A number of heavy metal genres have developed since the emergence of heavy metal during the late 1960s and early 1970s. At times, heavy metal genres may overlap or are difficult to distinguish, but they can be identified by a number of traits. They may differ in terms of instrumentation, tempo, song structure, vocal style, lyrics, guitar playing style, drumming style, and so on.
Melodic death metal is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal. The genre features the heaviness of death metal but with highly melodic or harmonized guitar riffs and solos, and often features high-pitched shrieked vocals alongside the low-pitched growls commonly featured in traditional death metal. Pioneered by the English heavy metal band Carcass with their 1993 album Heartwork, melodic death metal developed further in Sweden in the mid-1990s. The Swedish death metal scene did much to popularise the style, soon centering in the "Gothenburg metal" scene. At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul, Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery, and In Flames' The Jester Race, all released in the mid-1990s, were highly influential albums in melodic death metal, with At the Gates and In Flames being the two most common influences on North American 2000s heavy metal bands. Many American heavy metal bands emulated At the Gates' sound, resulting in the usage of the phrase "At the Gates worship".
Metalcore is a fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, that originated in the late 1980s. Metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing, while other defining instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedal tones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming, more popular bands often combine this with the use of standard singing, usually during the bridge or chorus of a song. However, the death growl is also a popular technique within the genre.
Calculating Infinity is the debut studio album by American metalcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan. Recorded at Trax East Recording Studio in South River, New Jersey, it was produced by engineer Steve Evetts with the band's guitarist Ben Weinman and drummer Chris Pennie, and released on September 28, 1999, by Relapse Records. Calculating Infinity is the band's only full-length album to feature original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, who left the band in 2001.
Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatures, polymeters, syncopations and tempo changes. Early mathcore lyrics were addressed from a realistic worldview and with a pessimistic, defiant, resentful or sarcastic point of view.
Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore breakdowns. While there are some precursors to the concept of death metal fused with metalcore/hardcore elements seen in the 1990s, deathcore itself emerged in the early 2000s and gained prominence beginning in the mid-2000s within the southwestern United States, especially Arizona and inland southern California, which are home to many notable bands and various festivals.
The End were a Canadian mathcore/metalcore band based in Mississauga, Ontario. Their sound has been compared to that of The Dillinger Escape Plan and deathgrind group Discordance Axis, as well as Neurosis.
Becoming the Archetype is an American heavy metal band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1999. They have released six albums on Solid State Records. Dichotomy, which was released in November 2008, sold around 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The CD debuted at No. 18 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the top 100 of the Billboard 200. The band was part of the new wave of American heavy metal. After 2012's I Am, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. In 2022, however, the band reunited with the lineup of Jason Wisdom, Seth Hecox, and Brent “Duck” Duckett.
Not One Word Has Been Omitted is the first EP by the progressive metal/mathcore band From a Second Story Window, released under its current title in 2004 by Black Market Activities. It was originally self-released in 2003 under the title The Cassandra Complex. This is the band's only release to feature second vocalist Sean Vandegrift.
Burnt by the Sun was an American metalcore band formed in 1999 from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Burnt by the Sun is a fusion of metalcore, mathcore, grindcore, and sludge metal.
Delenda is the debut album by the progressive metalcore/mathcore band From a Second Story Window. This is the band's first release with vocalist Will Jackson and final release to feature lead guitarist and songwriter Derek Vasconi.
See You Next Tuesday is an American deathcore band from Bay City, Michigan. They were signed to Ferret Records, an independent record label based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The group released two full-length studio albums; Parasite (2007) and Intervals (2008), through Ferret before disestablishing in 2009 due to financial problems and personal reasons.
Starkweather is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia formed in 1989. They have a complex experimental metal sound often including use of dissonance, intricate tempo changes and avant-garde sensibilities. Starkweather helped pioneer the hardcore punk/heavy metal crossover sound that would later be known as "metalcore", as well as being a major influence on the mathcore subgenre. They have influenced many of today's top selling hardcore/metal bands such as Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon and Coalesce among many others.
Symphony in Peril is a Christian metalcore band from Columbus, Ohio, United States. The band started in early 2002, and broke up in 2006, after Hellfest, which the band was to play, but was cancelled at the last minute. As of 2022, they are active again with several new members.
Sea of Treachery is an American metalcore/deathcore band from Hebron, Kentucky, United States, formed in 2004. Since forming, they have released three EPs and two full-length studio albums, the first being At Daggers Drawn, which was released on April 29, 2008 on Sumerian Records, and the second being Wonderland, released on December 14, 2010 on Blkheart Group. The digital version of Wonderland, featuring a bonus track, was released January 4, 2011. In early 2012, the band had reformed with the original line-up who were on the At Daggers Drawn record, played a reunion show in Newport, Kentucky, and have also announced more shows around the tri-state area.
Circle of Death is the second and last studio album by Dance Club Massacre, released November 11, 2008. It was recorded in 2008 at More Sounds Studios in Syracuse, New York with Jason "Jacko" Randall as the producer and was released through Black Market Activities.
The Eyes of a Traitor were an English metalcore band from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, formed in the summer of 2006. The band consists of vocalist Jack Delany, drummer Sam Brennan, guitarists Tim George and Matthew Pugh, and bassist Tom Hollings. There have been numerous line-up changes within the band, mainly due to members wishing to pursue education. According to the band, its name derives from a conversation the band members had whilst watching Star Wars.
Deadwater Drowning was an American deathcore band formed in 2002 in Brookline, New Hampshire. It is notable for the myriad of groups affected when the band broke up in 2004 and its members splintered into various other groups such as The Acacia Strain, The Red Chord, and Through the Eyes of the Dead. Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord cited the band as his inspiration to start his record label Black Market Activities, whose second release was the band's sole output.
Antagony is an American deathcore/metalcore band from the Bay Area of California, United States, formed in 1998, disbanded in 2009, and reformed in 2019. The group are noted for combining their metalcore style with a remarkable amount of death metal influence, which has led to the group to being considered one of the pioneers of the deathcore genre. Antagony has released three albums, each on a different record label. Members of Antagony have gone on to form bands such as Oblivion and All Shall Perish.
As Blood Runs Black is an American metalcore/deathcore band hailing from Los Angeles, California. They have released three albums. Their first album, Allegiance, was released on June 6, 2006. Their second album, Instinct, was released on March 15, 2011. Instinct reached #1 on the US Billboard Heatseakers Albums chart and #111 on the US Billboard 200 for the week of April 2, 2011. On June 30, 2013, As Blood Runs Black announced that they would be self-releasing their newest album, Ground Zero, with the help of crowdfunding via IndieGoGo; this was successful and the album was released on October 27, 2014.
