•              
  • Extreme Metal

    Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal, death metal, doom metal, thrash metal and sometimes speed metal. Though not very well-known to mainstream music fans, as it is by definition counterculture, extreme metal has influenced an array of musical performers inside and outside of heavy metal.

    "Extreme" can be meant to describe any of the following traits: music (whether it is intended to be faster, more aggressive, abrasive or "heavier" than other metal styles), lyrics (dealing with darker, more sensational topics and themes), vocals (which often use guttural, harsh or abrasive singing), or appearance and stage demeanor (using corpse paint, Satanic or occult imagery). The "extreme" label is most commonly applied to bands whose music is extreme; for example, few would consider Kiss or Alice Cooper to be extreme metal, though they could be considered to employ "extreme" elements in their appearance and stage demeanor for their time. According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris, the defining characteristics of extreme metal can all be regarded as clearly transgressive: the "extreme" traits noted above are all intended to violate or transgress given cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries. Given the vagueness of existing definitions and considering the limitations such definitions have, there are many artists for whom the usage of the term "extreme metal" is a subject of debate. However, Kahn-Harris also notes that many musicians and fans see such debates over style and genre as useless and unnecessary, or at least as given undue attention.

    Though songs in traditional heavy metal may be louder, harsher or more abrasive than rock music in general, the underlying elements of melody, harmony and rhythm are generally similar to those in rock and pop music. Conventional melodies one of the key elements of popular music are often of limited importance in extreme metal, if not absent entirely, although chord progressions are still present and important. Extreme metal songs rarely have the central focus of a melodic "pop hook," and when present, melodic elements more typically provide an instrumental backdrop rather than a central focus.

Hosted by uCoz