D-beat is a drum beat, specifically a fast rock beat unique to Hardcore Punk, especially in its UK and European variants. Its name is derived from the British band Discharge, as the best-known use of this style can be attributed to their drummer Terry/Tezz. All over the world, D-beat has a cult following and has developed most heavily in Scandinavia, Japan, and Brazil. It is a contemporary term most common outside North America. D-beat bands almost exclusively have anti-war, anarchist messages and closely follow the bleak nuclear-war imagery of 1980s Crust punk bands, often to the point that you can tell a D-beat record by its exact imitation of Discharge album covers.
Discharge, Disclose, Anti-Cimex, and World Burns to Death are examples of D-Beat bands.
by HP Morton February 26, 2006
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Short for Discharge beat. This extremely influential band created the insanely popular and infinitely mimicked d-beat, roughly tabbed below:
S:|--x---x---x---x-:||
K:|o--o-o--o--o-o--:||

It's meant to be played blazingly fast.
Meanwhile is a d-beat band.
by Eric April 14, 2005
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Short for Discharge Beat. Obviously came from Discharge. Bands include Discharge, Doom, Tampere SS, etc.
Did you hear that new Finnish D-Beat band, they're fucking gnarly?!
by KFC March 28, 2004
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A form of punk derived from UK82.

Short for Discharge beat or down beat (depeneding on who you ask), whatever the technical definition, d-beat still refers to the same thing, which is shredding guitar, sparsed vocals (often about the destruction of mankind/the earth) and the d-beat.

D-beat bands include Discharge, Disclose, Anti-Cimex, and Wolfbrigade. D-beat is also closely associated with Swedish, Finnish, and Japanese Hardcore bands such as Gauze, The Black Uniforms, and Tampere SS.

D-beat fashion is all black, with band shirts that printed with white lettering. Black charged haircuts, black stretch jeans, multiple studded belts topped off with a bullet belt is pretty standard on a d-beat kid. Also, headbands of various types are often worn(usually to help keep up the charged haircut).
D-beat is basically crust punk without the hippie part.
by Andrew Apocalypse July 13, 2005
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