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Extreme metal

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Extreme metal is an umbrella term for the heavy metal subgenres of a more aggressive style than traditional heavy metal.

This stems back to thrash metal in the 1980s, which took fast tempos and influences from hardcore punk, rather than 1970s heavy metal. The heavy metal related side of its influence came from NWOBHM. From thrash metal emerged other forms of extreme metal, such as black metal and death metal. Since this time extreme metal has expanded to cover many fusion, subgenres, and other variations. However, deathcore and crossover thrash, while extreme metal fusions, are often thought of as being too close to the metalcore or hardcore punk scenes to be extreme metal subgenres, though this is not always the case.

Recent doom metal, however, is an exception to the extreme metal rule. Many doom metal bands are influenced by extreme metal and the heavy metal bands of the 1970s and '80s, thus giving their music a different tempo and set of dynamics than thrash metal and its related forms.

Characteristics

Extreme metal is characterized by its tempo, which may range from fast-paced, as in death metal and thrash metal, to the extremely slow, as in funeral doom. Drummers often utilise double bass drumming and blast beats, though not all make use of these techniques. Vocals are performed in a growl, scream, or both, with some vocalists also using clean-sung vocals, though just how "clean" these vocals are varies widely. Normally singing only clean vocals is not found in death metal or black metal, but various doom (Candlemass) and thrash metal bands (Vio-lence, Death Angel) have singers more similar to Power Metal. The guitars in extreme metal usually have distortion and fast paced riffs, and are often tuned below the standard E. Mostly a half or a whole step down in thrash metal and black metal but often lowered more in death metal and doom metal, in the latter two, some bands even prefer seven-string guitars.

Extreme metal genres

Subgenres

Fusion genres

(Debated; see Talk:Extreme metal)

Literature

Khan-Harris, Keith. Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge. Oxford: Berg, 2006. ISBN 9781845203993