Sunday, December 14, 2008

Metal Genre's (Part 2)

Folk metal
Folk metal developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with folk music.This includes the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles. Examples of the genre include Skyclad, Finntroll and Korpiklaani while the bands Cruachan, Orphaned Land and Subway to Sally are representative of the three subgenres Celtic metal, Oriental metal and Mittelalter rock respectively.

Glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal) arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. It was a dominant genre in popular rock music throughout the 1980s. Musically, glam metal songs use distorted guitar riffs based around power chords and catchy hooks over hard-hitting drumming. Most songs feature flashy virtuoso shred guitar solos with heavily effect-processed lead guitar sound. The overall sound is much more commercial and studio-engineered than earlier styles of metal. The vocals have a catchy melody with an anthemic "sing-along" chorus. In addition, they were usually sung with a clean tone like in hard rock. Many of the bands donned make-up to achieve an androgynous look, similar to that of some 1970s glam rock bands. Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, and W.A.S.P. are examples of glam metal.

Gothic metal
Gothic metal is characterised as a combination of the dark melancholy of gothic rock with the aggression of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the mid 1990s in Europe as an outgrowth of doom-death, a fusion genre of doom metal and death metal. Examples of gothic metal bands include Paradise Lost, Lacuna Coil and Tristania.

Groove metal
Also known as neo-thrash, post-thrash, or power groove, groove metal consists of slow or mid-tempo and down tuned thrash riffs, bluesy guitar solos, greatly emphasized drum work and harsh vocals. Examples of groove metal include Pantera, Machine Head and White Zombie.

Industrial metal
Industrial metal combines elements of industrial music and heavy metal. It is usually centered around repetitive metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal groups include Godflesh, KMFDM, and Ministry.

Metalcore
Metalcore combines elements of hardcore punk with heavy metal, thrash metal or extreme metal. Generally, metalcore guitarists use harmonized guitar riffs and solos, drummers use hardcore d-beats and double bass drums, and vocalists use a sing-along style. A distinguishing characteristic is the "breakdown", whereby the song is slowed to half-time and the guitarists play open strings to achieve the lowest-pitched sound. Metalcore generally differs from thrash metal in that it avoids the "chugging" guitar sound and focuses more on melody than aggression. Many metalcore bands are now also incorporating synthesiezers into their music.[citation needed] Prominent metalcore bands include Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Caliban, and Shadows Fall. Most modern metalcore bands are from north america.

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