The Table of Elements for Heavy Metal Music

Welcome to my blog on the table of elements for heavy metal music! In this blog, I’ll be discussing the different elements that make up heavy metal music and how they contribute to the overall sound and feel of the genre. I’ll also be giving my recommendations on which metal albums you should check out if you’re looking to get into the genre. So whether you’re a metalhead or just curious about the music, be sure to check out this blog!

The Three Main Elements of Heavy Metal

There are three main elements to heavy metal music: the electric guitar, the bass guitar, and the drums. The electric guitar is the most important instrument in the genre, and it is often played with distortion to create a heavier sound. The bass guitar provides the low end, and the drums keep the rhythm.

Metalcore

Metalcore is a fusion genre of extreme metal and hardcore punk. Metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages that are conducive to moshing.

It is usually slower and heavier than other forms of metalcore. breakdowns are often accompanied by gang vocals, a direct descendent of hardcore punk. Some notable metalcore bands include Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Atreyu, and Bleeding Through.

Deathcore

Deathcore is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the speed and aggression of death metal with the breakdowns and hardcore-style instrumentation of hardcore punk. Breakdowns in deathcore typically consist of clean, half-time chugging guitars that build up to double-kick drum patterns and blast beats. Lyrics are usually screamed or growled, and tend to focus on topics such as violence, despair, addiction, and self-destruction.

Some of the early pioneers of deathcore include bands such as Deadguy, Integrity, Coalesce, and Botch. Deathcore began to emerge as its own distinct genre in the early 2000s, with bands such as Despised Icon, All Shall Perish, Hatebreed, and Thy Art Is Murder leading the charge. In recent years, deathcore has seen a surge in popularity, with bands such as Whitechapel, The Acacia Strain, Carnifex, and Suicide Silence becoming household names in the metal community.

If you’re looking to get into deathcore, there are a few essential elements you should know about. Firstly, deathcore is all about intensity. The music is fast, heavy, and brutal, and it takes a lot of energy to play it correctly. Secondly, deathcore is all about teamwork. The best deathcore bands are those who work together seamlessly to create a wall of sound that is both crushing and precise. Finally, deathcore is all about passion. This is music that comes from the heart – it’s intense and personal, and it demands your full commitment if you want to do it justice.

Doomcore

Doomcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk, typically characterized by slow tempos, down-tuned guitars, and lyrics focused on darkness and despair. The genre took root in the mid-1980s with bands like Discharge and Siege, and reached its peak in popularity in the early 1990s with groups like Earth Crisis and Converge. While doomcore has since fallen out of favor with most hardcore punk fans, it remains an influential style within the metal underground.

The Three Main Subgenres of Heavy Metal

There are three main subgenres of heavy metal music- death metal, thrash metal, and black metal. Each subgenre has its own unique sound and style. Death metal is the heaviest and most extreme subgenre of heavy metal. Thrash metal is a faster, more aggressive style of heavy metal. Black metal is a dark and atmospheric subgenre of heavy metal.

Thrash Metal

Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its fast tempo and aggressive musical style. Thrash metal songs typically feature fast-paced guitar riffs, drumming, and vocal styles that are often delivered in an aggressive manner. Thrash metal bands often incorporate elements of other genres, such as punk rock and hardcore punk, into their musical style.

The origin of the term “thrash metal” is attributed to a 1986 article published in the British music magazine Kerrang! which used the term to describe the new wave of American heavy metal bands that were influenced by the punk rock and hardcore punk scenes. These bands were later referred to as “thrashcore” or “fastcore” bands.

Notable thrash metal bands include Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, Death Angel, Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Exciter, Bathory, tankard liquid steel Stallion.

Black Metal

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, uniforms or corpse paint, and sometimes satanism. Artists often appear anonymously in public to further distance themselves from the mainstream.

Black metal developed in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a reaction against both the happy attitudes of mainstream society and what some perceived as the weak sound and mainstream commercialism of bands such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Slayer, and Celtic Frost are credited with pioneering black metal. Although early pioneers such as Venom were active exclusively in the United Kingdom, by the 1990s the style had spread throughout Europe (particularly to Norway and Sweden) and to a limited extent North America.

Death Metal

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes.

Death metal began in the late 1980s. Originally, death metal was considered a branch of thrash metal but soon became its own genre. In the 1990s and 2000s, death metal achieved great popularity. Many death metal bands were signed to major record labels and sold millions of records worldwide. Death metal has been described as “the most extreme form of heavy metal”.

Characteristics of death metal include:
-Heavy distorted guitars played with palm muting and tremolo picking
-Double kick drumming
-Growling or screaming vocals
-Complex song structures with multiple tempo changes

The Three Main Influences on Heavy Metal

There are three primary elements that have influenced the development of heavy metal music over the years. First, there is the blues. The blues have been a major influence on the sound and style of heavy metal since the genre’s inception. Second, there is classical music. Classical music has also had a significant impact on heavy metal, shaping the sound and style of many bands. Lastly, there is rock music. Rock music has served as a foundation for heavy metal, and many of the genre’s earliest bands were heavily influenced by rock music.

The Blues

The blues has been a major influence on heavy metal since the genre’s inception. Heavy metal guitarists draw heavily from the work of early blues guitarists such as Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters. The blues-based riff has become a core component of heavy metal, particularly in the work of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath.

Classical Music

There are three primary influences that have shaped heavy metal music: classical music, blues music, and rock music. Of these, classical music has had the most profound and long-lasting impact. Many of the founding fathers of heavy metal were classically trained musicians who brought their knowledge of complex harmonies, dynamics, and compositional structures to the genre. Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner are just a few of the classical composers who have had a direct influence on metal.

Hard Rock

The first wave of hard rock artists began appearing in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These included Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Queen, Kiss, and Van Halen. Hard rock is a heavier, louder version of rock that began in the late 1960s.Hard rock bands often featured distorted guitars (especially the electric guitar), and sometimes featured tavern singer-type vocalists.
The song structures of hard rock were often more simplistic than those of other genres such as progressive rock. This was partly due to the fact that many hard rock bands consisted of only guitar, bass, and drums (a “power trio”). Some early hard rock songs even consisted of only one riff repeated ad nauseam.