Thrash Metal Revival

During the 2000s, thrash metal experienced a revival of sorts. In the 1990s, the subgenre had died down a little to make way for newer, more extreme types of heavy metal. Many of the more mainstream thrash metal groups, such as Metallica and Megadeth, took on more of a hard rock approach in order to try to compete with grunge. Meanwhile, some thrash metal bands, such as Slayer, Testament and Exodus, stuck to their roots, but struggled to survive due to fans gaining more of an interest in new, heavier styles of metal.  Others groups like Destruction, Dark Angel, Vio-lence and Death Angel just couldn’t compete, so they disappeared entirely.

By the mid-2000s, thrash metal was cool again. Many fans had missed the passion of the music and longed to re-experience the mayhem that thrash metal brought to their youth, so new thrash metal bands started to emerge and old ones went back to their roots. Listed below are my ten favorite albums from the thrash metal revival movement. Take a look!

10. Death Angel - Killing Season

Death Angel was a really talented thrash metal band from the 1980s, but the band was always dragged down by the youth of its members. When Death Angel re-emerged in the 2000s after having broken up in the early 1990s, it sounded like a totally different band. The music was reminiscent of old Death Angel, but it was so much more mature. Weak link Mark Osgueda suddenly became one of the band’s biggest assets due the maturation in his voice. Killing Season has thus far been the highlight of Death Angel’s work since its reactivation, and is, in my opinion, the band's best album ever.

9. Megadeth - United Abominations

Megadeth has had three fantastic modern thrash metal albums: The System Has Failed, United Abominations and Endgame. My favorite is United Abominations. The album sounds really natural for Megadeth and is a great combination of the band’s work in the 1980s and the early 1990s. It’s a catchy thrash metal album that never tries too hard to impress its listeners. United Abominations is, in my opinion, the most underrated Megadeth.

8. Anthrax - Worship Music

Worship Music speaks for itself. Featuring the return of Joey Belladonna, the album sounds like Anthrax hasn’t missed a beat with its old singer. Worship Music is a great album by a band whose quality never suffered too much. Rob Caggiano did a great job producing the record too, and really motivated everyone to play their hearts out.

7. Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder

Warbringer is a newer thrash metal band that sounds like a combination of old-school Slayer and Exodus. This record is the band during its prime, and is heavy as hell. The band members all sound really pissed and it adds to the album’s intensity. That album opener, “Living Weapon,” is one of my favorite thrash metal songs ever. SO BRUTAL!

6. Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted

The Cavalera brothers didn’t play together for a long time after Max left Sepultura.  However, when the brothers finally reunited on Inflikted, all hell broke loose. This album features outstanding musicianship from everyone involved and is better than anything that modern day Sepultura has ever put out. If you’re a fan of Max Cavalera, even a little, this album is really worth listening to. It’s awesome!

5. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist 

Kreator has really done a good job at putting out memorable albums during the 2000s. The group’s most recent effort, Phantom Antichrist, is its best modern thrash metal album yet. The band still sounds great and will hopefully keep pummeling the ears of its fans for many years to come. Also, THAT ALBUM COVER IS FUCKING AWESOME! Look it up!

4. Battlecross - Pursuit of Honor

Battlecross is the newest band on this list. Pursuit of Honor combines thrash metal with melodic death metal in a way that has never been done before. Battlecross’ music is more passionate and exciting than the majority of heavy metal music that is coming out now. This album is worthy of all the praise it receives and should be checked out by thrash metal fans, as well as fans of groups such as At the Gates and Children of Bodom. Battlecross’ music does not disappoint.

3. Skeletonwitch - Beyond the Permafrost 

Hailing from Athens, Ohio, Skeletonwitch is one of the best modern thrash metal bands around. The group combines thrash metal and black metal in a way that no other group can emulate. The band's live performances are outstanding and the music is empowering. Beyond the Permafrost has become the group’s classic record, and it is one that many metalheads will surely be listening to for decades to come. 

2. Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition

Exodus has done a brilliant job of refining its sound in the 2000s. Gary Holt’s songwriting abilities are incredible, and each song on this album is really memorable. Exodus is still creating classics, and it is evident with this record, which was released only three years ago. The band still sounds so youthful and alive even though the members have aged significantly. Singer Rob Dukes is doing a phenomenal job of filling massive shoes, and he has really helped to give this band new life. Exodus is one of the few old thrash metal bands that is currently putting out records that are better than some of its old work from the 1980s. Exhibit B: The Human Condition is incredible, and is a modern thrash metal masterpiece. 

1. Overkill - Ironbound

Overkill is unbelievable. This band is always so overlooked, despite the fact that it's one of the best thrash metal bands around. Overkill combines old school speed metal with thrash metal, and has been creating some of the most exciting, fast metal albums of the last decade. Ironbound is my favorite recent Overkill record, but the last three have all really been phenomenal, and are better than most of the rest of the albums on this list. Ironbound is a memorable record from top to bottom and is a must-hear album for every metalhead.

Metal Reunions That Should Be On Your Radar

There are some really cool heavy metal reunions going on right now, and I thought this week would be a great time to discuss some of them. These are the top five heavy metal reunions that you should be paying attention to:

1       Emperor 
Emperor is one of the most important black metal bands of all time. Formed in 1991, these guys defined symphonic black metal, and helped pioneer black metal in Norway. They were very much a part of the church burning movement in Norway in the 1990s, with a few of the band’s seminal members being a arrested and sent to jail for various crimes, including murder.

Emperor has recently reformed in order to commemorate the release of its classic debut album, In the Nightside Eclipse. The band will be performing the album in its entirety at several festival shows. Though the band leader, Ihsahn, seems to be more focused on his highly successful solo career, there is still a chance the band might continue to release new material. Even if they don’t, these shows will go down as a part of heavy metal history, and may possibly be the last chance for metalheads to witness Emperor’s glory.

2      The Haunted
Everyone is always raving about how important At the Gates was, but the other baby of the Bjorler brothers has always been a powerful force in heavy metal as well. The Haunted formed in 1996 after the demise of At the Gates, and the band put out several thrash metal albums that were very successful throughout Europe, though the band always maintained a small following in the US as well. The band's lineup has shifted constantly throughout the years, but Anders Bjorler, Jonas Bjorler and Patrik Jensen have appeared on all of the band’s records…until now.

In 2012, Anders left the group following the departures of the band’s vocalist and drummer. Jonas and Jensen remained committed to the band’s future even though fans couldn’t see one with the band having already lost so many members all within the same year. This year, after a period of inactivity, Jensen announced the band’s return with a new guitarist, alongside Adrian Erlandson, who founded the band and was the drummer on the band’s debut album, and Marco Aro, who was the band’s most acclaimed vocalist and played on their second and third records. With such a great new lineup, and with the departure of Anders, who may have been behind the disaster that was Unseen, the band’s future looks brighter than it has in a long, long time.

3        Sanctuary
No one expected Sanctuary to reform. Warrel Dane and Jim Sheppard were so preoccupied with Nevermore, and received such acclaim with the band, that no one ever demanded a Sanctuary reunion. But now that Nevermore is gone, Sanctuary’s reunion has grown ever more exciting.

Sanctuary formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1992, only to reunite 18 years later in 2010. Sanctuary put out two legendary heavy metal records during its career that combined thrash metal and power metal. The band is currently working on its third record that will serve as the comeback. With Nevermore gone, fans are dying to hear what Dane and his crew have up their sleeves. The new album should be out sometime in late 2013 or early 2014.

4       Dog Fashion Disco
Majorly influenced by Mike Patton’s Mr. Bungle, Dog Fashion Disco appeared on the scene in 1995 and quickly established a cult following (including yours truly). The band put out six albums during its initial run--the first three were released independently, and the last three were released on major labels. The group never quite got as popular as it should have, despite the band’s unique style of music, which was a form of avant-garde metal that involved combining heavy metal with psychedelic rock, jazz, lounge music and circus music. Dog Fashion Disco broke up in 2007, with band members going on to form obscure groups such as Polkadot Cadaver, Knives Out!, El Creepo and Celebrity Sex Scandal.

After reuniting in its hometown to do some reunion shows for a few consecutive years, the band officially announced that it were back together for good only a couple of weeks ago. The band plans to release irs comeback record, Sweet Nothings, in the spring of 2014. Back in the day, Dog Fashion Disco was known for one song, which featured Serj Tankian, and for touring with some of metal’s most successful contemporary acts. Now that the group is back together, hopefully it can gain even a bigger fanbase, for the band's unusual style of music certainly deserves to be heard. 

5       System of a Down
Everyone knows System of a Down. The band released very famous metal songs including “Chop Suey!,” “Toxicity,” “B.Y.O.B.” and “Lonely Day,” and was nominated for several Grammy awards (and they even won one) during their initial run. The band reunited in 2011 to the excitement of many fans. So why am I bringing them up now?

The band has not released an album since its reunion and fans are getting anxious. This year most of the band members have shown their excitement to put out new music as well, but they are being held up by vocalist Serj Tankian. Tankian has had a successful solo career, and after releasing two albums this year, one can only hope that System has big plans for 2014. The world needs System of a Down, and hopefully they will blow us all away with album number six!

Quit While You're Ahead

Recently on ACRN.com, we wrote a collaborative feature article about bands that should have quit while they were ahead. This week I’ve decided to write a metal version of that article.

To narrow it down to five choices, I eliminated all extraordinarily legendary bands and artists who should stay around even if it’s just for nostalgia’s sake. For example, even though Megadeth’s last few albums have been weak, they are such a renowned act that I couldn’t possibly put them on the list. Plus, they really only play a couple of their newer songs live, and are worth seeing just to hear the classics. 

I also eliminated any bands from the list that I really felt could bounce back. For example, Bullet for My Valentine seemed like an obvious choice for the list, since their last album was abysmal. However, all of their albums before it were relatively good, so I have to assume that the last record was a misstep. 

Additionally, the list below is fairly mainstream for a reason. I didn’t want my readers to have to look up every band on the list. That would be too much work. 

Now, without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my list:

1.       Avenged Sevenfold

When The Rev passed away, that should have been it for Avenged Sevenfold. The Rev was a good drummer, but his greatest contribution to the band was through his songwriting abilities. Sure, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates have proven themselves to be pretty good songwriters, but The Rev’s songs were always special treasures on each Avenged Sevenfold record. He wrote some of the band’s most creative and exciting songs, such as “Chapter Four,” “Almost Easy,” “Afterlife,” “A Little Piece of Heaven,” “Welcome to the Family” and “Fiction.” Even though M. Shadows’ songs were usually bigger hits (“Unholy Confessions” and “Beast and the Harlot”), The Rev’s songs were usually those that added depth to the band’s records. The Rev was never afraid to experiment and those experimentations almost always paid off in a big way for the band. The Rev’s songwriting, drumming, and backing vocals were essential to what made Avenged Sevenfold such a special metal group. The band’s newest album, Hail to the King, is evidence that the band faces a hard road ahead without The Rev. Personally, I think they should just give up now or at least change their name to preserve the legacy of those fantastic first five records.

 

2.      Korn

I haven’t seen a metal band struggle this much with identity confusion since Metallica popped (or should I say “pooped”) out St. Anger. I was one of the few people who actually dug Korn’s experimentation with dubstep, but then again I also enjoyed St. Anger to a degree. Still, Korn is a band that keeps needing to re-examine itself. The group did so successfully with Korn III: Remember Who You Are, after a spree of lackluster albums. Now the group needs to do so yet again because the band’s newest record, The Paradigm Shift, just sounds like a mess. Its combination of sounds and styles isn’t original. It’s just confusing and upsetting for longtime fans of the band. The band had some incredible early albums, but it might be time that the band members took a little break to explore their musical side interests without having them leak into Korn records. Then they could come back and play their older material again, and everyone would be happy.

3.      Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage basically invented melodic metalcore with its first four albums. The band was a monumental influence on so many bands that came after it. But now they are starting to lose their momentum. The band’s fifth album was a mess in so many ways, with melodies that made fans shudder and breakdowns that were much weaker than usual. Then Howard Jones left the band, and the group’s old singer, Jesse Leach, returned. Leach brought some energy and excitement back into the band, but the group’s newest album just sounds like a repeat of everything else it has done. Killswitch Engage had a good run, but they are running out of ideas, and it has become brutally obvious. Killswitch Engage isn’t going to be gaining many new fans nowadays, and no one is really talking about them anymore. Their style is becoming stale and dated, and it’s time for them to disappear for a little while, so they can preserve the integrity of a pretty memorable legacy of records.   

4.       In Flames

I have a difficult time talking about In Flames. I worship their first five records, and consider them to be some of melodic death metal’s finest achievements. However, with the change in style that first appeared on Reroute to Remain, the quality of the band’s music began to decline. I understand the band’s actions, though. They wanted a more mainstream American audience so they ditched the melodic death metal style in favor of a more alternative metal-based one. That would have been fine by me as long as the band didn’t stick with it for too long. Unfortunately, the band put out four alternative metal records, only one of which (Come Clarity) is worth listening to all the way through. Finally, in 2011, the band decided to acknowledge its melodic death metal fans again with Sounds of a Playground Fading, but the album is far from perfect. Anders Friden’s clean vocals are still pretty awful, and they take up most of the album. Plus, the electronic moments are weird and unwelcome. Fans of In Flames have been begging for a good, traditional melodic death metal record from their heroes. The band’s alternative metal output isn’t going to get better than Come Clarity, and if the band can’t do what its fans are requesting, then maybe it should just disband altogether. Jesper Stromblad at least knew when enough was enough. If only it was more obvious to the rest of the band members. 

5.      Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie’s stage shows are still phenomenal, however his music just isn’t. His best musical years are far behind him, and even though his new record was decent, he’s probably never going to put out another classic metal song again. If Zombie played some old tunes from his White Zombie days alongside songs from his first two solo records, fans would be very happy. He doesn’t even have to tour that often. He could just keep making movies (which he is clearly very good at), and whenever he’s in the mood, he could embark on a short tour playing his old music. That plan sounds much better than releasing an okay album every three to four years and regularly touring behind songs that don’t have much spark behind them. Zombie should just stop making records. He has enough great songs and is just ruining their legacy by continuing to make more. 

The Djent Controversy

As some readers may remember, I mentioned the controversy associated with the subgenre of heavy metal called djent in the previous post characterizing it. In this post, I’d like to talk about that controversy in more detail because it seems to be an issue that is still heavy debated.

Many critics, musicians and fans think that bands associated with djent should just be called "progressive metal bands" due to the strong similarities between the subgenres. Djent bands for the most part get their classification because of the palm-muted guitar tone associated with their music. 

One of the members of the metal band Rosetta once said, “Maybe we should just call doom metal ‘DUNNN,’” and he has a point. Why should a subgenre be as musically specific as djent? Why can’t it all be called “progressive metal” since the music certainly falls into its musical family?

When Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor started the djent craze, he never meant for it to catch on. It was more of a joke between him and his bandmates. Mansoor doesn’t try and disassociate his band from the djent scene, and is happy to be categorized into that subgenre. However, he doesn’t think of Periphery as a djent band--he considers them to just be progressive metal.

Many bands have jumped into the djent niche head first, trying to get associated with the tight-knit scene. For example, Born of Osiris, who has now become a very popular band in the djent scene, was initially a deathcore band. Their desire to be more technical and the emergence of the scene influenced them to dabble in the music as well. Since then, they have become much more successful with the stylistic switch.

Some bands just got accidentally lumped into the scene. Animals as Leaders just wanted to be an instrumental progressive metal band. From the very beginning, their influence from Meshuggah was apparent, and their production was abnormally clean. Therefore, they got associated with the scene, and they never made an attempt to really break away. Frontman Tosin Abasi acknowledges that he does not strive to be a part of the djent scene, but doesn’t mind being a part of it anyway. Still, Animals as Leaders’ most recent album shows stylistically that the band is trying to appease fans of the subgenre.

The question now becomes: is djent a subgenre or a niche? The honest answer is: no one knows. Personally, I consider it to be a subgenre. It’s a style of music that is distinct, and the differences between progressive metal and djent just mount as time goes on. 

The scenes are also completely different. No one ever sees a fan of Periphery going to a Fates Warning concert. It just doesn’t happen, even though they both fall in the progressive family. Part of the reason why that happens is probably because the musical styles have recently become more separated. Djent is undeniably progressive, but its distinct production qualities, guitar tones, reliance on polyrhythm and usage of computerized sounds make djent a totally different subgenre of music than progressive metal.

The issue can be debated on and on, but djent has proven itself to be a distinct style of music over the past five years. It’s not a bad subgenre, either. There is definitely some musical merit to it, and the technical playing of these new musicians is incredible. Djent is a subgenre that I feel is more than welcome in the heavy genre, as long as people continue to enjoy it.

The Dismal Current State of Mainstream Heavy Metal

Is there anyone we can rely on to put out a good mainstream heavy metal album anymore? I’m serious. Mainstream heavy metal is in some major trouble and in desperate need of new blood. Let’s take a quick look at some of the genre’s most popular bands, and see what the hell is going on with them.

 

Metallica: The most popular metal band to have ever existed just put out a 3D movie no one asked for. Metalheads can’t even rely on Metallica to put out a good record anymore. Just when the band had finally slightly redeemed itself with Death Magnetic, they put out Lulu. Now all hopes and expectations are out the window.

Megadeth: Really guys? Super Collider? That record speaks for itself. It’s a piece of trash. I want United Abominations and Endgame Megadeth back.

Slayer: Fans probably would have accepted the band with Gary Holt just permanently replacing Hanneman, but getting rid of Dave Lombardo was too much of a slap in the face for Slayer fans. Lombardo is essential to the band, and without him and Hanneman, what hope does Slayer have of putting out a decent record?

Black Sabbath: Without Bill Ward the band just feels incomplete. The newest record is still good, but something is missing, and I think many other metalheads will agree with me on that point.

Sepultura: REUNITE WITH THE CAVALERA BROTHERS ALREADY! This is getting ridiculous. 

Slipknot: The world could really use Slipknot, but Corey Taylor is holding his crew back from putting out the comeback record that fans are all dying to listen to. The motivation for the record is there for everyone but him, and it’s driving listeners insane. System of a Down is experiencing something very similar with Serj Tankian’s lack of desire to fully recommit to the band, despite the excitement of the rest of his bandmates. 

And those are just examples of what’s wrong with some of the active bands. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are taking a really long time to release new stuff. 

 

Meanwhile, you have heavy metal icons such as Phil Anselmo, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie trying to get back in the game, but still coming short of reclaiming past glory.

Taking a look at newer popular heavy metal groups, Avenged Sevenfold basically just released a covers album, Device sounds exactly like Disturbed, Hellyeah has never released an original record, and really Stone Sour? That’s your attempt at rejuvenating heavy metal? Your last double album was good, but not nearly as exciting as promised. 

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten Five Finger Death Punch, who hasn’t released a memorable record since the debut, yet is still managing to get major headlining gigs. Then there’s Trivium, who wrote a tribute record to Metallica a while back and now seems to be doing so for Disturbed, further tarnishing their good reputation.

At least mainstream heavy metal has Anthrax, though, right? The band's last album was pretty great. Hopefully Rob Caggiano wasn’t the only one keeping them in check. 

Look, I’m not trying to just shamelessly bash popular heavy metal groups. What I’m trying to point out is that a lot of metal’s most beloved bands are lowering their standards and not thinking out their records. It’s easy to have fun and put out a metal album. It’s hard to put out a record that is of high quality, and it’s even harder to put out one that sounds original. 

I think with fame a lot of bands have become lazier and/or less inspired. Megadeth’s new album is a good example of both of those characteristics. Super Collider sounds like an album made by a band going through the motions, and that’s just not alright. I have a lot of respect for bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Tool, who are bands that collectively took a step back when they didn’t feel motivated. Taking a break to explore other musical outlets can sometimes be exactly what a band needs in order to sound fresh again. 

Deftones is a great example of a band that is just always out to impress their fans, no matter how famous they get. They threw out an entire album because they felt they had a bigger statement to make. They followed their artistic vision and look at how that turned out. Diamond Eyes was incredible, and worthy of the praise it received. 

Some of these famous bands, such as Avenged Sevenfold and Trivium, just have no idea where to go. They lack direction, and a directionless band can never and will never be able to put out a memorable record. These groups either need some fresh blood, a producer to give them direction (who isn’t David Draiman) or maybe just a break.

It’s also not alright to keep rehashing the same album. The only metal band who can do that and still be accepted by both critics and their fans is Mötorhead, but they've earned that right.

I think what heavy metal really needs is some new blood. There are a lot of exciting new things happening in the heavy metal underground, but nothing is happening in the heavy metal mainstream. There hasn’t been a new hugely successful metal band since Avenged Sevenfold. To clarify, I’m not talking about the Lamb of God and Machine Head level of success. I’m not even talking about super cool, "scene" Asking Alexandria success. I’m talking about rock star success. The kind of success that allows people to include “Synyster Gates” and “Slash” in the same sentence. 

I think the world needs a new figurative Slipknot. When Slipknot came onto the scene, people freaked out. The group had nine members, chaotic live shows unlike anything else and had music that balanced aggression with exciting creativity. In other words, people need mainstream metal that sounds fresh and hasn’t been done before. 

Kudos to Ghost for trying, but the over-the-top-Satanic band just doesn’t have the exciting music to coincide with the cool gimmick. They will never be as big as they could be because of that, even if it is nice to hear Blue Oyster Cult-influenced metal suddenly get a little bit more popular again. 

Heavy metal needs a band that can get the masses freaking out again. A new boundary needs to be broken. A new anger needs to be unleashed. A new group needs to step up, and just take the world by storm. 

The question now is, how much longer will it take for this new band to appear? With the music industry constantly evolving and heavy metal becoming more and more multi-dimensional, one can only hope that the next big thing in heavy metal is only a couple of years away. Until then, the wait might be difficult with releases like this:

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. :)

Other Subgenres

The final subgenres that have not been discussed on "Into the Pit: A Metal Blog" are more specific classifications of heavy metal, with most of them being particular types of death metal and black metal. These styles are not worthy of having their own posts, but are important nonetheless.

This will be the blog’s last post discussing official heavy metal subgenres. Next week’s blog post will conclude our discussion about heavy metal subgenres, and will talk about fake subgenres and false classifications of heavy metal that are technically incorrect. All subsequent posts on "Into the Pit: A Metal Blog" will be about miscellaneous heavy metal topics, including current trends in the genre, exciting new releases and heavy metal news. We will also look to the past to discuss some underrated pioneers of heavy metal, some of which are still overlooked.

Now, without further ado, here are the final subgenres of heavy metal!

1        Technical death metal. This subgenre describes death metal that contains complex song structures, unusual rhythms and progressive tendencies. Technical death metal bands rely on sophisticated songwriting and irregular time signatures in order to leave their mark on heavy metal history. Some pioneers of the subgenre include Death, Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence and Suffocation. Modern examples include Decapitated, Decrepit Birth, Aeon, The Faceless, Nile and Obscura.

2        Brutal death metal. This is the most extreme type of death metal, focusing on speed, technicality and brutality. The music in this subgenre is always very fast and features extreme guttural vocals, grunts and even pig squeals. Bands who have proudly earned this classification include Dying Fetus, Devourment, Krisiun and Cerebral Bore.

 

3        Progressive death metal. Bands of this subgenre are even more progressive than those in technical death metal. These groups take direct influences from progressive rock music, but add a death metal twist to the genre. Two of the best examples of progressive death metal are Opeth and Edge of Sanity, as they both have almost exclusively played the style of music throughout their existence. 

4        Progressive black metal. Black metal bands that have more progressive tendencies are often given this classification. The direct correlation between the subgenre and progressive rock isn’t always clear, and the progressive black metal classification is often just given to bands who experiment within the scope of black metal. Bands/artists such as Weakling, Wolves in the Throne Room, Krallice, Nachtmystium and Ihsahn are frequently given the progressive black metal label.

5        Death/doom. This subgenre is exactly as its name describes. Death/doom is the combination of death metal and doom metal. It’s very melancholic and dark, but also heavy, featuring growled vocals and double-kick drumming. Bands of this subgenre include Paradise Lost, Anathema, My Dying Bride, Swallow the Sun and Novembers Doom.

            Funeral doom. This subgenre of metal is for the gloomiest of listeners. It is a cross between death/doom and funeral dirge music. Ambiance and atmosphere are very important to this style of music, as it is solely focused on death and despair. The music is very slow and features heavily distorted guitars. Vocals are varied, but are often shrieked, growled and horrifyingly screamed. Examples of funeral doom bands include Esoteric, Evoken and Thergothon.  

7        Symphonic black metal. This subgenre combines black metal with symphonic and orchestral elements, and is very popular. Orchestral instrumentation is expected in the subgenre, but sometimes just the addition of a keyboard player can earn a band the classification. The style sticks to normal black metal conventions, but the added instrumentation gives the music a grander, epic sound. Popular bands within the subgenre include Emperor, Dimmu Borigr, Chthonic, Cradle of Filth and Abigail Williams.

8        Symphonic death metal. This is similar to symphonic black metal, but with death metal elements replacing the black metal ones. The song structures are similar to those found in death metal, but the symphonic metal instrumentation makes the music sound more progressive. Symphonic death metal isn’t a commonly practiced subgenre, but the bands that play the style have become significantly successful. Septicflesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse are two of the most well known symphonic death metal bands.