| Melodic death metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Death metal, NWOBHM |
| Cultural origins | Early to mid 1990s, Scandinavia (particularly Gothenburg, Sweden) and Liverpool, England |
| Typical instruments | Electric guitar, bass guitar, drums (double kick), keyboard, acoustic guitar, vocals |
| Mainstream popularity | Underground in early–mid 1990s Increased popularity throughout 2000s |
| Derivative forms | Melodic metalcore |
| Regional scenes | |
| Scandinavia - United States - United Kingdom | |
| Other topics | |
| Death growl – Clean vocals – Bands | |
Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath or MDM) is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia. Scandinavia in particular did much to popularize the style, which soon centered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and spawned a local music scene called Gothenburg metal. This "Gothenburg" style subsequently inspired many bands in the United States, which led to a flourishing movement in that country.
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Melodic death metal uses components of NWOBHM, in particular the fast riffing and harmonic guitar lines, but also is influenced by the characteristics of death metal like heavily distorted guitars, fast double-bass drum patterns and sometimes blast beats.[1] The vocal style of the genre is a combination of harsh screaming, clean harmonies, and death growls.[2]
Credit for the popularity of melodic death metal can be attributed to the mid-90s releases of In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity, which laid the foundation for the Gothenburg metal scene.[2] Another key band in the definition of melodic death metal was the British band Carcass, who started out playing grindcore but morphed into a death metal style and helped pioneer the melodic death metal genre with their 1993 album Heartwork and define melodic death metal as an authentic genre.[3][4]
Since the late '90s, melodic death metal bands have added more melodic choruses and riffs and have used keyboards more prominently than other death metal bands; their lyrics, unlike those of death metal, did not focus on death, violence, gore, horror, or blood for the most part.[5] Its influence lead to the diversification of modern metalcore, with melodic metalcore gaining prominence in the 2000s, especially in the United States.
According to Steven Gibb of AllExperts.com, many bands that are considered melodic death metal are part of a Swedish death metal movement called "Gothenburg metal" that originated in Gothenburg, Sweden.[6] This movement was born in the Scandinavian death metal scene, based primarily in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Swedish and Finnish bands in the scene used grindcore-based riffs and began incorporating progressive rock flourishes in their music, and in the mid 1990s the Swedish scene moved from Stockholm to Gothenburg, where bands like At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork and In Flames added New Wave of British Heavy Metal elements and popularized the Gothenburg style.[6] Stewart Mason of Allmusic states that this "increasingly melodic" style of Swedish death metal combines the post-hardcore aggression and guttural vocals of black metal with melodic and technically proficient guitar lines. Stewart Mason claims the style has become very popular in the United States, using the term "Swedecore" to describe Scandinavian-style metal as played by non-Nordic bands.[7]
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