Groove metal is a subgenre of

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy singing and screaming,

down-tuned guitars Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. B ...

, heavy guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

s, and syncopated rhythms. Unlike thrash metal, groove metal is usually slower and also uses elements of traditional heavy metal. Pantera are often considered the pioneers of groove metal, and groove metal expanded in the 1990s with bands like White Zombie,

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...

, and

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

. The genre continued in the 2000s with bands like Lamb of God,

DevilDriver DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer, drummer Davier Pérez, bassist Jon Miller and rhythm guitarist Alex Lee. The band was ...

, and

Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead g ...

Characteristics

Groove metal is heavily influenced by

, but is focused more on heaviness as opposed to speed, even though fast songs are still common within the genre. Emphasis lies in heavy guitar riffs, often accompanied by syncopated rhythms, and guitar solos are commonplace. Guitars are generally more down-tuned than in thrash, and vocals typically are yelling, growling, screaming, or very raspy singing.

History

Texas heavy metal band Pantera's 1990 album ''

Cowboys from Hell ''Cowboys from Hell'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on July 24, 1990 by Atco Records. It marked the band's major label debut and their first collaboration with producer Terry Date. This was also the al ...

'' is often considered the first groove metal album. With this album, Pantera moved away from their

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam r ...

years, starting the groove metal genre. Pantera continued releasing other influential albums through the 1990s. Their 1992 album '' Vulgar Display of Power'' featured an even heavier sound than its predecessor, while its follow-up album ''

Far Beyond Driven ''Far Beyond Driven'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on March 22, 1994 by East West Records. Pantera's fastest-selling album, it peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Platinum ...

'' (1994) peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling in 186,000 copies its first week of release. Pantera's albums often would quickly get certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and eventually would get certified platinum. ''Vulgar Display of Power'' is the band's best-selling album, being eventually certified double-platinum. New York band

Prong Prong or Prongs may refer to: * Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects * Prong (band), an American metal band * Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City * Prongs, British ...

's second album ''

Beg to Differ ''Beg to Differ'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal music, heavy metal band Prong (band), Prong, released in 1990 through Epic Records. The album includes one live track ("Third from the Sun", a Chrome (band), Chrome cover) recor ...

'', released four months before ''Cowboys from Hell'', is also considered one of the first albums of the genre, with frontman

Tommy Victor Thomas M. Victor (born 1961/1962) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for heavy metal band Prong, which he founded in New York City in 1986, as well as the guitarist for ...

claiming it was the first groove metal album ever released. In 1993, Brazilian band

released ''

Chaos A.D. ''Chaos A.D.'' is the fifth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1993 by Roadrunner Records. The album saw a stylistic departure from the band's earlier thrash metal style,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 131. by featuri ...

'', which saw the band use fewer elements of thrash metal. With ''Chaos A.D.'', Sepultura became a groove metal band. Sepultura released their most popular album ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' in 1996. ''Roots'' was a groove metal and

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

album. The album received criticism from fans because the album was very different from older Sepultura albums like ''

Beneath the Remains ''Beneath the Remains'' is the third studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released on April 7, 1989. It was their first release by Roadrunner Records. The album had improved production and songwriting compared to the band's pre ...

''. In 1992, thrash metal band

Exhorder Exhorder is an American heavy metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are considered progenitors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as Pantera, Lamb of God, White Zombie and Machine Head, and their musi ...

moved to the groove metal genre with their album '' The Law''. In the 1990s, several other groove metal bands appeared, including

Skinlab Skinlab is an American heavy metal band formed in 1994 in San Francisco, California by vocalist/bassist Steev Esquivel (who used to sing in the Bay Area thrash metal band Defiance), guitarist Mike Roberts (now with San Francisco Bay Area's RA ...

, Pissing Razors,

Grip Inc. Grip Inc. was an American groove metal band and side project of drummer Dave Lombardo. The band was formed in 1993 and was signed to SPV GmbH, Steamhammer Records. History Following the birth of his first child in 1993, Lombardo formed Grip I ...

, and White Zombie. Several other veteran thrash metal bands had also been using elements of groove metal over the ensuing the decade, including Anthrax, Testament, Annihilator, and Overkill (whose earlier works had pioneered the genre, including their 1989 album ''

The Years of Decay ''The Years of Decay'' is the fourth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 13, 1989 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. Machine Head released their debut album ''

Burn My Eyes ''Burn My Eyes'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head, released on August 9, 1994, by Roadrunner Records. The album's themes generally tie into the social disorder and corresponding inner tension that the band was ...

'' in 1994. The album helped the band achieve underground success, with the album selling 145,240 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. White Zombie achieved mainstream success in the mid 1990s. The band's album '' La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One'' peaked at number 2 on the

Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

chart in 1993 and was certified double-platinum by the RIAA in July 1998. White Zombie's music videos were featured on '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' which helped the band sell more albums. The band's 1995 follow-up '' Astro Creep: 2000'' peaked at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 104,000 copies in its first week of release. ''Astro Creep: 2000'' was certified double-platinum by the RIAA. White Zombie's song "

More Human Than Human "More Human than Human" is a song by the American heavy metal band White Zombie from their album '' Astro-Creep: 2000'' (1995). It was released as the first official single from the album and is also included on Rob Zombie's '' Past, Present & ...

" achieved mainstream success in the mid 1990s. It peaked at number 53 on the Radio Songs chart on June 17, 1995. On that day, "More Human Than Human" peaked at number 7 on the

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. On June 10, 1995, the song peaked at number 10 on the

Mainstream Rock Songs Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart. "More Human Than Human" was played frequently on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and won the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video award at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. In the 2000s, many more groove metal bands emerged, including

Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Diesel ...

, Lamb of God,

Chimaira Chimaira () is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in August 1998, the group was a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek my ...

, Hellyeah, and

. Damageplan formed after the breakup of Pantera, with Pantera members

Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside hi ...

and

Vinnie Paul Abbott Vincent Paul Abbott (March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018) was an American musician best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also co-founded Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, 'Dimebag' Darrel ...

being members of Damageplan. Damageplan released one album in 2004 called ''

New Found Power ''New Found Power'' is the only studio album released by heavy metal supergroup Damageplan. The group was formed by brothers "Dimebag Darrell" Abbott (guitar) and "Vinnie Paul" Abbott (drums) after the breakup of their previous band, Pantera. ...

''. In December 2004, when the band performed live, guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot dead by a man named Nathan Gale. After this incident, Damageplan broke up. Dimebag Darrell's brother Vinnie Paul Abbott then became the drummer for Hellyeah in 2006 and remained until his passing in 2018. Lamb of God became popular among heavy metal fans in the mid-2000s along with the metalcore bands that were achieving success at the time. Five Finger Death Punch emerged in the 2000s and achieved moderate success in the 2010s.

Influence on other genres

Groove metal bands like Pantera, White Zombie,

, and

were all big influences on

. Nu metal (e.g., Korn and Slipknot) was a genre that began in the mid-1990s and became mainstream in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Groove metal bands like Pantera and Sepultura along with

crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, ...

bands such as

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among t ...

and

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980–1 ...

helped to lay the groundwork for metalcore (e.g.,

Hatebreed Hatebreed is an American hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album '' Satisfaction is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universal Records ...

and

Earth Crisis Earth Crisis is an American hardcore punk band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Since 1993 the band's longest serving members are vocalist Karl Buechner, lead guitarist Scott Crouse, bassist Ian Edward ...

References

{{Extreme metal Heavy metal genres 1990s in music 2000s in music American rock music genres American styles of music

Characteristics

History

Influence on other genres

See also

References