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| Cultural origins | Mid-1980s, |
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Avant-garde metal (also known asavant-metal,experimental metal,art metal andexperimetal) is a subgenre ofheavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative,avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional sounds, instruments, song structures, playing styles, and vocal techniques. Avant-garde metal is influenced byprogressive rock andextreme metal, particularlydeath metal, and is closely related toprogressive metal. Some local scenes includeLos Angeles, theSan Francisco Bay Area,Boston, andSeattle in the United States,Oslo in Norway, andTokyo in Japan.
"Avant-garde metal" is interchangeable with "experimental metal"[1] and "avant-metal",[2][3] Avant-garde metal is related toprogressive metal, but avant-garde metal often has more experimentation, while progressive metal usually has a tighter focus ontraditional metal instrumentation and higher levels of technical complexity.[4] Avant-garde metal also uses unusual sounds, breaks conventions, and often includes new elements.
The lyrics and visual presentation of the genre are eclectic as well.[4] According to Jeff Wagner inMean Deviation, electronic percussion anddrum machines see widespread use by avant-garde metal bands, along with female vocals andoperatic elements, all of which he attributes to the influence of the bandCeltic Frost.[5] The Canadian groupVoivod also influenced future bands in the genre, pioneering technique such as robotic vocal effects, unusual time signatures, and fractured, dissonant, unorthodox guitar sounds.[5]
According toIan Christe, avant-garde metal emerged fromdeath metal as a number of musicians "abandoned the tightly wound structure of the music and experimented with abstractions of its founding elements".[6]Progressive rock has also been cited as an influence.[7] Some early examples are theKing Crimson releasesLarks' Tongues in Aspic andRed in 1973 and 1974 respectively, with the latter album's title track defining an "avant-metal style" thatRobert Fripp would revisit years later.[2][8] Another early example is the 1976Led Zeppelin albumPresence.[9]Celtic Frost was an early pioneer of the genre;[10] the term "avant-garde metal" was coined to describe their 1987 releaseInto the Pandemonium.[11] Other pioneers of avant-garde metal includeGorguts,Boris,[12]Earth,[13]Helmet,[14]Mayhem,[15]Maudlin of the Well,[16]Neurosis,[17]Sunn O))),[18]Mr. Bungle,[19]Today Is the Day, andVoivod.[10]
In the late 1990s,Misanthropy Records emerged as a promoter of Norwegian avant-garde metal until it folded in 2000,[20] and, according to Jeff Wagner, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a so-called "new wave of avant-garde metal" was spearheaded byThe End Records.[20] Wagner states that "with the support of [Misanthropy and The End Records] and other specialty labels, metal's new avant-garde had arrived."[20] Some other record labels which promote avant-garde metal are Aurora Borealis,[21]The Flenser,[22]Holy Records,[23]Hydra Head Records,[24]Ipecac Recordings,[25]Napalm Records,[26] the Release Entertainment imprint ofRelapse Records,[27]Seventh Rule Recordings,[28] andSouthern Lord Records.[29] In the United States, local avant-garde metal scenes have emerged in theSan Francisco Bay Area with bands such asGiant Squid,Grayceon, andLudicra,[30] and inBoston, with bands such asIsis,Kayo Dot, andMaudlin of the Well.[31] Some regional scenes that developed in the mid-1990s included the cities ofTokyo,Los Angeles, andOslo.[12]
...later turned up on the 1973 avant-metal killer Larks' Tongues in Aspic.
Sol Niger Within, a 1997 avant-metal mindbender by Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal that features bursts of piercing saxophone
Still, the best parts of Ænima come when Tool just let the music rip and dip with the broiling, avant-metal ferocity of Led Zeppelin's Presence.
Early arrivals were able to see experimental metal pioneers Helmet as well as retro punks the Casualties.
Their metal-based drone experiments have proved groundbreaking and hugely influential for an entire new generation of musicians practicing the art of avant-garde metal, drone, post rock and psychedelia.
Distributed by experimental metal label Aurora Borealis, the release earned Krlic a recording deal with the London-based company.
...said co-owner Mark Thompson, who also co-founded and runs the experimental-metal label Hydra Head Records.
We'd like to give a shout out to Seventh Rule and the striking, experimental metal acts coming from this label
