Grindcore

Took blazing hardcore into the metal realm and added barking vocals (that would later mutate into growling) and turned the speed up a notch so that it was (at the time) the fastest metal in addition to its strong imagery of death, terror and doom. Probably the band who has influenced more of the metal genres than any other is the King of Grindcore--Napalm Death. When you think of all the different music styles and metal genres that Mick Harris, Justin Broadrick and Shane Embury have influenced it is scary--Industrial Metal wouldn't exist without Broadrick, Embury and Harris have played in tons of industrial bands as well Meathook Seed, Painkiller, Scorn), Harris has recorded Drum & Bass (with Eraldo Bernocchi) and avant-garde projects with Bill Laswell throughout his career. Napalm Death may be the Velvet Underground of Metal for all the various genres and groups that say that Napalm Death has either developed or influenced them. The best Napalm Death albums are Mentally Murdered, Scum (the only one recorded with Broadrick) and From Enslavement to Obliteration. Another major influence to emerge from the Grindcore masses was Carcass with their brutal grind and morgue lyrics. Evidently the lyricist for Carcass was in medical school at the time and simply wrote lyrics based on his studies. Reek of Putrefaction and Symphonies of Sickness are masterpieces of grindcore. Extreme Noise Terror added in the element of noise to the grind, for a nice overview Retrobution is the disc. Brutal Truth just recently disbanded, but released high quality grindcore for years. Brutal Truth's bassist Danny Lilker is arguably the greatest bassist ever. Exit 13 provided a breath of fresh air (yeah, air) for the grindcore world with their hemp-fueled armada of grind. Even stoner bands are not this into marijuana, Exit 13 reached a new high for grind. Newer bands like Nightstick (Death to Music) and Death of Millions are holding the banner of grindcore high and proud.

Noise Metal

The lords of Noise Metal are Anal Cunt (A.C. for short and when they are censored). A.C. has made a career out of playing noisy grind filled with hate and bitterness and a shitload of sarcasm. A.C. can be taken tongue in cheek, but usually aren't. For this reason the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) and every religious group in the world has protested their very existence. Seth Putnam is the central character for A.C. and has taken a whole world of criticism for his music and actions, but still perseveres and may even be more incendiary now than when he was younger. A.C. is definitely an acquired taste and may not be for those without a sense of humor.

For those that feel grindcore is too light and frivolous, we have gore grind where everything is disgusting. Their album covers out-gross each other. Blood Duster's Fisting the Dead and Exhumed's Gore Metal are covered in gore from decapitated heads to missing toes. It seems Relapse has an inordinant amount of gore grind, but it is also available from Repulse (the grind kings of mailorder). You will know from the covers if you can handle the music or not. If you puke at the sight of blood or rotting body parts, please do not purchase gore grind. This is however the perfect Christmas gift for Tipper Gore.

Industrial Metal

Industrial Metal is the mutant offspring of industrial and metal. It can be ungodly heavy like Head of David or Godflesh or more commercially viable like Fear Factory, November 17, or early Pitchshifter. Industrial Metal can trip off into the S&M/bizarre like Skinlab or be a one-man bulldozer of power like Strapping Young Lad (Mr. Devon Townsend). There are duos like Skin Chamber (whose Wound and Trial are staples of my daily life) and trios like Painkiller that defy description (mixture of industrial, jazz and noise with just a dab of hardcore) in addition to relatively normal bands like Skrew and Slab. You even have the alien factor with Fredrick Thordendal's Special Defects out-of-this-galaxy avant-garde, psychedelic recordings and Peter Tagtgren of Hypocrisy's industrial side project, Pain. The central element is pounding beats, samples and sound bites, heaviness out the yin-yang and driving, aggressive music. Some bands later eschew all that is metal (Scorn and Skin Chamber) and lean more toward avant-garde while others blast full force into the deathier end (Misery Loves Co., Treponem Pal, Skin Limit Show and Cryogenic).

Techno Metal

A subgenre of industrial metal, a little lighter than industrial and a little more based in the rave culture. A greater level of experimentalism is evident in their music. Samples and keyboards are used more plentifully than guitars. Latter Pitchshifter (since Infotainment?) falls more into the Techno Metal category. Earache did an Industrial Fucking Metal two disc compilation that really showcases a lot of techno metal bands. I wished I still had the compilation to tell you who the bands were on it. Unfortunately I didn't care too much for it and sold it.

Magazines and labels

I know of a lot of industrial magazines, but not any magazines devoted to industrial metal. Most of the industrial magazines tend to think any band still using guitars should be shot...or worse.

Labels:
Earache
Slipdisc

Just a touch heavier than speed metal and spawned in the early '80s with bands as varied as Metallica, Sodom, Death Angel, Exodus, Anthrax, Overkill, Testament and Slayer. This is more rocking, but heavy and sometimes lyrically dark. The best examples of the genre are Metallica's Ride the Lightning and And Justice for All..., Slayer's Reign in Blood and S.O.D.'s Speak English or Die. It's amazing to me that many of these bands are still playing today, and (other than Metallica) are just as heavy as ever. Few of these bands use the growling vocals; most all have "singers."

Math Metal/Technical Metal

A catchphrase that is used to describe bands too heavy for thrash or industrial (but may have those elements), too technical and precise and talented to leave in the death metal group. Pretty much like a lighter death metal with a greater technical proficiency and an extraordinary skill level. In Death's case they had just grown so far that they couldn't be death any longer. Vocals can be either death-metal style like Meshuggah and Theory in Practice or clean, but aggressive vocals like Carnal Forge or Pissing Razors. Occasionally you'll get an anomaly that belongs here like Blo-torch--mixes in a little of a black metal for an extra heavy sound. Excellent starting points are Meshuggah's Chaosphere or Destroy, Erase, Improve, Axen Province's Purification and Carnal Forge's Who's Gonna Burn.

Groove Metal

Bands too mid-paced to be declared to be technical metal. They simply are not as fast or technically proficient as Meshuggah, but get into more a '70s groove thing. Perhaps they toss in a doomy or industrial element. Occasionally there is a punk element involved. These are bands such as Machine Head, Soulfly (has a bit of rap tossed into the mix) and Soilent Green. They definitely are dangerous and heavy, but it is not overwhelming and they may actually have a chance at commercial success. Rolling Stone did a small article about Soilent Green and Meshuggah earlier this year. Prime Examples are Soilent Green's Sewn Mouth Secrets and Machine Head's Burn My Eyes.

Two great magazines that cover mostly the less extreme metals are Kerrang! (with a decidedly British slant) and Metal Hammer (also British). Occasionally both magazines will foray into darker waters musically, but they give great coverage to Thrash, Technical Metal and Groove Metal bands.

Labels:
Noise Records
Nuclear Blast America
Relapse
Roadrunner Records

War Metal

Bolt Thrower has based an entire career on highly aggressive, heavy, deathish metal that is lyrically based on the theme of war. This is powerful shit and is best when fresh so start early with Realm of Chaos and end up late with Mercenary, one of Bolt Thrower's latest (and best) releases. The releases in between just don't seem as good as either their first or last. Newcomers Goatpenis are claiming to play War Metal as well, but I have yet to confirm that with a listen. I've actually been surprised that there weren't more bands who got into the War Metal genre. In the '80s I always thought that Bolt Thrower was gonna be the next big thing. Guess that's why I'm not hired by record companies, eh?

Shock Metal

This is the category that won't shock you despite its name. Shock Metal is a catchphrase that I used for all the bands that regardless of their musical sound appear to be far more involved with shocking or entertaining audiences with gore and stageshows. Impaler (on Root of All Evil Records) is very sound musically as opposed to Gwar whose music sucks, but their stage show is well worth attending (don't wear clothes you'll ever want to wear again). I would bet a bloody stake that Impaler puts on a show you won't ever forget. In the Eighties, Haunted Garage from L.A. played a sub-par metal, but blew out Gwar with special effects. The rule here: See them live, borrow the disc from a friend. Unless it's Impaler--they have a rocking Ramonesy Metal.

This article should give you an overview of the metal arena, but there is so much more. Once you start digging in the metal mine, you will be surprised at how many more genres and mutations exist. Once again, I apologize to anyone I've left out, there are so many bands and I realize now that I am woefully undereducated in Metal 1Ø1, but I'm a quick learner. So look out for the next installment.

<-Prev  1  2  3 4