Types of metal music
Heavy, thrash, death, black, doom, power and more: a guide to the different types of metal music and the Swedish bands that shaped them.
Heavy metal grew out of hard rock at the end of the 1960s and took off across Europe in the early 1980s. Metal bands from Sweden grew quickly in that period and were heavily influenced by punk. Sweden became a hotbed for heavy music, and some of the most successful metal bands in the world come from there.
Types of metal music
Many people think of metal as loud and extreme without structure. In reality, there are many different types, with different tones, rhythms and production styles. Here are the main ones.
Heavy metal
The original style, built on loud distorted guitars, powerful vocals and strong riffs. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden defined the sound. Sweden's Europe and Heavy Load were early local names in the 1980s.
Thrash metal
Faster and more aggressive, with rapid riffs and a punk-like energy. Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth are the best-known names.
Death metal
Heavily distorted, low-tuned guitars, fast drums and growled vocals. Sweden played a central role, with the Stockholm scene around Entombed and Dismember. Read more in Swedish death metal bands.
Melodic death metal
The aggression of death metal combined with melodic guitar harmonies. This style is closely linked to Gothenburg and bands such as At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity.
Black metal
Black metal is characterised by distorted, often tremolo-picked guitars, shrieked vocals and a raw, cold atmosphere. It gave birth to bands such as Venom in England and Bathory in Sweden. Bathory was a pivotal influence on the extreme metal scene in Sweden, while Mayhem and Immortal from Norway became the best-known names of the 1990s. See our list of Swedish black metal bands.
Doom metal
Slow, heavy and often melancholic, inspired by early Black Sabbath. Candlemass, formed in 1984, are among the pioneers of epic doom metal.
Power metal
Fast, melodic and uplifting, often with high vocals and fantasy or historical themes. Sabaton and HammerFall are two of Sweden's biggest power metal bands.
Progressive metal
Long, complex songs that mix styles and play with time signatures. Opeth, formed in Stockholm in 1989, mixes death metal with progressive rock, folk and jazz, while Meshuggah's complex rhythms inspired the style often called djent.
Viking and folk metal
Lyrics about Norse mythology and history, sometimes with folk instruments. Bathory laid the foundations, and Amon Amarth brought Viking metal to big stages.
Alternative metal and metalcore
Alternative metal stems from heavy metal and alternative rock, with unconventional sounds and melodic vocals. Metalcore combines metal with hardcore punk and was strongly influenced by the Gothenburg sound.
Swedish metal bands
The different types of metal music have given rise to many famous Swedish bands, and many of them move freely between styles. That variety is one of the reasons Sweden has punched so far above its weight in heavy music. To hear examples, see our list of heavy metal songs.
