Death metal is a type of heavy metal music. It often uses very loud, low-tuned guitars played with methods like palm muting and fast picking. Singers use deep, growling voices. Drummers play with strong, fast beats, including double kicks and blast beats. The music uses minor musical scales or unusual sounds, sudden changes in speed, key, or rhythm, and complex chord patterns. Lyrics often describe violent scenes from horror movies, politics, religion, nature, philosophy, real-life crimes, or science fiction.
Death metal developed in the mid-1980s from the styles of thrash metal and early black metal. Bands like Venom, Celtic Frost, Slayer, and Kreator influenced its creation. Groups such as Possessed, Death, Necrophagia, Obituary, Autopsy, and Morbid Angel are seen as important early creators of the genre. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, death metal became more widely known. Specialized record companies like Combat, Earache, and Roadrunner started signing many death metal bands quickly.
Over time, death metal has grown into many different styles. Melodic death metal mixes death metal with elements from the new wave of British heavy metal. Technical death metal uses unusual time signatures, rhythms, and musical patterns. Death-doom combines death metal’s deep growls and fast drumming with the slow, sad style of doom metal. Deathgrind, goregrind, and pornogrind blend death metal’s complexity with the fast, short bursts of grindcore. Deathcore mixes death metal with metalcore. Death 'n' roll combines death metal’s growls and loud, low guitar sounds with styles from 1970s hard rock and heavy metal.
History
The English extreme metal band Venom, from Newcastle, helped create the styles that later became known as thrash metal, death metal, and black metal. Their first two albums, Welcome to Hell and Black Metal, were released in late 1981 and 1982. Venom's loud and intense music, harsh singing, and dark, scary images inspired many extreme metal bands. Another influential band, Slayer, formed in 1981. Though Slayer was a thrash metal band, their music was more violent than other thrash bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Their fast speed, skilled playing, and songs about death, violence, war, and Satanism helped Slayer gain a loyal fan group. Mike McPadden said Slayer's second album, Hell Awaits, helped shape much of the sound that became death metal. AllMusic noted that Slayer's third album, Reign in Blood, inspired the entire death metal genre and had a big influence on bands like Death, Obituary, and Morbid Angel.
Possessed, a band from the San Francisco Bay Area formed in 1983, is described by AllMusic as connecting thrash metal and death metal with their 1985 debut album, Seven Churches. Though influenced by Slayer, Possessed's members said Venom and Motörhead, along with early work by Exodus, were their main influences. Though Possessed only released two studio albums and an EP early in their career, music journalists and musicians have called them either "monumental" in developing death metal or the first death metal band. Earache Records said bands like Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel were influenced by Possessed's work on Seven Churches. Possessed is believed to have done more to help death metal grow than other early bands in the 1980s.
Around the same time as Possessed, another important metal band was formed in Orlando, Florida. Originally named Mantas, Death was formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner, Kam Lee, and Rick Rozz. Inspired by the Florida band Nasty Savage, Death took Nasty Savage's sound and made it deeper. In 1984, they released their first demo, Death by Metal, followed by more. These recordings spread quickly among fans, helping Death gain recognition. Schuldiner, the band's guitarist, took over singing duties, making Death a major force in the Florida death metal scene. Their fast, minor-key guitar riffs and solos, combined with fast drumming, created a style that became popular. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia called Schuldiner the "Father of Death Metal." Death's 1987 debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, is described as the "evolution from thrash metal to death metal" and the "first true death metal record." Schuldiner said Possessed was a big influence on Death, and some early critics called Death "Possessed clones." Other early U.S. death metal pioneers include Macabre, Master, Massacre, Immolation, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and Post Mortem.
Metal music has always been about competition, with bands trying to play faster, heavier, and make their music more intense. Speed/thrash metal pushed these limits, so to go further, bands added death metal vocals to make their music even heavier and scarier.
By 1989, many death metal bands were signed by record labels hoping to profit from the subgenre, including Florida's Obituary, Morbid Angel, and Deicide. These Florida bands are often called "Florida death metal." Morbid Angel's 1989 debut album, Altars of Madness, pushed the genre's musical and lyrical boundaries, redefining what it meant to be heavy and influencing future brutal death metal. AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier said Venom and Slayer set the standard for metal bands aligning with evil themes in the 1980s, but Morbid Angel made these bands sound like "children's music."
As death metal grew, new subgenres like melodic death metal began to develop by the end of the 1980s. Death's 1991 album Human became a key example of technical death metal. Schuldiner, Death's founder, pushed the genre's limits with fast, complex guitar work and arrangements.
Earache Records, Relativity Records, and Roadrunner Records became important labels for death metal, releasing albums by bands like Carcass, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Obituary, and Pestilence. Though these labels were not originally focused on death metal, they became central to the genre in the 1990s. Other labels, such as Nuclear Blast, Century Media, and Peaceville, also formed and later succeeded in other metal genres.
In September 1990, Death's manager, Eric Greif, held one of the first North American death metal festivals, Day of Death, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The event featured 26 bands, including Autopsy, Broken Hope, Hellwitch, Immolation, Atheist, and Cynic.
Death metal's popularity peaked between 1992 and 1993, with some bands like Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse gaining mild commercial success. However, the genre never became mainstream. The genre's growing popularity may have caused tension between Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal scenes. Fenriz of Darkthrone said Norwegian black metal musicians were "fed up with the whole death metal scene" at the time. Metal Hammer's Joel McIver compared the rise of black metal to how grunge ended the glam metal era, saying death metal began to look outdated. This led death metal to diversify in the 1990s, creating subgenres that still have loyal fans today.
In the 2000s, some hardcore punk bands, like Black Breath and Trap Them, added death metal elements to their music. This was followed by bands expanding on the death-doom style of Incantation, blending it with ambient music, such as Dead Congregation and Necros Christos.
In the 2010s, a movement of bands revived the sound of original 1980s death metal, called the "New Wave of Old School Death Metal." One of the earliest bands in this movement was Horrendous, formed in 2009, along with Tomb Mold, who took a progressive approach to the genre. Tomb Mold, Necrot, Undergang, and Blood Incantation were among the first bands to gain attention in the 2010s. The COVID-19 pandemic increased interest in this movement, with bands like Cryptic Shift, Slimelord, and Vaticinal Rites gaining attention. In a 2022 article, MetalSucks writer
Characteristics
The vocals in death metal became extremely unnatural, marking a major change in the genre. This shift signaled that vocalists were no longer aiming to sound like regular people but instead chose to adopt a style that resembled demonic voices. Thrash metal musicians were upset by this change, which led them to use shouted vocals. Death metal bands, on the other hand, embraced this style, creating a more intense and dark sound.
The most common setup in death metal includes two guitarists, a bass player, a vocalist, and a drummer who often uses a technique called "hyper double-bass blast beats," which involves very fast drumming. While this is the standard lineup, some bands occasionally add other instruments, such as electronic keyboards.
Death metal vocals are known as "death growls," which are rough, growling sounds. These growls are often mistaken for a type of screaming called vocal fry, which uses the lowest vocal register. However, vocal fry is actually a form of overtone screaming. While experienced vocalists can use this technique to create growls, true death growls are made using a completely different method. This vocal style is sometimes humorously compared to the voice of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. Despite criticism, death growls are used to match the aggressive themes in death metal lyrics. Some bands also use "pig squeals," a vocal style described by Loudwire as a "breeee" sound.
The themes in death metal lyrics often include violent imagery similar to horror movies, but they can also cover topics like religion, the occult, Lovecraftian horror, nature, mysticism, mythology, theology, philosophy, science fiction, and politics. While other genres may explore violence, death metal often focuses on detailed descriptions of extreme acts, such as blood, gore, psychopathy, delirium, mutilation, mutation, dissection, exorcism, torture, rape, cannibalism, and necrophilia. Sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris suggested that the genre's focus on violence might stem from a general human fascination with the body, blending curiosity and discomfort. Heavy metal author Gavin Baddeley noted a possible link between how aware people are of their own mortality and their interest in violent or death-related imagery through media. Some artists argue that death metal is simply an extreme form of art and entertainment, similar to horror films. However, this perspective has drawn criticism from activists who believe that young people may not fully understand the context or reasons behind the genre's violent imagery.
According to Alex Webster, the bassist of Cannibal Corpse, "The gory lyrics are probably not the main reason we are not mainstream. People often say death metal can't go mainstream because of the lyrics, but I think it's the music itself. Violent entertainment is already mainstream." Christian death metal bands often use violent themes to depict imagery related to Satan, demons, sin, and sinners, frequently drawing from the Bible. Satanic or anti-Christian symbols are sometimes used in a way that contrasts or reverses their traditional meanings.
Etymology
By 1984, music groups influenced by Venom began to appear in underground scenes. These bands played loud and fast music with rough-sounding voices. For example, Possessed from San Francisco released a recording called Death Metal, Hellhammer from Switzerland appeared on a collection of songs named Death Metal, and Death from Florida released an album titled Death By Metal. Do you see a pattern?
The term "death metal" was first used in 1983, but at that time, it was often used to describe what is now known as thrash metal. In the first issue of the zine Metal Chaos in 1983, the term was used to describe music played by a radio host named Gene Khoury on a station called WMSC (FM). Later, in the Winter 1983–1984 issue of Metal Forces, the term was used to describe the music of bands like Metal Church and Hellhammer.
In 1984, the term "death metal" became more closely linked to bands that played extremely intense music, such as Bathory, Destruction, Onslaught, Slayer, and Sodom. Hellhammer, in particular, used the term often. It appeared in the liner notes of their 1984 album Apocalyptic Raids, and it was also the name of a zine created by band members Thomas Fischer and Martin Ain, as well as their 1984 split album Death Metal. That same year, Possessed released their demo Death Metal, which included a song with the same name. This song later appeared on their 1985 album Seven Churches. In an interview, Jeff Becerra, the vocalist and bassist of Possessed, explained that he created the term "death metal" for a high school English class project. He said he chose the name because "speed metal" and "black metal" were already used, and he wanted to make music that was the heaviest and most shocking possible.
Subgenres and fusion genres
Cited examples are not always limited to one style. Many bands can be placed in two or more categories, and a band's specific categorization is often a topic of disagreement because of personal opinions and interpretations. The musical genres listed are arranged alphabetically.
Blackened death-doom is a small type of music that combines the slow tempos and heavy drumming of doom metal, the complex and loud guitar riffs of death metal, and the shrieking vocals of black metal. Examples of blackened death-doom bands include Morast, Faustcoven, The Ruins of Beverast, Bölzer, Necros Christos, Harvest Gulgaltha, Dragged into Sunlight, Hands of Thieves, and Soulburn. Kim Kelly, a journalist from Vice, described Faustcoven as "one of the finest bands to ever successfully blend black, death, and doom metal into a clear and unified whole."
Blackened death metal is a type of death metal that includes musical, lyrical, or ideological elements from black metal, such as the use of tremolo picking, anti-Christian or Satanic themes, and chord progressions similar to those in black metal. Bands in this genre are more likely to wear corpse paint and armor than bands in other death metal styles. Lower guitar tunings, death growls, and sudden tempo changes are common in this genre. Examples of blackened death metal bands include Belphegor, Behemoth, Akercocke, and Sacramentum.
Melodic black-death (also called blackened melodic death metal or melodic blackened death metal) is a type of extreme metal that describes the style created when melodic death metal bands began being inspired by black metal and European romanticism. Unlike most other black metal, this style includes more melody and storytelling. Some bands that play this style include Dissection, Sacramentum, Naglfar, God Dethroned, Dawn, Unanimated, Thulcandra, Skeletonwitch, and Cardinal Sin.
War metal (also called war black metal or bestial black metal) is a loud, chaotic subgenre of blackened death metal. A journalist from Rock Hard, Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann, described it as "rabid" and "hammering." Important influences include first-wave black metal band Sodom, first-wave black metal/death metal band Possessed, and old grindcore, black, and death metal bands like Repulsion, Autopsy, Sarcófago, and the first two albums by Sepultura. Bands in this genre include Blasphemy, Archgoat, Impiety, In Battle, Beherit, Crimson Thorn, Bestial Warlust, and Zyklon-B.
Brutal death metal is a subgenre of death metal that focuses on heaviness, speed, and complex rhythms rather than melody or tone. Bands in this genre use fast, palm-muted guitar riffs and single-note guitar patterns. Notable bands include Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, and Skinless.
Slam death metal is a type of brutal death metal that developed from the 1990s New York death metal scene and includes elements of hardcore punk. Unlike other death metal styles, it does not focus on guitar solos or blast beats. Instead, it uses mid-tempo rhythms, breakdowns, and palm-muted guitar riffs, as well as hip hop-inspired vocal and drum patterns. The breakdown riff from Suffocation's "Liege of Inveracity" was called the first slam riff in death metal by Rolling Stone. Early bands in this genre included New York groups like Internal Bleeding and Pyrexia, with later bands such as Devourment and Cephalotripsy.
Death-doom is a style that combines the slow tempos and sad atmosphere of doom metal with the deep growling vocals and double-kick drumming of death metal. Influenced mainly by the early work of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, this style emerged in the late 1980s and became more popular in the 1990s. Bands that helped create this style include Winter, Disembowelment, Paradise Lost, Autopsy, Anathema, and My Dying Bride.
Funeral doom is a genre that mixes death-doom with funeral dirge music. It is played very slowly and focuses on creating a feeling of emptiness and sadness. Electric guitars are heavily distorted, and dark ambient elements like keyboards or synthesizers are often used to make a dreamlike atmosphere. Vocals include sad chants or growls and are usually in the background. Bands that started this genre include Mournful Congregation (Australia), Esoteric (United Kingdom), Evoken (United States), Funeral (Norway), Thergothon (Finland), and Skepticism (Finland).
Death 'n' roll is a style that combines death metal's growled vocals and highly distorted, detuned guitar riffs with elements of 1970s hard rock and heavy metal. Notable examples include Entombed, Gorefest, and Six Feet Under.
Deathcore is a subgenre that mixes the intensity of death metal with the aggressive elements of metalcore. It is known for fast drumming, including blast beats, down-tuned guitars, tremolo picking, growled vocals, high-pitched shrieks, and the breakdowns typical of metalcore. Decibel magazine noted that "one of Suffocation's trademarks, breakdowns, has spawned an entire metal subgenre: deathcore." Dying Fetus influenced deathcore through their use of slam riffs, breakdowns, and hardcore-inspired grooves. Their 1996 album Purification Through Violence and 1998's Killing on Adrenaline introduced a mix of brutal death metal and hardcore elements that later became part of deathcore. Bands such as Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, Salt the Wound, and All Shall Perish combine the technicality of death metal with the breakdown-driven structures of metalcore, creating a distinct and influential sound.
Goregrind, deathgrind, and pornogrind are styles that mix grindcore with death metal. Goregrind focuses on themes like gore and forensic pathology, while pornogrind deals with sexual and pornographic themes. Notable examples include Brujeria, Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage, Pig Destroyer, Circle of Dead Children, Rotten Sound, Gut, and Cock and Ball Torture.
Gorenoise is a type of goregrind and noisecore that uses harsh noise instead of rock-based sounds. New Noise Magazine described the genre as drum machines "hammering at 1,000 BPM over gurgling pitch-shifted toilet vocals." Album covers often include graphic crime scene photos and images of entrails. The band Anal Birth is credited as one of the creators of gore