Keyboards have always been an integral part of heavy metal music, even among bands that don’t use keyboards themselves. Music workstation keyboards can help mimic orchestral instrumentation for recordings and live performances.
Fear Factory fused Gothic, Industrial and Pantera-influenced groove metal with powerful keyboard work from Ihsahn of Emperor; his neoclassical keyboard work helped establish what would later become black metal as a genre.
Keyboards & Synths
The 1990’s was an exceptional decade for keyboard use in heavy metal music. As subgenres developed and spread further afield, keyboards became a critical instrument across most subgenres. Nightwish, one of the greatest power metal bands ever, and their operatic, truly epic style was popular, while Swedish melodic death metal acts like In Flames, Children of Bodom, Dark Tranquility Opeth Scar Symmetry also used synths on their albums to add drama. Symphonic metal often employed keyboards to add depth and variety to songs, accenting stunted chords and filling in spaces between notes while creating otherworldly atmosphere. Rhapsody of Fire relied heavily on orchestral keyboardist Alex Staropoli’s talents to add lush atmospheres that emphasized their dramatic musical style.
Progressive metal has always been very accommodating of keyboard players, such as Symphony X’s Michael Pinella who provides an unforgettable sonic treat for listeners. His performances have earned the band recognition as one of the most innovative and creative prog metal acts around. Anathema features another incredible keyboardist Les Smith whose technical expertise and dynamic creativity contribute immensely to their music.
Keyboards have also found a welcoming home in metalcore music, thanks to bands like Bleeding Through and Underoath who created an inclusive environment for including keys in hardcore. Their distinctive styles pushed boundaries of metalcore by introducing elements of black metal and post-hardcore into it, opening doors for bands such as Winds of Plague and Motionless in White who now frequently utilize dub step style keyboards during chugged breakdowns. It now seems almost strange for any metalcore band not to incorporate some dub step style keyboards during breakdowns when performing hardcore music!
Roddy Bottum of Faith No More was perhaps the most iconic keyboardist in heavy metal history, proving that you could use keyboards without sounding glam or pop. His use of synthesizers and electronic instruments helped create a uniquely left-of-center sound that combined forceful metal riffs with finesse – setting a standard that bands such as Jesu would later emulate.
Drums & Bass
Metal bands rely heavily on their drummer and bassist as the cornerstone of their sound. Together they create rhythm, structure and groove for songs while also serving as an anchor point for other members to build upon. Bassists in metal often utilize various techniques and effects–including using wah-wah pedals for creating unique sounds–along with standard tuning as well as drop-d tuning to achieve different tones and textures in their bass playing.
While drums and bass may be the focal points of most metal bands, keyboards often play an integral part as well. Some advanced keyboardists in heavy metal have become experts at using multiple keys at the same time to produce unique and complex sounds, creating new dimensions to the genre while opening it up for creative new music to emerge.
Keyboards not only support vocals and instruments, but can add an atmospheric, dramatic, or epic edge to music. Symphonic power metal bands Nightwish and Rhapsody of Fire are great examples of this. Their operatic, truly epic styles owe much of their success to keyboardists like Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish) and Alex Staropoli (Rhapsody of Fire).
Piano keyboards add an ethereal or soulful element to music, often used to set mood and atmosphere during intros and interludes, or to show off the keyboardist’s virtuosity during solos. Furthermore, their acrobatic style works beautifully against the intensity and aggression of metal music.
Some symphonic metal bands choose not to use keyboards at all, instead opting for recordings or performances with full orchestras and choirs as their accompaniment instead of keyboards. Others opt for workstation keyboards with factory presets of strings, choirs, and pianos emulating more orchestrated sounds.
Many classic heavy metal songs feature a simple quarter note drum beat known as “the money beat”, often played in common time and accenting quarter notes within each bar. Modern metal musicians may incorporate this type of beat into their songs but tend to play it faster and with less emphasis placed on accenting each quarter note for a more modern sound.
Vocals & Synths
Synths can be an essential addition to metal music for several reasons. They create textures not possible with guitar alone and add melodic notes that complement or even overtake lead guitar leads. Furthermore, synths help add depth and complexity to a track that might otherwise sound monotonous; therefore it is key that heavy metal tracks contain an adequate number of synthesizers without overdoing it or becoming overbearingly cheesy or overwhelming.
Melodic death metal has long been heavily influenced by keyboards. Melodic death bands like In Flames, Children of Bodom, Opeth, Amorphis Soilwork & Scar Symmetry utilize melodic piano keys as one of their signature melodic death elements; such as In Flames Children of Bodom Opeth Amorphis Soilwork Scar Symmetry are known for this sound; their keyboardists use their skills to elevate this style while adding both intensity and finesse in one seamless harmony of metal brilliance.
Black metal pioneers like Emperor were instrumental in popularizing keyboards within black metal music. Their use of classical orchestration to add depth and dimension soon caught on among bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir; later still they would often incorporate keyboards for moody atmosphere or added intros and outros into their performances.
Progressive metal is another subgenre which often makes heavy use of keyboards. Symphonic metal bands such as Nightwish and Stratovarius rely heavily on their members’ virtuosic solo keyboardists to steal the show, while power metal acts such as Symphony X and Rammstein are well known for their dynamic piano leads as well.
One unique aspect of metal music is how much of an integral part it is of life for some fans, leading them to have some odd attitudes regarding its role and use in metal. Some musicians reject learning any music theory as they argue it should only be about feeling. Yet learning theory remains essential to building songs in metal genres like Metal.
Pianos
Piano keyboards add an unexpected layer of melody to heavy metal music. Their versatile instrument can help set an ethereal ambience during intros or interludes, or serve as a dramatic crescendo during song-based sections. Furthermore, playing this instrument allows virtuoso players to demonstrate their virtuosity by performing heartfelt solos with emotional depth that contrasts nicely with guitar-driven tracks.
Piano keyboards are frequently featured in symphonic metal, which tends to have more classical influences than other forms. Bands playing this style employ orchestral arrangements and frequently employ a keyboardist who provides orchestral-esque elements of their sound using workstation keyboards with factory presets that emulate strings, choirs, pianos and pipe organs to achieve this distinctive symphonic sound – Rhapsody of Fire is among many notable melodic metal bands that use this approach such as Avantasia/Edguy (later Blind Guardian), Stratovarius Sonata Arctica and Dragonforce are just a few examples that come to mind!
Modern bands outside the symphonic metal genre may incorporate piano and keyboard sounds into their songs if their vocalist has musical talent in these areas, like Evanescence’s Amy Lee who is an accomplished pianist and has played her instrument on some melodic metal tracks such as “What I’ve Done” on their 2001 album Invisible Light.
Progressive metal music often makes extensive use of piano keyboards. The melodies and harmonies found within progressive metal lend themselves perfectly to piano’s harmonic structure, creating an ideal pairing that many bands such as Dream Theater and Voyager incorporate talented pianists on their albums.
Fans of the symphonic black metal sound should come as no surprise that former Dimmu Borgir keyboardist Mustis would feature on this list, given his skill as one of their most acclaimed albums with this Norwegian band.