FACTOID # 52: In Botswana, more than one in three adults aged 15-49 are infected with HIV/AIDS.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

Encyclopedia > Alternative metal
Alternative metal
Stylistic origins: Alternative rock
Grunge
Heavy metal
Hard rock
Cultural origins: mid - late 1980s, United States
Typical instruments: Guitar - Bass - Drums
Mainstream popularity: Some in early 1990s.
Derivative forms: Nu metal
Subgenres
Funk metalIndustrial metal
Other topics
ArtistsDIY ethicGrunge musicIndependent musicLollapaloozaProgressive music

Alternative metal is an eclectic form of music that gained popularity in the early 1990s alongside grunge. In many instances, it can be accurately described as a fusion of heavy metal and alternative rock. It is characterized by some heavy metal trappings (most notably heavy riffs), but usually with a pronounced experimental edge, including unconventional lyrics, odd time signatures, unusual technique, a resistance to conventional approaches to heavy music and an incorporation of a wide range of influences outside of the metal music scene. Alternative music redirects here. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set - the latter an old-fashioned term) is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a sole percussionist (drummer), usually for jazz, rock, or other types of contemporary music. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Nu metal (also called aggro metal, or nü metal using the traditional heavy metal umlaut) is a musical genre that has origins in the mid 1990s. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music[1] or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... Funk metal is a type of music that incorporates hard-driving heavy metal guitar riffs and the pounding bass rhythms characteristic of funk. ... Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws elements from industrial music and heavy metal music. ... . ... The DIY ethic (do it yourself ethic) refers to the ethic of being self-reliant and doing things yourself as opposed to paying others to do it. ... Grunge redirects here. ... In popular music, indie music (from independent) is any of a number of genres, scenes, subcultures and stylistic and cultural attributes, characterised by perceived independence from commercial pop music and mainstream culture and an autonomous, do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. ... Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring rock, alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. ... Progressive music is the name given to a certain approach to musical composition that has been applied to several different music genres. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Grunge redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Look up lyrics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, eighth note and so on) constitutes one beat. ...

Contents

Overview

The term is used as a very loose categorization, but is usually used to describe artists playing a style of rock music which is considered either a unique approach to heavy music, normally not based in heavy metal, or difficult to define as strictly metal or alternative.


Heavy metal is an essential component of the music, but it was very different from the thrash underground of the 1980s. Initially alternative metal appealed mainly to alternative rock fans since virtually all 80s alt-metal bands had their roots in the American Rock underground scene. Alt-metal bands commonly emerged from hardcore punk (Corrosion of Conformity), post-punk/gothic rock, noise rock such as the "pigfuck" sound of Big Black and Sonic Youth along with others such as Helmet and White Zombie, grunge (Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bush, Soundgarden), industrial music (Ministry, Nine Inch Nails), and other movements in the indie underground scene, although it was not uncommon for bands to incorporate a wide variety of influences (such as Soundgarden, who lists Led Zeppelin and the Butthole Surfers as major influences). These bands never formed a distinct movement or scene; rather they were bound by their incorporation of traditional metal influences and openness to experimenting with the form, usually by way of their eclectic influences and uncommon approaches. For example, Jane's Addiction utilized performance art and a bohemian aesthetic, Corrosion of Conformity, The Melvins and the now defunct grunge band Soundgarden had a fondness for subverting '70s metal, and Faith No More injected funk and rap music into their brand of alternative metal, while Primus incorporates an obscure Residents-esque touch in their form of the genre. Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by the high speed and aggression. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Hardcore punk, now commonly known as hardcore, is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s. ... Corrosion of Conformity is an American heavy metal band. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of rock music that originated during the late 1970s. ... Lightning Bolt Live at the Southgate House 2005. ... Big Black was a noise rock band founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that was active between 1982 and 1987. ... Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981. ... A person wearing a helmet. ... White Zombie is the name of: White Zombie (film), a 1932 film about zombies starring Bela Lugosi. ... Grunge redirects here. ... This article is about the grunge band. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... This article is about the rock group. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Soundgarden was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. ... It has been suggested that Chicago Industrial be merged into this article or section. ... Ministry is an influential, Grammy-nominated American industrial metal band founded by frontman Al Jourgensen in 1981. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... The Butthole Surfers are an American rock band founded in 1981 by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas. ... This article is about Performance art. ... For other uses, see Bohemian (disambiguation). ... The Melvins are an American rock band/ metal band that usually perform as a trio. ... Grunge redirects here. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Hip hop music is a style of popular music. ... For other uses, see Primus. ... For other uses, see Resident. ...


The grunge movement of the early 1990s helped increase the audience for such bands, and these artists were as comfortable playing to alternative rock fans on various Lollapalooza line-ups (itself founded by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell) as they were opening for metal bands like Metallica. With the changing of the musical landscape by the popular breakthrough of alternative rock, "alternative metal" became a new phrase used to describe bands in the early 1990s who managed to make relevant era music that, as metal historian Ian Christe states, was "heavy without necessarily being metal". Newer bands emerged in this era with their distinctive takes on metal: Nine Inch Nails and Ministry started the industrial wave, combining punk-influenced electronic music and heavy guitars, Tool immersed itself in progressive rock influences, Rage Against the Machine was as informed by hip hop and post-punk agitprop such as Gang of Four as it was by metal, and Helmet molded a background in jazz and noise-rock/post-hardcore influences into a highly influential strand of intense rock music. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring rock, alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. ... Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein in New York City on March 29, 1959) is a musician who, as the frontman of Janes Addiction, was one of the pioneers of alternative rock. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Ian Christe (born 1970 in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland) is a writer. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Ministry is an influential, Grammy-nominated American industrial metal band founded by frontman Al Jourgensen in 1981. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... Tool is a Grammy-award winning American rock band, formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Rage Against the Machine (also Rage and RATM) is an American rock band, noted for their blend of hip hop, heavy metal, punk and funk as well as their revolutionary politics and lyrics. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... Agitprop poster by Vladimir Mayakovsky. ... Gang of Four is an English post-punk group from Leeds. ... Helmet is an American Post-Hardcore band formed in New York City by Page Hamilton (vocals/guitar) with Henry Bogdan (bass), Peter Mengede (guitar) and John Stanier (drums) in 1989. ...


As the 90s progressed, alternative metal's sound became more standardized as newer bands drew inspiration for the same collective set of influences that included Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Nine Inch Nails, and Helmet. Korn in particular, with its downtuned riffs and aggressive dissonance, created the sonic template for this new movement, which became known as nu metal. The chief characteristics separating nu metal from alternative metal, aside from the somewhat homogeneous sound, are its tenuous (or even non-existent) connection to the underground rock scene and the ethos that informed the musical approaches of alternative metal bands, as well as the reluctancy of most alternative metal bands to explicitly align themselves under the heavy metal banner. This article is about the band. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... A person wearing a helmet. ... Nu metal (also called aggro metal, or nü metal using the traditional heavy metal umlaut) is a musical genre that has origins in the mid 1990s. ...


Subgenres and derivative forms

As the term alternative metal is used to refer to bands with a unifying characteristic despite their tendency towards different sounds, subgenres of alternative metal were assigned to bands who adopted similar styles. These labels were often nearly as vague as the term alternative metal itself, but gained use in common parlance to distinguish between bands having different influences within the broader genre.


Funk metal

Main article: Funk metal

Bands who fused funk and heavy metal styles were referred to as funk metal. These bands, who most often also drew upon hip hop and punk as influences, started cropping up in the mid-80s. Extreme, who were influenced by the era's focus on glam metal, lost popularity when public focus changed to grittier music and appearance. However, this did not diminish the growing popularity of the style's instigators, such as Faith No More (formed 1982) or Red Hot Chili Peppers (formed 1983). These are generally considered the first alternative metal bands. Primus and Incubus are other popular funk metal bands. Funk metal continued to grow in popularity until the 90s, when its final popular act, Rage Against the Machine would become one of the biggest influences on nu metal. Funk metal is a type of music that incorporates hard-driving heavy metal guitar riffs and the pounding bass rhythms characteristic of funk. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Extreme was an American Hard rock band that achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... FNM redirects here. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. ... For other uses, see Primus. ... Incubus is a five-piece American alternative rock band based out of Calabasas, California. ... Rage Against the Machine (also Rage and RATM) is an American rock band, noted for their blend of hip hop, heavy metal, punk and funk as well as their revolutionary politics and lyrics. ...


Industrial metal

Main article: Industrial metal

Industrial metal was another substyle that came into being in the 80s. Industrial band Ministry are generally credited with starting the style by incorporating hard guitars on their 1988 album The Land of Rape and Honey. Within a year, the style was found all over the world. KMFDM also started using metal guitars and departed from their electronic-industrial roots, and the goth scene spawned a range of acts who, following Ministry's lead, fused their gothic rock, punk rock, heavy metal and industrial tendencies to solidify the genre. Marilyn Manson, who were influenced by KMFDM and Nine Inch Nails, became one of the world's most controversial alternative metal artists and achieved huge success in the 1990s. Fear Factory, an industrial death metal band, formed in 1990 and became a staple influence on nu metal. The style is the most surviving of alternative metal, particularly in Germany, with bands like Rammstein, Oomph! and Megaherz leading a still-thriving scene. Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws elements from industrial music and heavy metal music. ... Ministry is an influential, Grammy-nominated American industrial metal band founded by frontman Al Jourgensen in 1981. ... The Land of Rape and Honey is an album by the industrial metal band Ministry. ... KMFDM is an industrial rock band and the brainchild of founding member Sascha Konietzko. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... This article is about the late 20th / early 21st century subculture. ... Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of rock music that originated during the late 1970s. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... Marilyn Manson is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Fear Factory is a Los Angeles, California based metal band. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... For other uses, see Ramstein. ... OOMPH! is a German crossover group. ... For the unit of frequency, see megahertz. ...


Nu metal

Main article: Nu metal

Beginning in the mid-nineties, bands such as Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Linkin Park, P.O.D. and Korn took influences from the more popular alternative metal artists as well as grunge, groove metal and hip hop and derived a genre known as nu metal. Nu metal was less a fusion of alternative rock and heavy metal, and more a distinct metal genre itself with much more uniformity within the sound and its own distinct scene. Nu metal (also called aggro metal, or nü metal using the traditional heavy metal umlaut) is a musical genre that has origins in the mid 1990s. ... Limp Bizkit (alternately written as limpbizkit) is a nu metal and rapcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. ... Slipknot (sometimes typeset as SlipKnoT to fit their logo) is a Grammy winning American metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. ... Linkin Park is a rock band from Agoura Hills, California. ... This article is about the California metal band. ... This article is about the band. ... Grunge redirects here. ... Groove metal, often associated with half-thrash/neo-thrash/nu-thrash/post-thrash and power groove, is a term sometimes used to describe a derivative of thrash metal which took its current form during the early 1990s. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ...


Other styles

Alternative metal bands sometimes also had a basis in gothic rock (it is important to note, however, that gothic rock-alternative metal bands are entirely separate from the metal subgenre gothic metal). Other styles include post-punk, indie rock, noise rock and grunge. These bands, however, were all from a specifically alternative rock background, and so were not assigned substyles but simply referred to as alternative metal. Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of rock music that originated during the late 1970s. ... Gothic metal is a genre of heavy metal music that originated during the mid 1990s in Europe as an outgrowth of doom-death, a fusion genre of doom metal and death metal. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Lightning Bolt Live at the Southgate House 2005. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Alternative music redirects here. ...


See also

Grunge redirects here. ... Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring rock, alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. ... . ...

Sources

Ian Christe (born 1970 in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland) is a writer. ...

External links


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your location
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.