Harsh Metal

Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual transgression".

The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style associated with the speed metal, thrash metal, black metal, death metal, and doom metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. Hardcore punk has been considered an integral part of the development of extreme metal in song structure and speed, apart from the case of doom metal.

Definitions

Extreme metal acts set themselves apart from traditional heavy metal acts, such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead, by incorporating more abrasive musical characteristics such as higher tempos, increased aggression and a harsher extremity. In the majority of the world, extreme metal does not receive much radio-play or achieve high chart positions.

Extreme metal's sonic excess is characterized by high levels of distortion (also in the vocals – growling, gargling or screaming), less focus on guitar solos and melody, emphasis on technical control, and fast tempos (at times, more than 200 beats per minute). Its thematic transgression can be found in more overt and/or serious references to Satanism and the darker aspects of human existence that are considered out of bounds or distasteful, such as death, suicide and war.Julian Schaap and Pauwke Berkers. "Grunting Alone? Online Gender Inequality in Extreme Metal Music" in ''IASPM Journal''. Vol.4, no.1 (2014) p. 103 "Visual transgression an includenbsp;... medieval weaponry ndbloody/horrific artwork."

According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris,Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', Oxford: Berg, 2007, . the defining characteristics of extreme metal can all be regarded as clearly transgressive: the "extreme" traits noted above are all intended to violate or transgress given cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries. Kahn-Harris states that extreme metal can be "close to being ... formless noise", at least to the uninitiated listener. He states that with extreme metal lyrics, they often "offer no possibility of hope or redemption" and lyrics often reference apocalyptic themes. Extreme metal lyrics often describe Christianity as weak or submissive, and many songs express misanthropic views such as "kill every thing". A small number of extreme metal bands and song lyrics take radical (left or right) political stances; for example, the Swedish black metal band Marduk has commonly referenced the Nazi Panzer tanks, which can be seen in works such as ''Panzer Division Marduk'' (1999).

History

The English band Venom laid the foundations of extreme metal with their first two albums ''Welcome to Hell'' (1981) and ''Black Metal'' (1982). Part of the new wave of British heavy metal, they played a sped-up and stripped-down style, and used Satanic and occult imagery. Venom and early extreme metal bands were influenced by the speed, distortion and aggression of hardcore punk bands like Discharge, the Exploited and Amebix.

The first thrash metal bands were inspired by the likes of Venom, Motörhead, the new wave of British heavy metal and hardcore punk. In 1983, Metallica released their debut album ''Kill 'Em All'', which is seen as the first thrash metal record, and would eventually be certified triple platinum. A few months later, Slayer released their own thrash metal album ''Show No Mercy''. These were "landmark releases characterized by speed, aggression, and an austere seriousness".

Swedish band Bathory have been described as "the biggest inspiration for the Norwegian black metal movement of the early nineties". Their songs first appeared on the compilation ''Scandinavian Metal Attack'' in March 1984. Bathory's first and second albums respectively influenced black metal and death metal. Frontman Quorthon pioneered the shrieked vocals that later came to define black metal.

Swiss band Hellhammer made "truly raw and brutal music" which likewise influenced both black and death metal. They released three demos, and an EP in April 1984. Hellhammer then transformed into Celtic Frost and released their first album ''Morbid Tales'' that October. Celtic Frost were a major influence on all styles of extreme metal.

The German thrash metal bands Sodom, Kreator and Destruction "pushed the boundaries of extreme metal". Their first records '' In the Sign of Evil'' (1985), ''Endless Pain'' (1985) and ''Sentence of Death'' (1984) led the way for black metal and death metal bands.

In the United States, death metal was pioneered by the bands Possessed and Death. Possessed released the demo ''Death Metal'' in 1984 and their first record ''Seven Churches'' in November 1985. They have been described by music journalists and musicians as being "monumental" in developing the death metal style, or as being the first death metal band. Death also released a demo ''Death by Metal'' (under the name Mantas) in 1984. The band made a major impact in the emerging Florida death metal scene, and frontman Chuck Schuldiner has been credited as the "Father of Death Metal". Their debut album, ''Scream Bloody Gore'' (1987), has been described as "the first true death metal record".

The front cover of the Sarcófago's 1987 debut album, '' I.N.R.I.'', was a major influence on black metal's corpse paint style make-up. That record is also considered one of the first-wave black metal albums that helped shape the genre. Their second album, ''The Laws of Scourge'', was one of the first technical death metal records to be released.

List of genres

Primary genres

* Black metal
* Death metal
* Doom metal
* Speed metal
* Thrash metal

Subgenres of primary genres

* Subgenres of black metal
** Ambient black metal
** Folk black metal
** Industrial black metalRoel F., Interview with Treachery, ''Lords of Metal'' issue 87, December 2008

Access date: 3 December 2008.
**National Socialist black metal
** Post-black metal
*** Blackgaze
** Psychedelic black metal
** Raw black metal
** Symphonic black metal
**Unblack metal
* Subgenres of death metal
** Brutal death metal
*** Slam death metal
** Christian death metal
** Industrial death metal
** Melodic death metal
** Old school death metal
** Symphonic death metal
** Technical death metal
* Subgenres of doom metal
** Epic doom
** Traditional doom

Fusion genres

Fusions between primary genres

* Black-doom
** Depressive suicidal black metal
* Blackened death-doom
* Blackened death metal
** Melodic black-death
** War metalWolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: ''War Black Metal: Die Extremsten der Extremen''. ''Was bleibt, ist Schutt und Asche''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 279, p. 71-73.
* Blackened thrash metal
* Death-doomTracey, Ciaran (March 2006). "Doom/Death: United in Grief", ''Terrorizer'' #142, pp.54-55.
** Funeral doom
* Deathrash

Fusions with punk rock styles

* Crossover thrash
* Crust punk
** Blackened crust
*** Red and Anarchist black metal
** Crack rock steady
** Crustcore
** Neo crust
* Grindcore
** Blackened grindcore
** Deathgrind Lilker, Danny, ''Grind Your Mind: A History of Grindcore'' liner notes. Mayan Records, MYNDD056, 2007.
** ElectrogrindKevin Stewart-Panko, "Shock Tactics", "Grindcore Special", part 2, p. 52-53
** Goregrind
** Noisegrind
** Pornogrind
* Metalcore
** Deathcore
** Easycore
** Electronicore
** Mathcore
** Melodic metalcore
** Nintendocore
** Nu metalcore
** Progressive metalcore
* Sludge metal
** Sludgecore

Fusion with other rock styles

* Black 'n' roll
* Death 'n' roll
* Gothic-doom
* Progressive doom
* Stoner metal
** Desert rock

Fusions with other musical styles

* Drone metal
* Pagan metal Wiederhorn 2009, p. 62.
* Viking metal

Derivatives

Genres influenced by extreme metal but usually not considered extreme themselves:
* Avant-garde metal Christe, Ian (2004). '' Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal''. Harper Paperbacks. p
253
. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
* Beatdown hardcore, influenced by thrash metal;
* Dungeon synth, influenced by black metal;
* Funk metal, influenced by thrash metal;
* Gothic metal, influenced by death-doom and doom metal;
* Groove metal, influenced by thrash metal and death metal;
* Grunge, influenced by sludge metal and thrash metal;Strong, Catherine. ''Grunge: Music and Memory''. Routledge, 2016. p.18Henderson, Justin. ''Grunge: Seattle''. Roaring Forties Press, 2016. Ch. 5
* Hyperpop, influenced by metalcore;
* Neoclassical metal, influenced by speed metal and thrash metal;
* Nu metal, influenced by thrash metal;
* Post-metal, influenced by doom metal and later by black metal;
* Power metal, influenced by speed metal and thrash metal;
* Sass, influenced by grindcore and metalcore.

See also

* First-wave black metal

Notes

References

Notes

Further reading

*

External links

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Heavy metal genres
Musical subcultures
Underground culture