Millions of metal fans appreciate that an effective metal song can convey strength, resilience, and hope to its listeners – helping them transcend any darkness they may face within themselves.
Early 1990’s saw the development of new subgenres. Some bands utilized more technical approaches while others concentrated more heavily on socially aware lyrics to form what eventually became known as grindcore.
Origin
Death metal music originated in the late 1980s. Its distinct elements include aggressive guitar riffs and growled vocals with lyrics that explore horror and violence themes. Over time, death metal has given birth to multiple subgenres such as melodic death metal and black metal.
Influenced by thrash metal, some bands incorporated elements from both styles into their music – Testament is an iconic thrash metal band that includes melodic death metal elements within its songs. Other bands combined thrash and technical death metal into what are known as death/thrash metal acts; these groups tend to be fast and mosh pit friendly!
Early in the 1990s, death metal became immensely popular across Europe with bands such as Napalm Death becoming known for their socially conscious yet violent lyrics. Over time, however, its style evolved into grindcore: an amalgamation of death metal’s harsh production with industrial rock’s slow, repetitive beat.
Origin’s new album Chaosmos is an exquisite display of their fury and brutality that have won them critical acclaim and won over an ever-growing fan base during their long career. Beginning with “Ecophagy,” through to the reality-bending coda “Nightmares,” Chaosmos showcases Origin’s current-era sound with guitarist Paul Ryan at peak form while bassist Mike Flores provides support.
Sub-genres
Death metal has given birth to numerous subgenres that are more extreme than its original genre. One such sub-genre, known as brutal death metal, features guttural vocals with lyrics about death and horror themes as well as fast drumming and guitar work that distinguish it. Death metal’s influence has extended across other genres such as thrash metal and progressive metal music as well.
Blackened Death Metal (BDM) is a variation of death metal that incorporates musical and thematic aspects from black metal. Bands such as Behemoth, God Dethroned and Belphegor create this genre, often featuring dark, intense music with themes of evil, Satanism or occultism in its lyrics and melodies.
Melodic death metal (or melodeath) is a more melodic form of death metal with catchy, catch-as-hell riffs and galloping rhythms ideal for headbanging. This style has been likened to classic metal such as that performed by Entombed and Dismember, while it has also had an influence over other genres like metalcore and screamo.
Technical death metal is an extreme metal subgenre combining brutal and melodic death metal with even more extreme elements, often using odd-time chord progressions, string skipping techniques and complex song structures that feature unconventional drumming styles. Its sound has been likened to that of an electrical storm while its bands are widely revered for their stellar musicianship.
Melodeath
Melodeath metal subgenre, or MDM for short, adds melody to death metal’s intensity. Originating in Gothenburg metal–made famous by bands such as In Flames, At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity during the early ’90s–MDM has since spread around the world via Finland (Children of Bodom and Norther), southern American producers of depressive melodies (Daylight Dies & Woccon) or Nordic bands like Children of Bodom (Children of Bodom & Norther).
Melodic death metal bands typically feature lyrics with dark themes like violence, gore and death as well as antireligious or occult content. Melodic death metal utilizes various styles to achieve its unique sound; melodic death metal bands often incorporate progressive and power metal elements into their music for maximum intensity; also tending to use higher tunings with more complex rhythms than other death metal acts.
Some melodic death metal bands incorporate orchestral arrangements and other stylistic elements into their sound to achieve its signature sound, while other musicians have elevated the genre by merging it with classical, folk, electronic music genres (such as Hypocrisy’s Peter Tagtgren being widely recognized for blending melodic death metal with symphonic music), leading them to great success both critically and commercially. He has even been recognized as a pioneer of melodic death metal music genre.
Progressive
Progressive death metal is a subgenre of progressive music that combines violent, extreme death metal elements with intricate progressive music elements, often known by its acronym, “tech death.” While its learning curve can be steep, any guitarist with experience playing other metal genres such as alternate picking, tremolo picking and pedal-tone riffing should find learning tech death relatively straightforward.
Prog death metal bands typically utilize keyboards, symphonic instrumentation and complex time signatures; powerful choruses and sweeping guitar leads set them apart from traditional death metal acts; for instance Finland’s Amorphis mixes death metal with folk and 70s progressive rock elements to create their distinctive sound.
Early 1990’s metal music had evolved significantly during this era. Bands such as Cynic, Atheist and Death began incorporating jazz influences into their sound for an altogether unique aesthetic. Death released “Human” with Cynic members featuring on it; an groundbreaking album that perfectly combined jazz elements and death metal together.
Old school death metal
Earache Records and Roadrunner Records became leading labels of old school death metal during the early 90’s, releasing albums by bands like Carcass, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Entombed and Pestilence – which helped define its sound of heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, growling vocals and blast beat drumming along with multiple tempo changes; atonality or minor keys were often employed and songs might include chugging or harmonized vocals as well.
The UK was home to some of death metal’s earliest acts, such as Napalm Death’s Mentally Murdered EP and Autopsy’s Severed Survival album from 1990 – two of its most influential releases that introduced thick walls of death metal and brutal savagery into mainstream death metal music. Autopsy defied tradition with their 1989 album Harmony Corruption which upped brutality by playing slower.
Swedish death metal flourished during the early 90s with classic albums from Decapitated’s Embrace of the Flesh and Entombed’s Consuming Impulse showing off the intense style that defined Swedish death metal at that time. Morbid Angel’s 1994 release Onward to Golgotha featured some of the most incendiary death metal riffing ever heard recorded.
Technical
Technical death metal is an extreme, experimental form of death metal music characterized by advanced drumming techniques and complex guitar riffs, often featuring diminished chords, arpeggios and string skipping chord progressions. Lyrically it often explores themes such as philosophy, social commentary, speculative fiction or spirituality.
Technical death metal began as an outgrowth of thrash metal during the late ’80s, yet quickly established itself as its own genre once certain stylistic trademarks emerged. Since then, technical death metal has provided musicians with a platform for extreme performances: drummers wanting to play faster than anyone before them; guitarists wanting to marry harmonic complexity with headbanging fury; producers looking to explore nearly subsonic levels of bass; all find solace within its musical subbasements.
Though this genre may be relatively small, many noteworthy bands can be found within it. Perhaps most prominent among them are Death, who invented death metal and then revolutionized both progressive metal and tech with their 1991 album “Human”. Additionally, Decapitated have produced several classic albums since 1990 that deserve mention as well.
Sonic purity may sometimes create an airless, gleaming sterility; however, the use of guttural vocals ensures human emotion is always present. Additionally, this genre is known for crossing genre boundaries; bands such as Archspire, Rivers of Nihil, and Beyond Creation strive to out-tech their obvious predecessors while adding their own individual touches to this style of music.