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Alternative metal

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Alternative metal
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid-1980s, United States
Derivative formsGrunge
Subgenres
Fusion genres
Regional scenes
California
Local scenes
Los Angeles, California[2][3]

Alternative metal(also known asalt-metal)[4]is a genre ofheavy metal musicthat combines heavy metal with influences fromalternative rockand other genres not normally associated with metal.[5][6]Alternative metal bands are often characterized by heavilydowntuned,mid-paced guitarriffs,a mixture of accessible melodic vocals andharsh vocalsand sometimes sounds that are unconventional within other heavy metal styles.[5]The term has been in use since the 1980s,[7]although it came into prominence in the 1990s.[8]

Other genres considered part of the alternative metal movement includedrap metal[5][9]andfunk metal,both of which influenced another prominent subgenre,nu metal.Nu metal expands the alternative metal sound, combining its vocal stylings and downtuned riffs with elements of other genres, such aship hop,funk,thrash metal,hardcore punkandindustrial metal.

Alternative metal began in the 1980s with bands likeFaith No More,Living Colour,Soundgarden,andJane's Addiction.The genre achieved success in the 1990s with the popularity of bands likeHelmet,Tool,andAlice in Chains.In the late 1990s and early 2000s, nu metal achieved mainstream popularity with the mainstream success of bands likeKorn,Limp Bizkit,P.O.D.,Papa Roach,Disturbed,Godsmack,System of a Down,Linkin Park,Slipknot,andStaind.After 2003, nu metal's popularity began to decline, with bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and P.O.D. experiencing a decline in album sales and many nu metal bands moving on to other genres. Nonetheless, alternative metal's popularity continued in the mid–late 2000s with the continued success of bands like Disturbed, Godsmack and System of a Down and the mainstream success of emerging bands likeEvanescence,Three Days GraceandBreaking Benjamin.

Characteristics[edit]

Tool (pictured) is one of the most influential alternative metal bands.

The genre is generally considered a fusion betweenalternative rockandheavy metal,[6]althoughAllMusicstates "alt-metal is a far-reaching term that has been used to describe everyone from Hammerlock toNeurosistoMinistrytoLimp Bizkit".[10]They also remarked that alternative metal was originally "a style united by its nonconformist sensibility rather than any immediately classifiable sound."[5]

One of the main characteristics of alternative metal and its subgenres are heavily downtuned, mid-paced "chug" -like guitar riffs.[11][12][13]However,funk metalbands often use a more conventional riffing style influenced by 1980s thrash metal.[14]Alternative metal features clean and melodic vocals,[4]influenced by those of alternative rock, in contrast to other heavy metal subgenres. Later bands frequently incorporated vocal styles that alternated between clean singing,growlsandscreaming.[6][15][16][17]Examples include alternative metal bands associated with the nu metal movement, such asKornandDeftones,who have been described as having "bipolarvocals ".[18][19]

Jonathan Gold of theLos Angeles Timeswrote in 1990 "Just as rock has an alternative, [left] wing-bands likethe ReplacementsandDinosaur Jr.-so does metal. Alternative metal is alternative music that rocks. And alternative metal these days can reach 10 times the audience of other alternative rock.Jane's Addictionplays an intense brand of '70s-influenced arty metal; so doesSoundgarden.In fact, the arty meanderings ofSabbathandZeppelinthemselves would be considered alternative metal. "[20]Houston Presshas described the genre as being a "compromise for people for whomNirvanawas not heavy enough butMetallicawas too heavy. "[21]

The first wave of alternative metal bands emerged from many backgrounds, includinghardcore punk(Bad Brains,Rollins Band,Life of Agony,Corrosion of Conformity),noise rock(Helmet,the Jesus Lizard,Today Is the Day),Seattle'sgrungescene (Alice in Chains,Soundgarden),stoner rock(Clutch,Kyuss),sludge metal(Fudge Tunnel,Melvins),gothic metal(Type O Negative),groove metal(Pantera,White Zombie) andindustrial(Godflesh,Nine Inch Nails,Ministry).[5][22][23][24][25][26][27]These bands never formed a distinct movement or scene; rather they were bound by their incorporation of traditional metal influences and openness to experimentation.[5]Jane's Addictionborrowed fromart rock[20]andprogressive rock,Quicksandblendedpost-hardcoreandLiving Colourinjectedfunkinto their sound, for example,[5][28]whilePrimuswere influenced by progressive rock,[5]thrash metal[29]and funk[30]andFaith No Moremixed progressive rock,R&B,funk andhip hop.[31]Fudge Tunnel's style of alternative metal included influences from both sludge metal and noise rock.[25][32]

History[edit]

Faith No More performing in 2009

Origins (1980s)[edit]

The origins of the genre can be traced back tofunk rockmusic of the early to mid-1980s, whenalternativebands likeFishbone,Faith No Moreand theRed Hot Chili Peppersstarted mi xingheavy metalwithfunk,creating the alternative metal subgenrefunk metal.[33]Other early bands in the genre also came fromhardcore punkbackgrounds.[34]Bands such as Faith No More,Jane's AddictionandSoundgardenare recognized as some of the earliest alternative metal acts, with all three of these bands emerging around the same time, and setting the template for the genre by mi xing heavy metal music with a variety of different genres in the mid to late 1980s.[5][35][36][37][38]During the 1980s, alternative metal appealed mainly toalternative rockfans, since virtually all 1980s alt-metal bands had their roots in the Americanindependent rockscene.[5]Living Colourwas another alternative metal band that combined the genre with funk metal.[5]Faith No More and Living Colour both achieved brief mainstream success with their albumsThe Real Thing(1989)[39]andVivid(1988),[40]which went platinum and double platinum, respectively.

Expansion and mainstream popularity (early–mid 1990s)[edit]

Helmet performing inMelbourne,Australia in 2008

The emergence ofgrungeas a popular style ofrock musicin the early 1990s helped make alternative metal more acceptable to a mainstream audience, with alternative metal soon becoming the most popularmetalstyle of the 1990s.[5]Several bands associated with the genre denied their status as metal bands.[41][42]HelmetdrummerJohn Staniersaid "We fell into the whole metal thing by accident, we always hated it when people mentioned metal in conjunction with us."[42]Helmet'sMeantime(1992) album became one of the most influential heavy metal albums of the 1990s.[43]Saby Reyes-Kulkarni ofPitchfork Mediastated "bands like Faith No More, Soundgarden,Primus,Helmet, theRollins Band,and dozens more were initially marketed as quasi-metal acts. This was only possible in a climate where record labels, journalists, and college radio DJs understood that the metal audience could embrace new, albeit arty variations on the form. "[44]The alternative music festivalLollapaloozaconceived by Jane's Addiction singerPerry Farrell,helped bands associated with the movement such asTool,Rage Against the Machine,Primus,Nine Inch Nails,Soundgarden,andAlice in Chainsgain exposure.[5]Theprogressive rock-influenced band Tool became a leading band in the alternative metal genre with the release of their 1993 debut albumUndertow;Tool's popularity in the mid-'90s helped kick off an era of bands with alt-metal tendencies also classified in other genres likeindustrial(Nine Inch Nails) andrap rock(Rage Against the Machine).[4]Spinstated in August 1998 that "It was Helmet that spawned the idea of alternative metal with thepunkcrutch of 1992'sMeantime[and] bands such as Rage Against the Machine took the concept a crucial step further, integratinghip hopto connect with skate rat kids raised onMetallicaandRun D.M.C."[45]Many established 1980s metal bands released albums in the 1990s that were described as alternative metal, includingAnthrax,[46]Metallica[47][48]andMötley Crüe.[49]Marilyn Mansonachieved mainstream success in the mid-late 1990s starting with his 1996 albumAntichrist Superstar,which went platinum in the United States.[50]Bands likeLife of Agonycombined alternative metal withhardcore punkinfluences.[5]Life of Agony's debut albumRiver Runs Redcombined alternative metal with influences of hardcore punk, with lyrics about depression and suicide.[51]

Emergence of nu metal and commercial peak (late 1990s – early 2000s)[edit]

Main article:Nu metal
Aaron Lewisof Staind performing live in 2001

In the latter part of the 1990s, a second, more aggressive wave of alternative metal emerged; dubbednu metal,it often relied onhardcore punk,[5]groove/thrash metal,[5][52]industrial[5]andhip hop[5]influences, as opposed to the influences of the first wave of alternative metal bands, with this style subsequently becoming more popular than regular alternative metal.[4][5][22]It resulted in a more standardized sound among alternative metal bands, in contrast to the more eccentric and unclassifiable early alternative metal bands.[5]Korn,a band formed in 1993, released theirself-titled debutthe following year, which is widely considered to be the first nu metal release.[53]MTVstated that Korn "arrived in 1993 into the burgeoning alternative metal scene, which would morph into nü-metal the waycollege rockbecame alternative rock. "[54]Stereogumsimilarly claimed that nu metal was a "weird outgrowth of the Lollapalooza-era alt-metal scene".[55]During the late 1990s and early 2000s, nu metal was prevalent in the mainstream, with bands such asKorn,Limp Bizkit,Linkin Park,SlipknotandStaindall attaining success. AllMusic has compared nu and alternative metal's commercial success during this period to the rise of theglam metalphenomenon in the 1980s, stating that it is "ironic, given alternative metal's vehement rejection of hair metal's attitude."[5]Some nu metal bands managed to push musical boundaries while still remaining commercially viable, such asMudvayne(who combinedprogressive[56]elements) andDeftones,who have incorporatedpost-hardcoreanddream popinfluences.[57][58]

Korn in 2006

Korn's 1998 albumFollow the Leaderand 1999 albumIssuessold 3.6 million and 3.2 million copies in the United States, respectively, and the band's 2002 albumUntouchablessold 1.4 million. Korn'seponymous debut(1994) and second albumLife is Peachy(1996) sold 2.1 million and 1.8 million copies, respectively.[59]Limp Bizkit'sSignificant Other(1999) andChocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water(2000) sold over seven million and six million, respectively.[60]Korn and Limp Bizkit were frequently featured onMTV,often hitting number 1 and having multiple retired videos on the popular MTV showTotal Request Live,competing on the show withboy bandslikeN'SyncandBackstreet Boys.[61]Papa Roach's albumInfest(2000) went triple platinum and was supported by the hit single "Last Resort".[57]Bands likeP.O.D.and Linkin Park also had widespread popularity,[57]with Linkin Park's 2000 albumHybrid Theorybeing certified diamond in the United States, bringing nu metal to its peak popularity.[62]Bands like Staind,Godsmack,DisturbedandSystem of a Downalso achieved multi-platinum mainstream success with the albumsBreak the Cycle(2001),[63]Godsmack(1998),[64]The Sickness(2000)[65]andToxicity(2001),[66]respectively.

Joel McIver believes that the band Tool is important to the development of this genre; he wrote in his bookUnleashed: The Story of Tool,"By 1996 and '97 the wave of alternative metal spearheaded by Tool in the wake of grunge was beginning to evolve into nu-metal". However, Tool's vocalistMaynard James Keenanwas quick to separate himself from this movement saying "I'm sick of that whole attitude. The one that puts Tool in with [nu] metal bands. The press... can't seem to distinguish between alternative and metal."[41]Other alternative metal bands considered influential to the nu metal genre such as Helmet have also tried to distance themselves from the movement.[67][68]

Decline in nu metal and continuity in popularity of alternative metal (2003–2009)[edit]

In 2004, nu metal's popularity was declining, with bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and P.O.D. having a decline in album sales. Instead,post-grungebands likeNickelbackwere selling the most records and being promoted the most on radio.[69]Additionally, many nu metal bands began to move away from the nu metal genre and moved on to other genres.[57]Nonetheless, the popularity of alternative metal persisted throughout the 2000s with the success of several bands.Evanescence's 2003 albumFallenwent 7× platinum in the United States.[70]Godsmack, Disturbed and System of a Down also continued in popularity with number 1 albums. Bands likeThree Days GraceandBreaking Benjaminalso broke into the mainstream, with Three Days Grace achieving multiple hit singles, including the song "Animal I Have Become".

Mainstream decline (2010s)[edit]

In 2016, Jason Heller ofVicewrote "The term alternative metal still pops up from time to time, but it’s no more relevant or meaningful today than alternative rock. Instead, it’s a relic. But the brief, nebulous era of alternative metal in the late 80s and early 90s remains a snapshot of a vibrant time when a brash new generation of heavy-leaning bands threw everything against the wall to see what stuck."[71]

See also[edit]

Citations[edit]

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Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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