Metal Declassified
January 30, 2007 by Jo Minor
This crushing and controversial style of music has been given a popularity boost this year, thanks to the release of the DVD documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey - but to the people living on the outside of the Metal circle, the documentary and what it proposes brings up more questions than answers.
The segment of the DVD that explains the different styles of Metal would be perceived by many Metal fans as being sketchy at best - even though it would be unfair to assume that so much historical fact could be fitted onto a single documentary. The segment would also be too complicated for those still new to the genre or wish to learn more about it, and it would take a considerable amount of time to educate the viewers as well.
Here is a brief guide to the different styles of Metal for beginners.
Black Metal
The scary sibling of Metal, Black Metal has its roots planted firmly in the frozen lands of Norway. Black Metal is can be broken down to the Extreme or Melodic sub-genres, and generally utilizes the use of keyboards and complex orchestral arrangements for atmospheric effects. Controversies and brutal suicides aside, Black Metal is perhaps the most versatile of all styles of Metal, with their frequent use of classical music and Traditional Metal elements. Bands include Emperor, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Dark Funeral and Immortal.
Thrash Metal
Arguably the heaviest and fastest of the bunch, Thrash Metal sprang from the West Coast of the United States, and from Germany, in the early 80s - thanks to such acts like Slayer, Exodus, Megadeth and Metallica from the US and German bands Kreator, Destruction and Sodom. Thrash Metal emphasizes on the speed and catchiness of guitar riffs, and employs the use of lightning-fast double bass drums. Not as versatile and complex as some other forms of Metal, but is loved for being a pleasant reminder of the early days of Heavy Metal.
Death Metal
Bloody and technical, Death Metal is split in half by its equally popular Brutal and Melodic sub-genres. One of the signatures of Death Metal is the use of growling vocals and palm-muted guitar melodies. Brutal Death is popularized by American bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Death and Nile; and their Melodic Death counterparts are mostly Swedish with bands like In Flames, Opeth, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity making a name worldwide. The roots of Death Metal can be traced back to the heydays of Black Sabbath.
Power Metal
Power Metal bands are often technical and play at hyper-speeds, and more often than not flaunt their technical skills with instrumental sections within their songs. Influenced heavily by legends of Heavy Metal Iron Maiden, Power Metal bands focus on speedy chord changes and powerful vocal performances as well - and tend to use folklore and fictional work for their musical inspiration. Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray and Iced Earth are some better known Power Metal bands.
Traditional Metal
Traditional Metal bands are influenced by rock ‘n roll just as much as they are influenced by genre-defining Metal bands. As the music of Metal diversifies and transcends borders, not many bands can claim to be Traditional Metal bands - but those who still remain in the business today are the ones who laid out the pillars for the Metal bands of the future. Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Motorhead and Judas Priest are the best examples of groundbreaking Traditional Metal bands.
Doom Metal
As slow as it is painful, even for many Metal fans, Doom Metal is a niche sub-genre of Metal that requires a significant amount of acquired taste for it. Doom Metal songs are set at slower speeds than songs from the other styles of Metal, thus creating a gloomy atmosphere. They owe much of their roots to Black Sabbath, the band that indirectly spawned the groundwork for Thrash Metal and Death Metal as well. My Dying Bride and Anathema are some better known Doom Metal bands.
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
