Extreme metal

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Extreme metal is a broad term for metal subgenres of a more aggressive style than traditional heavy metal.

This stems back to thrash metal in the 1980s, which took tempos and influences from hardcore punk, rather than 1970s heavy metal. The heavy metal related side of its influence came from NWOBHM. From thrash metal emerged other forms of extreme metal, such as black metal and death metal. Since this time extreme metal has expanded to cover many fusion, subgenres and other variations.

Doom metal however, is an exception to the Extreme metal rule. Their main influences are the original heavy metal bands of the 1970s, inparticular Black Sabbath. Thus giving their music a different tempo and set of dynamics than Thrash and its related forms.

[edit] Characteristics

Extreme metal is characterized by its tempo, which may range from fast-paced, as in Death, and Thrash metal, to the extremely slow, as in funeral doom. Drummers often utilise double bass drumming and blast beats, though not all make use of these techniques. Vocals are performed in a growl, scream, or both, with some vocalists also using clean-sung vocals, though just how "clean" these vocals are varies widely. The guitars in extreme metal usually have distortion and fast paced riffs, and are often tuned below the standard E. Mostly a half or a whole step down in Thrash metal and Black metal but often lowered more in Death and Doom, in the later two, some bands even prefer seven-string guitars.