Heavy metal is not one genre — it is an entire world. Within fifty years, from Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, dozens of sub-genres were born, each with its own sound, its own themes and its own fans. In this guide we have gathered all the basic sub-genres of metal, with an example video for each and links to our own presentations, so you can get to know them up close.
Traditional Heavy Metal
Classic heavy metal, as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin made it. Loud riffs, high vocals and big solos. It is the root of all the sub-genres.
Related on the site: Judas Priest – Invincible Shield · Deep Purple – SPLAT! · Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal)
In the late 70s, British bands like Iron Maiden and Saxon gave heavy metal speed and energy. Two guitars, epic melodies and anthems that everyone sings along to.
Related on the site: Iron Maiden: Anniversary releases for the 40 years of «Somewhere in Time» · Saxon: Announced the 25th album «Gods Of Thunder» · IRON MAIDEN – The truth behind the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Thrash Metal
Fast, aggressive and with sharp riffs. It was born in the early 80s in America with Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, and in Germany with Kreator.
Related on the site: Metallica – 72 Seasons · Slayer – Reign In Blood ·
Death Metal
Heavier and darker than thrash. Heavy vocals (growl), fast drums and riffs that cut like a knife. It started in Florida in the late 80s.
Related on the site: Death – The Sound of Perseverance · Cannibal Corpse – Tomb of the Mutilated · Morbid Angel – Covenant · Entombed – Left Hand Path · Obituary – Cause of Death
Melodic Death Metal
The city of Gothenburg in Sweden gave death metal melodies: clean guitars, harmonious solos and aggressive vocals together. At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity are the pioneers.
Related on the site: At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul · In Flames – Clayman · Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery · Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty · Carcass – Heartwork
Black Metal
Dark, abrupt and with shrieking vocals. It was born in Norway in the early 90s. The sound is deliberately raw, with fast riffs and hatred for clean production.
Related on the site: Satyricon – Nemesis Divina · Satyricon – Deep Calleth upon Deep · Rotting Christ – Pro Xristou · Rotting Christ – The Heretics · Behemoth – I, Scvlptor
Power Metal
Epic and optimistic. High vocals, fast riffs, melodies that recall anthems and themes from fantasy, myth and history. Helloween, Blind Guardian and Sabaton are the great representatives.
Related on the site: Blind Guardian – The God Machine · Blind Guardian – Beyond the Red Mirror · Sabaton – Carolus Rex · Sabaton – The War to End All Wars · Powerwolf – Wake Up the Wicked · Kamelot – Dark Asylum
Progressive Metal
Complex compositions, tempo changes and technical skill. Dream Theater, Opeth and Tool play with the forms of metal and make big, theatrical tracks.
Related on the site: Dream Theater – Parasomnia · Opeth – The Last Will & Testament · Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage · Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
Doom Metal
Slow, heavy and downtuned. Black Sabbath at their slowest, Candlemass and Trouble made a genre that sits on the same riff for minutes, with a dark atmosphere.
Related on the site: · On Thorns I Lay – On Thorns I Lay · Godthrymm – Projection
Sludge Metal
A mix of doom metal and hardcore punk from the American South. Dirty, angry and with heavy, downtuned riffs. Eyehategod and Crowbar are the pioneers.
Stoner Metal
Heavy riffs with influences from the 70s and psychedelia. Kyuss and Sleep created a relaxed but heavy sound, ideal for long, slow tracks.
Related on the site: · KHEMMIS – Khemmis · Witchsorrow – The Devil and All His Works
Folk Metal
Metal with traditional instruments and folk melodies. Ensiferum, Finntroll and Eluveitie bring violins, flutes and epic stories to the table.
Related on the site: Jari Mäenpää: Returns to Ensiferum · Vanaheim – Roede voor de Borst ·
Viking Metal
Amon Amarth and Bathory made metal for Vikings: epic stories about gods, battles and the sea, with heavy riffs and choral choruses.
Related on the site: Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder God
Gothic Metal
Dark, melodramatic and with a heavy atmosphere. Paradise Lost, Type O Negative and Moonspell combine doom, clean vocals and romantic melancholy.
Related on the site: Moonspell – Far From God ·
Symphonic Metal
Metal with orchestra, choirs and a theatrical style. Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation brought big productions and female vocals to the fore.
Related on the site: · Anette Olzon – Live in Athens ·
Industrial Metal
Metal with electronic sounds, samples and a mechanical rhythm. Rammstein, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails made a hard, industrial sound.
Related on the site: · Avenged Sevenfold – Statica
Nu Metal
Metal with hip hop rhythms, rap vocals and downtuned guitars. Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park made metal mainstream in the late 90s.
Metalcore
A mix of metal and hardcore punk, with sharp alternations between clean and heavy vocals. Killswitch Engage, Trivium and As I Lay Dying made the modern sound.
Related on the site: August Burns Red – Season of Surrender ·
Deathcore
Death metal with elements of metalcore: very heavy, with slow, crushing parts (breakdowns). Whitechapel and Suicide Silence are among the great representatives.
Grindcore
The fastest and most extreme genre. Tracks that last seconds, blast beats and screams. Napalm Death invented it in the mid 80s.
Glam Metal
The sound of the 80s Sunset Strip: big hair, big choruses and spectacular live shows. Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister wrote history.
Speed Metal
The fast metal that joined heavy metal with thrash. Judas Priest with «Painkiller» and the early Helloween showed how fast it can be played.
Groove Metal
Heavy, mid-tempo riffs with a strong rhythm. Pantera made the sound, and Lamb of God and Machine Head kept it alive. Ideal for headbanging.
Related on the site: Machine Head – Of Kingdom and Crown ·
Avant-garde Metal
Experimental metal with no rules. Mr. Bungle, Sigh and Arcturus mix jazz, funk, circus and whatever else they come up with.
Related on the site: SIGH – Goh-ka · DEATH. VOID. TERROR. – To the Great Monolith · Escumergamënt – Apparebat Eidolon Senex
Post-Metal
Metal with post-rock structures: big, slow tracks that build gradually towards peaks. Neurosis and Isis are the fathers of the genre.
Drone Metal
The slowest and heaviest thing there is. One riff that goes on for hours, with minimal movement. Sunn O))) and Boris push the limits of sound.
How to read the map
mapofmetal.com is an interactive map that shows how all the sub-genres of metal were born and how they connect — from the classic heavy metal of the 70s to the most extreme and experimental genres of today. Each genre has its place on the map, and you can see which genre came out of which, with sound samples for each. It is the best way to understand how one genre led to another — from the doom of the early days to the deathcore and drone metal of today.
