For metal music lovers, these are the ten weirdest sounds in the genre

 Black Sabbath who pioneered Doom Metal Photo:Courtesy

Kawaii metal

Apart from Anime, Japan has given the world a fusion of J-pop with heavy metal backing. The original Kawaii metal band was Baby Metal, which consisted of a group of vocalists singing in Japanese along with a backing band who play some solid heavy metal. The contrast between the girls’ voice and the abrasive brash heavy metal made it stand out.

Black metal

High amounts of distortion, blast beat drumming are some of the common components of this genre. What truly distinguishes black metal from the rest, however, is how dark the themes are. From burning witches at the stake (Venom - Don’t Burn the Witch) to murdering innocents in the night (Venom - Countess Bathory), the music is quite descriptive. Little wonder then that some people dislike it for being “anti-Christian”.

Pirate metal

This is a match made in heaven; pirate and metal. They both have an inherent arrogance, so it is only normal that they work so well together. A perfect example is the Alestorm. Their electric guitars work in perfect harmony with accordions and fiddles. The lyrics talk of pillaging, being shipwrecked and of course, rum.

Unblack metal

This was presumably started by Christians who took offence at the themes of black metal and took the phrase “fight fire with fire” to heart. Their style is almost identical to black metal.

You’ll find the same distorted riffs, the same growling vocals. Only this time, the vocals are praising God and denouncing Satan. Not the other way around. For the most part they stay away from each another and only passive aggressively lash out at one another.

Death ‘n’ roll

 Entombed Photo:Courtesy

The argument that rock and roll is dead has always been there but the likes of Entombed, bands argue, not only saved rock and roll but have actually saved it by adding ‘detah’ to it. Funny, right? The drumming is often slow and reminiscent of rock ‘n’ roll, but the shrieking guitar solos remind you that this is death.

Headless metal

If you liked Kiss for their on-stage aesthetic, then you’ll love headless metal. Music-wise, they are like any other heavy metal band but the real showstopper is their get up. They take pride in their performances where all the members come on stage wearing mannequin heads.

Blackgaze

Typified by its upbeat melodies, shrieking vocals, and blast beat drumming – BlackGaze is an otherworldly combo of Black metal and Shoegaze. Since sprouting this sub-genre became a critical darling outside of the metal community. Cue a backlash from the more hard-headed sections of the heavy metal fan base, with detractors pointing to its inclusion on indie sites like Pitchfork. However, they have awesome compositions from bands like Alcest, Deaf Heaven and Oathbreaker.

Nu metal

This is probably the main known genre, which is a blend of alternative metal and groove metal elements with other styles, including grunge, industrial, funk and hip hop. The style is mostly syncopated and based on riffs, and is influenced by groove metal rhythm. Some nu metal bands use seven-string guitars, which are sometimes down-tuned to increase heaviness, resulting in bass guitarists using five and six-string instruments.

Melodic death metal

Melodic death metal, also referred to as Melodeath or MDM, is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), with elements of death metal. Some prominent melodic death metal bands include Amon Amarth, At the Gates, Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Carcass

Doom metal

Pioneered by Black Sabbath, doom metal has since been broken down into several subgenres including Epic Doom, Stoner Doom, Sludge Doom, Funeral Doom, Black Doom and Death Doom. Doom metal is traditionally defined as using slower tempos and down-tuned guitars that produce a thicker sound with lyrics relating to gloom, death and impending doom.

Would you like to get published on Standard Media websites? You can now email us breaking news, story ideas, human interest articles or interesting videos on: [email protected]