Groove metal is a type of heavy metal music that started in the early 1990s. It comes from thrash metal but is played more slowly, with strong, repeating guitar patterns. Bands like Exhorder, Prong, and Bad Brains helped create this style in the late 1980s. Later, groups such as Pantera, White Zombie, Machine Head, and Sepultura made it more popular in the early to mid-1990s.

This music style influenced the development of other genres, including the new wave of American heavy metal, nu metal, and metalcore. It became more popular in the 2000s with bands like Lamb of God, DevilDriver, and Five Finger Death Punch. In the 2010s, groups such as Killer Be Killed and Bad Wolves continued to play this style.

Characteristics

Groove metal uses parts of thrash metal but plays them more slowly, using funny or unusual rhythms. Loudwire said, "Unlike many other metal styles, groove metal does not have clear rules and includes sounds from industrial, death metal, nu-metal, hardcore, and others." Music journalist Gary Graff also mentioned that hardcore punk has a big influence on groove metal.

History

In their book Hellraisers: A Complete Visual History of Heavy Metal Mayhem, journalists Axl Rosenberg and Christopher Krovatin found the beginnings of groove metal in New Orleans' Exhorder and New York's Prong. Exhorder, formed in 1985, recorded their first demo in the summer of 1986. Their music was influenced by hardcore punk, metal, jazz, funk, blues, and the music of Mardi Gras. The band quickly became important in the New Orleans metal scene, with early sludge metal bands like Eyehategod, Soilent Green, and Crowbar performing live shows to support them. Prong, from the New York hardcore scene, originally played crossover thrash. They later slowed their music and used heavier percussion on their second album, Beg to Differ (1990). VH1 described the band as having a sound that mixed punk and metal, while also including elements of industrial music. Some writers also noted that the Bad Brains' music after 1987, especially their album Quickness (1989), helped create the groove metal genre.

White Zombie, formed in 1985, played music influenced by the noise rock of Honeymoon Killers, Swans, and Pussy Galore, the 1970s rock of Van Halen, Kiss, and AC/DC, as well as Black Sabbath, the Cramps, and gothic rock. They started in the New York City noise rock scene but later joined the New York hardcore scene after being encouraged by members of Cro-Mags and Biohazard. During this time, some New York hardcore bands, like Sick of It All and Leeway, called themselves "Jackson Heights groove metal." White Zombie began using groove metal sounds on their second album, Make Them Die Slowly (1989). The band became popular in the mid-1990s. Their album La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One (1992) reached number 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in 1993 and was certified double-platinum by the RIAA in 1998. Their music videos appeared on Beavis and Butt-Head, which helped increase their sales. Their 1995 album Astro Creep: 2000 reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 and sold 104,000 copies in its first week. It was also certified double-platinum. The band's song "More Human than Human" reached number 53 on Billboard's Radio Songs chart, number 7 on the Alternative Songs chart, and number 10 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 1995. It was played often on MTV and won the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video award at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards.

Venice crossover thrash band Excel's second album, The Joke's on You (1989), included more groove-driven music. Far Out magazine noted the track "Tapping into the Emotional Void" as an early example of groove metal.

Texas heavy metal band Pantera's 1990 album Cowboys from Hell is often seen as the album that helped define and popularize groove metal. They continued to release influential albums in the 1990s. Their 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power had an even heavier sound than its predecessor. Their next album, Far Beyond Driven (1994), reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 186,000 copies in its first week.

Thrash pioneers Metallica's Black Album (1991) included several groove metal songs, such as "Sad but True" and "The Struggle Within." Brazilian band Sepultura, known for their deathrash sound, released their fifth album Chaos A.D. in 1993. This album slowed their music and included influences from New York hardcore bands like the Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, and Sick of It All. Author Ian Christe credited Chaos A.D. with helping develop groove metal and being widely influential. Machine Head released their debut album Burn My Eyes in 1994. The album helped the band gain underground success and sold over 145,000 copies.

After the success of Pantera, White Zombie, and Machine Head, the groove metal genre expanded with bands like Skinlab, Pissing Razors, Grip Inc., Merauder, Pro-Pain, GZR, and Stuck Mojo. Some veteran thrash bands also changed their sound to include groove metal. Sacred Reich's Independent (1993), Overkill's I Hear Black (1993), Coroner's Grin (1993), Testament's Low (1994), Forbidden's Distortion (1994), Kreator's Cause for Conflict (1995), and much of Annihilator's 1990s work, as well as Anthrax's albums from the John Bush era (1992–2005), showed this shift.

In the 2000s, a new wave of groove metal bands formed, including Damageplan, Lamb of God, Chimaira, and DevilDriver. Damageplan was created in 2003 by the Abbott brothers, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, just before Pantera ended. They released one album, New Found Power, the next year. The band ended in December 2004 after Dimebag Darrell was killed during a live performance. One of the most successful groove metal bands during this time was Five Finger Death Punch, who formed in 2005 and achieved high chart positions and gold and platinum album certifications in the United States. Vinnie Paul's band Hellyeah, formed in 2006, also had commercial success. The 2010s saw the formation of Killer Be Killed and Bad Wolves. Malevolence's third album, Malicious Intent

Influence on other genres

The groove metal genre played an important role in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement, which started in the 1990s. It also helped shape the growth and popularity of nu metal and metalcore, two of the most successful metal genres that came after it. VH1 described groove metal as "a musical purgatory that connected classic thrash-style heavy metal with the emotionally intense, lower-tuned modern metal of the 21st century."