Metalheads, Metal Music, and Subgenres

albums

Heavy Metal Subculture

The heavy metal subculture, also known as “Metalheads” consists of fans of the heavy metal music genre, formed out of a community that has extended beyond their appreciation of the music genre. With my media presentation, I have decided to draw and design original album covers that draw inspiration from metal subgenres and pre-existing albums within them. By drawing inspiration from these subgenres and pre-existing album covers, I provide a visual summary of the aesthetics and ideologies of the subgenre alongside visual representations of the music itself. Each album cover I have drawn will be above its accompanying subgenre.

To understand the metal subculture is understanding its core element: its music. The sound of the heavy metal music genre is defined by Weinstein (2009) as powerful in volume, complex guitar work, and distinct vocal work. From both understanding the music through personal listening and how it is described by other researchers, heavy metal has been noted as louder, more distorted, and more aggressive compared to other music genres. The tone and subject matter of the lyrics is often seen as more macabre and violent.

The notion of opposition to the norm that comes from Gelder’s (2005) definition of subculture can be noted in the attitudes that emerged from the emergence of heavy metal. Olson, Terry, and Thompson (2022) note “low levels of conformity to mainstream culture” when it comes to heavy metal fans in their study. Through their studies, fans have reported exploring their social and cultural identity through heavy metal music. Alongside, it has been noted that identifying with the metal subculture and having that sense of belonging provides a “a protective factor against marginalisation and difficult social environments.” This notion of subverting the mainstream while being part of a community is what makes up the metalhead subculture.

Internal coherence, which is also defined by Gelder (2005), can also be seen through the music of heavy metal. Back (2023) notes in his section that involvement with music provides a sociological tool in social spaces and cultures. Music is a form of self-expression, and with expression within a genre alongside a community comes a sense of style. A sense of style making up a subculture is noted by Hebdige (1979), and an example of music being a representation of one’s identity can be found in O’Hagan’s section on battle jackets–“a sleeveless denim jacket customized with band patches.”

After heavy metal’s formation and development of its sound during the 1970s, its music has broadened and made way for subgenres within the music (Weinstein, 2009). These subgenres can be differentiated through differences in the way the music is structured, the lyrical content, aesthetics, and more. The number of existing subgenres that exist under the heavy metal genre is extensive, so I have selected subgenres that are considered the main ones among the community through Blum’s (2021) section on bands from the different subgenres alongside ModernMetalSongwriter’s (2021) explanations of the subgenres. With my selection, I have gone through and listened to bands and songs that exist within that subgenre.

classic

Classic/Traditional Metal

Starting with metal’s foundations, classic metal or traditional metal is the foundational subgenre of heavy metal that began in the 1970s. From my own listening, Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut studio album has a slower yet still heavy sound through its guitars and drums. I have also noted the blues-inspired influence through the instrument choice and tempo. Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast has a higher tempo and higher energy with the heavier guitar persisting in its sound. In terms of vocals, they are on the higher pitched side. In terms of aesthetics, I have noticed that albums consist of original painted art that is highly rendered with palettes that lean towards reds and yellows.

thrash

Thrash Metal

Thrash metal is a subgenre that took the aggression of punk music and fused it with the sound of metal. For thrash metal, I have chosen to listen to Metallica’s self-titled album and Slayer’s Reign in Blood album. I have noticed extremely fast tempos and an emphasis on heavy drumming within the albums’ songs. There is a noticeable push on sounding more aggressive as opposed to how traditional metal sounds. The tone of the lyrical subject matter is grim, consisting of nihilism, anti-religious sentiment, and graphic gore. It appears that album art among this subgenre is commonly illustrated and reflected with the contents of the albums.

death

Death Metal

Death metal is a metal subgenre that emerged from thrash metal. I have chosen to listen to Cannibal Corpse’s Tomb of the Mutilated album and Obituary’s Cause of Death album as death metal music samples. The vocals from this subgenre are the most discernible thing in the way they are more guttural and growling. The guitars sound distorted and the drums appear to be further emphasized. Lyrical content sounds more graphic and violent compared to the previous subgenres listed. Death metal’s aesthetics appear to be more graphical and focus more on harsh texture as opposed to the painted illustrations from previous subgenres.

black

Black Metal

Black metal is a metal subgenre influenced by punk rock and aggressive heavy metal bands. For black metal, I have chosen to listen to Venom’s Black Metal album and Bathory’s self-titled album discern and characterize its subgenre. I have gathered extremely fast tempos and even higher pitched vocals, alongside an emphasis of atmosphere and airy ambience that comes with the recording of the songs. Subjects in the lyrics have a focus on anti-Christian sentiment and satanism. In terms of aesthetics, I have noticed a continuation of using stark black and white throughout album art from death metal’s aesthetics. This is also seen through the corpse paint worn by musicians of black metal.

progressive

Progressive Metal

Progressive metal is a subgenre that takes elements from progressive rock and heavy metal, resulting in a more experimental sound as opposed to the other subgenres. I have chosen Dream Theater’s Images and Words album and Symphony X’s Paradise Lost album to listen to for the subgenre. I found it instantly evident that the sound was much more cinematic as opposed to the previous subgenres described. It sounds much more grandiose with how powerful the vocals are. The aesthetic of this subgenre is reminiscent of movie posters and relies more heavily on photography and realism as opposed to illustration.

glam

Glam Metal

Glam metal is a subgenre that is heavily influenced by pop that emerged in the late 1970s. I have chosen Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood album and Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album to listen to for the glam metal subgenre. Just like progressive metal, I have noticed a more upbeat and pop tone when it comes to the instrumentals. The sound overall is meant to be more catchy rather than intense. There are slower, more powerful musical moments I have noticed within the songs. In terms of aesthetics, glam metal deviates from the typical metal aesthetic with bright colors, makeup, androgyny, and flashy visuals.

nu

Nu Metal

Nu metal is a subgenre that is heavily influenced by hip hop and grunge music. I have chosen Korn’s Follow the Leader album and Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other album to listen to for the nu metal subgenre. From listening, I have noticed an emphasis on rhythm both in instrumentals and vocals. With nu metal comes a more electronic influence through DJs and sampling. The aggression that comes from heavy metal is still evident, primarily seen in the rapping in Limp Bizkit’s music. In terms of aesthetics, there appears to be a variety but I have noticed a lean towards grungier and industrial aesthetics. Otherwise, there appears to be an influence from skater cultures that show up in the album art.

Conclusion

What I have listed is only a fraction of the amount of subgenres that exist within heavy metal music. Each subgenre can be discerned both through various aspects of their music and its visuals. Metal, as a music genre, has had musicians broaden out and develop their sound over time. With so many different styles of sound and the need to define categories of these types of sound comes metal subgenres. Despite how expansive the metal music genre is, the music as a whole seems to follow a type of style and a deviation from the mainstream type of counterculture that is a defining aspect of the metalhead subculture.

Music is a core aspect of the metalhead subculture, being an essential element in understanding the subculture’s internal coherence and how it differentiates itself as the “other”. Within its music comes a variety of different subgenres that distinguish themselves from one another which I have gone and listened to define for myself. Through my media presentation of drawing original album art based on these subgenres, I am representing these distinguished subgenres from one another and representing their aesthetics, ideologies, and music. While what I have listed is not the exhaustive list of all currently existing metal subgenres, it still showcases the variety within the genre alongside its subculture while showing coherence and connecting factors that unify the music as metal.

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