When we talk about death metal, many people don’t know what is death metal? It’s hard to explain because it’s not something that we can see and touch. We only can hear it and feel it and then we know that is death metal.
Don’t try to ask your mom, “mom, what is Death Metal?” unless your mom is a hard working musician then she will know all about music. Why? Because death metal is a genre of music just like rock, jazz, blues and etc. If you ask someone that working on the traditional style of music they probably don’t know.
Death metal is considered an "underground" form of music, and has been met with considerable hostility from mainstream culture, mainly because of the socially unattractive themes and imagery. This genre also owns their subgenres, e.g. melodic death metal, technical death metal, brutal death metal, death/doom, blackened death metal, deathgrind, slam, goregrind, deathcore and etc.
Example of death metal bands are Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy, Necrophagist, Spawn of Possession, Brain Drill, Nile, Suffocation, Disgorge, Hate Eternal, Cynic, Origin, Gorguts, Opeth, Sadist, Carcass, In Flames, Unleashed, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Brujeria, Decapitated, Cephalic Carnage, Jasad, Children of Bodom, Crypticus, Internal Torture, Internal Bleeding, Vomitory, Dirty Infamous, Dying Fetus, Devourment and etc.
The setup most frequently used in death metal is harsh vocal, two electric guitars, a bass guitar, a vocalist and a drum kit almost universally using two bass drums or a double bass drum pedal.
How about their lyrics? When we talk about lyrics in death metal, we will talk about bad languages. Don’t bother about words “f**k”, “kill”, “damn” and “die”, because all these words also you can found it in other genre of music. E.g. Punk Rock. So how Avril Lavigne can sell her album a million units if listeners really bothered about her lyrics or bad language that she used?
Lyrics in death metal is less about generic anger and more about violence, dissection, torture, serial killer, gore obsession and etc. So don’t listen to their lyrics if you don’t like it. In some research said, this is band’s strategies about how to selling their album. Because they using harsh vocal, so listeners can not hear clearly what their lyrics is all about. So listeners need to buy their album and read the lyrics.
Not all death metal bands write their lyrics about torture or violence theme. Some of death metal bands enjoy writing their lyrics about empathy for people who suffer from despair, isolation, and an acute sense of unfair ostracism from society. If you really don’t understand the growling, don’t be afraid to look at them on the internet. You might be surprised by the complexity and large vocabulary found in the lyrics in some bands.
However, lyrics in death metal aren’t an important essence in creating death metal, what is more important is how the band arrange their riffs in their song and how the riffs are structured.
Even they are often talk about brutal thingy in their lyrics, they are actually normal people. They are not all lazy, serial killer, animal-sacrificing or people-sacrificing psychos. They are actually normal people enjoying with their family, friends and loves.
How further death metal can go with their music? If you value the rest of your teeth do not ask this question randomly until you have listen to this style of music. Some of death metal guitarists are most talented guitarist. Their solos are so complex. To compare it, you need to listen to the band like Necrophagist, Cynic or Death listen to their solos, and compare it with Van Halen or Steve Vai. You will realize how much more technical it is than these "Legendary" guitarists work.
Because death metal is considered as underground music means each band almost always writes their own music. That includes the riffs, drums, solos, and lyrics. When you writing your own music it’s demonstrates another dimension of talent. Its need commitment, discipline, dedication and spirit of the team work.
Many great death metal bands do not have a big record company to support their music. Some of them are still use the theme of DIY (do it yourself), means you do it all by yourself includes producing your music. They are serious hard working people. That why they are proud of what they are produced.
This article is not forcing you to listen to Death Metal, but to let you know what Death Metal is all about and how to appreciate this music.
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