Death metal

Throughout the history of heavy metal, new bands have always tried to become heavier than those that preceded them. Venom succeeded when they released Welcome to Hell which was more raw and vicious than anything that had come before it. Slayer then entered the scene, and with the release of their first three albums, they proved to be the heaviest band that had ever existed to that point.

Two years before Slayer released their legendary third album, Reign in Blood, though, the term “death metal” was coined by a band called, Possessed. Possessed released their debut demo simply called, Death Metal, and they instantly attracted the attention the band, Exodus, who then sent the demo to Metal Blade Records.

After Metal Blade decided to release one of their songs on a Metal Massacre compilation, they were soon signed to another label and they released their debut album a year later. This record called Seven Churches would end up being one the first real death metal record. Possessed only released one more album before disbanding, but it is important to note that they were the first true pioneer of death metal.

The members of Possessed didn’t go on to have much success with other projects, with the exception of Larry LaLonde, who soon went on to found the very famous funk metal band, Primus. The members of Possessed did list Venom, Motörhead, and Slayer among their main influences however, which is a testament to how much the more aggressive thrash and speed metal acts impacted death metal.

At this point, it is important that we specify what the musical qualities of death metal are. The subgenre is usually characterized by fast, highly distorted and drop-tuned guitars that use palm muting and tremolo picking techniques. Drum patterns in death metal are usually particularly fast and technical, making use of blast beats. There are also abrupt key, tempo and time signature changes that compliment varied song structures. Death metal vocals usually consist of guttural roars, grunts, snarls, and death growls.

Around the same time that Possessed was active, a new death metal band made its way on to the scene. This band was simply known as, Death. Death would soon go on to become the best-selling death metal band worldwide. Chuck Schuldiner was the only constant member of Death until his death in 2001. Schuldiner is also known as “Father of Death Metal.”

Death’s debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, is a legendary death metal album, and some critics consider it to be the first actual death metal album, claiming Possessed was more of a transitional band between thrash and death metal. Personally though, I think Possessed’s debut is the first death metal record, but there is no denying Scream Bloody Gore’s immense impact and legacy.

Death would go on to change their style in the future. The first few records were very straight-up death metal, however on their landmark record, Human, they began to become even more technically complex, and they started to incorporate progressive metal elements to their music. Human is Death’s best-selling record, and after it was released all following albums would incorporate more and more progressive influences.

There were a few other death metal bands that helped to popularize the genre that helped to popularize the subgenre during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Along with Death, bands such as Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Obituary were from Florida, and were labeled as “Florida death metal” because of the popularity of the subgeenre in that area. Other important death metal bands of the era are Suffocation, Necrophagia, Master, Entombed, Immolation and Autopsy.

Morbid Angel particularly put out several extremely important releases during their extensive history. Their first two records, Altars of Madness and Blessed Are the Sick are considered to be two of the best and most influential death metal records of all time. Their third album, Covenant, is the best-selling death metal album in the U.S, and is also a legendary death metal record.

Two other very important death metal bands are Obituary and Deicide. Obituary released several important records such as Slow We Rot and The End Complete that greatly contributed to the development of death metal.

Deicide also greatly contributed to the development of death metal with such releases as their self-titled record and Legion. Those two albums also were the second and third best-selling death metal albums in the during the Soundscan era. Deicide is also notable for being one of the first very directly anti-Chrisitan metal bands. This led to them being banned from playing at many venues, and caused controversy within the media.

The best-selling death metal band of all time in the U.S is Cannibal Corpse. With seminal records such as Butchered at Birth and Tomb of the Mutilated, they have established an extremely devoted cult following. Both of those records have also reached over a million sales worldwide. Cannibal Corpse is considered to be a very violently themed band, and have often caused controversy to due to the extreme and gory nature of their lyrics and artwork.

Death metal reached its peak in popularity from 1992 to 1993. Afterward death metal started to be divided into various types, each of which would achieve its own degree of popularity. These types consist of melodic death metal, technical death metal, brutal death metal, progressive death metal, blackened death metal, etc. and we will discuss them in more depth at a later date.

Death metal still remains a fairly popular genre today however, and there are many active and newly formed death metal bands who continue to put on shows around the world.

Speed Metal and Thrash Metal

Over the past couple of weeks, “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” has covered the earliest subgenres of heavy metal music. These subgenres were the early beginnings of this heavier style of rock music, and they helped lay the foundation for what was to come in the 1980s.

During the 1980s, heavy metal music started to get faster and more aggressive than ever. New metal bands of the time were all trying to be more vicious than the next. That resulted in the rise of speed metal and thrash metal.

We have already briefly mentioned speed metal in the past few weeks when discussing bands such as Motörhead, Accept and Venom. Speed metal was developed during the 1970s, and it eventually evolved into thrash metal music.

There is some debate amongst heavy metal listeners as to whether speed metal is a legitimate subgenre. The people who argue that it is tend to say that speed metal is generally cleaner and more intricate than thrash metal music, which relies more heavily on long, wrenching rhythmic breaks. Personally, I do consider speed metal to be a legitimate subgenre of heavy metal music, though I believe it soon became indistinguishable from thrash.

Thrash metal is generally characterized by its fast tempos, double bass drumming, low-register vocals, intricate guitar riffs, and high register guitar solos. Thrash metal also usually consists of melodic singing or shouting vocals. The genre is heavily influenced by the NWOBHM and speed metal bands of the 1970s.

There were many “proto-thrash” songs of the 1970s, such as Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?,” Judas Priest’s “Rapid Fire,” and even Queen’s “Stone Cold Crazy,” but the first real thrash metal bands were formed in the early 1980s. The most notable thrash metal bands in the US were known as “The Big Four” bands of thrash metal, and they consisted of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. These bands were the initial pioneers of thrash, and they are four of the most popular and prominent metal bands of all time.

Metallica was the first of the four bands to be formed, and are without a doubt the most popular metal band in the world today. Their first album, Kill ‘Em All, was released in 1983 and was one of the first real thrash metal albums.



One of Metallica’s most legendary albums was its third release, Master of Puppets, which has been hailed by some critics as the best metal album of all time.



The band really became a worldwide phenomenon, though, when they released their fifth album, titled The Black Album (also known as their self-titled release). It has been certified 15 times platinum in the US and is one of the most successful rock albums of all time. Since the album’s release, Metallica’s popularity has just kept growing, and today they are considered to be the most commercially successful metal band of all time.



It’s easy to spend three blog posts just talking about the significance of Metallica, but there are many other important thrash metal bands that deserve to be addressed here.

Megadeth, the second out of the “Big Four,” was formed by ex-Metallica guitarist, Dave Mustaine. Megadeth is the second most successful band of "The Big Four,” releasing landmark metal albums such as Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?, Rust in Peace, and Countdown to Extinction.



The last two bands of “The Big Four” are Slayer and Anthrax.

Slayer is the most inaccessible out of the four bands because of their controversial lyrical topics, intense speed and their vocalist’s harsh shouting vocals. Slayer has strongly influenced the development of death metal, and other underground metal subgenres. The band is most well known for their highly successful album, Reign in Blood; however, they have several other very highly acclaimed albums, such as Hell Awaits, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss.



Anthrax is the least successful of “The Big Four” but they still have a solid and devoted fanbase. They are the most musically consistent out of the four bands, and are known for their more melodic vocals. Anthrax’s most famous albums are Spreading the Disease, Among the Living and Sound of White Noise.



In the US during the 1980s, the San Francisco Bay Area was a very popular region for up and coming thrash metal bands. Several very popular thrash metal bands from this area include Testament, Exodus, Vio-lence, Forbidden and Death Angel. This blog is actually named after Testament’s song “Into the Pit.” Similarly, on the east coast there was also a strong thrash metal scene that led to the formation of Overkill, Whiplash, and Storm Troopers of Death.



Thrash metal also became popular worldwide. Germany was notable for their Teutonic thrash metal scene that sprouted many very popular thrash metal bands. The “three kings” of Teutonic thrash metal are Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction, as they were the most well known bands to come out of this scene. These bands heavily influenced the pioneering of death metal that was to come later in the decade.



One final thrash metal band that is extremely necessary to mention is Sepultura, who is from the Brazilian thrash metal scene. Led by the Cavalera brothers, Sepultura became one of the most popular thrash metal bands around the world for their albums, Beneath the Remains, Arise, Chaos A.D. and Roots.

Similarly to Slayer and the “three kings” of Teutonic thrash, Sepultura heavily influenced the development of death metal. The Cavalera brothers eventually left Sepultura during the 1990s, and now the band is led by long time guitarist Andreas Kisser, and longtime bassist Paolo Jr.



In the mid-1990s, grunge started to take over, and thrash metal became an exhausted genre of music. Many famous thrash metal bands changed their sound or experienced radical line-up changes. In particular, Metallica has been accused of having sold out around this time, as their style transformed into commercial hard rock.

Since then, thrash metal has seen a slight resurgence in popularity, which was fueled by newly-created thrash metal acts such as Municipal Waste, Warbringer, Lazarus A.D, Evile, and Skeletonwitch. Many famous thrash metal bands have also seen line-up reunions, and have reverted to their old musical habits of the 1980s. Recently, “The Big Four” played together for the first time ever, and have since done several subsequent shows together.

Thrash metal has been revived for now, and will hopefully stay popular during times to come.

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

In the late 1970s, heavy metal records were not selling as well as they did earlier in the decade because of the rise of punk, disco and mainstream rock acts. Therefore, the popularity of early traditional heavy metal bands had begun to decline. However a new heavy metal movement was on the horizon. This movement would forever change the world of rock music and be known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).

The NWOBHM was musically characterized as having toned down the blues influences of early heavy metal groups while incorporating punk elements into the music: having faster tempos, and adopting a tougher sound. Most NWOBHM bands also more heavily utilized power chords, soaring vocals, and fast guitar solos.

NWOBHM bands reached the peak of their popularity during the 1980s. Some of the most famous NWOBHM bands were Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Def Leppard, Venom, Saxon, and Angel Witch.



We discussed Motörhead in depth last week; however, we did not talk very much about the major significance of Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden is quite frankly one of the most important and successful heavy metal bands of all time. The band has sold over 85 million records to date despite their having received little radio support. Iron Maiden has an iconic image that is represented through their mascot, "Eddie the Head."

Furthermore, they broke many boundaries through their landmark album, The Number of the Beast. That classic heavy metal album contained artwork and other evil references that made many accuse the band of being satanic.

Of course, the band was not actually satanic, but the release of the album still fueled the fire behind those who claimed that heavy metal was a sinister genre of music.



Another extremely important NWOBHM band was Diamond Head. Diamond Head never had much success; however they are notable for having influenced famous thrash metal acts such as Metallica and Megadeth. Metallica would go on to cover many songs from Diamond Head’s debut, Lightning to the Nations.



Similarly, Venom influenced many more extreme heavy metal acts. Venom came along late into the era of NWOBHM, but they were very important; as, they particularly influenced the onset of black metal, thrash metal and death metal. Venom was not the stereotypical NWOBHM band, and their genre is actually pretty heavily debated among critics.

Nevertheless, their first two albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal influenced millions of heavy metal bands around the world.

It is important to note, however, that Venom has always been criticized for their lack of musical skill. Many claim that Venom chose to play their faster music because they did not have the musical technicality of the other bands around them. Most critics do note though that their musical skills have gotten better with age.



The final NWOBHM band that we must discuss is Def Leppard. The band had major worldwide success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. They have sold over 100 million albums to date, and their song “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” would become one of the first heavy metal videos to be featured on MTV. Def Leppard has made the lists of many critics who consider them to be one of the most notable hard rock and heavy metal acts of all time.



In the 1990s, NWOBHM began to decline. Many of the bands went through musical shifts because the interest in NWOBHM was simply not as strong as it was in the 1980s.

Def Leppard notably had the most success with their musical shift which targeted the American hard rock audience and achieved renewed popularity. Some other major NWOBHM acts such as Iron Maiden and Motörhead just drifted towards traditional heavy metal, which wasn’t an extremely far leap for both of the bands, but they still did not receive the success or the acclaim that they did in the earlier part of their career.

In the 2000s however, NWOBHM bands received renewed popularity. Many bands have since reformed with classic line-ups and have reverted to old musical habits. The NWOBHM revival continues today with many bands touring and performing around the world.

Traditional Heavy Metal (Part 2): Mid 1970s-Present

Alright metalheads, it’s time to continue our discussion from last week about traditional heavy metal music. This week we will talk about traditional heavy metal from the mid '70s to present day. Normally “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” will not take two days to discuss one subgenre of heavy metal, but with traditional heavy metal there is a lot of material to cover; as, it is the foundation for every other heavy metal subgenre.

In the mid-to-late 1970s, punk rock began to emerge. Punk rock was essential in the development of heavy metal; as, it helped to inspire the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (which we will discuss in depth next week), as well as many other traditional heavy metal acts.

One of the most important traditional heavy metal acts of this time was Motörhead. Formed in the mid-70s, Motörhead carried the rebellious spirit of punk music over to heavy metal. Motörhead was also a significantly faster band than nearly every heavy metal band around at the time, and because of that, they became the first speed metal band.



Around the time of Motörhead, both Iron Maiden and Diamond Head were formed. Both bands would have a tremendous influence on heavy metal throughout the 1980s and were leaders of both traditional heavy metal as well as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.



At the very end of the 1970s, Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath. That lead to the band's hiring Ronnie James Dio as their new lead singer. Dio had previously been involved with bands such as Elf and Rainbow, and had become a very prominent name in hard rock. With the addition of Dio, Black Sabbath’s sound evolved even further. Dio had a wider vocal range than Osbourne, and he would soon become a heavy metal icon. Dio is frequently credited as having invented the “devil horns” hand gesture that is popular among heavy metal fans today.

During the 1980s, traditional heavy metal continued to be very popular. Dio left Black Sabbath in the early '80s and went on to form a new band with Vinny Appice that was named after himself, Dio. Dio would prove to be a very successful band and continue Dio’s legacy.

Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne had also decided to form a solo band when left Black Sabbath during the late 1970s, and he released Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman in the early 80s with his legendary guitarist, Randy Rhodes. Those albums are legendary heavy metal releases and are heavy metal classics to this day.



Apart from Dio and Osbourne, the important traditional heavy metal bands of the 1980s were Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Accept, W.A.S.P., and Mercyful Fate. Each of these bands blossomed during the 1980s and influenced countless other metal bands.

Accept helped to develop the speed metal subgenre and were notable as being one of the big early heavy metal bands to come from Germany.

W.A.S.P. was an important band that blurred the lines between shock rock and heavy metal, and they gained immense popularity.

Mercyful Fate influenced the development of numerous other heavy metal subgenres such as black metal, thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal. Furthermore, their iconic frontman, King Diamond, would become legendary among heavy metal fans for his impressive vocal range as well as his notorious solo career.



Traditional heavy metal declined during the 1990s. Many of the bands that were prominent throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s began to experience major line-up changes and break-ups. Furthermore, the quality of the material that the bands put out began to decline as well.

During the early 2000s, and continuing on to present day, many traditional heavy metal bands have had reunions of classic line-ups that have performed and put out new material together.

Some notable modern traditional heavy metal albums are Iron Maiden’s Final Frontier, Judas Priest’s Nostradamus, Heaven and Hell’s The Devil You Know, and King Diamond’s Give Me Your Soul…Please.

Recently, Black Sabbath announced that their original line-up would record a new album together for the first time since the 1970s. Traditional heavy metal is alive today, and remains a popular subgenre of heavy metal music.