Welcome to Gaia! ::

It's about time we worked on a thread that discusses each genre, it's sounds, best bands, and brief history. I think we all have something to contribute, and since there are some eltitists among us, I'm sure they want their say. This thread will help clear confusion in the future:

Heavy Metal:

Doom Metal:

Power Metal:

Thrash Metal:

Black Metal:

Folk Metal:

Viking Metal:

Progressive Metal:

Avant-Garde Metal:

Gothic Metal:

Speed Metal:

Death Metal:

eek WHAR IZ DETH

There was a few missing, I think they are all there now..

but death metal is there. i think ash was just hallucinating.

as an aside, big comfy chairs and sunny windows are nice

I know, and thats why your crew helped you out. neutral

I'll try defining Avant Garde.

Avant Garde Metal: Incorporates new and innovative elements, it is one of the most experimental genres of Metal. Often times Avant Garde uses an unusual song structure. Avant Garde is French for “advance guard" and it refers to people who venture into the unknown. Avant Garde Metal is similar to Progressive Metal because of its constant use of other genres. Avant Garde Metal usually has a dark feling to the music as well as a complexity and experimental feeling. Avant Garde Metal incorporates many different styles of Metal as well as other genres such as Jazz, Blues, Rock, Classical, etc.



Best Bands:
Unexpect
Diablo Swing Orchestra
Fantômas
Anubi (Avant Garde Black Metal for those who favor Black Metal)

Heavy Metal:
(Sometimes referred to as “Classic Metal” or “Traditional Metal”)

This genre includes bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond and Manilla Road

Doom Metal:
Doom Metal is a genre that is mainly derived from Black Sabbath’s early works, it is often slow, dark, and heavy, though some bands can also be more upbeat fun sounding. There is also what is referred to as Epic Doom, bands with this label are generally more

Some examples of the darker side would be Saint Vitus, and (early) Cathedral, as well as Reverend Bizarre, Orodruin, and Fall of the Idols for some newer bands.

Pentagram, Pagan Altar, Witchfinder General, and Iron Man are good examples of the more upbeat style of Doom (Note: a good number of the bands in this style have a strong Heavy Metal influenced sound)

Some major examples of Epic Doom are Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, and Cirith Ungol (Though it can be said that CU are more Heavy Metal)


Thrash Metal:
Thrash Metal is a genre that incorporates Heavy Metal and Hardcore Punk. It is generally very fast and aggressive, sometimes can be harsh, as well as some other bands that are more melodic and Heavy Metal influenced. The founders of this genre are considered to be either Overkill, or Exodus.

There are two groups of popular bands “The Big Four” and “The German Big Three”. The big four are Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, and the German big three are Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction. In comparison the German big three are harsher than the big four.

There is also what’s called Crossover Thrash, this is bands that have a much stronger Hardcore Punk influence than most others. Some Major examples being Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles), and Corrosion of Conformity (really only applies to their 80’s material, they took a very different sound after that.)


Folk Metal:
This is mainly a genre where the bands incorporate various kinds of traditional folk music into their compositions. There are generally three main types: Viking Metal, which is bands that use Scandinavian folk music, Pagan Metal, which is bands that use Slavic folk music, and bands that use Celtic folk music. There are others but these seem to be the most common.

Speed Metal:
A genre that started out as basically Heavy metal with the speed and rawness of punk. Most of the bands in this genre tend to be mixed with other metal genres, mainly Heavy, Thrash, and/or Power. This genre is considered to have been started by Motorhead, they are one of the more heavy metal leaning bands.

A couple examples of Speed/Thrash are Annihilator, Exciter, and Venom.

Some Speed/Power bands would be Helstar, Agent Steel, (early) Blind Guardian, and (early) Helloween