User:Kameejl/Death metal

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Death Metal
Stylistic origins	Thrash metal
Cultural origins	Early-Mid 1980s United States, Germany.
Typical instruments	Guitar - Bass guitar - Double-bass drum
Mainstream popularity	Underground in mid 1980s, growth in late 1980s and early 1990s.
Subgenres
Melodic death metal - Technical death metal - Brutal death metal
Fusion genres
Deathgrind - Death/doom - Death/thrash - Deathcore - Blackened death metal
Regional scenes
Florida - New York - Scandinavia - United Kingdom
Other topics
Death growl - Extreme metal - Blast beat

Death metal is an extreme heavy metal subgenre. It is typically characterized by the use of heavily-distorted guitars, harsh low-pitched growled vocals, fast-paced rhythms and melodies, and unconventional song structures.

The first bands to pioneer the style were thrash metal bands that formed the prototype for death metal; bands such as Slayer, Possessed^[1] and later early death metal bands such as Death and Morbid Angel.^[2] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, death metal gained more media attention as various record labels like Earache Records and Roadrunner Records began to sign death metal bands at a rapid rate.^[3] Since then death metal diversified spawning a rich variety of subgenres.^[4][5]

Death metal has been met with considerable hostility from mainstream culture, mainly because of the violent and Satanic themes, imagery and attitude of many bands.^[6] Death metal is generally seen as an underground form of music, in part because it does not appeal to mainstream tastes and because its musicians often choose to remain obscure.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Origin of the term 3 History 3.1 Early history (up to 1985) 3.2 History (1985-1990) 3.3 Later history (1990-2000) 4 Modern black metal 5 Ideology 5.1 National Socialist black metal 5.2 Unblack metal 6 See also 7 Literature 8 References

[edit] Characteristics

The genre is often identified by fast, highly distorted and downtuned guitars, combined with guitar playing techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking. The percussion is usually fast and dynamic. Blast beats, double bass and exceedingly fast drum patterns are frequently used to add to the ferocity of the genre.^[7] The vocals are often grunts, snarls, and low gurgles colloquially called death grunts or death growls. This vocal style is sometimes referred to as Cookie Monster vocals because of the similarities with Sesame Street's character.^[8][9] Death metal's lyrical themes typically invoke Z-grade slasher movie violence,^[10] but also contain various themes of Satanism, Occultism and even mysticism.^[11][12]

Death metal is known for its abrupt tempo, key, and time signature changes, as well as extremely fast and complex guitar and drumwork.^[13][14] Death metal may include chromatic chord progressions and a varied song structure without a standard verse-chorus arrangement. These compositions tend to emphasize an ongoing development of themes and motifs.^[15] The setup most frequently used in death metal is two guitars, a bass guitar, a vocalist and a drum kit almost universally using two bass drums or a double bass drum pedal. Although this is the standard setup, bands have been known to incorporate other instruments such as keyboards.

[edit] Origin of the term

There are multiple theories on how the term "death metal" originated. One of the theories is that the name of genre pioneers Death is the origin of the genre's name. A Florida journalist was explaining to his readers that Death play their own kind of metal: "Deaths Metal".^[16] Others believe Death is not the origin, but the harsh vocals and the morbid lyrical content generally used in death metal.^[17] Another possible origin is a fanzine called "Death Metal", started by Thomas Fischer and Martin Ain of the band Hellhammer (later Celtic Frost). The name was later given to the 1984 compilation Death Metal released by Hellhammer's label Noise Records.^[18][19] The term might also have originated from other recordings. Possessed's 1984 demo is called Death Metal, and a song with the same name is featured on their 1985 debut album Seven Churches.^[20] A demo released by Death in 1984 is called Death by Metal.^[21]

[edit] History

[edit] Early history (up to 1985)

The history of death metal begins in the early 1980's. A style emerged that was between death metal, black metal and thrash metal. European bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer and bands from the Americas like Possessed, Slayer and Sepultura formed the basis of this extreme heavy metal style. From these founding acts styles diversified into death and black metal.^[22]

The British band Venom crystallized the elements of what later became known as thrash metal, death metal and black metal with their 1981 album Welcome to Hell.^[23] Their dark, blistering sound, harsh vocals and macabre, proudly satanic image proved a major inspiration for extreme metal bands.^[24] Another highly influential band, Slayer, formed in 1982. Although the band is a thrash metal act, Slayer's music is more violent then thrash metal contemporaries Metallica, Megadeth or Exodus.^[25] Slayer is regarded as one of the most sinister thrash metal bands from the early 1980's.^[26] Their breakneck speed and instrumental prowess combined with lyrics about death, war and Satanism won Slayer a rabid cult following.^[27] Possessed, a band that formed in 1983, was heavily influenced by early Slayer.^[28] Although Possessed's brand of metal resembled Slayer's fast and Satanic thrash metal they're often cited as the first death metal band.^[29][30][31] This is largely because of the grunted vocals which set the stage for death metal's breakaway from thrash metal.^[28] The 1984 demo Death Metal and 1985 album Seven Churches are regarded as their most influential material. Not long after the dawn of Possessed, a second monumental death metal band was formed in Florida. The band Mantas, composed of Chuck Schuldiner, Kam Lee, and Rick Rozz released a demo entitled Death by Metal in 1983. In 1984, under their new name Death, more demo's were released. The tapes circulated through the tape trader world, quickly establishing the band's name. Kam Lee's vocals would influence the death metal scene tremendously, for their low and guttural nature would become the staple of the genre. The line-up of Death would change considerably and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner would adopt vocal duties. Death, however, had already made a major impact. Fast, dark riffs and fierce solos were complimented with fast drumming, creating a style that would catch on in tape trading circles.^[32][33]

Along with Possessed and Death there were other influential bands who introduced an early raw extreme metal style, guttural vocals and lyrics concerning death and/or Satanism. In 1984, Bathory released the influential early black metal album Bathory.^[34] Hellhammer have released demos as early as 1982. In 1984 they were featured on the split album Death Metal.^[35]

[edit] History (1985-1990)

As heavy bands like Slayer, Death and Possessed paved the road to death metal in America, heavy European and South American bands were creating a buzz in the metal underground. By the mid 1980s, German thrash metal bands like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction were becoming underground majors.^[36][37][38] These band's releases all featured uptempo rhythms, fast guitar solos, raspy screamed vocals and dark lyrical themes; an influence on later death metal bands. At the same time a small South American scene would emerge. Bands like Holocausto, Sarcófago and Sepultura would release death metal records around 1986, most notably Sepultura's first LP, Morbid Visions.

In 1986 Slayer released their third album Reign in Blood. This album was an influence on death metal bands like Death, Obituary and Morbid Angel.^[25]

Around 1983, aggressive U.S. bands such as Florida's Death and Morbid Angel , California's Possessed, and Chicago's Master began to form. If one would call this diffuse genre "early death metal", the first recorded examples of this would be Death's first demo Death by Metal from 1983, Possessed's 1984 demo Death Metal, Messiah's album Hymn to Abramelin and Strappado by Slaughter, both from 1986, followed by Death's album Scream Bloody Gore and Season of the Dead by Necrophagia in 1987. Morbid Angel is another band that largely influenced the death metal scene, releasing numerous demos and rehearsal since 1983. To their credit, these "early death metal" bands did push the format forward, something that would ultimately pay off in a new form of music that was substantially different from their closest forefather, thrash metal.

The alternative standpoint is that the modern concept of death metal — the point when it clearly decouples from the origins in heavy metal and thrash metal — can be set to 1989 or 1990^{[citation needed]}. Just as the original creation of NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) by Iron Maiden and other bands was sparked by the youthful energy of punk rock in the late 1970s, so did cross-fertilization between metal and punk once more create something new in the late 1980s. The chaotic and often confusing development that took place around this time is well illustrated by the British band Napalm Death, often characterized as a "grindcore" band (see below). This band was simultaneously always part of the hardcore punk scene. However, Napalm Death themselves changed drastically around or before 1990, leaving grindcore behind.

In particular, on 1990's Harmony Corruption, Napalm Death can be heard playing something most fans would call death metal today, i.e. "modern death metal" by the above characterization. This album clearly displays aggressive and fairly technical guitar riffing, complex rhythmics, a sophisticated growling vocal delivery by Mark "Barney" Greenway, and thoughtful lyrics. Other bands contributing significantly to this early movement include Britain's Bolt Thrower and Carcass, Buffalo's Cannibal Corpse, Sweden's Entombed, New York's Suffocation, and Florida's Morbid Angel^{[citation needed]}

^[vague].

To close the circle, the band Death put out the album Human in 1991, an example of modern death metal. The band Death's founder Chuck Schuldiner helped push the boundaries of uncompromising speed and technical virtuosity, mixing in highly technical and intricate rhythm guitar work with complex arrangements and emotive guitar solos^{[citation needed]}. Other examples of this are Carcass's Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious from 1991, Suffocation's debut Human Waste from the same year and Entombed's Clandestine from 1992. At this point, all the above characteristics are clearly present: abrupt tempo and count changes, on occasion extremely fast drumming, morbid lyrics and growling delivery.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, various record labels began to sign death metal bands at a rapid rate. Earache Records and Roadrunner Records became the genre's most important labels,^[39] with Earache releasing albums by Carcass, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, and Entombed, and Roadrunner releasing albums by Obituary, Sepultura, Pestilence, and Deicide. Although these labels had not been death metal labels to start with (Earache was founded for grindcore and Roadrunner for thrash), they became the genre's flagship labels in the beginning of the 1990s. In addition to these, other labels formed as well, such as Nuclear Blast, Century Media, and Peaceville; many of these labels would go on to achieve successes in other genres of metal throughout the 1990s.

Another band that can be considered pioneers of the genre was the Swedish band Bathory, led by Thomas Forsberg (under the pseudonym Quorthon). Bathory focused on suboptimal production standards to better suit their raspy vocals and furiously fast tempo, as heard on early albums such as The Return. They would also become responsible for being the first band to add an element of Norse mythology next to their occult themes, in both lyrics and album art. This was a concept that would become influential enough to spawn an entire subgenre known as Viking metal, preserved for bands which focus strictly on such mythological ideals.

Other influences early on include Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and the Danish band Mercyful Fate. King Diamond of Mercyful Fate was also one of the first to frequent the use of corpsepaint, along side Sarcófago, which Metal Storm magazine claims to be the first band with a "true" corpsepaint^[40]. The "Second Wave" of black metal can be said to owe a debt to the Italian band Death SS, which mixed horror themes with thrash metal in the late 70s and early 80s.

[edit] Later history (1990-2000)

The Second Wave of black metal in the early 1990s came in part with the rise of Norwegian bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Satyricon, Immortal, Darkthrone, Enslaved and Emperor. This wave not only added new atmospheric elements, but many of these bands would also be responsible for a rash of criminal controversy, as seen below. Classical elements were also introduced to a small degree and popularized the genre for a growing underground audience. Philosophically, an abrasive anti-Right Hand Path sentiment became a must for any band to be finalized as "black metal". In fact, bands that didn't exemplify such beliefs through actions beyond their music were often criticized by extremists within black metal's subculture. Ihsahn of Emperor believes that this trend may have developed simply from "an opposition to society, a confrontation to all the normal stuff."^[41] A dark, misanthropic mentality was complemented visually with the use of corpsepaint, which was also most prevalent during this wave as a statement to separate black metal bands from other rock bands of the era.

Besides the influence of Norwegian bands, a black metal scene in Sweden began to grow with the popularity of bands such as Marduk and Dissection in the early 1990s. Finnish bands like Beherit and Impaled Nazarene also emerged. Additionally, Euronymous of Mayhem also mentioned Sodom and Destruction as underestimated influences and "masterpieces of black stinking metal".^[42]

An abraded, very low fidelity recording style was common in most black metal at the time, and was often intentional to preserve an underground quality of the genre. Sometimes artists would branch off into related subgenres, such as death metal, keeping their Satanic and occult mentality intact. Such a style has been deemed "Blackened Death Metal." Mayhem's career, for example, began mostly in the death/black roots, moved to pure black, then towards progressive black in their later career. It was experimentation like this that aided black metal's growth, but would ultimately mean the end of the Second Wave by the mid-1990s, as more modern black metal bands started to raise their production quality and introduce new instrumentation such as synthesizers (commonly seen in industrial metal) and full-symphony orchestras.

[edit] Modern black metal

Despite a few recent controversies surrounding members of Gorgoroth, the black metal scene has lost much of the violence it had become known for in the early 1990s. Towards the mid-1990s, bands began to take new directions and increase their production quality. The introduction of electronic instruments, such as synthesizers, signaled the end of the Second Wave.

However, since the mid-1990s, an Eastern European black metal scene has been developing. Bands from the former Communist Bloc are recording material more in-keeping with the primitive nature of the early Norwegian artists. Many of these bands' lyrics glorify the pagan roots of their home countries, some injecting elements of indigenous folk music into their arrangements. Critically acclaimed^[43] NSBM band Graveland of Poland are one of the main pioneers of the Eastern European scene. The black metal scene in Russia and Ukraine has also produced many bands more in keeping with the carefully arranged sounds coming from Scandinavia, but with more appreciation for the low fidelity aesthetic of early black metal. The Czech band Trollech are a perfect example of an "old-school" Pagan black metal band. Svarrogh from Bulgaria has gained recognition in Western Europe, as well as the Ukrainian National Socialist black metal band Nokturnal Mortum; their earlier albums relied heavily on synthesizers, but their current work makes heavy use of Slavic folk instruments. From Romania, Negură Bunget is a prime example of traditional black metal, injecting their own indigenous mix of Dacian and Latin elements.

A potential Third Wave of influential black metal bands may be emerging from France and Sweden, with the rising popularity of such bands as Deathspell Omega, Antaeus, Watain, and Ofermod. Many of these bands claim to be much more interested in Satanism and/or Occultism than previous artists[1] and generally play a very raw extreme style. However, just as with the earlier Second Wave Norwegian bands, they have started to experiment; Deathspell Omega are influenced by Gregorian chant and Blut Aus Nord now incorporate elements of ambient industrial. There is much controversy surrounding these new aspects; many black metal fans feel that this industrial influence and the increased production mean such bands do not fit within the black metal genre. Therefore, some modern black metal bands continue with the style and quality of the previous waves, as is the case with 1349.

[edit] Ideology

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Any attempt to lay out the ideology of a musical genre is bound to generalize to the extent that some traits are unfairly played up with respect to certain artists, while others are laid out which do not apply to all. Nonetheless, there is a clear ideological thrust which can be sketched out which captures the essence of the thought behind black metal music.

The attitude taken to art in black metal is complex. To a large extent, aesthetics are the visible manifestations of ideology. Black metal is generally held to embrace anti-Christian sentiment, misanthropy, nihilism, Paganism, or Satanism, as well as in rare cases racism or nationalism. As an extension of misanthropy there is often a deep link to nature emphasized, being a type of naturalism, with a heavy emphasis on mortality and the unknown aspects of death. More generally, most black metal musicians like to appear as strongly anti-collectivist, critics of religion and are advocates of individualism and rational egoism, but Nationalist Socialist black metal is an exception to this case.

The majority of those involved in the scene are not outspoken with regard to either nationalism or xenophobia (values common to National Socialist black metal), and prefer to let their music speak for itself. Nonetheless, many black metal bands espouse a form of anti-racist nationalism; they are proud of their culture/nation, but do not deny the right of other people of other nations to be proud of theirs. Homogenisation between peoples is seen as something to be avoided, and one way to avoid this is to take pride in being a representative of one's own culture, and produce art that is distinct to it. These ideas are sometimes realised musically by the incorporation of folk elements to their works.

[edit] National Socialist black metal

Main article: National Socialist black metal

A black metal movement that deals with Neo-Nazi ideologies, often mixed in with topics pertaining to European pagan religions, National Socialist black metal (NSBM) is more interpreted as an ideology than a subgenre as there is not any developed "style" to play black metal in a National Socialist way. However, the term has stuck around not only because there are traceable movements and labels that sell NSBM exclusively, but also because it is such a hotly debated topic; giving rise to questions like whether it does or does not coincide with traditional black metal characteristics, or whether it should even be considered a subform, as most black metal bands do not adhere to the ideology. Even though NSBM bands usually have topics that concern Paganism, it should be noted that most black metal bands celebrating Paganism are not NSBM.

Several popular black metal musicians, such as Frost of Satyricon and Ihsahn of Emperor, are opposed to NSBM. Much of this is due to the fact that many black metal bands are wrongly thought to be NSBM due to the anti-establishment ideology of their music, as was the case with Burzum, who holds Odalist views that are often misconceived as Nazism^[44].

[edit] Unblack metal

Main article: Unblack metal

A controversial take on the black metal sound with lyrics that depict Christianity positively has been dubbed "unblack metal". The style emerged in 1991, when one of the first known unblack metal bands Antestor released their demo The Defeat of Satan. In 1994, Horde also gained wide recognition with their own anti-Satanic themes, as evidenced by song titles like "Silence the Blasphemous Chanting" and "Invert the Inverted Cross". Several bands adopting the concept have emerged since then, however, traditional black metal bands often do not condone the ideology. The release of Antestor's The Return Of The Black Death on the label Cacophonous Records in 1998 proved influential on the Christian black metal movement, however, once Cacophonous found out Antestor held Christian beliefs, they dropped them from the label.

[edit] See also

List of death metal bands

[edit] Literature

[edit] References

{{heavymetal}}