Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore,[3][4] crust punk,[5] hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. Grindcore is considered a more noise-filled style of hardcore punk while using hardcore's trademark characteristics such as heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of growls, shouts and high-pitched shrieks. Early groups like Napalm Death are credited with laying the groundwork for the style. It is most prevalent today in North America and Europe, with popular contributors such as Brutal Truth and Nasum. Lyrical themes range from a primary focus on social and political concerns, to gory subject matter and black humor.
For the fictional Transformers character, see Grindcore (Transformers).Grindcore
Mid-1980s, England
A trait of grindcore is the "microsong" much shorter than average for punk or metal; several bands have produced songs that are only seconds in length.[6] British band Napalm Death holds the Guinness World Record for shortest song ever recorded with the one-second "You Suffer" (1987). Many bands, such as Agoraphobic Nosebleed, record simple phrases that may be rhythmically sprawled out across an instrumental lasting only a couple of bars in length.
A variety of subgenres and microgenres have subsequently emerged, often labeling bands according to traits that deviate from regular grindcore; including goregrind, focused on themes of gore (e.g. mutilation and pathology), and pornogrind, fixated on pornographic lyrical themes. Another offshoot is cybergrind which incorporates electronic music elements such as sampling and programmed drums. Although influential within hardcore punk and extreme metal, grindcore remains an underground form of music.
History[edit]
Precursors[edit]
The early grindcore scene relied on an international network of tape trading and DIY production.[29] The most widely acknowledged precursors of the grindcore sound are Siege[30] and Repulsion, an early death metal outfit.[21] Siege, from Weymouth, Massachusetts, were influenced by classic American hardcore (Minor Threat, Black Flag, Void) and by British groups like Discharge, Venom, and Motörhead.[31] Siege's goal was maximum velocity: "We would listen to the fastest punk and hardcore bands we could find and say, 'Okay, we're gonna deliberately write something that is faster than them'", drummer Robert Williams recalled.[31] Repulsion is sometimes credited with inventing the classic grind blast beat (played at 190 bpm), as well as its distinctive bass tone.[21] Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth declares that "Horrified was and still is the defining core of what grind became; a perfect mix of hardcore punk with metallic gore, speed and distortion."[32] Writer Freddy Alva credited NYC Mayhem as a notable precursor, calling them "arguably one of the fastest bands on the planet back [in the mid 1980s]".[33]
Other groups in the British grindcore scene, such as Heresy and Unseen Terror, have emphasized the influence of American hardcore punk, including Septic Death, as well as Swedish D-beat.[34] Sore Throat cites Discharge, Disorder, and a variety of European D-beat and thrash metal groups, including Hellhammer,[35] and American hardcore groups, such as Poison Idea and D.R.I.[35] Japanese hardcore, particularly GISM, is also mentioned by a number of originators of the style.[36] Other key groups cited by current and former members of Napalm Death as formative influences include Discharge,[37] Amebix,[38] Throbbing Gristle,[39] and the aforementioned Dirty Rotten Imbeciles.[39] Post-punk, such as Killing Joke[37] and Joy Division,[40] was also cited as an influence on early Napalm Death.