harmonies are typical of this genre, as are clean, high pitched vocals. Power metal lyrics revolve largely around fantasy and mythology; battles and warriors are also a recurring theme. It is due to this that some bands and their fans may buy replica shields and swords and take them to gigs.

Variation

There is little variation in this genre, though there is debate over whether American bands such as Iced Earth and Nevermore can be classed as power metal. They do exhibit qualities typical of power metal, but it is argued that both bands lean closer to thrash metal and that Nevermore are less melodic and more agressive than European power metal.

If the metal media is to be believed, power metal is undergoing an upsurge in popularity at this point in time and power metal bands are greatly acclaimed.

Dragonforce, Blind Guardian and Primal Fear are all power metal bands.

Prog metal

'Prog' used to be somewhat of a dirty word in the metal scene, yet of late the term 'prog metal' has begun to appear quite a lot. Before we may have said that a band were 'X with prog influences', yet now we may just call them 'prog metal', although the ambiguity of the term might not do the band justice.

'Prog' can refer to a band using complex time signatures and arrangement and intricate playing, or it may just refer to a band pushing the boundaries and creating something new.

Prog dates back to early British bands such as Pink Floyd and Genesis and the American band Rush. Prog metal dates back to the mid 80's and bands such as Dream Theatre and Fates Warning.

Variation

Due to it's very definition, prog metal is a much varied genre. Acts such as Opeth mix death metal with melodic and acoustic passages and clean vocals. Fellow Scandinavians Borknagar perform mid-paced black metal interlaced with keyboards and folk influences. Over in America, the band Tool are often labelled with the prog metal title for their experimentation and unusual time signatures, though there is much debate over this.

Thrash metal

Thrash metal emerged in the early 80's as an amalgamation of the musicianship of heavy metal and the speed and agression of punk. During the 80's thrash was a dominant force in heavy metal, most particularly in America. Nowadays, true thrash is all but defunct, yet its influence is ever-present and widespread.

The basis of thrash metal is fast, low, chugging guitar riffs and intense, driving rhythm from the drums. The vocals are usually rough, but are not growled. Guitar solos are very fast and quite intense.

In the 80's, the 'big four' of thrash were Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.

Variation

Whilst Slayer maintained a raw, simple and agressive edge, bands like Megadeth and Testament intoduced more technicality into their sound, increasing the intensity of the music.

Although Metallica's first release, 1983's 'Kill 'Em All' was undoubtably pure thrash metal, subsequent albums saw them evolve so much more. 1984 saw the release of 'Ride The Lightning', still very much a thrash record, but the production was more polished and the music more melodic and thoughtful at times than previously. In 1986 the much lauded 'Master Of Puppets' was unleashed. Still undoubtably thrash, but again more polished and this time, more epic sounding. Again there was more melody, the middle section of the instrumental 'Orion' taking on a meandering, calming feel. There was yet more of a progression when '...And Justice For All' was released in 1988. This was Metallica's longest studio album to date, as well as being the most complex musically - almost progressive some might say. Unfortunately this was not to last. By the time of 1991's self titled release (Often called 'The Black Album' because of it's cover) Metallica had lost much of their thrash element. Subsequent releases saw Metallica become little more than an MTV-friendly hard rock act and much of Metallica's old fanbase turned away.

Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth continue to perform 'til this day

Thrash is still a large influence on 'metalcore' and the NWOAHM.

Finally...

Of course, times move on and bands change. The descriptions given above are basic (and vague, few acts adhere strictly to the rules all the time) - the best way to discover this music is to listen to it yourself.

Infernal Hails!