Among the many general comments I receive about this site, one of the more common is probably, “So, you, uh, really like some metal, huh?” accompanied by a bewildered, almost comical expression. Much discussion has been made in recent years about the rise of ‘hipster’ metal, dilettantes who play or listen to metal for their own ironic amusement, and I sincerely hope that no one gets that impression here. Not to flaunt credentials, but I’ve been a metal fan for over fifteen years now, ever since I would wear out my cassettes of Slayer’s Seasons in the Abyss (1990) and Prong’s Beg to Differ (1990) on the bus rides to and from middle school. The statement, “It’s just a bunch of noise,” irritates me just as much as “It’s just a bunch of yelling,” in regards to hip hop, and those who think metalheads are a group of angst-ridden role-playing gamers who still reside in their parents’ basements would do well to expand their horizons a little.

I don’t wish to turn this into a diatribe on healthy music appreciation or a defense of my tastes, so I’ll get to the point. Occasionally I’m asked, “What is it about metal that you like so much?” Besides its rhythmic complexity, untempered aggression, and dynamic intensity, there are certain musical attributes that are unique to metal, those which go beyond the extravagant corpsepaint, grotesque album artwork, and kickass band names (recent favorite: The Stillborn Extraction). The following are ten of my favorites.

Blast Beats
It’s hardly a secret that metal drummers must have more energy reserves than a nuclear power plant, but for the life of me, I still can’t wrap my head around the physics of a well-executed blast beat. Here’s the technique: the drummer plays rapid-fire 16th notes on the snare and cymbal (usually a crash or ride) while his feet tap alternating hits on the bass drum, all in time, and commonly at tempos above 120 bpm. The result is a dense mass of percussive sound that takes an ungodly amount of practice to master. It’s pretty much a required skill for black metal, and a frequent component of death and grindcore. Drummer Conny Pettersson from Sweden’s Anata has his chops refined to perfection, opening last year’s The Conductor’s Departure (2006) with a furious blast beat that immediately establishes the level of intensity for the rest of the track.

“Downward Spiral Into Madness” – Anata 5:28 (The Conductor’s Departure, Wicked World 2006)

Punctuated Cymbal Chokes
Cymbal chokes are one of the oldest techniques in metal, often employed to emphasize a particular beat or signal an abrupt conclusion to a passage. It’s not a particularly difficult skill to acquire; it’s essentially a cymbal hit that’s immediately silenced by grabbing the edge with the other hand (or if you’re good, the same hand). When used tastefully, the effect can be akin to a sudden slap to the face or a heart-stopping climax after a slow-building tension. One of the many examples of effective cymbal chokes can be found on At the Gates‘ classic Slaughter of the Soul (1995) from drummer Adrian Erlandsson. Note his punctuating emphasis on the three-note riff at 3:09 that sets the stage for the blistering exclamation, “Stricken numb by fear, I fall!” It’s one of my all-time favorite passages in the history of metal.

“Under the Serpent Sun” – At the Gates 3:58 (Slaughter of the Soul, Earache 1995)

Artificial or “Pinch” Harmonics
The pinch harmonic is a singularly metal guitar staple, mostly because it requires massive amounts of distortion to execute easily. Similar to an artificial harmonic, a pinch harmonic occurs when the tip of the thumb lightly catches the string immediately after it is plucked, resulting in a metallic squealing sound. This technique became popularized in the ’80s by Eddie Van Halen and Zakk Wylde and was rampant during the ’90s (see: Dimebag Darrell of Pantera); thankfully, they are used more sparingly these days. I’ve attempted the pinch harmonic countless times on guitar and can never seem to perform it properly. Prong’s Tommy Victor, however, could shred these off without thought, and used to construct entire songs around them, like “No Quesion” from Cleansing (1994). The verse riff that enters at 0:21 is not only supplemented by detuned strings and a wah pedal, but is also smothered in magma-like distortion, which is like the breath of life for ripping pinch harmonics.

“No Question” – Prong 4:17 (Cleansing, Epic 1994)

High-Pitched Vocal Shrieks
This castrato-like vocal technique is relatively hard to find in modern metal, simply because vocalists these days don’t have the talent or the (forgive the pun) balls to pull it off. Made famous by Mercyful Fate’s King Diamond back in the ’80s, these piercing shrieks are the equivalent of a stun gun for some, while others revile in disgust as memories of the worst kind of power metal are relived. I personally think that they’re hilariously badass. Black metal pioneer Ihsahn from Emperor has always been a notoriously underrated vocalist, and “The Source of Icon E” demonstrates why: he begins with a roar that sounds like he’s shouting into a hurricane, then at 1:41 shifts up four octaves and continues in the vein of a little girl in a tantrum. I realize that I just posted this song a few weeks ago, but I can never get enough of it, and it’s a great example of this metal peculiarity.

“The Source of Icon E” – Emperor 3:43 (IX Equilibrium, Century Media 1999)

Fantastical Lyric Content
Admittedly, I rarely ever listen to metal for the lyrics; most of the time it’s a challenge to decipher them in the first place, and usually when I take the time to peruse the liner notes for clarity I end up wishing I hadn’t. There are a handful of bands who eschew the usual doom-and-gloom prose for archaic digressions on everything from dragons to sorcerers, which I always find entertaining. Yet grindcore pioneers Carcass took it one step further with lyric sheets that read like post-mortem examination reports, to the point where many fans genuinely believed that the band members held day jobs as medical examiners or forensic pathologists. The results were undeniably humorous (in a sick sort of way, of course) but took on a special sort of hilarity compared to the overtly macabre lyricism of contemporaries like Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death. Here is a sample from “Corporal Jigsore Quandray” from Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious (1991):

Excised and anatomized, deviscerated disarray, the torso diverged with pride.
Deftly amputated, evulsed limbs now defunct,
The trunk imbrued, tatty stumps used as lungs.
For a chondrin puzzle so quaint, head and body decollate,
A heaving mass so quiescent.

Chondrin? Decollate? Quiescent? Who the hell uses words like that?

“Corporal Jigsore Quandray” – Carcass 5:27 (Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious, Earache 1991)

Good, Old-Fashioned Jackhammer Beats
As long as the riffs that accompany them are solid, one can do no wrong with the standard boom-chik pattern, regardless of tempo; hell, there are thousands of punk and hardcore bands who only use this drum beat for all their material. It’s as primal and humanly intrinsic as the 4/4 thump in house music, and the intensity can be measured by the tempo and double-bass drum embellishments. Gothenberg, Sweden’s The Haunted understand the simplicity behind this concept on the heretic “Godpuppet,” as drummer Per Möller Jensen lays down a jackhammer beat while the guitarists peel off fiery Slayer riffs and vocalist Marco Aro shreds his larynx raw. The track is short, sweet, and as uncompromisingly brutal as steel-toed kick to the skull.

“Godpuppet” – The Haunted 2:00 (One Kill Wonder, Earache 2003)

Raspy, Demonic Vocals Over ‘Clean’ Music
This trait is scarce in metal, as vocalists are more inclined to either sing, moan, or stay quiet during the slower, ‘clean’ sections of a song. But whenever I hear a frontman mutilate his vocal cords over a delicate acoustic passage, I go apeshit. “Shapeshifter” from unfortunately-named Norwegian death specialists She Said Destroy is the only example that comes to mind, but it’s a fine one. The distortion drops out at 3:38 for a lovely idyllic guitar exposition, yet meanwhile drummer Torris appears to want to display his drum ‘n bass chops as vocalist Anders channels the Antichrist. It’s only a mere eight bars in length, but it’s such an unexpected shock that it becomes the most memorable part of the song.

“Shapeshifter” – She Said Destroy 5:49 (Time Like Vines, Candlelight 2006)

The Requisite Classical Guitar Interlude
I’m not sure which band initiated this, but it seemed that back around the turn of the century one couldn’t release a metal record without some kind of acoustic mid-album interlude. Oftentimes these brief dirges sounded like the themes to the lone honorable knight or the charming farm boy beckoning his fair maiden to the balcony. I’ll be the first to admit that they’re kinda dumb, but I’ve grown so used to hearing them break up a record that I feel a warm sort of comfort at each appearance. Jesper Strömblad from Gothenberg’s In Flames decorated his interludes with guitar harmonies and even adds a synthetic string quartet, as on “Pallar Anders Visa” from Colony (1999).

“Pallar Anders Visa” – In Flames 1:41 (Colony, Nuclear Blast 1999)

Excessive Use of the Tremolo Bar
Since the invention of the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo back in the mid-’80s, guitarists have been free to use their tremolo, or ‘whammy’ bar to their heart’s content without having to retune at the end of each song. Naturally, metal guitarists pushed this revelation to the extreme, resulting in everything from ‘dive bombs’ to stratospheric squeals of feedback. Machine Head’s ultra-aggressive “Blood for Blood” from debut Burn My Eyes (1994) opens with the sounds of a city nightmare, all produced by the violent appropriation of the tremolo bar: police sirens, roaring engines, car alarms, tires screeching on the pavement.

“Blood for Blood” – Machine Head 3:40 (Burn My Eyes, Roadrunner 1994)

Riffs, Riffs, and More Riffs
Because for me, they are what metal is all about; not the headbanging long hair, not the bad-ass aggression, not the pyrotechnic guitar solos – just riffs, pure and simple. Like a gritty Pete Rock drum loop or a poignant Miles Davis muted trumpet solo, there is a beautiful, inherent simplicity in hearing a well-constructed guitar riff; the unpredictable chromaticism, the complex syncopation, the shade and color of the distorted tone that feeds it. A memorable riff is timeless and knows no particular context, and the accompanying drum pattern to complement it is critical. Few bands knew the power of the Almighty Riff better than Sepultura in their prime. Their five-year trilogy of classic metal albums – Beneath the Remains (1989), Arise (1991), and Chaos A.D. (1993) – feature more outstanding riffs than most metal bands could ever dream of writing. “Territory” is arguably their most popular song, and for good reason: like the best of their work, it’s a seemingly endless succession of riff after memorable riff, all fueled by Igor Cavalera’s tribal drumming. Metal doesn’t get any better than this.

“Territory” – Sepultura 4:47 (Chaos A.D., Roadrunner 1993)