Avant-garde metal

Infobox Music genre
name =Avant-garde metal
bgcolor =#BB0022
color =white
stylistic_origins =Experimental rock
Various forms of metal
cultural_origins =Mid 1980s in Central Europe
instruments =Electric guitar – Bass guitar – Drums – Keyboard – Synthesizer – Sampling – Various string and wind instruments
popularity =
derivatives =
subgenrelist = :Category:Avant-garde metal
subgenres =
other_topics = Experimental rock - Extreme metal

Avant-garde metal or experimental metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterised by the use of innovative, avant-garde elements, large-scale experimentation, and the use of non-standard sounds, instruments, and song structures.cite web |author=Bowar, Chad |title=What is Heavy Metal? |publisher=About.com |url=http://heavymetal.about.com/od/heavymetal101/a/101_history.htm |accessmonthday=April 14 |accessyear=2008] The earliest avant-garde metal bands include Celtic Frostcite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0iftxqw5ldfe~T1 |title=Celtic Frost |publisher=Allmusic.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008] and Master's Hammer.Christe 2004, p. 300.]

Characteristics

The term avant-garde metal refers to bands and musicians who "incorporate new and innovative elements in metal, who break conventions, tear down walls, violate borders."Nieder-wiesen 2007, p. 4.] The genre has also been described as "the art of creating deep and strange atmospheres by experimenting with new instruments and sounds, strange vocals, unconventional song structures, rhythms and harmonies, unusual lyrics or uncommon artwork" or alternatively, "progressive, psychedelic, surrealistic, phantasmagoric, expressionistic, dissonant or extravagant interpretations of extreme metal."

Michael Haas of Angizia notes that avantgarde is "a conscious distance from traditional listening and composing habits"cite web |author=Jobst |title=Angizia: A World Of Their Own |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=13 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=March 27 |accessmonthyear=2008] while Svein Egil Hatlevik of Fleurety identifies avant-garde metal as "an aesthetic ideology" to "make music that's more than just average metal." He also notes that heavy metal music is a "field where it still makes sense to be avantgarde" because it is "one of the most conservative fields of artistic practice in the world."cite web |author=Olivier, Côté |title=Fleurety: Far Away From Any Messianic Complex |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=24 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=March 27 |accessmonthyear=2008] Not everyone agrees with the use of the term to establish a subgenre of metal, however. Jeff Arwadi of Kekal warns that "when another sub-genre has become established, it would create nothing but limits, and I don't think it's wise if we try to establish sub-genre ["sic"] that limits creativity and expression."cite web |author=Niederwieser, Chrystof |title=Kekal: The Light At The End Of The Tunnel|url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=17 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=March 27 |accessmonthyear=2008] Chlordane of The Amenta takes issue with the tendency in heavy metal music for "anyone who does something slightly weird" to be considered avant-garde. He contends that the term should not be used unless a band is "pushing music forward," further suggesting that the mere use of classical music in heavy metal is not avant-garde as it "has been done," "is not new" and "offers nothing."cite web |author=Jegger |title= The Amenta: A Virus For Dissidents |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=7 |accessmonthday=March 27 |accessmonthyear=2008]

List of avant-garde metal artists

*Age of Silence [cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |title=Age of Silence |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist,41706.sm |publisher=Rockdetetor.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Abigor [cite web |author=Niederwieser, Chrystof |title=Abigor, Pt. 1: Inside The Fractal Lab |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=32 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Angizia
*Arcturus
*Atrox [cite web |author=Chamberland, Mathieu |title="Orgasm" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=8967 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Carnival in Coal [cite web |author=Cray, Wesley D. |title="Fear Not" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=9675 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Buckethead
*Celtic Frost
*Diablo Swing Orchestra [cite web |author=Müller, Alexander |url=http://www.the-pit.de/reviews/d/diablo_swing_orchestra/cd/the_butchers_ballroom/1377/index.html |title="The Butchers Ballroom" Review |publisher=The-pit.de |accessmonthday=April 15 |accessyear=2008 (In German)]
*Disharmonic Orchestra [cite web |author=Niederwieser, Chrystof |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/reviews2.php?id=3 |title="Not To Be Undimensional Conscious" Review |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Dog Fashion Disco
*Ephel Duath [cite web |author=Cermak, Martin |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=52 |title=Ephel Duath: All You Need To Know About Pain |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Estradasphere
*Fantômas [cite web |author=Cray, Wesley D. |title="Suspended Animation" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=8095 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Fleurety
*Gorguts
*In the Woods... [cite web |author=Stenberg, Frodi |title="Omnio" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=7079 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Isis
*Kekal
*Korovakill [cite web |author=Côté, Olivier |title=Korovakill: How To Transform Pressure Into Treasure |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/stories2.php?id=37 |accessyear=2008]
*Manes [cite web |author=Van de Barrel, Katja Honeywine |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/bands2.php?id=12 |title=Manes |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Master's Hammer
*maudlin of the Well [cite web |author=Chamberland, Mathieu |title="Leaving Your Body Map" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=5954 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Meshuggah [cite web |author=Harris, Chris |title=Metal File: As I Lay Dying, Meshuggah And Ill Nino |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503040/20050526/as_i_lay_dying.jhtml |publisher=Mtv.com |accessmonthday=April 15 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Mr. Bungle
*Mirrorthrone [ [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php The Metal Observer ] ]
*Neurosis
*Nuclear Rabbit
*Peccatum [cite web |author=McKenna, Mark |title="Lost In Reverie " Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=6364 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessmonthyear=2008]
*Polkadot Cadaver
*Ram-Zet [cite web |author=Niederwieser, Chrystof |title=Ram-Zet |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/bands2.php?id=19 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Sigh [cite web |author=Van de Barrel, Katja Honeywine |title=Sigh |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/bands2.php?id=14 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Sleepytime Gorilla Museum [cite web |author=Janjanian, Armen |title="In Glorious Times" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=12575 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 15 |accessyear=2008]
*Solefald [cite web |author=Van de Barrel, Katja Honeywine |title=Solefald |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/bands2.php?id=6 |publisher=Avantgarde-metal.com |accessmonthday=April 5 |accessyear=2008]
*Textures
*The Amenta
*The Dillinger Escape Plan
*Ulver
*Unexpect [cite web |author=Janjanian, Armen |title="In A Flesh Aquarium" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=10780 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 15 |accessyear=2008]
*Ved Buens Ende [cite web |author=Elkerbout, Milan |title="Written In Waters" Review |url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=7628 |publisher=Metal-observer.com |accessmonthday=April 15 |accessyear=2008]
*Vintersorg
*What's He Building in There?

Differences with Progressive metal

Although progressive metal and avant-garde metal both favor experimentation and non-standard ideas, there are rather large differences between the two genres. The experimentation of progressive metal lies mostly in playing complex rhythms and song structures with traditional instruments"Mittel Ethan, "The Avant Garde And How To Swing It" [http://www.metalstorm.ee/pub/article.php?article_id=161 on Metal Storm] " 2006.] . For avant-garde metal, most of the experimentation is in the use of unusual sounds and instruments. Progressive metal also puts a greater emphasis on technicality and theoretical complexity (e.g., odd time signatures, complex song forms, jazz fusion influences), while avant-garde metal is more unorthodox and tends to question many of the musical conventions.

References

*citation |last=Christe |first=Ian |title=Avant-Garde Metal |journal=Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal |publisher=Harper Paperbacks |location= |isbn=0749083514
*citation |last=Niederwieser |first=Chrystof |title=About Avant-Garde Metal |journal=Avantgarde Metal Magazine |date=December 2007 | volume=1 | issue=1 |url=http://www.avantgarde-metal.com/pdf/agm%20magazine%2001%202007.pdf |format = PDF | accessdate=2008-03-27

Notes

External links

* [http://www.avantgarde-metal.com Avantgarde-Metal.com]