Groove metal
| Groove metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Thrash metal |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s, Early 1990s United States and Brazil |
| Typical instruments | Guitar – Bass guitar – Drums |
| Derivative forms | Nu metal |
| Regional scenes | |
| United States – Brazil | |
Groove metal, also called neo-thrash, half-thrash, or post-thrash, is a derivative of thrash metal which took its current form during the early 1990s. Groove metal is a blend of several genres from the 80s, including traditional heavy metal, hardcore punk, thrash metal, and death metal. Albums such as Exhorder's Slaughter in the Vatican, Pantera's Cowboys from Hell, Sepultura's Arise, and Artillery's We Are the Dead first incorporated groovish melodies to thrash metal; however, it wasn't until albums like Exhorder's The Law, Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power, Sepultura's Chaos A.D., White Zombie's La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1, and Machine Head's Burn My Eyes that groove metal truly took its musical form.
Musical traits
Compared to thrash and other heavy metal subgenres, groove metal is not as riff-oriented, and is more minimalistic. Artists of the genre tend to have a style influenced heavily by mid-tempo thrash and hardcore riffs, accentuated with down-tuned power chords (drop D or D standard tuning), syncopated chord patterns, mid-paced guitar solos, and dissonant bridges or breakdowns. Groove metal bass typically follows the guitar riffs but is sometimes used as a fill when the guitar riffs are not played (or go clean) and is somewhat more audible than in other metal subgenres. Vocals usually consist of thrash metal-styled shouts, hardcore-styled barks, and clean singing. Lyrics are usually about social and political issues.
Nu metal took many elements of groove metal, including its down-tuned power chords and lyrical attitudes. Some have even called Pantera, Fear Factory and Machine Head nu metal bands, perhaps because of their popularity and the stylistic changes made by the latter two in the late 1990s. However, groove metal as a whole has never reached the commercial heights of nu metal, and heavy metal fans tend to accord it more respect.
Some sludge metal also resembles groove metal, although generally slower in tempo.
Key artists
- A.N.I.M.A.L.
- Chimaira[1]
- Damageplan[2]
- Exhorder[3]
- Fear Factory
- Grip Inc.
- Helmet
- Lamb of God[4]
- Machine Head (Burn My Eyes, The More Things Change, and Through the Ashes of Empires)[5]
- Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power and later)[6][7][8]
- Pissing Razors[9]
- Prong (Cleansing and later)
- Pro-Pain[10]
- Sepultura (Chaos A.D. and later)
- Skinlab
- White Zombie
Some consider the works done by later-era Anthrax, Annihilator, Death Angel, Exodus, Kreator, Meshuggah, Overkill, and Testament to be groove metal as well.
References
- ^ "Chimaira entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Damageplan entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
exhordersivwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Lamb of God entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Machine Head entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
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panteraamgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
donkayewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Pantera entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Pissing Razors entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Pro-Pain entry". Rockdetector. Retrieved November 3.
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