Metal - Extreme, Epic, or Expiremental

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So there are people who go "well metal is metal" in opposition to people getting fussy and arguing what genre a particular piece. Yes, it doesn't really matter exactly what subgenre a piece is best classified as, but just because someone likes one subgenre doesn't mean they like them all. First, people like metal for different reasons. Some like it because it's heavy and they like the aggression. Others like it for it's technical complexity. If you look back, traditional metal had two things the set it aside from classic blues rock: It's was more extreme and more epic. Over time metal bands tried to go either farther in one or both of those directions, or they experimented. This leads to the three E metal groups; Extreme, Epic, or expiremental. Most metal can be classified under one of those super groups, sometimes they fall in multiple of them.

Extreme Metal is centered around Thrash Metal and Doom Metal. These tend to have heavy distortion, rough vocals, are either very fast or very slow (or both, as they have dramatic tempo changes) and tend to have a very aggressive, threatening, or dark feel. This includes Death Metal, Black Metal, Sludge Metal, and Metalcore.

Epic metal is centered around Progressive Metal and Power Metal. It tends to have powerful, melodic vocals, and is often fast paced, complex, and long, and it tends to sound lighter as opposed to darker. It includes Symphonic Metal, Neoclassical Metal, and Cello Metal. It over laps with Extreme Metal with genres like Symphonic Black Metal, Technical Death Metal, and Epic Doom Metal.

Experimental metal centers around Alternative Metal. These tend to incorporate elements not associated with the other metal genres. This includes Industrial Metal, Folk Metal, and Nu Metal. The more experimental, harder to classify forms are refered to as Avant-garde metal.


Some genres don't really go in any of the categories, like Glam and Gothic metal. I think I could probably throw Post-Metal into any of those categories.

lately i've been getting into bands like Wolves in the Throne Room

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07XF5uKZlgw[/youtube]

& Syven

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKqK_m4HJw[/youtube]

but all kinds of neat stuff appear in the recommendations on youtube...

I prefer the more traditional styles of metal, "true" Doom metal and Heavy metal. And I do like the more epic sides of both as well. For the other subgenres I like some bands here and there

Most of the issues that arise from talking about genres is when people use a descriptive word/made up genre name instead of an actual genre name (such as melodic metal and alternative metal) or they just flat out use the wrong genre name (saying a thrash band is a death band or saying that a rock band is a metal band). Then there's the nu-metal misnomer, as these bands a really just harsh rock bands.

I tend to keep an open mind to what is and isn't "extreme" or "epic" metal. There's just too many tags and labels that bands get lumped with, like Alestorm for example. They get affectionately dubbed "pirate metal" because of their lyrics that detail adventures on the high seas, when in reality they have links to folk metal.

The epic side of metal can be linked to most power metal acts, which is never a bad thing.

Would Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath be considered Epic Metal? You're knowledge of metal is also epic:)

Epic metal. Pretty much the only kind I can stand. Do like power metal a decent bit.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99nWITtOp_g[/youtube]

My favorite extreme metal genres include Death, Black, Doom, and Drone.

I guess I'm mainly an Epic traditional and extreme traditional fan I grew up in the era of guitar solos. I think I noticed guitar solos slowly disappearing in the mid 90's with the whole grunge thing. Pantera was the last great guitar solo band. Although I hear guitar solos are back. It would be interesting to focus on one aspect of the OP's catagorization, the guitar solo, and track it's progress through different kinds of music. Bands like Slipknot which I'm not too familiar with, it felt like mainstream metal got faster and harder, the styles that were more behind the scenes in the 80's were now in the forefront. I dunno, interesting stuff.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP6D-r5u6dw[/youtube]

Can anyone tell me what kind of metal this is?

This is what wikipedia says demon hunter is Christian metal,[1][2] metalcore,[3][4] alternative metal,[3][5] nu metal.

I like all metal, but I simply cannot agree that metalcore is metal........if it was it wouldn't be called metalcore some of it is good and it certainly has metal influence but as far as I can tell the base genre certainly is not metal, at least it does not sound like it to me or people who agree with that opinion.

What exactly it is I am not sure.......I was under the impression the core genres branch off of hardcore punk, but then most people I've talked to over the internet at least who listen to hardcore punk say metalcore isn't exactly related. So maybe its a hybrid between elements of metal as well as hardcore punk not sure really. It just does not seem quite like thrash metal in which metal is the base genre and punk elements were added to create what is known as thrash metal vs. heavy metal.

Is it obvious I've spent a lot of time thinking about these things, and I don't really expect most people to care too much.

I would agree that metalcore is a mix of metal and hardcore. It sounds a lot harder than the new genre post hardcore which has elements of hardcore and emo.