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What is Death Metal?
Death metal is one of the extreme genres of heavy metal, along with black metal, thrash metal and... well, they're the only other ones worth noting. Death metal has roots in 80's thrash metal, usually in bands like Slayer and Venom, however, many bands also have roots in Grindcore, such as Carcass, Napalm death and Bolt Thrower. The genre is thankfully under-aprecciated, owing to it's fast, distorted guitars, rapid druming and blast beats, and low, "growling" vocals. It is actually good that the sub-genre is unknown, because many bands in metal have history of selling out after they "make it". Metallica for example, have a huge history of pissing on their thrash fans with every new album since the black album. Carcass is probably the best example of a death metal band, as it covers genres associated with death metal: death metal, grindcore (or goregrind) and melodic death metal. Carcass also tends to be the best death metal band in existence. A recent trend in Scandanavia seems to involve crossing genres, Children of Bodom, for example, are said to be a mixture of melodic death metal, melodic black metal and power metal. Despite it's dismissal by the mainstream music industry, death metal has many talented musicians, the "death growl" for example is extremely difficult to master, guitars can be incredibly complex, especially in melodic and even more-so, technical death metal, drums are fast and the best drummers incorporate difficult and complex techniques. If power metal is for fantasy nerds, death metal is for people who drink whiskey and shit dynamite, not unlike thrash metal and black metal.
At the Gates
Notable death metal bands include (but not limited to):
Cannibal Corpse
Carcass
Children of Bodom
Bolt Thrower
Death
In Flames(early)
Napalm Death
Sepultura (early)
Wintersun
Death Metal - video
Death Metal - what is it?
Sub-genre of heavy metal developed in the early and mid 80s. Although the term had appeared in three notable instances between 1983 and 1985 (Death's "Death by Metal" demo, the German "Death Metal" compilation record and a track from Onslaught's "Power From Hell" LP), it is the Possessed debut "Seven Churches" that is widely regarded as kicking off the movement.
Possessed's use of abrupt tempo changes, gutteral vocals, unusual phrasing and Satanic overtones separated them from the more light hearted, punkish sound of thrash metal. The death metal template would continue to develop as Necrophagia, Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary and Autopsy released their respective debuts. These groups generally focused on horror-movie inspired blood and gore as well as occultist themes. By the 1990s, death metal had exploded in the underground and a number of influential bands rose to prominence. Additionally, if anyone wanted to call themselves death metal, extreme distortion, low guitar tunings and excessively fast tempos were mandatory.
Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Dying Fetus and Deicide presented a percussively driven flavor of death metal, while Death, Cynic, Hypocrisy, Atheist and others prided themselves on more intricate and melodic guitar work, as well as lyrics dealing with social and political issues. Among the most extreme bands included both major Disgorges (USA and Mexico, respectively), Devourment and Mortician, who focused on very low tones, both in the guitar tunings and vocal approach. This was in direct contrast to melodic death metal bands such as At the Gates, the later work of Carcass, and In Flames, who often explored tones above middle C, rather than primarily or exclusively focusing on the bass strings.
The accessibility of melodic death metal (and the public's exposure to increasingly aggressive rock) has lead to deathcore, in which groups such as Job For a Cowboy, Winds of Plague and the recent work of Cryptopsy combine the death metal aesthetic with modern hardcore and other accessible styles.
There are a number of other fusion styles that have developed over the years, including the black metal/death metal hybrid "blackened death metal" (Archgoat, Angelcorpse, Blasphemy). Deathgrind or death grind combines death metal with grindcore (Aborted, Circle of Dead Children, Origin). There are also experimental groups such as Portal, Gorguts and Negativa, who use death metal as a basis to explore a number of unusual rock stylings.
Cannibal Corpse is perhaps the most highly recognized band in the death metal community, and one of the few that has sold over one million albums.
What does "Death Metal" mean?
Death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal generally involving low tuned guitars played with tremolo picking and many solos, double kick or blast beat drumming techniques, minor keys or atonality, and rapid time signature changes, chromatic chord progressions, and intricate song-writing. Death metal is the most underrated and underappreciated genre in music, with many of the most famous bands full of world class musicians that taught at the most prestigious music schools in the world. The best aspects of every genre of music (new wave of British heavy metal, classical musical, thrash metal, grindcore, black metal and jazz) can be found in death metal albums articulated in a more intelligent and enjoyable manner than in the aforementioned genres. Examples are Atheist's take on jazz, Arghoslent's NWOBHM riffs, Necrophagist's Beethoven-influenced riffs, and Appalling Spawn's grindcore elements. Death metal produces the most thought-provoking and intelligent lyrics of any genre as referenced below.
Guy 1: Why do you think death metal appeals almost exclusively to very intelligent people?
Guy 2: As illuminated in the documentary The Boy With the Incredible Brain, many very high IQ people think in terms of shapes and music that forms shapes. It is not hard to understand why the ebb and flow of death metal riffs appeal almost exclusively to very intelligent people who sense and recognize the shape and contours of the very intricate and highly educated music that is death metal.
Guy 1: What are some death metal songs which shed light not only on natural aspects of the human condition, but more generally on important societal problems directly connected to people's thinking?
Guy 2: Enthralled in Essence (Atheist), Slaughter of Innocence, Demise of the Clone (Suffocation), Mirrors of Reason (Monstrosity), Omnipresent Perception (Beyond Creation), Dethrone the Hypocrites (Anata), Closeminded Failure (Solstice), The Truth About Lies (Krabathor), Lack of Comprehension (Death), Scavenger of Human Sorrow (Death), The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters (Arsis) and Shallow Disbelief (Experiment Fear) all have very intelligent messages meeting your requirements.
Death Metal - what does it mean?
insanly imposssible music to play and write.
music that sounds great to the ears and soul.
music that emo kids claim to listen to but in reality can only take slipknot
Me "hey look emo kids lets kill them with death metal!"
(nile song)
emo kids being massacred and castrated and being raped by the power that is nile.
Death Metal - meaning
Death metal is a genre of music ambiguous in origin. But its classification can only be defined by two common characteristics; low growling often gutteral vocals and distorted guitars. The degrees of these may vary.
Many DM bands have adopted themes of depravity. Such as murder, rape, torture, necrophilia, and pathology. Ala Cannibal Corpse, Disgorge (USA), and Pustulated. Others experimented with alternate subjects such as existentialism, nihlism, war, fear, and alternate realities and universes. Ala Disavowed, Debodified, Cryptopsy, Wormed. And some have devoted thier themes to anti-christian, satanic,necronomicon, egyptian, sumarian or demonology. Ala Deicide, Morbid Angel, Nile, and Internal Suffering.
Besides variance in themes bands vary in style. There are many styles to DM but I will seperate them into the two easiest catagories; brutal and technical. Many technical DM bands tend to stray from the typical themes of depravity and often have views similar to (black metal) bands. But thier musicianship is rival to few. Some technical DM bands would be Deeds of Flesh, Lust of Decay, and Hate Eternal. While brutal DM bands concentrate less on technicality and more on sound. And thier sound is massive! thick, tight, and low. The vocalists push thier throats into new boundries with gutteral emmisions. The drummers play with triggered kick drums, ice bells, and piccolo snare drums tuned so high that every blast beat is magnified in clarity. The guitars are detuned often as far as B or A#. The riffs played are a mix between noisy blast beat grinds and palm muted chunky slamming breakdowns with loads of pinch harmonic squeals. Some brutal DM bands that adapt these qualities are Internal Bleeding, Goretrade, and Fleshgrind.
Phrasing is not the only distinction between the legions of death. Region also plays a key role. Florida is home to many of the forefathers ala Deicide, Morbid Angel, and Death. While New York has been home to many old and new Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, and Internal Bleeding lit the tourch while bands such as Internal Suffering, Copremisis, and Malignancy now carry it. Mexico seems to love pathology (study of dieseases) ala Disgorge, Rottenness, Tu Carne,and Lymphatic Phlegm. While Brazil likes a more thrash oriented sound ala; Mental horror, Abhorrance, and Krisiun. But the Columbians are just plain brutal ala; Internal Suffering, Goretrade, and Carnal. The rocky mountains are no stranger to high altitudes or getting high ala Wicked Innocence, Cephalic Carnage, and Undertaker. But Illinois seems to be overrun with sickos ala; Lividity, Macabre, and Gorgasm. Canada has equal parts brutality and technicality ala; Cryptopsy, Martyr and Anal Bleeding. Europe loves DM also the Dutch have an interesting take on technicallity ala; Prostitute Disfigurement, Pyaemia, Severe Torture. While the Italians and French like it sick and brutal ala; Morgue, Corpsefuckingart, and Voracious Gangrene. Spain is becoming a crushing entity of its own with bands like Impure, Wormed, and Machetazo. The Czechs may not be playing exactly DM but thier version of death grind is swift and relentless ala; Malignant Tumor, Alienation Mental, and Pigsty. Many nations have embraced DM Japan has Vomit Remnants. Indonisia has Jasad. Australia has Psycroptic and Intense Hammer Rage. New Zealand has Corpse Carving.
But let us come back to the US for a second cause there is a small pocket of terrain that inhabits the most disturbed individuals...Texas! The Texas underground scene includes bands such as Putrilage, Prophecy, Grotesque Formation, Sect of Execration, Sintury, Viral Load, Insidious Decrapency, Exulcerate and last but not least (yep you guessed it)The mighty "Devourment." The band to end all DM bands. The band which defines DM. The band whos first and only full length album "Molesting the Decapitated" set the bar of brutality so high that it has been the inspiration to millions and also the demise of many. The album was perfect it was the complete package. The sound, the lyrics, the imagery everything was over the top and beyond. It was so monstrous that it even envoked a new genre "ultra brutal." It even spawned a new way of thinking pre-devourment and post-devourment.
Clarifications;
Possessed may have stumbled apon the title "death metal" with thier 1985 album Seven Churches and Death may have had similar thinking with songs like "regurgitated guts" "torn to peices" and "mutilation" with thier 1987 release Scream Bloody Gore. So for that we owe them for comming up with the title DM, for if not for them we might be calling to blood metal or hate metal or some other epithet. But as far as sound wise they had very little to do with it. Bands like Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation had far more contribution to the title than thier predecessors. Just as Devourment thiers.
So with these many variances and many sub-genres ala; DM, death grind, technical DM, brutal DM, ultra brutal DM, gore metal, and gore grind one thing is proven DM is a medium in which many textures may be used. And with the virtuosos that take interest in DM everyday it is truly an advant-gard free form of music. DM is freedom DM is art.
Devourment is death metal
Death Metal - definition
The best genre of music ever, created by Cookie Monster in 1983.
Death Metal is not Satanic.
Death Metal - slang
A form of underground heavy metal that evolved from the '80s Thrash Metal scene, Black Metal, Classical Music, Jazz, and Progressive Rock. Oftentimes considered as "bastardized classical music," Death Metal often uses the technicality and structure of classical music and jazz, and also imitates the sounds of a symphony on highly distorted guitar work. Death Metal vocals are very famous for its intense, gutteral, low pitched, growling vocal style. This is the pinpoint of Death Metal stereotyping, since they are not singing like most popular music nowadays. Because there are an overwhelming amount of notes being played by the guitar, bass, and drums, the vocals cannot be too melodic or rhythmic, so the vocals are used as percussion-like instrument. The drum work in Death Metal is most of the time very fast and technical, combining influence from classical music, jazz, and progressive rock.
Death Metal is also separate into very different sub genres, including Old School Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Slam Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Symphonic Death Metal, Deaththrash, Deathgrind, Crust Death, Death Doom, Funeral Doom, Ambient Death Metal, and many many more.
Death Metal in the mainstream world is often times dismissed, and considered talentless, and a less valid form of music. This is completely false. Death Metal is far more technical than the popular music hitting teenagers nowadays, and has many more musical characteristics than their music. Death Metal is never meant to be mainstream, which is a very good thing, so corporations will never destroy the genre by pissing on it for teenagers to enjoy. They have already tried with Deathcore, a genre that fuses death metal and metalcore, but that has not destroyed the death metal scene yet. In fact, it has made the brotherhood of death metal stronger than ever.
Death Metal: Death, Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy, Spawn of Possession, Disgorge, Guttural Secrete, Morbid Angel, Dismember, Vader, Decapitated, Behemoth, Amon Amarth, Insomnium, Aborted, Dying Fetus, Devourment, Necrophagist, Suffocation, Skinless, Deicide, Gorguts, Obituary, Atheist, Opeth, Hypocrisy, Dies Irae, Nile, Hate Eternal, Massacra, Dark Tranquility, etc.
Death Metal
Grinding dark, brutal sounding music that shatters windows and makes ears bleed. This music has very fast solos, insane drumming, demonic vocals, and heartpounding bass.
Death Metal is my favorite type of music.
Death Metal
Death Metal is a genre of metal composed of blastbeats, crunchy and technical guitar riffs, intricate bass lines, and usually gutteral vocal styles. Death metal uses these all and is uncomprehendable to all people without a musical background. The complexity overloads most peoples minds, they can only settle for simple things like "tappin that ass!!" Death metal is one of the most unapriciated forms of metal because of its complexity and its technicality. This is also the metal that scares preps into thinking metalheads are goths.
Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Deicide, Napalm Death, Nile, Cattle Decapitation, Bloodbath, and Opeth are all Death Metal bands
Death Metal
A form of music that developed in the mid 1980's from thrash. Possessed recorded a song entitled "Death Metal" in 1984, which would appear on their debut album Seven Churches in 1985. Other bands such as Aggression, Death, Necrophagia, Nun Slaughter, Slaughter Lord and even Slayer contributed to the movement. What defined death metal was the fact that it was basically an exaggerated form of thrash--everything from the vocals (which transformed into a mix of growling, grunting and rasping) to the drumming was made harsher and heavier than before. The music itself became somewhat anti-rhythmic, and in some cases experimental (as seen with Darkthrone's Goatlord album, or the modern technicality of Necrophagist). The first bands to really modernize the movement included Autopsy, Cannibal Corpse, the virtually unkown Necrovore, Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Ripping Corpse, among others. Death metal could range from the blood and gore horror imagery of Cannibal Corpse, to the satanic overtones of Deicide, to the political statements carried by Dying Fetus. Some criticize death metal as they feel the musicians do nothing but randomly band their instruments. Nothing could be further from the truth--listen to Morbid Angel's album Covenant, for instance, or Cannibal Corpse's Gore Obsessed, to get a better perspective on the scene.
Older Sepultura is a mix of death metal and thrash metal, commonly referred to as death thrash.