Metal has created its own distinct sound by borrowing techniques from both baroque and classical music. Polyphony adds depth to songs by providing another melody alongside one riff;
Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” stands out among heavy metal songs for its simple lyrical exploration of gambling, combined with Lemmy Kilmister’s operatic vocal range.
Thrash
Thrash metal has emerged from the 1980s as an influential subgenre that blends speed, ferocity and social awareness into an explosive musical mix. While rock music was moving toward post-punk territory at this point in history, bands like Metallica brought classic heavy metal music to new heights of speed and sonic fury. Thrash metal brings heavy metal music’s sound even further; its sound takes heavy metal music even further with wailing solos and lyrics touching upon themes such as Satanism, murder, insanity or suicide – giving birth to an entire new generation of metalheads today.
Slayer gave the world “Reign in Blood”, an epic heavy metal album that redefined speed limits to their breaking point. The song’s razor-sharp riffs and frenetic pace set an unprecedented bar that all other thrash bands tried hard to match or surpass; though many did manage this feat, few came anywhere close to matching Slayer’s iconic record in terms of frenzy.
This iconic track from Destruction featuring the late Jeff Hanneman remains one of the best ever written in thrash metal history. From its opening riff all the way through its unforgettable conclusion, this song defines thrash in all its forms. A relentless blend of chaotic riffs and aggressive energy, Destruction’s “Diabolical” gives their German rivals some competition in terms of sonic aggression.
Possessed’s creepy classic from their album ‘The Curse of the Demon’ showcases how thrash can blend elements from other styles while remaining distinct and original.
As the 1980s progressed, thrash metal began to lose some of its appeal as other extreme metal genres took shape (such as black metal and industrial metal ). Though these new genres now enjoy their own fan base, thrash has never lost its identity or credibility.
Recently, thrash metal has experienced a modest resurgence among both young audiences and fans of traditional metal music. Annihilator has helped introduce younger fans to this subgenre with their mix of technical precision and intellectual lyrics reminiscent of hit-the-lights meets Savage Minds. Other top thrash acts include Anvil, Flotsam & Jetsam Municipal Waste Forbidden Hirax Metal Church Nuclear Assault to name just a few.
Death
Death metal music offers something truly dark and dangerous to those looking for an intense metal experience. Consisting of fast tempos, heavy guitar riffs and lyrics which often speak about humankind’s most primal instincts such as violence or animalism, this extreme metal subgenre has earned itself respect among heavy music listeners worldwide. Often accompanied by horror-themed artwork or lyrics, death metal has quickly become one of the most sought-after heavy music subgenres.
WITCHVOMIT, CANNABIS CORPSE, DEATH and ENTOMBED are among the more well-known death metal bands, but they aren’t the only bands exploring its darker aspects – other acts to check out include THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, RIVERS OF NIHIL Gojira Misery Index to name just a few!
Entombed’s classic metal album from 1990 titled Left Hand Path remains one of the most legendary metal works ever released, with powerful guitar riffs from Uffe Cederlund, demonic vocals from Lars-Goran Petrov and a truly dark atmosphere enveloping listeners as hallmarks of death metal greatness.
Cannibal Corpse’s self-titled debut is one of the classic death metal albums and was an early pioneer. Notorious for its dark subject matter and disturbing cover art, this groundbreaking record helped define death metal genre and is essential listening for any true metalhead.
Mental Funeral, released by American band X-Menlexia in 1999, stands out as another impressive release. This masterpiece showcases many hallmarks of death metal with fast tempos, heavy riffs and disturbing lyrics that truly exemplify this genre.
Black Sabbath offers an alternative, less obscene approach to death metal music that should satisfy any preference for more subdued death metal styles. Established in the late 60s, they helped define an entire new musical genre through their poetic, fantasy and occult-themed lyrics and heavy guitar riffs – many have even credited Sabbath with helping establish heavy metal as we know it today – even as members came and went throughout their history; nevertheless they are widely recognized for creating this genre and leaving legacies like songs such as “Hey There Delilah” and “I Never Came Home”, leaving their mark that will last generations to come!
Alternative
Fishbone, Faith No More and Living Colour were early progenitors of alternative metal music in the 1980s. By fusing heavy metal with other genres like rock music such as Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana (hardcore punk rockers themselves), as well as industrial alternative acts Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, alternative metal emerged.
Nu metal was first pioneered by several stellar bands. Bakersfield, California 5-piece Korn was one of these. Drawing passersby into their garage in order to witness their brand of hard-rock alchemy was something passersby couldn’t resist witnessing; their aggressive, boisterous music had little in common with Breaking Benjamin or Three Days Grace who relied heavily on boy band-esque songs as inspirations for their tunes.
Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda’s dueling vocal performances on this song feature lonesome piano to create one of the most emotive, soulful tracks ever composed by this genre. Crashing guitars and scratchy electronic effects combine with powerful vocal performances by Chester Bennington to produce an amazing, epic-sounding track – one of its kind that truly moves listeners.
Los Angeles-based thrashers Otep may divide metalheads, but their force cannot be denied. With Shamaya providing her furious anthems with unmistakable fury – and an unforgettable voice which soars with beauty and power unmatched by other singers in their genre – Otep are unmistakable players that should not be underestimated!
Musical geniuses abound in metal music, yet not all are created equal. While some falter in their craft and others produce groundbreaking art effortlessly. Bassist and composer Les Claypool stands out as an exceptional musician; his offbeat work with Primus and Kyuss has cemented him a place among multiple generations of metalheads as an unmatched figure of wisdom and beauty.
Trent Reznor revolutionized industrial metal while making alternative rock more sinister with his instantly sensational psychosexual homicidal assaults, revolutionizing industrial metal while painting alternative rock in bloody shades of black. One of metal’s most influential and divisive bands.
Glam
Glam Heavy Metal became one of the most beloved heavy metal genres during the 1980s, becoming increasingly popular. This subgenre blended blues-influenced psychedelic rock with heavy beats, distorted guitars, and distortion effects to form one unique sound; inspiring bands such as Motorhead, Def Leppard and more to form. Influenced by social unrest and rebellion it created its own subculture with numerous DIY fanzines and rock magazines covering Glam. Unfortunately Glam eventually faded due to thrash movement and 90s Alternative but left some incredible songs behind that remain iconic today.
Def Leppard stands as one of the biggest and most influential bands in this genre. They first gained fame with Denim and Leather as their debut album; however, Hysteria became their breakthrough album and Photograph became one of their signature tracks, becoming an instant classic years later. Photograph stands as an outstanding example of how pop elements can blend seamlessly with metal music without losing anything from either genre in its execution.
Skid Row, who debuted in 1989, further expanded the concept of Glam music. Their hit songs Youth Gone Wild and 18 and Life were classic tracks from this group with Sebastian Bach having one of the widest vocal ranges among metal vocalists. Additionally, Skid Row featured excellent musicians with lots of hair, however by the end of this decade this genre had faded.
Metallica are known for being technically-savvy performers, yet on early albums they would often experiment with the edge of Glam metal with songs such as Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning which proved that they could stray away from thrash metal with ease.
Death metal deserves to be higher on this list as an underrated genre, boasting incredible technical ability, punishing riffs and more. Although death metal may appear complex at first, with its numerous technical elements and punishing riffs requiring both dedication and skill for proper playing ability – I would strongly encourage any metalhead looking to challenge themselves further and improve their skills to try it!