Pornogrind

Last updated

Pornogrind (also known as porngrind or pornogore) is a musical microgenre offshoot of goregrind [1] [2] that lyrically deals with sexual and pornographic themes, hence the name. [3] [4]

Contents

Characteristics

The genre is related and similar to goregrind but does bear distinguishing features. Besides the eponymous emphasis on graphic sexual themes in lyrics and album artwork, which "would keep [these records] out of most stores", [4] from a technical perspective pornogrind songs are often simpler, slower, and more rock-like [2] than other grind genres.

Zero Tolerance described pornogrind as "the most downright perverted of the lot, often adding a dollop of filthy groove and vocals straight from the toilet." [5] Natalie Purcell, however, in her book Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture, suggests that pornogrind is defined solely on the basis of its lyrical content and unique imagery, its focus on pornographic content. [2] Rolling Stone has said that it is "basically just grindcore, but with an over-the-top, juvenile obsession with sex, violence and the ways the two could combine on a woman’s body. Think samples from porno movies, lyrics about sexual violence and gross-out album art." [6]

Notable bands of the genre include Gut and Cock and Ball Torture. [2] [5] [7]

Controversy

Pornogrind saw some limited mainstream media attention after the 2019 Dayton shooting when it came to light that the perpetrator, Connor Betts, performed live vocals in the pornogrind group Menstrual Munchies on multiple occasions. [8] After the attack, Vice published an article entitled "It’s Time to Stop Making Excuses for Extreme Metal’s Violent Misogynist Fantasies" criticising the lyrical content of pornogrind as "reflective of a sexist society", [9] [6] and the shooting also prompted heavy metal outlets like MetalSucks [10] and Kerrang, [11] and bands like Devourment [12] to re-examine the lyrics, with Svalbard's Serena Cherry saying the genre "represents an utterly stupid, thoughtless, cartoonish misogyny". [13] Conservative columnist Rod Dreher later expanded the blame on the band The Acacia Strain whose hoodie Betts was wearing; [14] MetalSucks addressed this by adding "The Acacia Strain are heavy, sure, but they aren’t violent". [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, featuring double kick and blast beat techniques; minor keys or atonality; abrupt tempo, key, and time signature changes; and chromatic chord progressions. The lyrical themes of death metal may include slasher film-style violence, political conflict, religion, nature, philosophy, true crime and science fiction.

Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. Grindcore is considered a more noise-filled style of hardcore punk while using hardcore's trademark characteristics such as heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of growls, shouts and high-pitched shrieks. Early groups such as England's Napalm Death are credited with laying the groundwork for the style. It is most prevalent today in North America and Europe, with popular contributors such as Brutal Truth and Nasum. Lyrical themes range from a primary focus on social and political concerns, to gory subject matter and black humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardcore punk</span> Aggressive and fast subgenre of punk rock

Hardcore punk is a punk rock subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington, D.C., and New York punk rock and early proto-punk. Hardcore punk generally eschews commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock" and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically charged lyrics".

Goregrind is a fusion genre of grindcore and death metal. British band Carcass are commonly credited for the emergence of the genre. Goregrind is recognized for its heavily edited, pitch shifted vocals and abrasive musicianship rooted in grindcore and its lyrical emphasis on gore, death, pathology, and rape.

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.

Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual transgression".

<i>Calculating Infinity</i> 1999 studio album by the Dillinger Escape Plan

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.

<i>From Enslavement to Obliteration</i> Album by Napalm Death

From Enslavement to Obliteration is the second studio album by English grindcore band Napalm Death, released in 1988. It is the final studio album with vocalist Lee Dorrian and guitarist Bill Steer, and the first to feature bassist Shane Embury, the band's longest-tenured member to date. A remastered version was released on 2 April 2012. Loudwire put it on the list of the 10 best metal albums of 1988.

<i>Individual Thought Patterns</i> 1993 studio album by Death

Individual Thought Patterns is the fifth studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on June 22, 1993, by Relativity Records. It is the only album by the band to feature guitarist Andy LaRocque, the first to feature drummer Gene Hoglan and the second and last to feature bassist Steve DiGiorgio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deathcore</span> Fusion of death metal and metalcore genres

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.

<i>Deicide</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Deicide

Deicide is the debut album by Florida death metal band Deicide. It was released on June 25, 1990, by Roadrunner Records. The album contains all of their demo tracks, plus the songs "Deicide" and "Mephistopheles".

<i>Symphonies of Sickness</i> 1989 studio album by Carcass

Symphonies of Sickness is the second album by British extreme metal band Carcass. It was released through Earache Records on 4 December 1989.

<i>Left Hand Path</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Entombed

Left Hand Path is the debut studio album by Swedish death metal band Entombed, released on 4 June 1990 by Earache Records.

Carnal Diafragma is a Czech goregrind band formed in 1997 in Ostrava. The band's songs do not include any lyrics. Known for their instrumental songs, the band has experienced several lineup changes throughout its history. They have released four studio albums as well as a number of demos and split albums with other groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy metal lyrics</span> Themes and social perceptions of the words in heavy metal music

Heavy metal lyrics are the words used in songs by heavy metal artists. Given that there are many genres of heavy metal, it is difficult to make generalizations about the lyrics and lyrical themes. In 1989, two metal scholars wrote that heavy metal lyrics concentrate "on dark and depressing subject matter to an extent hitherto unprecedented" in any form of popular music. Jeffrey Arnett states that metal songs are "overwhelmingly dominated" by "ugly and unhappy" themes which express "no hope" for the future.

Venom Prison are a Welsh death metal band. Stephen Hill of Metal Hammer described their second album as "2019’s most anticipated extreme metal albums". Their lead vocalist Larissa Stupar was described by Kerrang! as "metal's most important - and uncompromising - voice". The band has released four studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Dayton shooting</span> Mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio

On August 4, 2019, 24-year-old Connor Betts shot and killed nine people, including his brother, and wounded 17 others near the entrance of the Ned Peppers Bar in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio. Betts was fatally shot by responding police officers 32 seconds after the first shots were fired. A total of 27 people were taken to area hospitals. It is the deadliest mass shooting to occur in Ohio since the 1975 Easter Sunday Massacre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misogynist terrorism</span> Terrorism motivated by the desire to punish women

Misogynist terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by the desire to punish women. It is an extreme form of misogyny—the policing of women's compliance to patriarchal gender expectations. Misogynist terrorism uses mass indiscriminate violence in an attempt to avenge nonconformity with those expectations or to reinforce the perceived superiority of men.

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Jonathon (6 September 2007). "Everything you ever wanted to know about pop (but were too old to ask)". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Purcell, Natalie J. (2003). Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture. McFarland. p. 24. ISBN   0-7864-1585-1. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
  3. ↑ Anderson, Vicki. "Running the musical gauntlet". The Press . Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  4. 1 2 Hess, Amanda. "Brick and Mordor: A record store heavy on the metal spins its last gloom and doom". Washington City Paper . Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Grind Prix" (2005). Zero Tolerance #004, p. 46.
  6. 1 2 WEINGARTEN, CHRISTOPHER (7 August 2019). "WTF Is Pornogrind?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Mincemoyer, John. "Gore International" (2002). Terrorizer #98, pp. 19-20.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Mikkelson, Jill (21 January 2016). "It's Time to Stop Making Excuses for Extreme Metal's Violent Misogynist Fantasies".
  10. 1 2 Neilstein, Vince (6 August 2019). "Op-Ed: Unpacking Dayton Shooter Connor Betts' Connection to Metal and Pornogrind". MetalSucks.
  11. ↑ "How Brutal Death Metal Is Confronting Its Misogyny Problem". Kerrang!. 29 August 2019.
  12. ↑ Neilstein, Vince (29 August 2019). "Devourment Members Call Out Their Own Misogynistic Lyrics in the Past". MetalSucks.
  13. ↑ "On the Hot Topic of Pornogrind..." MetalSucks. 27 August 2019.
  14. ↑ "Connor Betts And 'Pornogrind'". 5 August 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.