| Blackened death metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early-to-mid-1990s, |
| Subgenres | |
| Other topics | |
Blackened death metal (also known asblack death metal) is anextreme subgenre ofheavy metal that fuses elements ofblack metal anddeath metal.[1][2]
The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death metal and vice versa. The genre typically employs death growls, tremolo picking,blast beats, andSatanic lyrics and imagery. Bands of the genre typically employcorpse paint, which was adapted from black metal.
The genre is commonly death metal that incorporates musical, lyrical or ideological elements of black metal, such as an increased use oftremolo picking, anti-Christian orSatanic lyrical themes and chord progressions similar to those used in black metal.[3] Blackened death metal bands are also more likely to wear corpse paint and suits of armour, than bands from other styles of death metal.[4] Lower range guitar tunings,death growls and abrupttempo changes are common in the genre.[5] Some blackened death metal bands, such asGoatwhore andAngelcorpse, even take significant influence fromthrash metal.[5]
Both black metal and death metal evolved out of the same crop of early extreme metal bands such asDark Angel,Possessed,Kreator,Sodom,Venom,Celtic Frost andBathory,[6][7][8] leading to common elements between the genres being in place. Early death metal groups possessing certain elements in common with black metal include earlySepultura,Morbid Angel, andDeicide. John McEntee, guitarist and vocalist of death metal bandIncantation, has noted that he and his band draw influence from black metal.[5] Seminal black metal bandDarkthrone began playing death metal before evolving into the style they would primarily become known for.[9]
Blasphemy crossed death metal and black metal on their debut albumFallen Angel of Doom, giving way to the development of war metal.[9]Dissection evolved out of the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene, embracing black metal influences into their music and helping create melodic black-death thanks to their 1993 albumThe Somberlain.[10]
The year 1998 saw the release ofBehemoth's albumPandemonic Incantations, striking a stylistic change in the sound of the band's output from a traditional black metal style with generally pagan lyrical themes into a more death metal influenced sound with lyrics about the occult and Satan.[11] After continuing this style, their 2000 albumThelema.6 peaked at number 31 on thePolish Albums Charts.[12] Many of Behemoth's subsequent albums would continue to chart, withDemigod peaking at number 15,[13]The Apostasy at number 9,[14] andEvangelion andThe Satanist both at number one,[15][16] with multiple albums charting worldwide.[17][18][19][20] American bandSkeletonwitch'sthird,fourth andfifth albums peaked at numbers 151, 153 and 62, respectively, on theBillboard 200 charts.[21]
Thy Art Is Murder, a band which previously playeddeathcore, moved into a style more similar to blackened death metal on their fourth albumDear Desolation,[22][23] charting in eight different territories, including a peak at number five on theAustralian Albums Charts and number seven on theNew Zealand Heatseekers Albums.[24][25] Similarly, New Jersey'sLorna Shore also began to tread into blackened death metal territory with their sophomore album "Flesh Coffin".[26]
| Melodic black-death | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early to mid-1990s,Scandinavia (particularlySweden) |
Melodic black-death[27] (also known asblackened melodic death metal ormelodic blackened death metal)[10] is a genre ofextreme metal that describes the style created when melodic death metal bands began being inspired byblack metal and Europeanromanticism. However, unlike most other black metal, this take on the genre incorporates an increased sense of melody and narrative.[10] Some bands who have played this style includeDissection,[10][27][28]Sacramentum,[10][27]Naglfar,[10]Dawn,[10]Unanimated,[10]Thulcandra,[27][10]Skeletonwitch,[29] andCardinal Sin.[27]
Sweden's Dissection evolved alongside melodic death metal bands such asAt the Gates andIn Flames, by building upon the musical foundation laid by death metal and incorporating guitar melodies and harmonies amongst the standard brutality of the genre. However, unlike the other bands, Dissection began incorporating influences from black metal into their music,[30] which lead to their debut albumThe Somberlain influencing a plethora of subsequent bands and Metal Injection dubbing them "one of the most important extreme metal bands of all time".[10] Sacramentum's debut and second albumsFar Away from the Sun andThe Coming of Chaos would then continue Dissection's style of black metal-infused melodic death metal, based around middle of the neck guitar riffing and howling vocals, while Vinterland would lean even more upon their black metal predecessors like Norway'sEmperor.[10]Naglfar would base their sound primarily within that ofGothenburg metal bands like In Flames andDark Tranquility, by taking a brighter and thrashier take on the style.[10]
| War metal | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s to early 1990s,Brazil,Canada,Finland |
War metal[31][32][33] (also known aswar black metal[32] orbestial black metal)[33] is a genre derived primarily fromfirst-wave black metal,[31][32] while incorporating elements of death metal andgrindcore.[31][32] It is aggressive,[32] cacophonous[31] and chaotic[31][32] and includes musical characteristics including tremolo picking, blast beats,growled orscreamed vocals andlo-fi production.[34]
Kansas City, Missouri bandOrder from Chaos and many of the acts on the record label Ross Bay Cult were also early proponents in the genre.[35] The genre quickly developed a scene in Australia, withSadistik Exekution andBestial Warlust.[34] It was the members of Bestial Warlust who coined the name "war metal".[36] At this time, the Finnish scene was home to war metal bandsArchgoat andBeherit.[35] According toInvisible Oranges, some see the genre as having begun with the 1996 formation of the Canadian band Conqueror, and as having concluded with the band's 1997 disbandment.[35]
Other notable acts in the genre includeRevenge,Diocletian,Teitanblood,Black Witchery,Axis of Advance,[37]Impiety,[32]In Battle[38] andZyklon-B.[39]
Bands such as Bestial Warlust (formerly Corpse Molestation), Deströyer 666 and Sadistik Exekution were notable proponents of this style-short, fast songs, 'chaotic' sounds (heavy distortion, rapid tremolo picking, blast beats and growled or screeched vocals), and low-quality production are all generic conventions. This combination of thrash and death metal influences with the lyrical themes common to early black metal is regarded as a 'particularly Australian one' (Phillipov, 2008: 219).
