Fake Subgenres

According to this blog, there are 47 subgenres of heavy metal. These are all of the common ways I’ve heard metal categorized throughout the many years I have spent discussing metal with my friends, peers and strangers on the internet. I have heard many uneducated individuals describe types of metal using incorrect categorizations, though. Subgenres such as rap metal, dark metal, shoegaze metal and pornogrind aren’t actually real categorizations and there are better ways to describe bands that seemingly fit into these fake subgenres.

“Rap metal” is a term that has been thrown around forever. Even critics in the 1990s used to describe metal bands that took influence from rap and hip-hop artists as “rap metal” groups. For a while, the subgenre seemed to be real. But since the 1990s, the term has kind of fizzled out. A lot of proclaimed rap metal bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More are now more frequently categorized as alternative metal. Meanwhile, other proclaimed rap metal bands, whose instrumental music fit in better with the nu metal scene, are just referred to as nu metal bands.

The truth about the “rap metal” term is that it just didn’t specifically describe the music being played well enough. Heavy metal has never been characterized or categorized by vocals alone. That’s why the term “rap metal” has not withstood the test of time. It’s still a term that tends to be thrown around haphazardly, but most proper critics and music analysts choose to ignore the rap metal categorization.

“Dark metal” is another fake subgenre. It’s a term that was created online by musicians who couldn’t figure out how to categorize their bands. Now it’s a term that is used to describe bands who either combine too many subgenres or who combine metal music with ambient passages. For the former group of bands, “experimental metal” is a more proper categorization, and for the latter, “dark ambient” is a better term to use. There is no need for the term “dark metal,” as it just comes off as a vague way to categorize underground metal bands.  

“Shoegaze metal” is a categorization that has appeared recently, due to the rise of black metal bands trying to include softer shoegaze passages in their music. “Shoegaze metal” is a term that might become legitimate soon, but for the time being the term “blackgaze” is a more appropriate way to describe these bands. Other types of metal combined with shoegaze should just be said to have “shoegaze influences.”

Finally, the term “pornogrind” isn’t real. It’s just used to describe goregrind bands with more over-the-top sexual lyrics. Variations of the words “grindcore” and “goregrind” are often created as jokes by metalheads to describe music of those subgenres. Like “pornogrind,” “crabcore” is another term that is used online more often than it should be. These categorizations should be ignored when used. 

There are many other fake heavy metal subgenres out there that people create on a whim. The fake subgenres mentioned above though are some of the most frequently used. “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” is an accurate subgenre encyclopedia that I hope people are able to refer to whenever they have any heavy metal categorization questions. 

Next week, the blog will change direction and focus more on my own individual rantings about the world of heavy metal. Stay tuned. :)