Okay, this might gonna prove to be like stirring up a hornets' nest but I still need to give it a try:
How exactly would you define Thrash, Death and Black Metal? And even more interesting: How can you distinguish one style from the other? What are the key features?
You know, most people tell you that it has to be fast, heavy and aggressive - but arent all of these styles basically all that? And on the other hand: Is e.g. Paradise Lost's Lost Paradise NOT a Death Metal-album just because it's slow? If Over Kill or Annihilater are Thrash already how can we put Slayer into the same drawer? Isn't Reign In Blood together with Seven Churches the blueprint for what would later be called Death Metal? Sure, Tom Araya isn't growling. But neither do Chuck Schuldiner and Brett Hoffmann! Does that mean that Death and Malevolent Creation don't play Death Metal? Same with Black Metal - I can't remember Dissection wearing any corpse paint. Is The Somberlain therefore a Death Metal record?
You know, a friend approached me with this as he needs to do some research for a project he's working on. And of course I have to give him something more expressive than Death Metal needs a growler and gore lyrics, Black Metal has crappy productions, satanic lyrics and corpse paint and Thrashers wear street wear and have regular singers. It mustn't be that shallow! What do the musicians on this forum think about this? I don't play any instruments so I'm just a layman. Where are the differences when playing Death, Black or Thrash? I'd say Thrash puts more attention on riffs and rhythm than on melodies. And Death Metal drummers seem to tend to play not along the actual rhythm of the songs but creating some kind of contrasting effect by using it just as a vague basis for creating their own individual structures. But all of this is just my personal impression. And as I said before I'm nothing but a layman. So please tell me your opinions.
How exactly would you define Thrash, Death and Black Metal? And even more interesting: How can you distinguish one style from the other? What are the key features?
You know, most people tell you that it has to be fast, heavy and aggressive - but arent all of these styles basically all that? And on the other hand: Is e.g. Paradise Lost's Lost Paradise NOT a Death Metal-album just because it's slow? If Over Kill or Annihilater are Thrash already how can we put Slayer into the same drawer? Isn't Reign In Blood together with Seven Churches the blueprint for what would later be called Death Metal? Sure, Tom Araya isn't growling. But neither do Chuck Schuldiner and Brett Hoffmann! Does that mean that Death and Malevolent Creation don't play Death Metal? Same with Black Metal - I can't remember Dissection wearing any corpse paint. Is The Somberlain therefore a Death Metal record?
You know, a friend approached me with this as he needs to do some research for a project he's working on. And of course I have to give him something more expressive than Death Metal needs a growler and gore lyrics, Black Metal has crappy productions, satanic lyrics and corpse paint and Thrashers wear street wear and have regular singers. It mustn't be that shallow! What do the musicians on this forum think about this? I don't play any instruments so I'm just a layman. Where are the differences when playing Death, Black or Thrash? I'd say Thrash puts more attention on riffs and rhythm than on melodies. And Death Metal drummers seem to tend to play not along the actual rhythm of the songs but creating some kind of contrasting effect by using it just as a vague basis for creating their own individual structures. But all of this is just my personal impression. And as I said before I'm nothing but a layman. So please tell me your opinions.
It has very in depth definitions of each genre of metal, though some would disagree with some aspects of them. I would personally say that thrash has lots of palm muting and galloping rhythms, but lacks the blast beats and "surf riffs" that death metal has. The riffs are generally not as heavy, and the vocals aren't as extreme as death metal. Most death metal is very similar to thrash as it has a lot of palm muting and fast or heavy riffs, but it is heavier, has those surf riffs (single notes picked very fast unmuted, giving kind of a buzzsaw effect), and has blast beats.The guitar sound is usually crushing and thick. Black metal typically has a trebly, thin guitar sound, and little palm muting. The vocals are usually high pitched screeches. Like thrash and death metal, the songs can be fast or slower paced.
