Grindcore

rindcore

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For the fictional Transformers character, see Grindcore (Transformers).

Grindcore

Stylistic origins Extreme metal, hardcore punk, noise music, industrial music

Cultural origins Mid 1980s, England

Typical instruments Electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, vocals

Derivative forms Mathcore

Subgenres

Goregrind, pornogrind, cybergrind

Fusion genres

Deathgrind

Other topics

Powerviolence

Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that originated in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive-sounding music genres – including extreme metal, industrial music, noise music and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk. Grindcore is characterized by a noise-filled sound that uses heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of growls 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.

A trait of grindcore is the "microsong". Several bands have produced songs that are only seconds in length.[1] British band Napalm Death holds the Guinness World Record for shortest song ever recorded with the one-second "You Suffer" (1987). Many bands record simple phrases that may be rhythmically sprawled out across an instrumental lasting only a couple of bars in length.

A variety of "microgenres" have subsequently emerged, often labeling bands according to traits that deviate from regular grindcore, including goregrind, focused on themes of gore, and pornogrind, fixated on pornographic lyrical themes. Other offshoots include noisegrind (especially raw and chaotic) and electrogrind (incorporating electronic elements such as programmed drums). Although an influential phenomenon on hardcore punk and other popular genres, grindcore itself remains an underground form of music.

Contents [hide]

1 Characteristics

1.1 Blast beat

1.2 Lyrical themes

2 History

2.1 Precursors

2.2 British grindcore

2.3 North American grindcore

2.4 Continental European grindcore

3 Influence on other genres

3.1 Powerviolence

3.2 Industrial and electronic music

3.3 Metalcore

4 See also

5 Notes

6 References

Characteristics[edit]

Grindcore relies on standard hardcore punk and heavy metal instrumentation: electric guitar, bass and drums.[2] However, grindcore alters the usual practices of metal or rock music in regard to song structure and tone.[2] The vocal style is "ranging from high-pitched shrieks to low, throat-shredding growls and barks."[2] In some cases, no clear lyrics exist. Vocals may be used as merely an added sound effect, a common practice with bands such as the experimental Naked City.

A characteristic of some grindcore songs is the "microsong", lasting only a few seconds. In 2001, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded Brutal Truth the record for "Shortest Music Video" for 1994's "Collateral Damage" (the song lasts four seconds). In 2007, the video for the Napalm Death song "You Suffer" set a new "Shortest Music Video" record: 1.3 seconds.[3] Beyond the microsong, it is characteristic of grindcore to have short songs in general; for example, Carcass' debut album Reek of Putrefaction (1988) consists of 22 tracks with an average length of 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Many grindcore groups experiment with down-tuned guitars. While the vinyl A-side of Napalm Death's debut, 1987's Scum, is set to standard tuning, on side B, the guitars are tuned down 2½ steps. Their second album From Enslavement to Obliteration and the Mentally Murdered EP were tuned to C♯. Harmony Corruption, their third full-length album, was tuned up to a D. Bolt Thrower went further, dropping 3½ steps down (A).[4] Bass is tuned low as well, and is often distorted.

Blast beat[edit]

Main article: Blast beat

An example of a blast beat

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A blast beat played at tempos of 124, 160, 200 and 240 BPM, respectively.

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The blast beat is a drum beat characteristic of grindcore in all its forms,[5] although its usage predates the genre itself. In Adam MacGregor's definition, "the blast-beat generally comprises a repeated, sixteenth-note figure played at a very fast tempo, and divided uniformly among the kick drum, snare and ride, crash, or hi-hat cymbal."[5] Blast beats have been described as "maniacal percussive explosions, less about rhythm per se than sheer sonic violence."[6] Napalm Death coined the term,[6] though this style of drumming had previously been practiced by others. Daniel Ekeroth argues that the blast beat was first performed by the Swedish D-beat group Asocial on their 1982 demo.[7] D.R.I. ("No Sense"),[5] S.O.D. ("Milk"),[8] Sarcófago ("Satanas"),[9] Sepultura ("Antichrist"),[10] and Repulsion[11] also included the technique prior to Napalm Death's emergence.

Lyrical themes[edit]

Grindcore lyrics are typically provocative. A number of grindcore musicians are committed to political and ethical causes.[12] For example, Napalm Death's songs address a variety of anarchist concerns, in the tradition of anarcho-punk. These themes

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