Could you please define the term "metal" for me?!


Question:

Could you please define the term "metal" for me?

Metal, heavy metal, death metal, nu-metal...how do you differentiate between them? Did I leave any out?


Answers:

Wikipedia has a pretty thorough article on Metal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/heavy_metal...

Here is a little rundown of some major categories of metal and some of the bands that play the particular style:

Classic Metal: Older heavy metal, the roots of all of today's metal. Bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest are the archetypes

NWOBHM, (new wave of British heavy metal): This emerged in the late 70's just after the beginnings of metal. Bands like Motorhead and Venom, (and early-Iron Maiden), are the archetypes.

Glam/Hair Metal: Pop music metal in the 80's highly focused on image and power ballads. Bands like Motley Crue and Poison are the archetypes of this genre.

Thrash/Speed Metal: Faster more aggressive metal than anything that came before it. Jerky tempo changes and very percussive in sound. Bands like early Metallica and Slayer are the archetypes.

Power Metal: Melodic and driving metal with some classical music influence. Bands like, Bruce Dickinson-era Iron Maiden and Helloween are the archetypes.

Death Metal: Generally faster than Thrash, but more aggressive, dissonanat, and with growling gutteral vocals. Bands like Death, Nile, and Cannibal Corpse are the archetypes in Death Metal.

Black Metal: Dark themed music usually with Pagan and Satanic overtones. Bands many times wear facial makeup called "Corpse paint". Fast music but not as fast a Death Metal. Can be melodic like Power Metal. Vocals have a raspy scream sound to them. Bands like Mayhem, Immortal, and Gorgoroth are archetypes.

Post-Thrash/Groove Metal: A heavier, slowed down version of Thrash. This music focuses more on creating a chugging groove and circle mosh pits. Vocals are usually very raspy or shouted/screamed. Bands like Pantera, Sepultura, and Machine Head are the archetypal Groove Metal bands.

Progressive Metal: Heavy music with a technical edge that draws from Classical and Jazz music. It's origins lie in the prog-rock of the 70's like Rush, Yes, and Genesis. Lots of time signature changes, complex chord structure, and deep lyrical themes. Bands like Dream Theater and Fates Warning are the archetypes.

Industrial Metal: Metal with samples, synths, and computer processing as a core ingreadient. Bands like Fear Factory and Rammstein are archetypes.

Rap Metal/Rapcore: Stripped down metal with rap/hip-hop influence. Bands like Rage Against The Machine and Limp Bizkit are the archetypes.

Nu Metal: The popular late 90's counterpart to Glam Metal in the 80's. Popular radio metal music with a low "downtuned" guitar sound, and sometimes incorporating hip-hop rhythms. Bands like Korn, Disturbed, and Linkin Park.

Metalcore: Metal mixed with the hardcore music scene and sounds. "Breakdowns", thrash metal riffs, and screamed vocals are the common musical markers of Metalcore. Ninja Pits, (kids doing karate like moves in the moshpit), are a common sight at a Metalcore show. Bands like Killswitch Engage and Atreyu are the archetypes.

There are lots of other sub-classes of metal, (Technical-Thrash, Viking Metal, Folk Metal, Math Metal, Darkwave, Shred Metal, ect.), but the ones I listed above are the main ones. I hope to have been of some help to you.


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