Metal Subgenres — Metal Festivals

Death Metal

An extreme subgenre featuring heavily distorted guitar, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, and dark, often violent lyrical themes. Emerged from thrash metal in the mid-1980s in Florida.

18 artists

Heavy Metal

The foundation of all metal, characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and powerful vocals. Pioneered by Black Sabbath in the early 1970s.

16 artists

An extreme subgenre characterized by fast tempos, shrieked vocals, heavily distorted high-pitched guitar, and themes of Satanism, occultism, and Nordic paganism. Rooted in Norway's early 1990s underground.

11 artists

Thrash Metal

Characterized by fast tempos, aggressive musicianship, and socially conscious lyrics. Emerged in the early 1980s in San Francisco and New York, pioneered by Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax.

11 artists

Metalcore

11 artists

Punk Rock

10 artists

Hardcore Punk

7 artists

Alternative Metal

7 artists

Power Metal

A subgenre characterized by fast tempos, high-pitched clean vocals, guitar solos, and fantasy or science fiction lyrical themes. Prominent in Europe, especially Germany, Scandinavia, and Italy.

6 artists

Sludge Metal

6 artists

Alternative Rock

5 artists

Hard Rock

4 artists

Nu Metal

4 artists

Post Hardcore

4 artists

Stoner Metal

4 artists

Technical Death Metal

4 artists

Stoner Rock

4 artists

Atmospheric Black Metal

4 artists

Progressive Metal

A subgenre combining the heaviness of metal with the complex compositional structures of progressive rock. Features unconventional time signatures, extended instrumental passages, and conceptual albums.

3 artists

Pop Punk

3 artists

Atmospheric Sludge Metal

3 artists

Post Rock

3 artists

Melodic Death Metal

3 artists

Hardcore

3 artists

Brutal Death Metal

3 artists

Heavy Psych

3 artists

Deathcore

2 artists

Symphonic Black Metal

2 artists

Groove Metal

2 artists

Rap Metal

2 artists

Crossover Thrash

2 artists

Industrial Metal

2 artists

Skate Punk

2 artists

Grindcore

2 artists

Melodic Black Metal

2 artists

Melodic Hardcore

2 artists

Doom Metal

A subgenre known for slow tempos, heavy low-tuned guitars, and a sense of despair or dread. Rooted in early Black Sabbath, doom metal encompasses many styles from traditional to funeral and sludge.

1 artists