Grinding dark, brutal sounding music that shatters windows and makes ears bleed. This music has very fast solos, insane drumming, demonic vocals, and heartpounding bass.
Death Metal is my favorite type of music.
by HanQ May 4, 2004
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A slighter more extreme, (but perhaps not so visually) version of a 'Metalhead'. Appearance and attitude do not really differ much from that of a normal 'Metalhead'. (However there are of course exceptions). The stereo-typical extremities that I have observed are usually; a more blunt/brash attitude towards things, wear clothing promoting heavier bands, tend to be more violently inclined and a lot more temperamental and of course, primarily listen to death metal. (Though not just that style, they do listen to other styles of music, no one listens to just one genre.)

On the contrary to dick behind the genius that is the only other definition, Death Metallers are not anti-social. Quite the opposite, many of them either spending their time with friends or families, or down the pub. They also attend concerts and festivals quite regularly which entails being in contact with thousands of other people.

In short, a Death Metaller is a slightly more violent and free willed version of a Metalhead. Visually almost identical to a metalhead, (the only way to tell the difference is if your into metal.)
"Fuck pussy's and posers and arseholes. Lets fill the van up with beer guys and lets head off to Death Fest cos' we're Death Metallers!"
by -Gore_Guts- December 29, 2011
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A form of underground heavy metal that evolved from the '80s Thrash Metal scene, Black Metal, Classical Music, Jazz, and Progressive Rock. Oftentimes considered as "bastardized classical music," Death Metal often uses the technicality and structure of classical music and jazz, and also imitates the sounds of a symphony on highly distorted guitar work. Death Metal vocals are very famous for its intense, gutteral, low pitched, growling vocal style. This is the pinpoint of Death Metal stereotyping, since they are not singing like most popular music nowadays. Because there are an overwhelming amount of notes being played by the guitar, bass, and drums, the vocals cannot be too melodic or rhythmic, so the vocals are used as percussion-like instrument. The drum work in Death Metal is most of the time very fast and technical, combining influence from classical music, jazz, and progressive rock.

Death Metal is also separate into very different sub genres, including Old School Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Slam Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Symphonic Death Metal, Deaththrash, Deathgrind, Crust Death, Death Doom, Funeral Doom, Ambient Death Metal, and many many more.

Death Metal in the mainstream world is often times dismissed, and considered talentless, and a less valid form of music. This is completely false. Death Metal is far more technical than the popular music hitting teenagers nowadays, and has many more musical characteristics than their music. Death Metal is never meant to be mainstream, which is a very good thing, so corporations will never destroy the genre by pissing on it for teenagers to enjoy. They have already tried with Deathcore, a genre that fuses death metal and metalcore, but that has not destroyed the death metal scene yet. In fact, it has made the brotherhood of death metal stronger than ever.
Death Metal: Death, Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy, Spawn of Possession, Disgorge, Guttural Secrete, Morbid Angel, Dismember, Vader, Decapitated, Behemoth, Amon Amarth, Insomnium, Aborted, Dying Fetus, Devourment, Necrophagist, Suffocation, Skinless, Deicide, Gorguts, Obituary, Atheist, Opeth, Hypocrisy, Dies Irae, Nile, Hate Eternal, Massacra, Dark Tranquility, etc.

by Trofsky June 19, 2008
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The best genre of music ever, created by Cookie Monster in 1983.
Death Metal is not Satanic.
by Mr. Zimpy November 23, 2009
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Insanely complicated form of metal music, containing psychotically fast blast beats, shredding,ripping, disemboweling, lacerating guitars, bass lines as thick as concrete, and lyrics dealing with everything on the dark side of life, nothing about love or fireworks or puppy dogs here. A form of music that takes incredible skill to play competently at a rapid pace, only the ignorant and those below the age of 14 cannot hear the talent intertwined between the beats, chords, and notes in said form of music. The vocals range from mildly to extremely distorted, giving the genre more atmosphere than in any other type of music. Big Name Examples: Carcass, Death, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Nile.
"Nile and Obituary are probably my favorite Death Metal bands."
by Ninjavenom July 25, 2003
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What the Cookie Monster does at night, after Sesame Street closes.
Whenever the old lady bitches about "playing your death metal music in front of the kids" I just tell them "it's the Cookie Monster singing."
by Alpino August 26, 2008
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Death metal is a genre of music ambiguous in origin. But its classification can only be defined by two common characteristics; low growling often gutteral vocals and distorted guitars. The degrees of these may vary.

Many DM bands have adopted themes of depravity. Such as murder, rape, torture, necrophilia, and pathology. Ala Cannibal Corpse, Disgorge (USA), and Pustulated. Others experimented with alternate subjects such as existentialism, nihlism, war, fear, and alternate realities and universes. Ala Disavowed, Debodified, Cryptopsy, Wormed. And some have devoted thier themes to anti-christian, satanic,necronomicon, egyptian, sumarian or demonology. Ala Deicide, Morbid Angel, Nile, and Internal Suffering.

Besides variance in themes bands vary in style. There are many styles to DM but I will seperate them into the two easiest catagories; brutal and technical. Many technical DM bands tend to stray from the typical themes of depravity and often have views similar to (black metal) bands. But thier musicianship is rival to few. Some technical DM bands would be Deeds of Flesh, Lust of Decay, and Hate Eternal. While brutal DM bands concentrate less on technicality and more on sound. And thier sound is massive! thick, tight, and low. The vocalists push thier throats into new boundries with gutteral emmisions. The drummers play with triggered kick drums, ice bells, and piccolo snare drums tuned so high that every blast beat is magnified in clarity. The guitars are detuned often as far as B or A#. The riffs played are a mix between noisy blast beat grinds and palm muted chunky slamming breakdowns with loads of pinch harmonic squeals. Some brutal DM bands that adapt these qualities are Internal Bleeding, Goretrade, and Fleshgrind.

Phrasing is not the only distinction between the legions of death. Region also plays a key role. Florida is home to many of the forefathers ala Deicide, Morbid Angel, and Death. While New York has been home to many old and new Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, and Internal Bleeding lit the tourch while bands such as Internal Suffering, Copremisis, and Malignancy now carry it. Mexico seems to love pathology (study of dieseases) ala Disgorge, Rottenness, Tu Carne,and Lymphatic Phlegm. While Brazil likes a more thrash oriented sound ala; Mental horror, Abhorrance, and Krisiun. But the Columbians are just plain brutal ala; Internal Suffering, Goretrade, and Carnal. The rocky mountains are no stranger to high altitudes or getting high ala Wicked Innocence, Cephalic Carnage, and Undertaker. But Illinois seems to be overrun with sickos ala; Lividity, Macabre, and Gorgasm. Canada has equal parts brutality and technicality ala; Cryptopsy, Martyr and Anal Bleeding. Europe loves DM also the Dutch have an interesting take on technicallity ala; Prostitute Disfigurement, Pyaemia, Severe Torture. While the Italians and French like it sick and brutal ala; Morgue, Corpsefuckingart, and Voracious Gangrene. Spain is becoming a crushing entity of its own with bands like Impure, Wormed, and Machetazo. The Czechs may not be playing exactly DM but thier version of death grind is swift and relentless ala; Malignant Tumor, Alienation Mental, and Pigsty. Many nations have embraced DM Japan has Vomit Remnants. Indonisia has Jasad. Australia has Psycroptic and Intense Hammer Rage. New Zealand has Corpse Carving.

But let us come back to the US for a second cause there is a small pocket of terrain that inhabits the most disturbed individuals...Texas! The Texas underground scene includes bands such as Putrilage, Prophecy, Grotesque Formation, Sect of Execration, Sintury, Viral Load, Insidious Decrapency, Exulcerate and last but not least (yep you guessed it)The mighty "Devourment." The band to end all DM bands. The band which defines DM. The band whos first and only full length album "Molesting the Decapitated" set the bar of brutality so high that it has been the inspiration to millions and also the demise of many. The album was perfect it was the complete package. The sound, the lyrics, the imagery everything was over the top and beyond. It was so monstrous that it even envoked a new genre "ultra brutal." It even spawned a new way of thinking pre-devourment and post-devourment.

Clarifications;
Possessed may have stumbled apon the title "death metal" with thier 1985 album Seven Churches and Death may have had similar thinking with songs like "regurgitated guts" "torn to peices" and "mutilation" with thier 1987 release Scream Bloody Gore. So for that we owe them for comming up with the title DM, for if not for them we might be calling to blood metal or hate metal or some other epithet. But as far as sound wise they had very little to do with it. Bands like Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation had far more contribution to the title than thier predecessors. Just as Devourment thiers.

So with these many variances and many sub-genres ala; DM, death grind, technical DM, brutal DM, ultra brutal DM, gore metal, and gore grind one thing is proven DM is a medium in which many textures may be used. And with the virtuosos that take interest in DM everyday it is truly an advant-gard free form of music. DM is freedom DM is art.
by Warren Beyda May 27, 2005
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