Extreme 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",<ref>Julian Schaap and Pauwke Berkers. "Grunting Alone? Online Gender Inequality in Extreme Metal Music" in IASPM Journal. Vol.4, no.1 (2014) p. 101</ref> and refers to metal that is harsher, heavier, more aggressive and less commercialized than other subgenres. It is generally underground music. The term usually includes thrash metal, death metal, black metal and doom metal.<ref name="Extreme">K. Kahn-Harris, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge (Berg Publishers, 2007), Template:ISBN, p. 31.</ref> Some definitions do not recognise doom metal,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> or consider that only some subgenres of it are extreme.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Most extreme metal styles have very fast tempos and originally took inspiration from hardcore punk.<ref name="Origins of Evil">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>K. Kahn-Harris, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge (Berg Publishers, 2007), Template:ISBN, p. 23.</ref>

Definitions

"Extreme metal" generally refers to heavy metal that is extreme in terms of its sound, instrumentation, vocals, lyrics, and imagery. Extreme metal usually has heavily distorted guitars, harsh vocals (such as shouting, screaming and death growls), and complex drumming (such as double bass drumming and blast beats).<ref name="Kahn-Harris instrumentation">Kahn-Harris, Keith, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge, Oxford: Berg, 2007, Template:ISBN. pp.32-33</ref> Most extreme metal styles have very fast tempos (usually between 150 and 250 beats per minute).<ref name="Kahn-Harris instrumentation"/> The exception is doom metal, which instead often takes heaviness and slowness to extremes.<ref>K. Kahn-Harris, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge (Berg Publishers, 2007), Template:ISBN, p. 33.</ref> Most extreme metal eschews conventional melody and verse-chorus-verse song structure. It also tends to omit the blues element of traditional heavy metal.<ref name="Kahn-Harris instrumentation"/> Joel McIver wrote that extreme metal tends to be faster, harsher, heavier or more aggressive than traditional heavy metal.<ref name="Extreme Metal II">Template:Cite book</ref>

Extreme metal's lyrics and imagery typically deal with dark themes such as death, killing, war, horror and the occult. They are often anti-Christian and may include references to Satanism or Paganism.<ref name="Kahn-Harris lyrics">Kahn-Harris, Keith, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge, Oxford: Berg, 2007, Template:ISBN. pp.34-40</ref><ref name="Pauwke Berkers 2014 p. 103">Julian Schaap and Pauwke Berkers. "Grunting Alone? Online Gender Inequality in Extreme Metal Music" in IASPM Journal. Vol.4, no.1 (2014) p. 103</ref> A small number of extreme metal bands reference Nazi Germany, for example Slayer and Marduk.<ref name="Kahn-Harris lyrics"/>

According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris,<ref name="Kahn-Harris">Kahn-Harris, Keith, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge, Oxford: Berg, 2007, Template:ISBN.</ref> the defining characteristics of extreme metal are clearly transgressive: the "extreme" traits noted above are all meant to violate or transgress cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries. Kahn-Harris says that extreme metal can sometimes sound "close to being a formless noise" to the uninitiated listener.<ref name="Kahn-Harris instrumentation"/>

In general, extreme metal strives to remain inaccessible and unpalatable to 'mainstream' audiences. It is largely based around independent record labels and grassroots promotion.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In most of the world, extreme metal does not receive much radio-play or achieve high chart positions.<ref name="Extreme Metal II"/>

Early history

File:Venom live at hellfest.jpg

Venom in 2008

The English band Venom laid the foundations of extreme metal with their first two albums Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982).<ref name="Ekeroth9">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Kahn-Harris/> Part of the new wave of British heavy metal, they played a sped-up and stripped-down style, and used Satanic and occult imagery.<ref name=Kahn-Harris/><ref name="Origins of Evil" /> Venom and early extreme metal bands were influenced by the speed, distortion and aggression of hardcore punk bands like Discharge, the Exploited and Amebix.<ref name="Origins of Evil" />

The first thrash metal bands were inspired by the likes of Venom, Motörhead, the new wave of British heavy metal and hardcore punk.<ref name=Kahn-Harris/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1983, Metallica released their debut album Kill 'Em All, which is seen as the first thrash metal record,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and would eventually be certified triple platinum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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".<ref name=Kahn-Harris/> Thrash was often called "speed metal" in the early 1980s, before the two terms became more defined.<ref name="Ekeroth9"/>

Swedish band Bathory have been described as "the biggest inspiration for the Norwegian black metal movement of the early nineties".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Their songs first appeared on the compilation Scandinavian Metal Attack in March 1984.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Swiss band Hellhammer made "truly raw and brutal music" which likewise influenced both black and death metal.<ref name="ekeroth244">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Celtic Frost were a major influence on all styles of extreme metal.<ref>Bukszpan, Daniel. The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2003. p.43</ref>

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<ref name="Origins of Evil" /> and death metal bands.<ref name="Ekeroth9"/>

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,Template:Sfn or as being the first death metal band.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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,Template:Sfn and frontman Chuck Schuldiner has been credited as the "Father of Death Metal".<ref name="Death">Template:Cite web</ref> Their debut album, Scream Bloody Gore (1987), has been described as "the first true death metal record".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Moynihan, Michael & Søderlind, Didrik: Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground. Feral House 1998, p. 36.</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

List of genres

File:Venom (Brutal Assault 2014).jpg

Venom were significant to the development of speed metal into thrash metal into black metal.

Primary genres

• Black metal<ref name="Extreme"/>
• Death metal<ref name="Extreme"/>
• Doom metal<ref name="Extreme"/>
• Thrash metal<ref name="Extreme"/>

Subgenres of primary genres

• Subgenres of black metal
  • Ambient black metal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Folk black metal<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Industrial black metal<ref name="lom">Roel F., Interview with Treachery, Lords of Metal issue 87, December 2008. [1] Access date: 3 December 2008.</ref>
  • National Socialist black metal<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
  • Post-black metal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
    • Blackgaze<ref name="Guardian blackgaze article">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Psychedelic black metal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Raw black metal<ref name=Expression>Template:Cite thesis</ref><ref name=Medieval>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Symphonic black metal<ref name="AllMusic">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Unblack metal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Subgenres of death metal
  • Brutal death metal<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
    • Slam death metal<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Christian death metal<ref name=":26">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Industrial death metal<ref name=Kerrang>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
  • Melodic death metal<ref name=About.com>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Purcell, N. Death Metal music: the passion and politics of a subculture, at 9, McFarland, 2003 (retrieved 3 June 2011)</ref>
  • Old school death metal<ref name="OSDM">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Symphonic death metal<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • Technical death metal<ref name="techprog1">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Subgenres of doom metal
  • Epic doom<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=FoI>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Traditional doom<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fusion genres

Fusions between primary genres

• Black-doom<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Depressive suicidal black metal<ref name=DSBD>Template:Cite thesis</ref>
• Blackened death-doom<ref name=BDD>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Blackened death metal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Melodic black-death<ref name="Blackened Melodic Death Metal: A History Lesson">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • War metal<ref name=wbm>Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: War Black Metal: Die Extremsten der Extremen. Was bleibt, ist Schutt und Asche. In: Rock Hard, no. 279, p. 71-73.</ref>
• Blackened thrash metal<ref name="loudwire.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Death-doom<ref name=terrorizerdoom>Tracey, Ciaran (March 2006). "Doom/Death: United in Grief", Terrorizer #142, pp.54-55.</ref>
  • Funeral doom<ref name="Kahn-Harris"/>
• Deathrash<ref name=Deathrash>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Ekeroth>Template:Cite book</ref>

Fusions with punk rock styles

• Crossover thrash<ref name="la-weekly-best10">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Crust punk<ref name="Rise of Crust">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Blackened crust<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>
    • Red and Anarchist black metal<ref name="StuBru">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite conference</ref><ref name="panopticon">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Crack rock steady<ref name="AV Club">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Crustcore<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>
  • Neo crust<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Grindcore<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Blackened grindcore<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Deathgrind<ref name=grindyourmind>Lilker, Danny, Grind Your Mind: A History of Grindcore liner notes. Mayan Records, MYNDD056, 2007.</ref>
  • Electrogrind<ref name=egrind>Kevin Stewart-Panko, "Shock Tactics", "Grindcore Special", part 2, p. 52-53</ref>
  • GoregrindTemplate:Sfn
  • Noisegrind<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
  • Pornogrind<ref name=independent>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn
• Metalcore<ref name=WhatIsMetalcore>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Deathcore<ref name="allmusic">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="allmusic heaven">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Easycore<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Electronicore<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Mathcore<ref name=wang>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Melodic metalcore<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Nintendocore<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Nu metalcore<ref name="Thrash Hits - Nu metalcore">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Progressive metalcore<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":10">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Sludge metal<ref name="AMG-Eyehategod">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Sludgecore<ref name=Pearson2020>Template:Cite book</ref>

Fusion with other rock styles

• Black 'n' roll<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="terrorizer-roll1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Death 'n' roll<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Gothic-doom<ref name=Foreshadowing>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Progressive doom<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Stoner metal<ref>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Dead link</ref>
  • Desert rock<ref name=DoomDOC>Template:Cite thesis</ref>

Fusions with other musical styles

• Drone metal<ref name="Kahn-Harris"/>
• Pagan metal<ref name="Wiederhorn62">Wiederhorn 2009, p. 62.</ref><ref name="Montreal">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Viking metal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Derivatives

Genres influenced by extreme metal but usually not considered extreme themselves:

• Avant-garde metal<ref name=soundofbeast>Christe, Ian (2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. Harper Paperbacks. p. 253. Template:ISBN. Retrieved 6 August 2011.</ref>
• Beatdown hardcore, influenced by thrash metal;<ref name=Radio>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Dungeon synth, influenced by black metal;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Funk metal, influenced by thrash metal;<ref name="primusbook">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Gothic metal, influenced by death-doom and doom metal;<ref>Metal Hammer #173</ref><ref name=terrorizerdoom/>
• Groove metal, influenced by thrash metal and death metal;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BadBrains>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Sound of the Beast">Template:Citation</ref>
• Grunge, influenced by sludge metal<ref name=sludge>Template:Cite web</ref> and thrash metal;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Strong, Catherine 2016. p.18">Strong, Catherine. Grunge: Music and Memory. Routledge, 2016. p.18</ref><ref name="Henderson, Justin 2016">Henderson, Justin. Grunge: Seattle. Roaring Forties Press, 2016. Ch. 5</ref>
• Hyperpop, influenced by metalcore;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Neoclassical metal, influenced by speed metal and thrash metal;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Nu metal, influenced by thrash metal;<ref name=HarvardCrimson>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Post-metal, influenced by doom metal and later by black metal;<ref name="bandcamp">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Power metal, influenced by speed metal and thrash metal;<ref> What Is Power Metal?, by Dan Marsicano Template:Webarchive (about.com)</ref>
• Sass, influenced by grindcore and metalcore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• First-wave black metal

Further reading

• Template:Cite book