Genre story · Metal
Groove Metal
Thrash metal's riffing slowed and compressed until a single rhythmic accent could carry the whole song.
Groove metal became recognizable around the turn of the 1990s. Pantera's early-1990s albums are major reference points, while New Orleans group Exhorder developed similarly weighty and rhythmically deliberate music from thrash foundations. Sepultura drew on another regional background and brought a new percussion-focused direction into the style. No one band's record can settle every argument about its origin.
The force of a pause
Rather than driving continuously at thrash speed, groove metal often works through a short, palm-muted phrase whose stops and accents become the main musical event. Bass drum, bass guitar and electric guitar lock together. Shouted vocals add another percussive layer. Faster passages and solos can still appear, but the central effect is rhythmic weight.
Its close relations
The genre grew out of Thrash Metal and influenced some later metalcore and nu-metal writing. Similar breakdowns do not make those styles identical. A documented shared technique is a more useful connection than claiming that one album created an entire later movement.
Essential recordings
- 1992PanteraVulgar Display of PowerHeavy accents given an almost physical shape.
- 1992ExhorderThe LawNew Orleans thrash reshaped around groove.
- 1993SepulturaChaos A.D.An aggressive, rhythm-centered turn with a distinctive Brazilian perspective.