I need some help here. Having listened to the early releases (as they came out) from a number of at least 'metal' bands in the early 80s and still following the heaviest music I can find to this day, I need some help clarifying some genre/sub-genre questions.

What distinguishes Death Metal
from
Thrash?

I like bands from early Slayer, Destruction, Sodom, and Possessed to recent finds Decaptitated, Jungle Rot, Hail of Bullets, and Vomitory. What categories or genre do these bands fit into (for discussion purposes) - generally - and also perhaps more specific to sub-genre? I'm having a hard time finding the line between Thrash and Death Metal, in particular.

If I described my main taste in 'metal' it's probably Death Thrash! Heh, WTF?

Death metal evolved from thrash metal, so early death metal sounds sort of like thrash. I guess the vocals are the biggest difference. Excluding melodic death metal, most death metal usually employs harsh inhuman growls, squeals, shrieks, and sometimes snarls and gurgles. In thrash, vocals are usually clean, and are mostly shouted or sometimes sung. Most death metal also has more extreme lyrical content (compare Metallica to Devourment). There's typically more guitar distortion in death metal too.

From the bands you listed above, Decapitated, Jungle Rot, Hail of Bullets, and Vomitory are death metal, Possessed is early death metal with a lot of thrash influences, and Slayer, Destruction, and Sodom are thrash.

I've got a project I'm working on and I'm trying to do something pretty risky...I'm trying to actually DEFINE a few Subgenres of Metal.

I'm welcome to CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms to these definitions. They are each cobbled together from definitions found on other websites and wikipedia:

Heavy Metal:
A genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States with roots in blues and psychedelic rock; characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, thunderous beats and overall loudness.

Death Metal:
An extreme subgenre of heavy metal building from the musical structure of thrash metal; Death Metal typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes.

Thrash Metal:
Decended from the 1970s New Wave of British Heavy Metal, "Thrash" is an extreme subgenre characterized by fast tempos coupled with aggressive guitar rhythms. Songs typically utilize shredding lead work and forceful vocals often dealing with social issues.

Speed Metal:
With origins in British Heavy Metal and early Punk Rock; Speed Metal is a cleaner, more technically demanding precursor to the Thrash Metal subgenre incorporating the dueling melodies of classic metal.

Black Metal:
An extreme subgenre of Heavy Metal music; Black Metal often uses fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording and unconventional song structures. Practice and use of Occultic imagery is common in Black Metal.

Comments/critiques on syntax, spelling and structure?

I actually think NecroCorpSlayer sums it up pretty well.
AvantTrash - good work. But before this evolves too much off topic, I think you should start a threat where you request comments and criticism on your definitions. About that, I think you have to include the lyrical theme in heavy metal as opposed to rock. Themes such as withcery and occultism was interpreted by both Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Overall, heavy metal lyrics has a dark feel to it compared to rock, which is often about social or political issues.

I would point you in this general direction---> Extreme metal

Written by AvantTrash on 15.09.2011 at 02:45

I've got a project I'm working on and I'm trying to do something pretty risky...I'm trying to actually DEFINE a few Subgenres of Metal.

I'm welcome to CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms to these definitions.

Death Metal: blast beat drumming.

Ok, I'm fine with your definitions but I have to say that most early death metal didn't use blast beats.
Nothing to worry though, it's just a little thing I notice

I think this will be a good read.

Written by AvantTrash on 15.09.2011 at 02:45

I've got a project I'm working on and I'm trying to do something pretty risky...I'm trying to actually DEFINE a few Subgenres of Metal.

I'm welcome to CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms to these definitions. They are each cobbled together from definitions found on other websites and wikipedia:

Heavy Metal:
A genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States with roots in blues and psychedelic rock; characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, thunderous beats and overall loudness.

Death Metal:
An extreme subgenre of heavy metal building from the musical structure of thrash metal; Death Metal typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes.

Thrash Metal:
Decended from the 1970s New Wave of British Heavy Metal, "Thrash" is an extreme subgenre characterized by fast tempos coupled with aggressive guitar rhythms. Songs typically utilize shredding lead work and forceful vocals often dealing with social issues.

Speed Metal:
With origins in British Heavy Metal and early Punk Rock; Speed Metal is a cleaner, more technically demanding precursor to the Thrash Metal subgenre incorporating the dueling melodies of classic metal.

Black Metal:
An extreme subgenre of Heavy Metal music; Black Metal often uses fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording and unconventional song structures. Practice and use of Occultic imagery is common in Black Metal.

Comments/critiques on syntax, spelling and structure?

Safe to say this is pretty accurate. Good job haha.