Although most people associate death metal with a group of screaming and confusing people, there are multiple reasons why this genre maintains a strong following and manages to earn absolute loyalty from listeners all over the world. Here because.
Steps
Step 1. Go beyond explained guitars and unusual vocals
While the harsh guitars and throaty voices that permeate much of death metal may take some getting used to (especially if your ears are prone to hearing softer sounds), this music isn't pure noise. It has melodies, patterns and complexities that must be understood and appreciated, as long as you immerse yourself in it.
Step 2. Attend a death metal concert
Observe the way group members manipulate the tools. It can be a great experience, especially since the concerts are often attended by few people, so you can get close to the stage to see them up close. If you have tried to play those instruments yourself, you will probably be amazed by their skills. It takes practice and effort, so the stereotype of the lazy, uninterested metalhead is absolutely wrong. You may also be surprised at the energy that characterizes some musicians.
Step 3. Remember that unlike many other genres, it is usually the band themselves who write their music
This includes riffs, drums, solos and lyrics. Writing your own music demonstrates another facet of instrumental skill and talent, it also makes it more personal and less artificial.
Step 4. Don't take context and topic personally
The lyrics and topics of death metal are not to be analyzed literally. They document more extreme human experiences that other genres dare not touch, such as the motivations of serial killers, the activities of zombies, death itself and isolation. Furthermore, many bands do not address issues associated with death, for example some speak of Norse mythology, while others explore political and religious themes and write about historical events.
- Some of the death metal lyrics, especially the gore and brutal ones, often, but not always, elaborate details of extreme acts, including mutilation, dissection, sexual assault and necrophilia. For many people, including various metalheads, these topics are extremely controversial, disturbing and unpleasant. Use your own judgment, also based on independent reviews of bands and albums posted online. Also, scroll through the lyrics before buying a CD if certain topics are of particular concern to you.
- Be careful not to completely dismiss a band based only on the content of the lyrics. Many online music stores offer clips that are 30 seconds long, which can help you understand the rhythm of a song. In fact, the musical content can spark your interest, and therefore you will be able to take the lyrics more lightly.
- Read the lyrics. According to a commonplace about heavy metal, all the lyrics of this musical genre are very vulgar and use a language that is not for everyone. You might be surprised at the complexity and rich vocabulary you'll find in the lyrics of some death metal bands.
Step 5. Discover the subgenres
Death metal is varied. The genus contains many subgenera, which frequently mix and overlap with each other. Consequently, it may be difficult to pin a group within a single subgenre. Here is a general guide to get started:
- Blackened; adopts themes and musical elements of black metal: Akercocke, Behemoth, Belphegor, Dissection, God Dethroned, Firdous Angelcorpse, Sacramentum, Zyklon, Crimson Thorn and many others.
- Brutal: Aborted, Cryptopsy, Blood Red Throne, Deeds of Flesh, Degrade, Deranged, Disavowed, Disgorge, Guttural Secrete, Hate Eternal, Immolation, Internal Suffering, Origin, Skinless, Spawn of Possession, Suffocation, The Genocide Architect, Wormed and many others.
- Death doom; this style is characterized by slow tempos, melancholic atmospheres, deep and snarling vocalizations, drums played with the double-kick technique. Examples are the following bands: Anathema (early works), Asphyx, Autopsy, Disembowelment, My Dying Bride, Swallow the Sun and Winter.
- Goregrind / Deathgrind: Intense, short, with rare guitar solos and more prominent screaming vocals. Here are some examples: Regurgitate, Carcass (early works), Terminally Your Aborted Ghost, Dead Infection, Anal Bleeding, Decomposing Serenity, XXX Maniak.
- Melodic. It features guitar harmonies and Iron Maiden-style melodies, with typical high-pitched screams. Examples are the following bands: Children Of Bodom (early works), Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, The Black Dahlia Murder, At Odds with God, At the Gates, Carcass (latest works), Dark Tranquility, Desultory, Dethklok, Disarmonia Mundi, Ensiferum, Hilastherion, Hypocrisy, Immortal Souls, Kalmah, Norther, Souls, In Flames (early works), Sacrilege, Wintersun, Scar Symmetry, Insomnium, Noumena, Rapture and Daylight Dies.
- Symphonic: Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Nightsleep and Septic Flesh.
- Technical / Progressive; dynamic song structures, uncommon tempos, sometimes including clean vocals and acoustic guitars, atypical rhythms and unusual harmonies and melodies. Here are some bands: Amoral (early works), Arsis, Beneath The Massacre, Brain Drill, Cryptopsy, Cynic, Death, Decapitated, Gorguts, Immolation, Job for a Cowboy, Necrophagist, Nile, Ominous, Opeth, Origin, Pestilence, Psycroptic, Sleep terror, Spawn of Possession, The Faceless, Visceral Bleeding, Meshuggah, PsyOpus.
Step 6. Respect the artists
Even the greatest death metal musicians often can't make a living from their music, yet bands continue to play despite the hardships. Death metal is so un-mainstream that musicians have to work incredibly hard for their career sales to reach a million copies (and very few musicians have actually succeeded). Several death metal artists are highly educated people with a vast musical background.
Advice
- Many people call Screamo death metal and other guttural vocal genres. But it is a mistake. Screamo is a sub-genre of punk.
- If you still believe that this music is nothing more than noise and you play the guitar, download a tablature of any of the Vital Remains songs and try to play it to change your mind.
- Many great death metal bands don't have a big record company behind them to get support and promote their music. Yet there is no shortage of hidden gems. Do a search to find out about the ignored bands.
- Keep in mind that all genres and sub-genres are a source of heated debate, so don't adhere too seriously to a single definition.
- To find out more, watch “Metal: A Headbangers Journey”. It's a great documentary and it makes you understand how metal has evolved.
Warnings
- Death metal is not a good approach to understanding death.
- Don't take what you find in the lyrics too seriously. This is especially true when it comes to bands like Cannibal Corpse. Use common sense when listening to songs like "Meat Hook Sodomy" or "Hammer Smashed Face" (both from this group). Cannibal Corpse, along with other bands, have claimed that their lyrics are entirely fictional and should not be taken literally. The most extreme death metal songs are completely based on the imagination and do not represent the true thoughts of their authors or the group.
