This list isn't complete, and probably isn't even correct in most cases, but I did the best I could, metal is not that easy to seperate and stick into subgenres, some of it is clearly defined, the rest of it is iffy. Just take it as a guide and not set in stone. Also keep in mind that bands like Van Halen and Bon Jovi, were never considered metal in my mind but rather hard rock maybe.
Glam Metal |
| There are 3 different types of glam people, those
that are obsessed with it, those that despise it and credit it for the fall of metal in
the early 90s, and then there are those that don't listen to music much and would just sit
and stare during a conversation about Gamma Ray or even a more mainstream band like
Manowar, but with the mention of metal go "oh yeah, I liked Poison when I was in high
school." Um, well, whatever. Its easy enough to spot a glam band, with the huge hair and all the makeup. The music is just as easy to define. Feel good rhythms, the typic metal vocalist voice usually high pitched and with a jaw dropping range, the music relies more on a "hook" than anything else, and most songs are patterned similarly, with lyrics mostly about love, sex, and having a good time. Music that lifts any dark mood, and good for a quick sugar-coated metal fix. Just don't expect anything too deep. |
| Bands include: Vinne Vincent Invasion, Hardline, Southgang, Slaughter, Poison, Vixen, Steelheart, Firehouse, Faster Pussycat, Motley Crue, Ratt (sometimes), Skid Row and a billion others. |
Melodic Metal |
| What in the hell is.......well melodic metal to me is all the bands that
were branded with the term glam, just because the music they played included alot of pure
melody, and their music just really does not fit in with the other glam bands. Melody of course is the number one important factor in this subgenre, the music is easy to listen to, and usually includes alot of ballads and mid tempo songs that just ask to be played over and over again, since they have that undefinable hook. Its also very polished, sometimes so much that its unbearable at times. Alot of the songs are about love and sex as well, which also helps blur the line between melodic metal and glam. Most of this can also be called adult oriented rock, or AOR. |
| Bands include: Dokken, Y & T, Europe, Takara, Winger, Def Leppard, late Rainbow, MSG |
Power Metal |
| The gods made heavy metal and they said that it was
good. This is TRUE metal, only REAL metal fans will listen to this stuff. When
you first introduce a potential TRUE metal fan to this, you can see their eyes just start
to glaze over in a metal trance, and their fist will pound up in the air, expect
headbanging to follow. Those that love this type of metal are in great abundance and
are quite fanatical about it. If you like power metal, chances are you will hate
glam bands but will practically worship progressive metal. Power metal is not as easy to define as glam bands are. The lines start to blur more, but basically the music is very dramatic, bombastic and has a huge sound. The vocalists are generally screamers and the guitarists do amazing things with their guitars. The overall sound is usually a brutal assault of metal beauty but has a certain power that other subgenres of metal lack, plus 50% of power metal also relies on a hook, that will have you singing the lyrics to certain songs for week, lyrics ranging from metal-promoting type songs ("The Gods Made Heavy Metal" ect), to songs about other worlds in the beyond. If its dramatic you will find it here. |
| Bands include: Manowar, Iron Maiden, Dio, Iron Savior, Hammerfall, Saxon |
Neo-Classical |
| This is far, few and inbetween and is mostly ruled
by its creator, Yngwie Malmsteen. Neo-classical fans are extremely fanatical and
usually guitar lovers first and foremost. They are usually pretty outspoken and hang
out in groups and talk about why speed and black metal sucks and continue to praise their
master. There is another little group of neo-classical fans that are kind of stuck
up and like classical music first, with neo-classical coming in second, and are not true
metal fans. As you probably guessed, the standout characteristic of neo-classical metal is the classical influence. Also notable are the blazingly fast electric guitars, the guitarist is usually the star of the show with the other members of the band kind of fading into the background. The music is built around ancient classical pieces usually and all of it includes a metallically precise beauty that no other genre of metal is able to accomplish, in this sense it makes it unique. The lyrics cover everything from fantasy themes to romance, but with the guitar, and not the vocalist, always taking the spotlight. |
| Bands include: Yngwie Malmsteen, Axel Rudi Pell |
Blues Metal |
| Blues metal? Is that even considered a
subgenre? Well there are enough bands that are mixing a heavy dose of the blues
along with the infectious grooves and the killer guitar attack that metal has, no to
mention the high pitched vocals that fit in the screamer sections. Most blues metal
bands are usually considered glam bands, but think about it, most glam bands didnt release
songs that just drip with the blues, like "Long Cold Winter" by Great White and
"Ain't No Love In The Heart of the City" by Whitesnake. So it is necessary
to cut these bands away from the dough that made most glam bands the same cookie cutter
shapes as the ones that came before them (or after them). Blues metal bands commonly feature a double wailing axe attack. The guitar is highlighted throughout most songs, and it usually has a sorrowful, bluesy edge to it. The lyrics mostly consist of long lost love, which is enough to drive anyone into writing a sad, emotional song. You might need to bring a couple of kleenex's along while listening to it, and if your mood is a depressed one, it might be best to steer clear of blues metal, unless its a raunchy anthem (with slight blues overtones of course). Memorable, bluesy and catchy. |
| Bands include: Whitesnake, Great White, Cinderella, Kingdom Come, Manic Eden, Ratt (sometimes), and on the blues hard rock side, Kenny Wayne Shephard |
Progressive |
| Proghead. If that term means nothing to you,
then you can forget about understanding the music. These fans are absolutely fanatical,
even moreso than the power metal freaks, but then again, most progressive metal and power
metal cross over frequently, its difficult to keep them seperated at times. I will
gladly credit progressive metal, especially the material being released overseas, for
helping to bring metal back from the brink. Progressive metal freaks are taking over
the internet, and the foreign bands make most of the bands in the USA look like they are
beginners at the game of making music. If you don't believe me, check a couple of
cd's out then come back and see if you can tell me the same. There are few things more beautiful than a good progressive metal album
and an hour or so alone. Just put in the stereo, relax and let the power, the
wonder, and the entire feeling just wash over you in waves, the guitar echoing in the
mind. The musicianship in the progressive metal world is as high as you will find
anywhere. These guys are talented. The lyrics are spellbinding, about romance,
space, time, fantasy and everything in between. Sometimes the meanings are cryptic,
but the lyrics are truly the highlight, and not simply "hey hey baby I love you, hey
hey baby...." The music is defined by the layer upon layer of guitar, ranging
from sweet guitar sounds, to a speedy crunch, but usually in that inbetween range.
Most of the neo-classical guitarists are in these progressive metal bands. The
vocals are identifiable, usually because they are in that screaming range that we love so
very much. Very high pitched vocals, that just suit the music perfectly. The
key between power and progressive metal is in the keyboard. Prog metal includes tons
of keyboard, usually as a gentle backdrop to the rest of the epic surrounding
it. |
| Bands include: Queensryche, Savatage, Gamma Ray, Crimson Glory, Rhapsody, Stratovarius, Elegy, Fates Warning, Symphony X, Avalon, Kamelot, Superior, Blind Guardian, just to name a few. |
Thrash |
| Thrash metal fanatics are the ones that go to every
concert they can, piss people off on purpose (come on its fun) and such. Not putting
them down, but you know the type. They also tend to hate glam metal (hhmmmm see a
pattern here?) but they also cannot seem to get into anything other than
thrash/death metal, the kind of stuff that is usually too fast to headbang to, but they
always try it anyway. This is the stuff parents really hate. Its dark, raw, uncomprising music. Speedy, uptempo, agressive compositions that came out of the bowels of hell it seems to kill off disco and slay its fans with the music that made an indeniable impression on all metal musicians, especially in the similiar, death metal. The lyrics are dark, irrie, creepy and include satanic imagery. |
| Bands include: Megadeth, Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera, Voivod, Slayer, Metal Church, Overkill, Exodus, Testament, Blind Illusion, Hellhound, and many others. |
Doom |
| This was the answer to the "Summer of
Love" type lyrics from the 70s, that was described as happy harmonious and down to
earth, peace, love happiness and the entire hippie thing, molded into music. The lyrics of
drug abuse, atomic war, paranoia, love gone so very wrong, death, mystical occult themes
and such were the kick in the brew that bands like Black Sabbath churned out, the band
that created this ominious sounding subgenre. Then came the legions after them. Other bands picked up on the misery filled, agonized and emotion style, the moaning rhythmic measures and and pulsing drums with tribal convictions. Some of the bands wrote lyrics with horror themes while others stayed true to the lyrics that sabbath were writing back in the beginning. Also an operatic style of doom was unleashed upon the unsuspecting world. Alot of gothic bands are also swallowed up by the doom metal title. |
| Bands include: Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Trouble, Mercy Doom, Witchfynde, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General, Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Morbid Doom, Count Raven, and more |
Death |
| Death metal is a pure offshoot of thrash metal, that has been around for
almost two decades now, finding its birth in the band Motorhead. The spotlight was
taken away from this type of metal, by the "crossover" shift back in the mid
eighties, which was a powerful blend of hardcore and metal, created just for the
mainstream crowds. It put the entire death metal world in a neverending loop it
seemed, just a handful of bands progressed their sounds, while the rest retread the same
old territory in hopes of keepings its older fans. Death is hard to define, at least in terms that are acceptable to all of its followers. The rough vocal style is the easiest to spot element. Its a very extreme form of music, all of the aspects of its makeup is taken to its absolute limit to create the most brutal sonic onslaught released in the musical world. The guitars are also tuned down a few steps down that adds the extra heavy edge, and the lyrics are of course about death, suicide and such. |
| Bands include: Motorhead, Death, Deicide, Venom, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Carcass, ect. |
Metal |
| Ok duh, all of this is metal, but there are those
bands and artists that just don't really fit into any other genre, and when the sacred
words, heavy metal are spoken these are usually the ones that are thought of first and are
not stored away under subgenres are hidden in the back of the store so that young,
impressionable older children and teenagers might not be able to find the doomier sounding
stuff that parents live to hate. Sure, they could be tossed under subgenres, but
its easier just to say THIS IS METAL, and be done with it. Sometimes they sneak
these bands under pop rock due to their popularity, so maybe people that normally would
not be caught in the metal section will pick up a couple of these cd's. So basically
this is defined by the record labels and music stores. Basically everything else that is mainstream, released worldwide and keeps that metal sound, with screeching guitar and usually heavy on the hooks. Another words, the average metal stuff. |
| Bands include: Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, KISS (also could be glam...), Scorpions, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, AC/DC |