Introducing Death Metal
Death Metal represents a subgenre of metal in general and, in particular, of heavy metal. In addition to Black and Trash Metal, Death Metal is one of the most extreme music metal styles. Very characteristic for Death Metal are its heavily distorted guitars, fast rhythm patterns on drums with double bass and blast beat techniques, deep guttural vocals which is also called “growling”, “growl” or even “grunt”, minor keys or atonality, tremolo picking, martial tunes which are played on very low-tuned electric guitars as well as complex song structures with different tempo changes.
Concerning the content of Death Metal songs it can be mentioned that these songs convey a consistent very negative attitude towards life. Strictly speaking Death Metal songs deal with themes and topics such as war, death and dying as well as mental and physical suffering. Besides, it has to be taken into consideration that not only the content carries negative and dark messages / atmosphere, but also the rhythm and sound of music are conveyed in frightening ways. Furthermore, also misanthropic, nihilistic and satanic attitudes are discussed – even in socially critical ways.
This special style of music emerged during the mid 1980s from the general musical structures of Trash Metal and early Black Metal. After some time it has developed, however, the awareness of a new musical direction within the whole metal scene. The very first Death Metal bands that have become popular are Possessed, Slaughter, Hellhammer / Celtic Frost, Master, Morbid Angel as well as Death. Chuck Schuldiner, the frontman of the band Death, is characterized to be “the father of Death Metal”. Death Metal bands like Possessed or Obituary are often considered as real pioneers of the whole Death Metal genre which is mainly inspired by early Black Metal acts like Venom.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Death Metal as an independent style of music within the metal scene gained more media attention and consequently became more and more popular. Strictly speaking this boost of popularity was at that time when well-known record labels such as Earache and Roadrunner started to sign Death Metal bands at a very rapid rate. Since then, Death Metal succeeded in diversifying a wide range of different subgenres.