Metal music gets a bad rep and I am going to attempt to change that. This “Metal for Dummies” playlist outlines 11 major subgenres of metal music and a song from each. Let the riffage begin…
1. Heavy Metal
Black Sabbath: “Black Sabbath”
Where it all began. The Birmingham four-piece introduced the world to heavy metal with a punishing G power-chord and relentless hammering on the flat 5, also known as the devil’s tritone. The band’s obsession with horror movies and the occult, as well as a paranormal encounter, influenced bassist Geezer Butler’s lyrics about being haunted by a “figure in black.”
2. NWOBHM
Iron Maiden: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal, or NWOBHM, began in the late ’70s following the meteoric rise of Black Sabbath. Iron Maiden heralded the movement and set the precedent for sleek production, melodic guitar melodies and over-the-top singing. Unlike many of his peers, bassist Steve Harris’s lyrics boasted his love of history and mythology. On the final song on their breakthrough album, The Number of the Beast, frontman Bruce Dickinson tells the tale of a man on death row through philosophical musings on mortality and allusions to crucifixions.
3. Thrash Metal
Get ready to mosh. Thrash metal is probably the closest thing to a layperson’s idea of “heavy metal,” characterized by speed, aggression and technical exuberance. Although Metallica famously compromised to break into the mainstream in ’91, most OG thrash bands stuck to their guns throughout the ’80s. The Bay Area’s beer-guzzling, leather-clad, curb-stomping Exodus got close to a hit on “The Toxic Waltz,” a song that is as unrelenting as it is fun.
4. Doom Metal
The polar opposite of thrash tempo wise, doom metal took Black Sabbath’s slowest, sludgiest riffs and played them even slower. As the name implies, the music is characterized by a feeling of impending doom. Sweden’s Candlemass imbued it with an operatic flair, courtesy of Johan Langqvist (and later Messiah Marcolin), whose commanding voice sends sonic shocks through the ground. Hold on tight.
5. Death Metal
A smaller subset still associates “heavy metal” with death metal — a movement that emerged from Florida in the late ’80s. Growls, screams, cookie monster vocals, whatever you call them. The archetypal metal singer who makes noises rather than “sings,” is probably a death metal vocalist. Also present are heavily distorted guitars, complex riffs, abrupt time changes and fast, fast, faster drums. Listen for blastbeats, a drumming technique reminiscent of a machine gun. Also listen for frontman Glen Benton’s layered vocals and lyrics about Satan. Absolutely disgusting stuff.
6. Brutal Death Metal
Death metal in the ’90s was a game of pushing it to the extremes. Some bands went more technical, some focused on making their riffs and vocals more brutal, some conjured up the most hideous, depraved lyrics ever put to paper (ahem, Cannibal Corpse). Quebec’s Cryptopsy did it all. Well, except for the lyrics part. I mean, I don’t think anyone knows what Lord Worm (yes, that’s his name) is saying. Probably something violent.
7. Grindcore
Carcass: “Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment”
Believe it or not, some people remained dissatisfied with the direction of death metal in the ’80s. As chaotic as it is, some order remains to be discovered upon closer listening. Grindcore, a fusion between death metal and hardcore punk, all but did away with order. Blastbeats galore, random time changes, screaming and more screaming seemed to do the trick. Britain’s Carcass were inspired by frontman Jeff Walker’s sister, who was a nursing student. Most of their lyrics come from medical textbooks and describe cadavers in sticky situations. Their album covers depict them as well.
8. Black Metal
Darkthrone: “A Blaze in the Northern Sky”
Death metal and grindcore musicians in the ’90s did a fantastic job of convincing the public that they were genuinely evil. Popular Norwegian black metal musicians (Burzum, Mayhem, DIssection, etc.) took it up a notch by committing various felonies including murder, arson and various hate crimes. Their music reflected these tendencies and is characterized by lo-fi production and high shrieking vocals. Norway’s Darkthrone are an outlier in that they are not criminals. Not that you could tell by the music. With a production style that sounds like a faulty chainsaw, Darkthrone is loud and constantly pounding with little regard for the welfare of your ear drums.
9. Nu-Metal
System Of A Down: “Prison Song”
Nu-metal brought heavy metal to the forefront in the ’90s, with bands like Korn, Deftones and Linkin Park receiving heavy (pun intended) play on MTV and such. System Of A Down are among the genre’s most beloved bands, known for their idiosyncratic propensities to confuse the listener. Their landmark Toxicity opens with “Prison Song,” a ruthless critique on the American prison system and treatment of drug-related crimes.
10. Stoner Metal
Sleep: “Dopesmoker”
Yes, stoner metal is a legitimate subgenre of metal music. American bands in the ’80s took off where Black Sabbath left off on Master of Reality, the blueprint for modern stoner music. San Jose’s Sleep are among the world’s biggest and most notorious stoner bands. Dopesmoker is their Ulysses, their Moby Dick, their In Search of Lost Time. It is 63 minutes long. The first lyric is “drop out of life with bong in hand/follow the smoke toward the riff-filled land.” The vocals come in after some twenty-odd minutes. Patience is a virtue.
11. Groove Metal
Nu-metal’s angrier cousin, groove metal lies somewhere between the extreme metal styles that preceded it and simple, pounding rock and roll. Pantera are flagbearers for the genre, an institution known for impeccable riffs and surprising accessibility. On “Floods,” one of their darker and more brooding cuts, guitarist Dimebag Darrell simmers and sways before launching into one of the most beloved guitar solos of the decade. It has been recently Tiktokified but remains a cornerstone, remaining at a new level of confidence and power.
You can find the playlist here.
Josh Yiu is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at jy793@cornell.edu.
‘Solar Flare’ is a weekly playlist column where Sun contributors spotlight a slice of musical taste with the campus community. It runs every Monday.
