Jump to content

Groove metal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Groove metal
Other namesNeo-thrash, post-thrash, power groove[1]
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsAround 1990, Louisiana, Texas and New York, U.S.
Derivative formsNu metal
Other topics

Groove metal,sometimes also calledneo-thrashorpost-thrash,[1]is a subgenre ofheavy metal musicthat began in the early 1990s. Heavily influenced bythrash metal,groove metal features raspy singing andscreaming,down-tuned guitars,heavy guitarriffs,andsyncopatedrhythms. Groove metal is usually slower than thrash.Panteraare often considered the pioneers of groove metal, and the genre expanded in the 1990s with bands includingWhite Zombie,Machine Head,andSepultura.Successful groove metal acts of the 2000s includeLamb of God,DevilDriver,andFive Finger Death Punch.

Characteristics[edit]

Groove metal is heavily influenced bythrash metal,[2][3]but is focused more on heaviness as opposed to speed, although fast songs are still common within the genre. The genre emphasises heavy guitar riffs, often accompanied by syncopated rhythms, and guitar solos are commonplace. Guitars are generally more down-tuned than in thrash, and vocals typically are yelling, growling, screaming, or very raspy singing.

History[edit]

Pantera guitaristDimebag Darrell,1991. Pantera is credited with popularizing the groove metal genre.

Texas heavy metal bandPantera's 1990 albumCowboys from Hellis often considered the first groove metal album.[4]With this release, Pantera moved away from theglam metalof their earlier work. They continued releasing influential albums through the 1990s; the 1992 albumVulgar Display of Powerfeatured an even heavier sound than its predecessor, while its follow-upFar Beyond Driven(1994) peaked at number 1 on theBillboard200,selling 186,000 copies its first week of release.[5][6]

New York bandProng's second albumBeg to Differ,released four months beforeCowboys from Hell,is also considered one of the first albums of the genre, with frontmanTommy Victorclaiming it was the first groove metal album ever released.[7]

Other early examples of groove metal include the Metallica songs "Harvester of Sorrow"(1988) and"Sad but True"(1991), both of which are notable for having a more mid-paced groove compared to the fast paced thrash sound that categorizes most of the band's other early works.[8]

New York bandWhite Zombieare also seen as early pioneers of the genre with their second albumMake Them Die Slowly(1989), which saw the band transition away from their earliernoise rocksound in favor of a groovier sound that could be described as a "half-paced thrash". White Zombie themselves would become one of the bigger groove metal bands of the 1990s, with their third albumLa Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume Onepeaking at number 2 on theHeatseekers Albumschart in 1993[9]and being certified double-platinum by the RIAA in July 1998.[10]White Zombie's music videos were featured onBeavis and Butt-Head,helping to increase the band's sales.[11]The 1995 follow-upAstro Creep: 2000peaked at number 6 on theBillboard200[12]and sold 104,000 copies in its first week of release;[13]it was certified double-platinum by the RIAA.[14]

In 1993, the Brazilian bandSepulturareleasedChaos A.D.,which saw the band developing their sound from thrash to groove metal.[15]Sepultura released their most popular albumRootsin 1996, which combined groove metal andnu metal;it received criticism from fans because it was very different from older Sepultura albums likeBeneath the Remains.

In 1992, thrash bandExhordermoved to the groove metal genre with their albumThe Law.In the 1990s, several other groove metal bands appeared, includingSkinlab,Pissing Razors,Machine Head,Grip Inc.,andWhite Zombie.[2]Several other veteran thrash bands also used elements of groove metal over the ensuing decade, includingAnthrax,[16]Testament,[17][18]Annihilator,[19]andOverkill(whose earlier works had pioneered the genre, including their 1989 albumThe Years of Decay).[20][21][22][23]

Machine Head performing in 2007

Machine Head released their debut albumBurn My Eyesin 1994. The album helped the band achieve underground success and sold over 145,000 copies.[24]

In the 2000s, many more groove metal bands emerged, includingFive Finger Death Punch,Damageplan,Lamb of God,Chimaira,Hellyeah,andDevilDriver.Damageplan was founded with former Pantera membersDimebag DarrellandVinnie Paul Abbott.They released one album,New Found Power,in 2004. The band broke up in December 2004, after guitarist Dimebag Darrellwas shot deadat a live performance.[25]Lamb of God became popular among heavy metal fans in the mid-2000s along with themetalcorebands that were achieving success at the time. Five Finger Death Punch emerged in the 2000s and achieved moderate success in the 2010s.

Influence on other genres[edit]

Groove metal bands likePantera,[26]White Zombie,[27]Prong,[28]andSepultura[29]were all big influences on thenu metalgenre. Nu metal began in the mid-1990s and became mainstream in the late 1990s and early 2000s; its most successful acts includeKornandSlipknot.

Groove metal bands like Pantera and Sepultura, along withcrossover thrashbands such asCro-MagsandAgnostic Front,helped to lay the groundwork formetalcore.[30]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abStevens, Anne H.; O’Donnell, Molly C. (January 23, 2020).The Microgenre: A Quick Look at Small Culture.Bloomsbury Publishing USA.ISBN978-1-5013-4582-1.
  2. ^abCoyle, Doc."Hidden Gems: Rediscovering The '90s Post-Thrash Groove Metal Scene".VH1.Archivedfrom the original on May 24, 2022.RetrievedJuly 30,2018.
  3. ^Jaffer, Dave (September 9, 2017)."Threat Signal, Vigilance".Hour.Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2011.RetrievedJune 21,2010.
  4. ^Rivadavia, Eduardo."Cowboys from Hell – Pantera".AllMusic.RetrievedNovember 8,2020.
  5. ^Sandow, Greg (April 22, 1994)."The message behind Pantera's angry sound".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  6. ^"Picks and Pans Review:Far Beyond Driven".People.May 9, 1994.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  7. ^"Every Prong Album Ranked From Worst To Best By Tommy Victor".Kerrang!.November 27, 2019.RetrievedJuly 13,2020.
  8. ^"Metallica: The First Four Albums -" Harvester of Sorrow "".Invisible Oranges. November 4, 2012.RetrievedJune 13,2024.
  9. ^"White Zombie Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)".Billboard.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  10. ^"American album certifications – White Zombie – La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1".Recording Industry Association of America.
  11. ^Browne, David (October 8, 1993)."White Zombie resurrected by 'Beavis and Butt-head'".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon February 18, 2022.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  12. ^"White Zombie Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  13. ^Mayfield, Geoff (September 12, 1998)."Between the Bullets".Billboard.Vol. 110, no. 37.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.p. 130.ISSN0006-2510.
  14. ^"American album certifications – White Zombie – Astro Creep: 2000".Recording Industry Association of America.
  15. ^"Out Now: Sepultura, CHAOS A.D."Rhino Entertainment.October 13, 2017.RetrievedNovember 16,2017.
  16. ^"GROOVE METAL, a metal music subgenre".Metal Music Archives.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  17. ^"Testament - Demonic review".Metal Storm.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  18. ^"Testament – Low: 25 años desde que Testament abrazaran el groove y la modernidad"(in Spanish). Science of Noise. October 4, 2019.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  19. ^"ANNIHILATOR:" BALLISTIC, SADISTIC "".No Clean Singing. February 13, 2020.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  20. ^"OVERKILL, Thrash Metal (early), Thrash/Groove Metal (later)".United Rock Nations.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  21. ^"UPDATED: Tributes From Metal Musicians Pour In For DIMEBAG DARRELL".Blabbermouth.net.December 9, 2004.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  22. ^"I Hear Black: Is It Overkill's Most Underrated Album?".Worship Music. March 9, 2016.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  23. ^"Pantera: 10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Cowboys From Hell'".Revolver.December 28, 2020.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  24. ^"Metal/Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By SoundScan".Blabbermouth.net.April 30, 2002.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  25. ^"Vinnie Paul, Legendary Drummer for Pantera & Damageplan, Dead at 54".Billboard.RetrievedJune 23,2018.
  26. ^"Why Metal Needs To Expand Its Boundaries".VH1.March 5, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on May 23, 2022.RetrievedOctober 17,2015.
  27. ^McIver, Joel(2015).Sinister Urge: The Life and Times of Rob Zombie.Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN978-1-61713-646-7.RetrievedJanuary 28,2017.I'm not saying that White Zombie were a nu-metal band, because they clearly weren't. But like Fear Factory, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson, they infused all sorts of influences into their own brand of metal—from industrial to electronic to plain weird—that made them excellent running mates for the nu-metal bands whose rose alongside them.
  28. ^Wiederhorn, Jon; Napoli, Antonia (May 2, 2002)."Korn: The Untouchables".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2002.RetrievedJanuary 26,2017.
  29. ^"The Greatest Metal Bands Of All Time".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2013.RetrievedOctober 31,2012.
  30. ^"Metal's honorable mentions: Sepultura".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon September 9, 2012.RetrievedAugust 20,2016.By the early '90s, however, they had evolved into an innovative outfit that incorporated hardcore and tribal rhythms in their sound and helped to lay the groundwork for nu-metal and metalcore
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Groove_metal&oldid=1229052983"