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Metal Genres all work/research done by DanzigThrall, look for him or Darko666 on adultswim.com Black The term Black Metal was coined by the Speed Metal band, Venom. Later it was created by bands like Bathory, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost, all being debated as the originator but all of them also lacking true Black Metal qualities. Real Black Metal (or True BM if you prefer or if you want to get real technical Norwegian and/or Slavic BM) was largely started and pioneered in part by Mayhem and shortly following bands like Emperor, Darkthrone, Immortal and Satyricon. All these bands being from Norway. The lyrical basis in Black Metal has probably the biggest factor in definition of a band then any other in the Metal category. But this doesn't equate to everything, so several subgenres are needed. The most common lyrical basis' in Black Metal are Anti-Christianity, Satanism, Luciferianism, Occultism, Paganism and other various religious Mythos and beliefs. Also Gore, Death, and subjects dealing with Warfare can also be found to be common. Black Metal was started in defiance of Death Metal, and so many of the instrumentation is out of spite, somewhat, of Death Metal. Also, the lyrical basis was meant to be more extreme then the Death Metal scene and Death Metal bands like Morbid Angel are noted as sparking some of these ideals. The Guitar riffs in Black Metal are usually very minimalistic, as at the time Death Metal used very complicated riffs. Although this may give someone the idea that Punk or Hardcore styles in part influenced Black Metal, this really can't be proven or denied. Drumming in Black Metal is usually done in a style known as Blast Beat, as well is Death Metal, the difference in the two is that Black is snare driven, with cymbal and tom hits on the off beats. Also Blast Beat drumming is mainly driven by steady and fast double bass drum use. The bass in BM is usually scarce in the mix, and usually plays a part in following the same basic riff as the guitar. The loss of a bassy sound may be attributed to the production quality, and became associated with the sound later when production improved, making bass undefined in BM. The Vocals in BM are usually very high pitched and searing, termed as the Black Metal screech. They are usually raspy as well and distortion is done with the use of head movements and the sound usually resonating from the throat. The production in Black Metal is usually very poor, which is also done out of spite of Death Metal being over produced. This also gives a dark, dank, and gloomy atmosphere to Black Metal and is a major factor in bands like Darkthrone. The quality is usually that of a four-track recorder. Highlight bands include Mayhem, Emperor, Marduk, Immortal, Beherit, Darkthrone, Dissection, and Gorgoroth. Melodic BM Black Metal with the use of synths and more melodic guitar riffs, also has better production. Highlight bands are Old Man's Child, Ancient, and Dimmu Borgir. Symphonic BM The use of a symphony is found, usually in place of Synths but can also be used together. Highlight bands are (New) Emperor, (DCA era) Dimmu Borgir, and Nokturnal Mortem. National Socialist BM A genre defined my many things. Usually the lyrical basis is the main theme different from regular BM, these usual lyric basis include National Socialism, Ayranism, and Nazi themes, but this genre can also contain lyrics having to deal with Straight warfare, historical occurrences, and the pagan mythologies associated with the Aryan race and National Socialist ideals. Highlight bands are Absurd, Graveland, Drudkh, Waffen SS, WAR 88 and Fullmoon. Viking A subgenre pioneered and created by Bathory, and then later perfected by bands like Enslaved. Usually deals with Viking society, Norse Religious beliefs, and historical events in Norsk society. The music usually is meant to be very Epic and intricate, and the composition usually is based around battle hymns in some cases. Highlight bands are Enslaved, Thyrfing, Bathory, Tyr, Amon Amarth, and Falkenbach. Folk Similar to Viking in lyrical basis, but more based around Religious Mythos and superstitions of the Pagan belief systems. Also a defining characteristic is the use of various Folk instruments and song structure. Such as the use of Flutes, Fiddles, Bagpipes, and Folk drumming. Highlight bands are Waylander, Finntroll, and Skyclad. Avant Garde Not necessarily Black Metal, but most of these bands come from the BM genre or background. Also, this genre is highly debatable as being Metal, as a lot of it has little to no Metal influence. Avant Garde is an Experimental genre, using various tactics and instruments to create music with abnormal structure or composition. This genre was in part influenced and created by Celtic Frost. Anything is pretty much up for game in Avant Garde. Highlight bands are Burzum, Sigh, Celtic Frost, and Arcturus. Minor Subgenres Black Metal has so many subgenres that are recognized, and yet so few of them have any real original content, so if you didn't see it up above here it probably isn't worth mentioning, such as Norwegian Black Metal, Black Thrash, First Generation, Second Generation, and Norskcore. Death Death Metal was influenced by Thrash in big part, and was mainly started in America, specifically in the states of California and Florida. The term Death Metal originated from Possessed's song Death Metal. The originating band of Death Metal can be debated and is usually stated as being either Possessed (California) or Death (Florida). But also bands like Sepultura (Brazil) can be debated as being the first Death Metal band as they were Thrash yet their early recordings shared a lot of common details with modern Death Metal. And, while Thrash Metal, Slayer had a big part in the creation of the genre with a few of their earlier recordings. Later the Genre was made popular and perfected by bands like Morbid Angel (the highest selling Death Metal band of all time and the first to be signed to a major label) and Suffocation. Lyrics in Death Metal are so diverse to really point at a certain group or even list them all, but mainly Gore, Horror, Death, and the Occult was centered around the genre in the first years. Now it can contain subjects as vaste and as diversified as Religion to Politics to Literary Fiction or Historical events. The guitar riffs in DM are usually very technical or progressive, usually more then your standard four to five chord riffs found in most other genres of Metals. The guitars are usually down tuned and distortion is a must. Also playing blistering fast is another DM trademark as it is the standard, usually over 220 beats per minute. Bass is a very big part of Death Metal, unlike its other Extreme counterpart, Black. Mainly because Death is focused on low tones will black is on high. Bass is usually done with Tremolo picking with the riffage being different then the guitar riffs. The drums are usually done in a blastbeat fashion, like Black, but with a focus on Toms instead of snare, again lower tones. Also drum rolls are used frequently. The vocals are low and growl-esque in most cases. Thus coining the term, The Death Metal Growl. Also called Cookie Monster vocals even though there are many bands that do different vocals in more of a burping or barking vein. The vocals are created by using the renosance of the vocal chords and amplification from the diaphragm. Highlight bands are Death, Immolation, Possessed, Morbid Angel, Nile, and Deicide. Melodic Death Similar to Melodic Black Metal, the use of more Melodic riffs, sometimes keyboards, and more Thrash-like instrumentation. Highlight bands are Insomnium, Entombed, Amon Amarth, and Hypocrisy. Black Death Although this may be a Black Metal subgenre, it actually shares more in common with DM then BM. Usually it is a trade off with instrumentation and vocals between the two genres, doing BM vocals with DM drumming and guitar work, or DM vocals and drumming with BM guitar riffs, etc. Highlight bands are Behemoth, Zyklon, and Belphegor. Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal coming from Gothenburg Sweden, yet it shares its own style apart from other Melodic Death. This genre was created by At the Gates, who later broke up and became the Haunted. Highlight bands are Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquility, Soil Work, and In Flames. Thrash A blend of Traditional Metal, Speed Metal, and Hardcore. Mainly inspired by Speed Metal bands such as Motorhead, as quoted by Scott Ian from Anthrax, "We listened to bands like Motorhead, and we thought, how the **bleep** are they playing this fast, and so that is what inspired us". Thrash, like Death Metal started in two main areas, East Coast and West Coast. The West Coast Thrash, known as Bayside Thrash, was at the forefront, with bands like Exodus and Metallica (then later Megadeth) and Slayer (even though they weren't in San Francisco). On the East Coast we had the forming of Overkill, who were from New Jersey. Overkill being one of the first true Thrash bands, starting in 1980. And in 1982 foreign bands started to join in, especially in Germany with the addition of Kreator. The big four Thrash bands at a time where Testament, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Metallica. Soon after Slayer replaced Testament in the opinions of most asked. Lyrics in Thrash seem to revolve around a very Punk aspect. Anti-Religion, Anti-Establishment, and Anti-Everything else. But usually aren't constricted to these as bands have spread out to encompass War, subjects of Occult Nature, and Death. Guitar riffing in Thrash can be found between being more Hardcore or Metal, varying between three to five chord riffs for the most part. But one defining point away from Hardcore would be the soloing and the speed (most Thrash is around and upwards of 320beats per minute). Bass seems to be more Power Metal influenced taking a more progressive stance but styles from non-metal genres are included such as Anthrax's very Jazz influenced basslines. Drumming? Styles can very, in newer Thrash bands Blast beat seems more prevalent, while older Thrash had more Hardcore influenced drumming, but use of heavy double bass was there. Vocals were another factor that was widely diverse, but in the beginning it was mainly a Falsetto style of singing (high pitched and long range). Afterwards and in some bands singing in a more rock-esque and then later a more guttural Death Metal style and in Black Thrash a screeching technique was used, obviously. Highlight bands are Testament, Dark Angel, Death Angel, Anthrax, Kreator, Sodom, Sepultura, and Destruction. Groove A more melodic form of Thrash, pioneered by Exhorder and other bands like Pantera. Some describe the bands as Hardcore bands with more melodic riffs and the use of Soloing or Instrumental breakdowns doesn't matter, and so a lot of Mallcore bands can fit into this genre. Highlight bands include Nevermore, Pantera, and Exhorder. Grindcore While Grindcore, in retrospective, may have more in common with Death Metal, at its forming it was a summation of Thrash and Hardcore with some Traditional influences. Highlight bands are Napalm Death, Carcass, **bleep** **bleep**, and Agoraphobic Nosebleed. Classic/Traditional/'Heavy' The Phrase 'Heavy Metal' was started by the band (although they weren't Metal) Steppenwolf from the song Heavy Metal Thunder. Metal started mainly and in its pure form with Black Sabbath, despite several other borderline Metal artists prior (Hendrix, Deep Purple, King Crimson, etc.). But Black Sabbath didn't define the real Classic sound, taking every aspect of Black Sabbath’s set up, and making it faster, and making the soloing more prominent and longer founded this. This is where the real influence for every other Genre started, this was the foundation. Lyrics? Every one you could possible think of, the scope of these bands have always been different, and there was no real constraints involved in the genre. You will find Dragons, Death, War, Anti-Establishment, History, etc. etc. etc. all contained within. Guitar riffs were fast, but simplistic, yet some bands also pushed this boundary making the change up between riffs more progressive and quicker. Basslines, fast, again usually Jazz influenced and thus were more progressive. Drumming, anyway you want it, pretty much. This genre is the hardest to put a concrete definition on, because when you compare a band like Sabbath with one like Saxon, you get little in common, if anything. Vocals for most bands were falsetto having a focus on range, but then again, you had bands that had slower tempo songs, which required a more delicate and smoother touch. Birth of Ballads, maybe? Highlight bands include Dokken, Saxon, Accept, and Dio. NWOBHM Standing for New Wave of British Heavy Metal, this was the Second Generation of True Metal to come from the British Isles. Although, no real fundamental differences can be found between this genre and the aforementioned. Pioneering bands would be Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Speed A subgenre of Traditional, and also of Thrash, but sharing more in common with Traditional. Here it stays. Speed Metal is as the name implies, fast, usually incorporating a higher level of technicality and speed during solos and riffs. It also steps away from Thrash with more melodic riffs and less of a Hardcore influence. Highlight bands are Venom, Motorhead, and Megadeth. Power Power Metal is the main offshoot of Heavy Metal or Classic Metal, or NWOBHM for that matter. Which makes the timeline hard to explain as many Power Metal bands are integrated in the aforementioned genres as well. The first Power Metal band, though, may quite possibly be Accept, as they fused the stylings of many other artists of the time from genres like NWOBHM to make a more aggressive sound with more technical soloing which may have lead to the eventual start of Progressive Metal. Lyrical themes can be diverse but a few stand above others they include Fantasy (such as Dragons, Wizards Swords), Metal (yes, Metal itself), Battle, and War. But they can revolve around subjects with more depth as well, such as Death, War, Social Commentary and philosophy. Power Metal instrumentally is fast, and harsh in most cases. The guitar riffs usually display a Classic and heavy tone, usually cleaner in tone, with less distortion then most other genres. Also, guitar stylings, in the riffs that make up the verse and chorus seem to be less technical then the solos performed. Transition in riffs is often very slow. The bass is usually Jazz influenced. The combination of guitars and bass usually give off a resonant and Epic tone and depth. Drumming is usually speedy with a snare hit on even beats, as compared to BM and other styles that do snare hits on the offbeats. Keyboards are another medium that seems to be used in Power Metal a lot. Vocals are usually Falsetto, like Thrash, but can maintain harsher styles like in Children of Bodom. Highlight bands are Iced Earth, Manowar, Blind Guardian, Savatage, Manticora, Sonata Arctica, and Hammerfall. Neo Classical Sharing traits in common with traditional classical composition like the works of Mozart and other classical musicians, including complex structure based around Music theory in most aspects. Two separate forms of Neoclassical exist. One which uses keyboards/piano primarily (which is often slumped in with Symphonic) and the more dominant definition which is a type of Power/Heavy Metal. Using similar harmonies and structure to traditional classical music. Unfortunately a lot of these bands get grouped in with Progressive and Technical Metal as well. So being that Neoclassical is just so diverse a term, lets skip right to some Highlight artists. Highlight bands include Warmen, Yngwie Malmsteen (**bleep**), and Stratovarious. Symphonic/Operatic Neo Classical with the use of full symphonies, symphony structure, or the use of Tenor, Saprano, or otherwise Opera vocals. Highlight bands are Therion, Nokturnal Mortum, and Newer Emperor. Doom Debated to be the first actual Metal genre aside from Metal itself. The term was coined by Black Sabbath's song 'Hand of Doom'. The genre was created by and pioneered by Black Sabbath as well. Doom is atmospheric, and mid to slow paced. Projecting more of a dark vibe. Along side Black Sabbath, Pentagram helped to lay the foundation that would transfer into more common styles among bands like Saint Vitus and Candlemass. Black Sabbath was also the first Metal band to use Keyboards, but the keyboardist was left uncredited for years and wasn't allowed to play on stage at shows. Later the styles evolved again to envoke completely different techniques, like those in Drone Doom, pioneered by Sunn O))). Lyrical basis in Doom Metal are usually depressive dealing with the darker shades of live like Death, Loss, Personal Struggles, and religious mythos. Also current and social commentary has been found in the genre. Doom Metal is very guitar driven, with the riffs having a very chuggy quality to them. The basslines are usually slow and repetitive. Every so often, like in the song the name was based off of, the positions of Guitar and bass will be changed, to having bass be the driving force only with interludes of fast paced guitar riffing. Or having power chords be played to evoke atmosphere. Which later, this technique was replaced by Keyboards doing a lot of the atmosphere giving a more traditional structure to bass and guitar. Drumming is rather undefined in the genre, but it usually just sets a simple beat which picks up and slows down based around the tempo of the guitar riffs. Vocals are relatively another piece that is undefined. But usually based around the overall sound of the song. Relaying between very slow and reciting in nature, almost that of stating a poem, while on a complete opposition it can be faster with more of a beat within itself, putting more of a focus on the vocals, usually showing the differences between the quicker and more upbeat songs then those who display the classical doomy. Highlight bands are Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Samhain, (old) Anathema, Katatonia, and Electric Wizard. Stoner/Sludge The only real difference between Sludge and Stoner Metal is lyrical content. They differ from Doom Metal in the way that they may have more Hardcore or Grindcore influences, infact this is a major argument for the separation between Stoner and Sludge, but the fact remains that for the most part they share only minor differences and are pretty much the same instrumentally. Crowbar is supposed to be the created of Sludge Metal, and in turn influencing Stoner Metal as well. The use of 70s guitar technique is big as well as low production quality. The main difference between Stoner and Sludge is the lyrical basis, as you may be able to tell Stoner Metal usually revolves around the use of drugs and/or the basis of experiences while under the influence of these. Highlight bands are Prong, Crowbar, Kyuss, Cathedral, Bongzilla, Clutch Orange Goblin, and High on Fire. Progressive A term that can describe bands of any other genre, but on its own several bands encompass the style. Prog is defined by the intricate technique and style when playing any instrument. So a band can have interchangeable prog. members if you want to get technical. Also, weird timing or riffing is also a staple, best described as a riff that shouldn't make sense, but does. Another genre defining virtue is long song and soloing times, and soloing of all instruments in the composition as a whole. Thus giving it the nickname, musical wankery as it is more of a show of talent then actual entertainment driven listening. Progressive elements started in the rock category with bands like Pink Floyd and Rush, and then later moved onto bands such as Dream Theater and Opeth. As well as bands somewhat outside the genre of Metal like Tool. Since it is, again, a genre that can't be described like Neo-Classical, lets list some bands. Highlight bands - Opeth, Steve Vai, Liquid Tension Experiment, Dream Theater, King's X, Symphony X, and Devin Townsend Industrial Another highly debated subgenre. Industrial is the fusion of traditional Metal and Industrial music. Founders of the genre were Ministry, KMFDM, Fear Factory and some Skinny Puppy songs. Industrial has such a variety of techniques used that it is extremely hard to pin it down to certain styles and set ups, but a few things are almost always contained within the songs. These would be the heavy use of synths, the repetitive guitar riffs which are usually only a few chords in nature but can range quite a bit as well, most Industrial only puts to use on guitar riff and the rest of the song is usually driven by synths and keyboards. Industrial is a big genre in countries like Germany and other countries to the East and North East of Germany. As stated guitar riffs don't have any progressive nature, and this holds true for bass in the genre as well. Bass usually follows the guitar riffs to a 't' where it can possible be applied. Drumming is also a very simplistic value, usually droning and repetitive following the same drumbeat over and over. Use of snares hits in succession is also a defining attribute to most drumming. Drumming also is done by a drum machine a lot of times, as what drummer would want to play something so simplistic anyways? Vocals are usually heavily distorted in Industrial Metal, and it is almost a given to own a vocal effects processor when playing in such a band. The use of effects and distortion all around is a styling used unsparingly. Lyrics in Industrial are really undefined in nature and usually only reoccurring themes are found within the same bands, but some basis of lyrics are used slightly more then others, these seem to be Social Events and especially Social Taboos. Others can include a reflection on the style itself, dealing with stories based on machines and computers. Usually a blend between biological and mechanical spectrums or entities coming together. Highlight bands are KMFDM, Ministry, The Kovenant, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory(the two latter bands play similar DM Industrial styles), and Newer Mortiis. Gothic Mainly a atmospheric driven genre, with its helping of Doom and Traditional influences, and of course Gothic Rock itself. Horror/Death Punk also helped influence this genre in some ways. The genre is hard to pinpoint an exact founding or pioneering band, some influence can be found in Samhain, and Christian Death but these bands don't reflect the true nature of the genre. Instead the later 80s bands seemed to be at the forefront of what would be the true Gothic Metal sound, bands like Type O Negative, Tiamat(although primarily Doom at the time), and later, Cradle of Filth. Theatre of Tragedy was the first band to primarily use a Female lead vocalist although Anathema had experimented with the idea in a few earlier tracks, which were more Gothic Metal then Doom. Lyrics in Gothic Metal usually have wide range, but usually deal with Gothic esque subjects such as Romance, Depression, Religions(although not in-depth takes), Death, and Suicide, even humor can be conveyed as shown in a lot of Type O's work. Vocals in the genre usually have a wide range, yet are often separated by gender, Male vocals are usually slow, dreary, and in a low guttural tone. While Female vocals usually aim to be more operatic and have a high piercing tone. Instrumentals in Gothic Metal are very similar to Doom, but the difference in tempo and beat keeps it from becoming just a subgenre although it is debated whether it could be or not. Guitars are usually very distorted and bass plays a bigger role in the stylings usually playing a diverse riff separated from the guitar. But most of the focus is on vocalizing so most instrumentals are to keep pace and speed with the singer to accentuate his portion. This is evident in the drumming, usually very slow pacing. Keyboards have found themselves to be a evident part of the Gothic genre as well, and are the subject of most intro and outro musicianship. The instrumentals can often cross lines with industrial as well, especially with the recycling and repetitiveness of a lot of riffs. And the movement has especially become evident in geographic locales like Italy and Sweden. Highlight bands are Beseech, Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil, The Gathering, and Theatre of Tragedy(work encompassing Liv Kristine) Borderline Metal Genres (These Bands display characteristics that can be debated as being Metal or not) Metalcore The most debated Genre in the Metal scene. It is a Blend of Metal and Hardcore(a punk subgenre). They usually play Hardcore and switch out an Element for a Metal one, usually coming from Melodic Death Metal(many bands in Metalcore are accused of stealing MDM riffs). Instead of having Hardcore instrumental breakdowns, they have solos. Or instead of Hardcore drumming they have Blastbeats or Speed Metal drumming. Etc. Bands at the forefront of this genre are As I Lay Dying, Lamb of God, The Black Dahlia Murder and Shadows Fall. *Notes For Metalcore* - Many Metalcore bands are Christian based. Also, many bands from Metalcore fall into its several subgenres like Fashioncore, such as the bands Killswitch Engage and Bleeding Through. Noisecore Attributes can be taken from Black to Grindcore to Industrial, too hard to really define. These bands are usually experimental sounding and usually use feedback or high distortion from the instruments, usually the vocals have no coherent message or thought behind them and are simply used as another instrumental product. Not really Metal, but since some of these bands display enough Metal quality they are Borderline. Technical A surtitle to Metal bands in most cases when they display technical instrumentals and complex riffs and drum beats. And those who don't fit with any other Genres are usually just called Progressive. With so few bands actually undefinable to the point of being called Technical, it can't be a real genre and falls as being a Genre or simply another Surtitle. Darkwave/Ambient Much like Avant Garde and a Mix of Gothic Metal, these bands usually only get classified as Metal because they are side projects of other Metal bands or fall so closely to Metal that you can't discount them as Metal. Fusion A blend of multiple Metal genres, usually three or more. The problem with this being deemed as a full genre is that too few bands have a equal balance to keep them out of another genre title. Faux Metal Genres (These categories either have no Metal influence whatsoever or aren't an actual genre but rather a buzzword) Nu A Style created by the collaberation of Anthrax(Thrash) and Public Enemy. Also highlighted by Anthrax's Got the Time and I'm the Man. Later this style was created and pioneered by the band Faith No More and was hinted to in the Lead Members band before it, Mr. Bungle. Later it made its presence known in the form of bands like Korn, Staind, and Limp Biscuit. Other then Anthrax, the genre shares no real common styles and sounds of Metal, and is in no way Metal. Discussion over. Glam/Hair Glam, while can be perceived as Metal, has several fundamental differences that make it defaulted as not being Metal. As it is more influenced and sounds more like Hard Rock, then anything Metal. And it was the non-metal path of bands from Los Angeles in the 80s, while a few miles north, in San Francisco, Thrash was born as a result of following a more metal path and influence. Glam stands for Gay L.A. Music - Dave Mustaine(Megadeth, Metallica, MD. 45) Mallcore Originally a word used for slander of Metal or Nu Metal bands that were popular at the time, and the name was targeted at the people who bought their music and shopped in places like Hot Topic or Spencer's Gifts, hence Mall. Later it was recognized as a separate Genre as some of the bands didn't display the Rap/Hip Hop influence as the other Nu Metal bands. Yet the bands were still produced just to make Money. One of the bands that take the forefront of these Genre is Slipknot, even though some of their songs are Nu. NWOAHM A Buzzword cooked up to take bands out of the Metalcore genre. The Name means New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Just because they are newer bands, doesn't mean they get their own separate Genre, and this genre also has nothing to do with NWOBHM, where they took the name from. And just for good Measure, a lot of these bands are Canadian as well. Math Another MTV Buzzword used to describe Bands that are really just Technical bands, or they are just technical in comparison to the **bleep** they play on the radio, MTV, VH1, and other trendy bands. Christian Just because you sing about Christianity, doesn't mean you get your own genre. All of these bands can be split into real Genre titles. Battle Not a genre, basing a genre completely around lyrical basis is asinine. Epic Not a genre, these bands usually fit into Neo-Classical Categories or a Subgenre of Black Metal. Crustcore/Gorecore/Snotcore/**bleep**core/Grimecore/Asscore Do I really have to explain this one to you? Lyrical themes do not equate a genre and especially a whole new lyrically specific genre. And what is it with -Core bands anyways? Jazz/Punk/Blues/*Insert other genre title here* Metal These bands either aren't Metal or a definitive genre has already been stated with the blend of styles, such as Metalcore being a blend of Metal and Hardcore