Metal fans - need some help with terminology

[DMK]

As someone fairly new to metal, I'm still in the learning stages. As I read about different bands, I keep seeing term such as nu-metal, goth, industrial, death, glam, emo (isn't that some kind of antelope???), thrash, grunge, etc etc. Can anyone actually describe these terms and give me some examples of bands that fit? I'd appreciate the help.

For the record, my favorites so far are Metallica, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, Meshuggah and Mudhoney. As a lifelong jazz fan, I'm constantly amazed at the high quality of the musicianship. When I was a jazz snob, I thought rockers couldn't play. That's the problem with snobs; they think they know more than they do!

[-Jar-]

As someone fairly new to metal, I'm still in the learning stages. As I read about different bands, I keep seeing term such as nu-metal, goth, industrial, death, glam, emo (isn't that some kind of antelope???), thrash, grunge, etc etc. Can anyone actually describe these terms and give me some examples of bands that fit? I'd appreciate the help.

For the record, my favorites so far are Metallica, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, Meshuggah and Mudhoney. As a lifelong jazz fan, I'm constantly amazed at the high quality of the musicianship. When I was a jazz snob, I thought rockers couldn't play. That's the problem with snobs; they think they know more than they do!

Metallica - depends on the era.. they want from Thrash Metal in the 80's to Alternative Rock in the 90's.

Slipknot - I think pretty much anyone would agree they're "Nu-Metal"

Cradle of Filth.. I'm not sure.. Dustychalk might know.

Meshuggah - Math-core? Math-metal? They're one that defies categorization.

and finally Mudhoney.. well.. you don't get much more Classic Grunge than them. They're one of the bands that invented the Seattle Grunge movement in the late 80's/early 90's.

-jar

[mad rhetorik]

As someone fairly new to metal, I'm still in the learning stages. As I read about different bands, I keep seeing term such as nu-metal, goth, industrial, death, glam, emo (isn't that some kind of antelope???), thrash, grunge, etc etc. Can anyone actually describe these terms and give me some examples of bands that fit? I'd appreciate the help.

Whoo boy, this can be tough. Over the years metal has evolved from blues-derived rock played with downtuning, heavy distortion, etc. into a very stratified field with many subgenres. I'll try to decribe these as best I can:

"Classic" Metal: Metal closest to its blues-derived roots, dating back to 1969 or so and almost exclusively from Britain. Black Sabbath is obvious, as is Mk.2 Deep Purple (Blackmore/Paice/Lord/Glover/Gillian), Dio, and Rainbow. Led Zeppelin is often labeled "metal" too, but I find that a little misleading. Still, basic principle is the same. Mostly pentatonic, blues-scale stuff played with plenty of distortion and generally more downtuned than traditional rock 'n' roll.

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM): Born from the hybridizing of punk and classic metal dating back to the mid-70's, and also almost exclusively English. More uptempo and aggressive than classic metal, though still largely blues-based, and often featuring complex dual guitar harmonizing (Iron Maiden in particular is famous for this). Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Motorhead, and Venom all fit this category; the latter two groups were seen as instrumental to the development of thrash.

Hardcore Punk/Crossover: Sometimes punk bridged into metal, as the two forms often shared a common fanbase. Often very uptempo (which would eventually be the impetus for grindcore), though not always. Mostly American. D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles), S.O.D. (Stormtroopers Of Death), later Black Flag, and Bad Brains circa-I Against I all fit the crossover category in some way.

Thrash: Hardcore punk mixed with NWOBHM, and primarily an American form dating back to 1983-84 (with most bands coming from the San Francisco Bay area). Here we see a moving away from blues-based forms. Riffs are more staccato-sounding, with much less emphasis on melody, and played at mid-to-fast tempo. Exodus, early Metallica (up to ..And Justice For All), Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax are all thrash pioneers.

Black Metal: Derived from the works of Venom (the genre gained its name from album of same title), and endemic to Scandinavia (particularly Norway). Similar to thrash, but with an emphasis on an extremely Satanic/Viking subculture, poor production values designed to create an "evil atmosphere," and harsh, shrieked vocals. Bathory is widely considered the original black metal band (debuted in 1985), with Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor, Mayhem, and early Ulver following in its footsteps.

Death Metal: Basically thrash on steroids, starting with Possessed's debut in 1986 (Seven Churches). Riffs are similar to thrash, though usually played faster. Of special note are the vox, which are usually deep, gutteral growls. Other important death pioneers are Death, Obituary, Suffocation, and Morbid Angel.

Industrial Metal: Some industrial outfits, like Ministry, started picking up guitars in the mid-'80s to combine thrash riffing with drum machine assaults. Later bands like Fear Factory, Godflesh, and Strapping Young Lad would create similar music, except more from the metal side. Great emphasis on rhythm and repetition, less on solos and melody.

Doom/Stoner Metal: Doom (and to some extent, death metal) started with Hellhammer/Celtic Frost in the early '80s, though many bands in the genre cite Black Sabbath as a primary influence. Very slow, plodding tempo, and heavy grooves. Early doom bands include Candlemass, Trouble, Cathedral, and The Obsessed. Later, the "stoner" subculture adapted doom metal and turned it into stoner metal, which played up the 'Sabbath similarities a bit more and is generally a bit faster, more psychedelic, and less grim than doom. Kyuss, Dopethrone, Sleep, Fu Manchu, and Monster Magnet are all important contributors to the genre.

Rap-Metal: Rappers and metalheads actually have a history of working together, starting with Public Enemy's collaborations with Anthrax and the NYC metal/hardcore crossover Biohazard. Mike Patton's eclectic vocal stylings with Faith No More also had an impact in this regard, and it would come to full fruition in the Ice T-fronted Body Count and Rage Against The Machine (perhaps the most famous of all). Vocals are delivered in a rapped fashion (duh), and there is less emphasis on solos and more on groove and rhythm.

Nu-Metal: Inspired by Helmet and Prong, though they weren't exactly "nu-metal." Sepultura circa-Roots is also an influence. Korn was probably the first proper nu-metal outfit. Similar in some ways to rap-metal, with differences in the riff style and vocals. Generally downtuned repetitive three-chord riffs, few solos, vocals sometimes rapped, otherwise shouted.

Grindcore: An outgrowth of hardcore punk and thrash/death metal, grindcore is basically hardcore punk at its most violent and extreme. Extremely fast tempos, with harsh/guttural vocals. Of note here is a drumming technique known as the "blastbeat," which is alternating the snare/bass drum at 300+ BPM. Napalm Death is widely regarded as the original grindcore band (Scum in 1987) along with peers Carcass and Extreme Noise Terror.

Melodic ("Gothenburg") Death Metal: A branch of death metal hailing mostly from Sweden, particularly the city of Gothenburg, and dating back to the early '90s. Mostly harsh vox, with more emphasis placed on melody and twin guitar harmonizing a la Iron Maiden. At The Gates is thought to be the founder of this style, with In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Arch Enemy being important bands as well.

Metalcore/Emo-core: American hardcore/metal crossovers have recently started adding Gothenburg-style guitar harmonizing and melodies to their music, and the result is often labeled metalcore. Often "emo" lyrical tendencies are found as well, though the vox are usually harsher, more screamed than sung. Included in this genre are Converge (probably the first), Poison The Well, Killswitch Engage, and Lamb Of God.

Noisecore/Math Metal: One of my favorite genres. Often a label used to encompass very different bands, like the Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah (who only have their use of jazz idioms and bizarre time signatures in common). Harsh vox, odd song structures, and mind-boggling rhythms are all held in common; the rest varies widely. Other "math-metal" bands include The End, Botch and Burnt By The Sun.

Glam/Power Metal: Most American "hair metal" from the '80s is lumped here (Bon Jovi, Poison etc.). Power metal is similar except hailing from Scandinavia, more bombastic (lots of orchestra backing) and more of a fantasy bent. Needless to say, extremely cheesy stuff. Lots of synthesizers, big high-pitched vibrato-laden vocals placed right up front, overproduced drums, Yngwie Malmsteem-esque guitar shredding.

Prog Metal: Metal with a basis in prog, with technical proficiency, atmosphere, and often conceptual storylines part of the mix. Vocals, keyboards, and guitarwork are often similar to power metal. Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Queensrcyhe are some of the flagship bands here.

Gothic Metal: Not a genre I'm very familar with, but often considered a tributary of doom metal. Less heavy and more dreary though, with more emphasis on keyboards, classical instruments (violins are common), and often female vocals. Theatre Of Tragedy, Lacuna Coil, The Gathering, and After Forever are a few bands in this genre.

Then there's plenty of stuff that can't be conveniently classified...Neurosis, Cynic, Opeth, Tool, Isis etc. etc. (more like a copout since my fingers are sore from all that frickin' typing ; P )

For the record, my favorites so far are Metallica, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, Meshuggah and Mudhoney. As a lifelong jazz fan, I'm constantly amazed at the high quality of the musicianship. When I was a jazz snob, I thought rockers couldn't play. That's the problem with snobs; they think they know more than they do!

Metallica = thrash (at least originally)
Slipknot = definitely nu-metal
Cradle Of Filth = cheesy "symphonic" black metal
Meshuggah = well...."math-metal" fits, but they're just Meshuggah (Yiddish for "crazy," if you didn't know)
Mudhoney = pure Seattle grunge, baby

I personally think that metal is the place to be right now, considering that it is still continuing to produce lots of innovative music. And yes, contrary to what the classical/jazz snobs will often tell you, a lot of metal is not merely "adolescent noise," but VERY challenging stuff to play and versed in a lot of musical theory. One listen to Meshuggah's Chaosphere should be ample evidence of this fact.

[kexodusc]

I don't think I could describe the genres any better than Mad Rhetorik, excellent job MD!!!

You'll find alot of crossover too...for example, Tool, Opeth are often described as Prog Metal (it's definitely there), but they're not stuck in that, and Dream Theater dips into other genres from time to time too...
One other term you should be familiar with...Troo-Metal...anything that's not wussy, corporate Nu Metal...

[Dusty Chalk]

Rhet did an excellent job describing.

I am just posting to say that Nu Metal isn't really metal.

[DMK]

Whoo boy, this can be tough. Over the years metal has evolved from blues-derived rock played with downtuning, heavy distortion, etc. into a very stratified field with many subgenres. I'll try to decribe these as best I can:

"Classic" Metal: Metal closest to its blues-derived roots, dating back to 1969 or so and almost exclusively from Britain. Black Sabbath is obvious, as is Mk.2 Deep Purple (Blackmore/Paice/Lord/Glover/Gillian), Dio, and Rainbow. Led Zeppelin is often labeled "metal" too, but I find that a little misleading. Still, basic principle is the same. Mostly pentatonic, blues-scale stuff played with plenty of distortion and generally more downtuned than traditional rock 'n' roll.

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM): Born from the hybridizing of punk and classic metal dating back to the mid-70's, and also almost exclusively English. More uptempo and aggressive than classic metal, though still largely blues-based, and often featuring complex dual guitar harmonizing (Iron Maiden in particular is famous for this). Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Motorhead, and Venom all fit this category; the latter two groups were seen as instrumental to the development of thrash.

Hardcore Punk/Crossover: Sometimes punk bridged into metal, as the two forms often shared a common fanbase. Often very uptempo (which would eventually be the impetus for grindcore), though not always. Mostly American. D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles), S.O.D. (Stormtroopers Of Death), later Black Flag, and Bad Brains circa-I Against I all fit the crossover category in some way.

Thrash: Hardcore punk mixed with NWOBHM, and primarily an American form dating back to 1983-84 (with most bands coming from the San Francisco Bay area). Here we see a moving away from blues-based forms. Riffs are more staccato-sounding, with much less emphasis on melody, and played at mid-to-fast tempo. Exodus, early Metallica (up to ..And Justice For All), Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax are all thrash pioneers.

Black Metal: Derived from the works of Venom (the genre gained its name from album of same title), and endemic to Scandinavia (particularly Norway). Similar to thrash, but with an emphasis on an extremely Satanic/Viking subculture, poor production values designed to create an "evil atmosphere," and harsh, shrieked vocals. Bathory is widely considered the original black metal band (debuted in 1985), with Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor, Mayhem, and early Ulver following in its footsteps.

Death Metal: Basically thrash on steroids, starting with Possessed's debut in 1986 (Seven Churches). Riffs are similar to thrash, though usually played faster. Of special note are the vox, which are usually deep, gutteral growls. Other important death pioneers are Death, Obituary, Suffocation, and Morbid Angel.

Industrial Metal: Some industrial outfits, like Ministry, started picking up guitars in the mid-'80s to combine thrash riffing with drum machine assaults. Later bands like Fear Factory, Godflesh, and Strapping Young Lad would create similar music, except more from the metal side. Great emphasis on rhythm and repetition, less on solos and melody.

Doom/Stoner Metal: Doom (and to some extent, death metal) started with Hellhammer/Celtic Frost in the early '80s, though many bands in the genre cite Black Sabbath as a primary influence. Very slow, plodding tempo, and heavy grooves. Early doom bands include Candlemass, Trouble, Cathedral, and The Obsessed. Later, the "stoner" subculture adapted doom metal and turned it into stoner metal, which played up the 'Sabbath similarities a bit more and is generally a bit faster, more psychedelic, and less grim than doom. Kyuss, Dopethrone, Sleep, Fu Manchu, and Monster Magnet are all important contributors to the genre.

Rap-Metal: Rappers and metalheads actually have a history of working together, starting with Public Enemy's collaborations with Anthrax and the NYC metal/hardcore crossover Biohazard. Mike Patton's eclectic vocal stylings with Faith No More also had an impact in this regard, and it would come to full fruition in the Ice T-fronted Body Count and Rage Against The Machine (perhaps the most famous of all). Vocals are delivered in a rapped fashion (duh), and there is less emphasis on solos and more on groove and rhythm.

Nu-Metal: Inspired by Helmet and Prong, though they weren't exactly "nu-metal." Sepultura circa-Roots is also an influence. Korn was probably the first proper nu-metal outfit. Similar in some ways to rap-metal, with differences in the riff style and vocals. Generally downtuned repetitive three-chord riffs, few solos, vocals sometimes rapped, otherwise shouted.

Grindcore: An outgrowth of hardcore punk and thrash/death metal, grindcore is basically hardcore punk at its most violent and extreme. Extremely fast tempos, with harsh/guttural vocals. Of note here is a drumming technique known as the "blastbeat," which is alternating the snare/bass drum at 300+ BPM. Napalm Death is widely regarded as the original grindcore band (Scum in 1987) along with peers Carcass and Extreme Noise Terror.

Melodic ("Gothenburg") Death Metal: A branch of death metal hailing mostly from Sweden, particularly the city of Gothenburg, and dating back to the early '90s. Mostly harsh vox, with more emphasis placed on melody and twin guitar harmonizing a la Iron Maiden. At The Gates is thought to be the founder of this style, with In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Arch Enemy being important bands as well.

Metalcore/Emo-core: American hardcore/metal crossovers have recently started adding Gothenburg-style guitar harmonizing and melodies to their music, and the result is often labeled metalcore. Often "emo" lyrical tendencies are found as well, though the vox are usually harsher, more screamed than sung. Included in this genre are Converge (probably the first), Poison The Well, Killswitch Engage, and Lamb Of God.

Noisecore/Math Metal: One of my favorite genres. Often a label used to encompass very different bands, like the Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah (who only have their use of jazz idioms and bizarre time signatures in common). Harsh vox, odd song structures, and mind-boggling rhythms are all held in common; the rest varies widely. Other "math-metal" bands include The End, Botch and Burnt By The Sun.

Glam/Power Metal: Most American "hair metal" from the '80s is lumped here (Bon Jovi, Poison etc.). Power metal is similar except hailing from Scandinavia, more bombastic (lots of orchestra backing) and more of a fantasy bent. Needless to say, extremely cheesy stuff. Lots of synthesizers, big high-pitched vibrato-laden vocals placed right up front, overproduced drums, Yngwie Malmsteem-esque guitar shredding.

Prog Metal: Metal with a basis in prog, with technical proficiency, atmosphere, and often conceptual storylines part of the mix. Vocals, keyboards, and guitarwork are often similar to power metal. Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Queensrcyhe are some of the flagship bands here.

Gothic Metal: Not a genre I'm very familar with, but often considered a tributary of doom metal. Less heavy and more dreary though, with more emphasis on keyboards, classical instruments (violins are common), and often female vocals. Theatre Of Tragedy, Lacuna Coil, The Gathering, and After Forever are a few bands in this genre.

Then there's plenty of stuff that can't be conveniently classified...Neurosis, Cynic, Opeth, Tool, Isis etc. etc. (more like a copout since my fingers are sore from all that frickin' typing ; P )



Metallica = thrash (at least originally)
Slipknot = definitely nu-metal
Cradle Of Filth = cheesy "symphonic" black metal
Meshuggah = well...."math-metal" fits, but they're just Meshuggah (Yiddish for "crazy," if you didn't know)
Mudhoney = pure Seattle grunge, baby

I personally think that metal is the place to be right now, considering that it is still continuing to produce lots of innovative music. And yes, contrary to what the classical/jazz snobs will often tell you, a lot of metal is not merely "adolescent noise," but VERY challenging stuff to play and versed in a lot of musical theory. One listen to Meshuggah's Chaosphere should be ample evidence of this fact.

Besides saying "thanks", I'm speechless! So I'll just genuflect! Your post is excellent and helps very much!

[DMK]

Rhet did an excellent job describing.

I am just posting to say that Nu Metal isn't really metal.

...and I'm listening to "Kulma" by Pan Sonic, recommended by someone named Dusty.

[Dusty Chalk]

That's a pretty far cry from metal.