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death metal

Death Metal

United States · 1980s
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Description

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal defined by heavily distorted, low‑tuned guitars, rapid and complex riffing, blast beat drumming, and harsh guttural vocals. Its harmonic language favors chromaticism, dissonance, and tremolo-picked lines that create an ominous, abrasive atmosphere.

Lyrically, death metal often explores dark or transgressive themes—mortality, mythology, anti-religion, psychological horror, and the macabre—sometimes with philosophical or social commentary. Production ranges from raw and cavernous to hyper-precise and technical, reflecting the genre’s many regional scenes and substyles.

From the mid‑1980s Florida scene (Tampa) and parallel developments in the US, UK, and Sweden, death metal evolved into numerous branches including brutal death metal, technical death metal, melodic death metal, and death‑doom, each emphasizing different aspects of speed, complexity, melody, or heaviness.

History
Origins (mid-1980s)

Death metal crystallized in the mid‑1980s from the most extreme edges of thrash metal and first‑wave black metal. Early pioneers such as Possessed (US) and Death (US) pushed faster tempos, harsher vocals, and darker harmonies than their thrash contemporaries. In Florida—particularly the Tampa area around Morrisound Recording—bands like Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Deicide codified the genre’s sonic hallmarks: down‑tuned guitars, blast beats, chromatic tremolo riffs, and guttural vocal delivery.

Expansion and Regional Scenes (late-1980s to 1990s)

Across the Atlantic, the UK (Carcass, Bolt Thrower) and the Netherlands (Pestilence) contributed distinct flavors, while Sweden developed two influential schools. Stockholm’s Sunlight Studio sound (Entombed, Dismember) used a chainsaw‑like HM‑2 buzzsaw tone and d‑beat drive, whereas Gothenburg later birthed melodic death metal (At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity) with harmonized leads and more accessible structures.

Meanwhile, New York and Long Island scenes (Suffocation, Immolation) emphasized rhythmic complexity, slam‑leaning breakdowns, and dissonant chord work, feeding the rise of brutal and technical strains. By the mid‑1990s, death metal had spread globally, spawning festivals, specialized labels, and a dense network of underground distribution.

Diversification (1990s–2000s)

Subgenres proliferated: technical death metal (Atheist, Cynic, later Necrophagist) fused jazz‑inflected harmony and virtuosic chops; brutal death metal (Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation) pushed extremity in speed and vocal depth; death‑doom slowed the style to a funereal crush; and death ’n’ roll melded swaggering rock rhythms with death metal tone. Cross‑pollination with hardcore yielded deathcore, while blackened death metal blended ritualistic atmosphere with ferocious riffing.

Modern Era and Revivals (2010s–present)

A wave of “old‑school death metal” (OSDM) revivalists embraced raw production, cavernous reverb, and murky riffcraft, while others continued the technical and progressive trajectory with extended-range instruments and polymetric drumming. Worldwide scenes—from South America to Eastern Europe and Asia—now sustain the genre, which remains a cornerstone of extreme music culture.

How to make a track in this genre
Instrumentation and Tuning
•   Use two high‑gain electric guitars (often tuned to D standard, C standard, or lower), electric bass (pick or fingers), and a drum kit with double‑kick pedals. A growl‑capable vocalist provides low gutturals, with occasional higher screams. •   Guitar tones are tight and saturated. For Swedish OSDM, consider a Boss HM‑2 into a cranked solid‑state amp; for Florida/technical styles, use tighter modern high‑gain heads with boosted mids and controlled low end.
Rhythm and Drumming
•   Combine blast beats (traditional, bomb, and alternating), double‑kick runs, skank beats, and half‑time slams. Tempos range from 160–240+ BPM, but death‑doom pockets can drop below 100 BPM for contrast. •   Lock riffs to drum accents. Use metric modulation, odd‑groupings (e.g., 3‑3‑2), and occasional polyrhythms in technical variants.
Harmony and Riff Writing
•   Favor chromatic and phrygian/locrian colors, tritone motion, and dissonant intervals. Tremolo‑picked lines outline moving chromatic centers; palm‑muted, syncopated power‑chords drive momentum. •   Use dissonant chord shapes (cluster dyads, add2/flat2 voicings) and contrary‑motion lines in dual‑guitar arrangements. Insert harmonized leads (3rds/6ths) for melodic death metal flavors.
Vocals and Lyrics
•   Employ low gutturals (false‑cord or fry), backed by tight mic technique and strong breath support. Layer with higher screams for climactic moments. •   Explore mortality, mythology, social decay, cosmic horror, or philosophical nihilism. Maintain vivid imagery; avoid clichés by researching themes.
Structure and Arrangement
•   Alternate between fast tremolo sections, mid‑tempo stomps, and breakdown/slam passages for dynamic contrast. Integrate brief clean/ambient interludes sparingly. •   Write drum‑led transitions and guitar “turnarounds” (pick‑up runs, pick scrapes) to glue sections. Keep bass lines articulate—double riffs with octave drops or counterlines.
Production and Mixing
•   Track tight, to a click if needed. Quad‑track guitars for width; keep low end controlled (HPF guitars ~70–90 Hz; let bass and kick own sub‑frequencies). •   Mix priorities: intelligible kicks and snare, defined low‑mids for guitars, and a present but not overpowering vocal. For OSDM, allow natural room and grit; for technical styles, favor precision and transient clarity.
Practice and Workflow
•   Develop down‑picking endurance, tremolo stamina, and alternate‑picking accuracy. Drummers should drill blast‑beat endurance and feet‑hands independence. •   Compose riffs in families (motivic variants) and storyboard song arcs (tension, release, climax). Demo frequently; refine transitions and rhythmic tightness before final tracking.
Main artists
Influenced by
Thrash Metal
Thrash metal is a fast, aggressive, and riff‑driven style of metal characterized by high-tempo, palm‑muted downpicking; tightly synchronized rhythm sections; and abrasive, shouted or barked vocals. Songs typically sit in the 180–220+ BPM range, with rapid alternate picking, chugging power‑chord riffs, and precise double‑bass drumming. Harmonically, thrash favors minor tonalities, chromatic movement, tritone tension, and modal flavors such as Phrygian and Aeolian. Structures are riff-centric and often feature brisk tempo changes, sharp stops/starts, and technically demanding solos that draw on pentatonic, natural/harmonic minor, and modal runs. Lyrically, thrash is frequently anti‑authoritarian and socio‑political, addressing war, corruption, media manipulation, and personal alienation. Compared to speed metal, thrash is more percussive, staccato, and palm‑mute heavy; compared to death metal, vocals are generally less guttural and the riffing slightly less dissonant, but the intensity and precision remain core to the style.
Black Metal
Black metal is a form of extreme metal defined by fast tempos, tremolo‑picked guitar lines, blast‑beat drumming, shrieked or rasped vocals, and a deliberately raw, icy production aesthetic. Harmonically, it favors minor and modal collections (especially Aeolian and Phrygian), open-string drones, parallel fifths and fourths, tritones, and sparse or suspended chord voicings over blues-derived harmony. Arrangements often employ layered guitars, long-form song structures, and enveloping reverb to create a bleak, otherworldly atmosphere. The genre’s visual and thematic language is equally distinctive: corpse paint, monochrome artwork, and lyrics exploring anti-dogma, nature, pagan myth, cosmic nihilism, and misanthropy. While some scenes have been associated with controversy and extremism, the musical identity centers on sound, atmosphere, and aesthetics rather than any single ideology.
Speed Metal
Speed metal is a fast, precision-driven branch of heavy metal that crystallized at the turn of the 1980s. It emphasizes aggressive tempos, tightly synchronized riffing, and virtuosic lead guitar work, while generally retaining melodic, often clean or strident vocals. Compared with thrash metal, speed metal tends to be less percussive and more melodic, favoring galloping rhythms, twin-guitar harmonies, and classic verse–chorus structures. Drums often employ rapid double-time feels and double-bass patterns, while bass frequently mirrors the rhythm guitar to reinforce propulsion. Lyrical themes range from rebellion and street realism to fantasy, warfare, and sci‑fi.
Heavy Metal
Heavy metal is a loud, guitar-driven style of rock defined by heavily distorted riffs, thunderous drums, and powerful vocals. Its musical language emphasizes minor modes, modal (Aeolian, Phrygian) riffing, and energy over groove, often featuring virtuosic guitar solos and dramatic dynamic contrasts. Emerging from late-1960s blues rock and psychedelic experimentation, heavy metal codified a darker, heavier sound with bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. The genre values weight, intensity, and grandeur—whether through plodding, doom-laden tempos or galloping, high-energy rhythms—paired with themes that range from personal struggle and social critique to fantasy, mythology, and the occult.
Hardcore Punk
Hardcore punk is a faster, louder, and more abrasive offshoot of late-1970s punk rock. Songs are typically short (often under two minutes), propelled by rapid tempos, aggressive down‑stroked guitar riffs, and shouted or barked vocals. The style prioritizes raw energy over technical ornamentation: power‑chord harmony, minimal guitar solos, and tightly locked rhythm sections dominate. Lyrically, hardcore punk is intensely direct—often political, anti‑authoritarian, and socially critical—reflecting a DIY ethic that values independent labels, self‑organized shows, and community‑run spaces. The genre coalesced in U.S. scenes such as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston, and soon spread internationally. Its velocity, attitude, and grassroots infrastructure profoundly shaped underground music and paved the way for numerous metal, punk, and alternative subgenres.
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme fusion of hardcore punk and metal characterized by blisteringly fast tempos, blast-beat drumming, heavily distorted guitars, and harsh, screamed or growled vocals. Songs are often extremely short—sometimes mere seconds—favoring intensity over conventional structure. The style ranges from politically charged and socially conscious lyrics to grotesque, gore-soaked imagery (especially in substyles like goregrind). Production can be raw and abrasive or tightly modern, but the aesthetic consistently emphasizes sonic extremity, density, and cathartic impact.
Nwobhm
NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) is a late-1970s British movement that revitalized heavy metal with faster tempos, twin‑lead guitar harmonies, and a gritty, working‑class intensity. It fused the muscular riffing of 1970s hard rock and early heavy metal with the urgency and DIY ethos of punk, producing anthemic choruses, memorable riffs, and high‑register vocals. The scene was propelled by independent labels, fanzines, and grassroots gig circuits, and it provided the template for much of 1980s metal worldwide.
Stenchcore
Stenchcore is a dark, metallic strain of crust punk that emerged in the mid-1980s United Kingdom. It blends the d-beat drive and political urgency of anarcho/crust punk with the weight, riffing vocabulary, and atmosphere of early extreme metal. The style is characterized by downtuned, overdriven guitars; mid-to-fast d-beat and double-time passages interspersed with slower, doomy sections; and a bleak, apocalyptic mood cemented by cavernous, murky production. Lyrics typically address war, environmental collapse, authoritarianism, and existential dread, delivered through harsh, barked vocals. The name “stenchcore” nods both to the grimy, reverb-heavy sound and to the macabre, death-tinged imagery common in artwork and themes.
Metal
Metal (often used to mean heavy metal in its broad, umbrella sense) is a loud, guitar-driven style of rock defined by high-gain distortion, emphatic and often martial rhythms, and a dense, powerful low end. It foregrounds riff-based songwriting, dramatic dynamics, virtuosic guitar solos, and commanding vocals that range from melodic wails to aggressive snarls and growls. Harmonically, metal favors minor modes, modal color (Aeolian, Phrygian), chromaticism, and tritone-inflected tension, while thematically it explores power, mythology, the occult, social critique, fantasy, and existential subjects. While adjacent to hard rock, metal typically pushes amplification, distortion, precision, and thematic intensity further, forming a foundation for many specialized subgenres.
Technical Thrash Metal
Technical thrash metal is a highly intricate, precision-focused branch of thrash metal that emphasizes complex songwriting, demanding musicianship, and advanced rhythmic and harmonic ideas. It retains the speed and aggression of classic thrash, but layers in odd time signatures, frequent tempo shifts, syncopated riffing, contrapuntal guitar parts, and harmonically adventurous chord progressions. Bass and drums are foregrounded with independent, virtuosic lines, and guitar work often features rapid alternate picking, string-skipping, sweeping, and chromatic runs. Lyrically, the style favors cerebral or conceptual themes—technology, dystopia, science fiction, social critique—delivered with clear, assertive vocals ranging from gritty shouts to cleaner, piercing tones.
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