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Extreme metal is an umbrella term, somewhat loosely defined, for a number of related heavy metal subgenres that have developed since the 1980s. Though the term does not refer to any specific style or sound, it most commonly refers to music which is either a member, or incorporates elements of, genres such as thrash metal, black metal, death metal and arguably doom metal. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of related concepts, also called a hypernym. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ...

Though not well-known to mainstream music fans, extreme metal has influenced an array of musical performers inside and outside of heavy metal, and thrives in various intensely devoted subcultures. In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a set of people with a set of behaviors and beliefs, culture, which could be distinct or hidden, that differentiate them from the larger culture to which they belong. ...

Definitions

"Extreme" can be meant to describe any of the following traits: music (whether it's intended to be faster, more aggressive, abrasive or "heavier" than other metal styles), lyrics (dealing with darker, more salacious or sensational topics and themes), vocals (which often use guttural, harsh or abrasive singing), or appearance and stage demeanor (using corpse paint, satanic or occult imagery). In general, the "extreme" label is most commonly applied to bands whose music is extreme; for example, few would consider Kiss or Alice Cooper to be extreme metal, though they could be considered to employ "extreme" elements in their appearance and stage demeanor for their time. The death grunt (also called death growl or death vocals) is a vocal style typically employed by death metal and grindcore singers. ... Abbath and Horgh of Immortal Corpse paint (sometimes a single word, corpsepaint) is a style of black-and-white makeup used extensively by black metal bands during live concerts and photo shoots. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... For other uses, see Occult (disambiguation). ... Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. ... Alice Cooper (born Vincent Furnier February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans five decades. ...

According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris,^[1] 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. Ethnography ( ethnos = people and graphein = writing) is the genre of writing that presents varying degrees of qualitative and quantitative descriptions of human social phenomena, based on fieldwork. ... Transgressive art refers to art forms that transgress; i. ...

Given the vagueness of existing definitions and considering the limitations such definitions have, there are many artists for whom the usage of the term "extreme metal" is a subject of debate. Generally the term is used to describe bands that incorporate elements of thrash, black, speed and death metal, but defy the ability to be put in any of these or, alternatively thrash bands who took on a more brutal approach to their music. A good example would be Celtic Frost, who despite being heavily rooted in thrash and speed metal, also incorporated elements of doom metal and would later go onto inspire early death and black metal. Celtic Frost are a black metalthrash metal band from Zürich, Switzerland, known for their influence on the extreme metal and gothic metal genres. ...

Characteristics

Structure

Though songs in traditional heavy metal may be louder, harsher or more abrasive than rock and roll in general, the underlying elements of melody, harmony and rhythm are generally similar to those in rock and pop music. Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity, and therefore chords, actual or implied, in music. ... For other uses, see Rhythm (disambiguation). ...

However, extreme metal tends to depart from these structures so drastically that Kahn-Harris notes that to the uninitiated, extreme metal can seem like incomprehensible, overwhelming noise despite the presence of recognizable vocals and instruments. Melody -- one of the key elements of popular music -- is often of less importance, or absent entirely. Extreme metal songs rarely have the central focus of a melodic "pop hook," and when present, melodic elements more typically provide an instrumental backdrop. Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out; it is meant to catch the ear of the listener (Covach 2005, p. ...

Vocals

Perhaps the most important identifying characteristic of extreme metal is the vocals. Singers in extreme metal utilize various extended techniques to create vocals that can be very rough, guttural and bestial (the "death grunt" or "growl"), or can be a high-pitched shrieking. Some vocalists also use relatively conventional singing (called "clean vocals"), though just how "clean" these vocals are varies widely. Usually if clean vocals are used they consist of harsh shouts and snarls. Vocalists can use one or more techniques, and some bands have multiple singers, each specializing in one type of vocal. Cover of Henry Cowell: Piano Music, with Henry Cowell demonstrating the longitudinal sweeping string piano technique Extended technique is a term used in music to describe unconventional, unorthodox or improper techniques of singing, or of playing musical instruments. ... Death grunts, also referred to as death growls, death vocals or harsh vocals[1], is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal musical genre, but is also occasionally used in a variety of other heavy metal sub-genres. ...

Tempo

Extreme metal is also characterized by its unusual tempo, which may range from very fast-paced -- death metal and thrash metal can occasionally approach the extraordinary range of 300 beats per minute^[2] -- to the extremely slow, as in funeral doom and drone metal. Drummers often utilize double bass drumming and blast beats, though not all make use of these techniques. Kahn-Harris notes that many extreme metal drummers take great pride in creating and playing drum patterns that are complex and demanding. This article is about the musical genre. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ... Beats per minute (bpm) is a unit typically used as either a measure of tempo in music, or a measure of ones heart rate. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ... Pioneered by the band Earth, Drone metal, also known as drone doom, is a subgenre of doom metal that takes the heaviness and slowness of its progenitor to a new extreme. ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... Blast beats are the torrents of alternating snare and bass drums which increase the speed, density, and percussiveness of death metal, black metal and grindcore. ...

Guitars

Guitars in extreme metal are commonly distorted to create a thick, heavy tone, similar to industrial metal. Guitars are frequently tuned below the standard E: thrash metal and black metal usually tune a half or a whole-step down, and death metal and doom metal often tune even lower. Seven-string guitars (rather than the more common six-string guitars) are not unusual in extreme metal, particularly in death and doom metal; the seventh string is often tuned to a very low B-note. Kahn-Harris notes that extreme metal tends to defy the "riff-guitar solo" paradigm of heavy metal: Guitar solos are often of less importance in extreme metal than in earlier metal styles, and the chord progressions (or "riffs") in extreme metal are often very fast, unusual, complex and demanding. Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws elements from industrial music and heavy metal music. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ... Seven-string acoustic guitar as it is used in Brazilian choro music. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... Guitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. ... For other uses, see Paradigm (disambiguation). ... Guitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. ... A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence), as its name implies, is a series of chords played in order. ...

History

Below is a basic summary explaining how the three primary extreme metal genres evolved:

• Heavy metal (early 1970s)
  • New Wave of British Heavy Metal (late 1970s)
    • Speed metal (early 1980s)
      • Thrash metal (early 1980s)
        • Black metal, Death metal (mid 1980s)

Heavy metal redirects here. ... The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM or N.W.O.B.H.M.) emerged in the late 1970s and reached mainstream attention in the late 1970s, in the United Kingdom, as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as... Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When Speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... This article is about the musical genre. ...

Origins

Main article: Heavy metal music

Heavy metal music was developed in the late 1960s as a louder, more emphatic version of blues rock. Metal pioneers like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple all had strong roots in blues rock, and though heavy metal was often harsher than its predecessor, it often retained a strong blues feel, frequently covering well-known blues songs. Heavy metal redirects here. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Blues-rock is a hybrid musical genre combining elements of the blues with rock and roll, with an emphasis on the electric guitar. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... This article is about the rock band. ...

By the 1970s, some musicians in metal were drifting away from the music's blues roots, like Judas Priest and Motörhead. The most notable development was the so-called "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" (NWOBHM), with groups like Iron Maiden, Saxon, and others refining and further developing metal. The music often still used blues-inspired chord progressions, but the instrumental techniques and vocal styles had a severely reduced blues feel. For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... This article is about the band. ... The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM or N.W.O.B.H.M.) emerged in the late 1970s and reached mainstream attention in the late 1970s, in the United Kingdom, as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as... Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in the East End of London. ... Look up Saxon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A chord progression, as its name implies, is a series of chords played in an order. ...

Early 1980s

The NWOBHM group Venom are widely considered the single most important group in the creation of extreme metal. Though critics have often characterized Venom's musicianship as mediocre or worse^[3], the band was nonetheless hugely influential: their songs were among the fastest of their era, with harsh vocals and blatantly Satanic imagery. Their albums Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982) are widely regarded as foundational influences on extreme metal. Venom's members also took on stage names intended to help create a menacing persona. Though the practice is not universal, many extreme metal musicians have similarly taken on stage names. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) emerged in the late 70s, in part a reaction to the contemporary decline of traditional heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, all three of which had been submerged by a mixture of personal problems, tiredness and... Venom are an English heavy metal band, formed in late 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan. ... Welcome to Hell is the 1981 debut album by the British Heavy/Black Metal band Venom. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... For the Okkervil River album, see The Stage Names. ...

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the development of speed metal and thrash metal, two distinct but nonetheless closely related styles that both drew influence from punk rock (particularly the emphasis on very fast tempos, 2/4 or implied 2/4 time, and brief songs found in hardcore punk), along with a strong NWOBHM influence. The "big four" of thrash metal (the American groups Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica) proved that extreme metal was a commercially viable force. Slayer's Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood are considered important for the birth of extreme metal, in particular for death metal and teutonic thrash metal. Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When Speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ... 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. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and what note value constitutes one beat. ... Hardcore Punk is a subgenre of Punk Rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s. ... Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman, guitarist, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... For other uses, see Slayer (disambiguation). ... 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. ... Hell Awaits (1985) was the second full-length album by Slayer, released through Metal Blade Records. ... Reign in Blood is the third studio album and major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. ... This article is about the musical genre. ...

Mid 1980s and beyond

According to Kahn-Harris, the mid-to-late 1980s saw vital new developments: death metal and grindcore. Though rooted in earlier styles of extreme metal, grindcore and death metal both are partly defined by ragged, "growled" vocals that can be incomprehensible, particularly to those unfamiliar with the music. These vocal techniques had little precedent, and at least partly marked deliberately anti-commercial stance. Black metal developed slightly later, and is characterized by shrieking, high-pitched vocals. While Kahn-Harris somewhat describes doom metal as an extreme metal sub-type^[4], it is unusual in comparison with the other genres listed. Traditional doom metal draws no influence from speed metal or thrash metal, is markedly slower than all other extreme metal styles, and is influenced by heavy metal from before the NWOBHM emerged. This article is about the musical genre. ... Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of crust punk, most commonly associated with death metal, a very different though similarly extreme style of music. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ...

Extreme metal earned an unprecedented level of international mainstream attention in the early and mid-1990s. Some of the attention was positive, expanding the music's audience (Earache Records secured a now-defunct distribution deal with Columbia Records; MTV increased the number of extreme metal music videos they played), but other attention was negative: most notably when some of the Norwegian metal community were implicated in a variety of violent crimes.^[5] There were a string of arsons, with dozens of centuries-old Norwegian Christian churches damaged or destroyed; musician Varg Vikernes killed fellow musician Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth; Mayhem vocalist Dead killed himself; and drummer Bård Faust of Emperor killed a homosexual man. Earache Records is a heavy metal-orientated record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme music by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records, in the period 1988-1992. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Varg Qisling Larssøn Vikernes IPA: , born Kristian Vikernes on February 11, 1973, outside of Bergen, Norway, is a black metal musician. ... Øystein Aarseth (March 22, 1968–August 10, 1993) was a guitarist for the infamous Norwegian black metal band Mayhem who went by the stage name Euronymous. ... Mayhem (often called The True Mayhem) is an infamous, pioneering black metal band formed in 1984[1] in Oslo, Norway. ... Per Yngve Ohlin (January 16, 1969 – April 12, 1991), better known by his stage name Dead, was a Swedish Black metal vocalist best known for his work with Norwegian black metal group Mayhem. ... BÃ¥rd G. Faust Eithun (born: 21 April 1974) is a Norwegian drummer. ... Emperor is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. ...

As of 2007, extreme metal has been used to describe a wide array of performers and music styles. There are a dizzying variety of sub-genres, often defined by very subtle differences that are not always apparent to novice listeners. Kahn-Harris notes^[6] that the use of the term "extreme metal" can sometimes be contentious among fans, and a particular band's or style's categorization can be hotly debated: for example, deathcore and crossover thrash, while influenced by extreme metal, are often thought^{[citation needed]} of as being closer to hardcore punk or metalcore than extreme metal. However, Kahn-Harris also notes that many musicians and fans see such debates over style and genre as useless and unnecessary, or at least as given undue attention. Deathcore is an amalgamation of two musical styles: metalcore and death metal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Extreme metal genres

Primary genres

• Black metal
• Death metal
• Doom metal
• Thrash metal

This article is about the musical genre. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ...

Primary sub-genres

• Sub-genres of black metal
  • Melodic black metal
  • Symphonic black metal
  • Viking black metal
  • Ambient black metal

• Sub-genres of death metal
  • Brutal death metal
  • Melodic death metal
  • Technical death metal

• Sub-genres of doom metal
  • Drone doom^[7]
  • Funeral doom^[8]
  • Stoner doom
  • Epic doom

Melodic black metal is a sub-genre of black metal. ... Symphonic Black Metal is a fusion genre, combining elements of black metal and symphonic metal. ... Viking metal is a term used in reference to heavy metal music with a dramatic emphasis on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the life and times of Northern and Central Europeans prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... ... Melodic death metal, (also referred to as Gothenburg metal, melodeath, and post-death) is a subgenre of death metal. ... Technical death metal, or tech death for short, is a term used to describe bands in the subgenre death metal. ... Drone metal, also known as drone doom, is a subgenre of doom metal that takes the heaviness and slowness of its progenitor to a new extreme. ... It has been suggested that sludge metal be merged into this article or section. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ...

Fusion genres

Fusions between extreme metal styles

• Blackened death metal
• Black/Doom
• Death/Doom

Blackened death metal also called death/black metal or black/death metal (depending on which styles is dominant) is a fusion genre of extreme metal utilising elements of death metal and black metal with bands usually hailing from Europe. ... Doom metal is a form of extreme metal music that emerged as a recognized sub-genre during the first half of the 1980s. ... Death/Doom is a fusion genre, combines the slow tempos and pessimistic mood of doom metal with the guttral vocals and guitar style of death metal. ...

Fusions with punk and hardcore styles

• Crossover thrash
• Crust punk
• Goregrind
• Deathgrind
• Metalcore
  • Deathcore
  • Mathcore
• Sludge metal^[9]

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Crusty redirects here. ... Goregrind, also known as grindgore, is a subgenre of grindcore, which is related to music styles such as death metal, thrash metal, and crust punk. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Metalcore is a fusion of extreme metal and hardcore punk that began in the United States. ... Deathcore is an amalgamation of two musical styles: metalcore and death metal. ... Mathcore (also known as technical metalcore, technical hardcore, and math metal) is a style of metalcore recognized for a high level of technical musicianship. ... Sludge metal is a form of heavy metal music that is generally regarded as a fusion of the doom metal and hardcore punk genres, often displaying southern rock influence. ...

See also

• Avant-garde metal
• Grindcore
• Groove metal
• Gothic metal
• Folk metal
• Punk metal

Avant-garde metal or experimental metal is generally regarded as a cross-genre reference to metal bands or more exactly as a stylistic adjunction with specific traits (just like Progressive-, Symphonic-, Viking-, Pagan-, Folk-, Industrial-). It is characterized by large amounts of experimentation and by non-standard sounds, instruments, and... Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of crust punk, most commonly associated with death metal, a very different though similarly extreme style of music. ... Groove metal, often associated with neo-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. ... Gothic metal is a genre of heavy metal music. ... Folk metal is a diverse collection of music, encompassing a wide variety of different styles and approaches. ... Punk metal (also known as Crossover thrash) is an umbrella term used to describe music that fuses elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal. ...

References

1. ^ Kahn-Harris, Keith, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge, Oxford: Berg, 2007, ISBN 1845203992
2. ^ see Kahn-Harris
3. ^ see Kahn-Harris, 2007, and the main Venom page for more information
4. ^ Kahn-Harris, 2007, passim
5. ^ see Moynihan, Michael and Didrik Soderlind Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground Feral House: 2003
6. ^ Kahn-Harris, 2007
7. ^ Kahn-Harris, 2007
8. ^ Kahn-Harris, 2007
9. ^ Kahn-Harris, 2007