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Since the form's development in the late 1960s, Heavy metal has spawned a number of often overlapping subgenres.
Note that these definitions are often quite arbitrary, and while some fans have firm notions of what defines genres and subgenres--and which performers best exemplify those styles--others reject such notions as useless, or worse, limiting.
- Blues rock - Most important early heavy metal performers were rooted solidly in blues rock: Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin.
- Classic metal - This genre characterizes the use of thumping fast basslines, fast, but less heavy riffs, extended lead guitar solos, high pitched vocals and anthemic choruses. Often, this is the earliest form of real metal (ie after Roots Of Metal artistes like Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple) Artistes include Iron Maiden, Saxon, Dokken, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Europe and others. It shouldn't be confused with Roots Of Metal genre. This genre boomed in the early to mid 80s, when NWOBHM fizzled out, till when Hair metal came in.
- Hair metal - also referred to as glam metal or cock rock, it was a commercially popular style of metal in the 1980s, although its origins go back to the 1970s starting with KISS. It features feel good anthems and flashy costumes. Bands include Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Skid Row, Poison, Greg Howe, Vixen, and Cinderella.
- Hard rock - A progression from blues rock and early psychedelia and a precursor to heavy metal. It was pioneered in the mid to late 1960s by artist such as Jimi Hendrix and Steppenwolf, with British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Cream and Free developing it further. It is hard to distinguish hard rock from early heavy metal, some artist such as Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Queen and AC/DC fall into both styles.
- New Wave of British Heavy Metal - Often abbreviated as NWOBHM, the term is used to describe British metal artists that emerged in the late 1970s/early 1980s in the wake of the 'original wave' of British metal artist such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. NWOBHM was hugely popular and is influential to virtually all sub-genres of heavy metal since. Major artists included Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon and Diamond Head.
- Power metal - Features fantasy or science fiction themes, and often characterised by falsetto vocals. The most famous bands include Helloween, Blind Guardian and Hammerfall, all of them continental European, and Jag Panzer and Iced Earth coming from the US.
- Progressive metal - combining elements of progressive rock and heavy metal. See Dream Theater, Symphony X, Stratovarius and DragonForce.
- Tech metal - characterized by a show of skill, changeable, sometimes jazz-like time signatures and drumming patterns, and often dissonant or atonal guitar riffs. Well known bands of this subgenre are Meshuggah and Mudvayne.
- Speed metal - Speed metal has its origins in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal with bands such as Motorhead, Raven, Venom, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest often combining heavy metal with the speed of punk rock. The style often overlaps Thrash metal, although speed metal is regarded as being more melodic. Other notable speed metal acts include Agent Steel and Racer X.
- Stoner metal - Also referred to as stoner rock, it overlaps with doom metal, and features heavy, sometimes slow and sludgily distorted riffs and the obvious influence of psychedelic music and more importantly the 1970s fuzz-distorted metal of Black Sabbath and Budgie. Exponents of the genre include Cathedral, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Nebula, Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet.
- Thrash metal - Incorporated hardcore punk's speed with traditional metal. Slayer!, Overkill and early Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth. As is true for many of the terms in this list, the moniker "thrash metal" was not always embraced by its supposed representatives; early on, Metallica referred to themselves as "power metal" (conflicting with the above definition of this term). Conversely, many more or less obscure bands, like Kreator, came up with equally obscure classifications for themselves, such as hate metal. Such labels were often soon forgotten or reused for something else.
- True metal - This term was coined back in the 1980s by US band Manowar, but came into wider use in the 1990s, when genres such as alternative metal and nu metal began to emerge to distinguish more "traditional" styles such as power metal.
- Viking Metal - Pioneered by Bathory, this is music including Viking-themed lyrics, and sometimes acoustic guitars and folk instruments. See also Thyrfing and Falkenbach.
- Death metal - An extreme style of metal with low-pitched guitars and growling, often incomprehensible vocals. Lyrical themes of early death metal often centered around gore horror (hence the term), although the genre has since diversified. Examples Bolt Thrower, Mortification, Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide and Entombed. Also see Melodic death metal.
- Melodic death metal - An offshoot of death metal, featuring melodic guitar riffs (sometimes acoustic), and in some examples occasional 'clean' singing. Death and Morbid Angel are primary influences of the genre, which has been developed further by predominately Swedish bands such as Entombed, At The Gates, Opeth, In Flames and Katatonia.
- Doom metal - Inspired largely by the lumbering dirges and stoned, paranoid darkness of Black Sabbath, and one of the very few heavy metal subgenres to prize feel and mood more than flashy technique, doom metal bands include Candlemass, My Dying Bride, Cathedral and Anathema.
- Black metal - Considered to be the most extreme subgenre of metal. The genre has its origins in early thrash/speed metal and is often (but not always) characterised by Satanic or occult lyrical themes, usually 'screamed' out rather than sang. Venom and Bathory are credited with pioneering the genre. Other notable black metal artist include Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon and Mayhem.
- Alternative metal - A term used to describe styles of metal which are considered to be unique or experimental. Faith No More are a prime example of the genre, along with ex-frontman Mike Patton's side projects Fantômas and Tomahawk.
- Epic metal - Incorporates high fantasy and related elements. Examples of epic metal include Manowar, Virgin Steele, Cirith Ungol, Omen, Medieval Steel, Bathory, DoomSword. Not a specific genre but a broader definition of some more melodic or atmospheric styles of metal.
- Extreme metal - Not a specific genre but a broader definition of some heavier and aggressive styles of metal including black metal, death metal, doom metal, grindcore, hardcore and thrash metal.
- Folk metal - A style incorporates folk music instruments or themes. Skyclad is probably the most known band in this genre. See Finntroll, Subway to Sally and In Extremo.
- Goth metal - A fusion of the bleak, icy atmospherics of goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal, finding the middle ground between the two styles in a melodramatic sense of theater and lyrical obsessions with religion and horror. Bands include Theatre of Tragedy, Paradise Lost, Lacrimosa, Tristania and Type O Negative.
- Grindcore - Influenced by thrash metal, and also hardcore and punk, that takes its name from the "grinding" sound made by the atonal riffs 'grinding' into one another. The style is characterized by a vocal style similar to death metal, rapid fire "blast beats" from double-kick drums and short songs. Exponents of the genre include Napalm Death (regarded as pioneers of the style), Carcass and Extreme Noise Terror.
- Grunge metal - Sometimes seen as distinct from grunge itself, although combining elements of both grunge and metal. Prominent grunge metal acts include Alice In Chains and King's X.
- Christian metal - This category can be any style of metal featuring explicitly Christian lyrics or themes; also called White Metal. Examples include Stryper, Paramaecium and Mortification
- Comedy metal - Not really a metal subgenre. Features pronounced humor and comedy. Comedy metal may have been unwittingly created by the film This Is Spinal Tap in the mid 1980s. Besides Spinal Tap, other comedians parodying metal have included UK project Bad News (featuring comedians from The Young Ones) and US comedian Bob Rivers. Comedy metal has also been created by metal musicians themselves, with some achieving commercial success (most notably Green Jelly and Scatterbrain). Comedy metal can be varied in humour, from being blatantly offensive and politically incorrect (such as Anal Cunt and Pungent Stench), to more middle of the road humour (such as Canadian band Zimmer's Hole and GWAR)
- Hardcore - Originating as extreme and chaotic version of punk rock but crossed over into Heavy metal due to its similarities in heaviness and aggression. It was also a pivotal influence to thrash metal and later grindcore and Metalcore. Some artists, most notably Suicidal Tendencies and D.R.I. crossed over styles from hardcore to heavy metal. Other notable hardcore acts include Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Black Flag and Minor Threat.
- Industrial metal features elements of dance music, techno, and heavy, distorted guitars. Synthesizers and drum machines are heavily used in this sub-genre. This style was created by Godflesh. Well known industrial metal acts include Samael, White Zombie, Fear Factory and The Kovenant.
- Metalcore - This style is a fusion between hardcore and thrash Metal. Notable metalcore artists include Unearth, All Out War and Killswitch Engage.
- Neo-classical metal incorporates elements or melodies from classical music, especially works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi and Niccolo Paganini. Yngwie J. Malmsteen is a perhaps known proponent of this branch of metal, classical elements were used in heavy metal and hard rock date back to Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Eddie Van Halen's innovations in the late 1970s.
- Nu metal - Features a pronounced hip hop influence, and guitar technique is often different from "traditional metal." Some argue nu-metal is a misnomer, stating the genre has very little to do with heavy metal. See Korn, Papa Roach, Staind, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Orgy, Drowning Pool, Machine Head and Limp Bizkit.
- Party metal - Also referred to as Pop metal, it features lyrics celebrating drinking, rock or metal music, sex, and related topics. The style often overlaps hair metal, classic metal and hard rock. Notable artists include Van Halen, Queen, KISS, Quiet Riot, some Twisted Sister("I Wanna Rock"), and some Judas Priest ("Living After Midnight", "Heading Out To The Highway," "Hot Rockin")
- Raga Metal - One of the newest genres of Metal, this is a fusion genre, which combines intricate Indian Classical ragas with heavy metal music. Pioneering bands include Rudra, Vedic Chant, Indian Ocean and others.
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