Because one riff is never enough, and neither is one label.
🎤 What’s Occurring, Metalheads?
Ask ten metal fans how many types of metal there are, and you’ll get twenty answers… plus an argument that ends in a dodgy circle pit in the car park. 😂 Metalheads love subgenres more than they love patch jackets, and trust me, that’s saying something.
From denim-clad Sabbath worshippers to corpse-painted forest goblins, from power metal knights to nu-metal Adidas tracksuit warriors — there’s a flavour of metal for everyone. The question is: how deep down the riff rabbit hole are you willing to go?
Let’s break it down, butt.
⚒️ The Foundations – Where It All Began
Heavy Metal
Bands: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden. The Vibe: The Big Bang of metal. Doom-y riffs, soaring vocals, lyrics about devils, wizards, and sometimes unions (cheers Ozzy). Festival Spotting: Everywhere. You literally can’t have a festival without at least one “classic” metal act.
NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal)
Bands: Saxon, Diamond Head, Def Leppard, Angel Witch. The Vibe: Late 70s/early 80s revival that sped up the Sabbath formula and added leather & studs. How to Spot Fans: Denim jackets with way too many patches.
⚡ Fast & Raging – Thrash, Speed & Crossover
Thrash Metal
Bands: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax (“The Big Four”). The Vibe: Breakneck riffs, political rage, pits that turn into human blenders. Festival: Bloodstock, Download, Hellfest — you’ll always see at least one thrash legend.
Speed Metal
Bands: Helloween (early), Exciter, Running Wild. The Vibe: Pre-thrash but faster than NWOBHM. Like Motörhead after too much espresso.
Crossover Thrash
Bands: Suicidal Tendencies, Municipal Waste, D.R.I. The Vibe: Metal meets hardcore punk. Shorter songs, skateboard vibes, party thrash energy.
💀 Extreme Chaos – Brutality Turned Up to 11
Death Metal
Bands: Death, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel. The Vibe: Growls that sound like clogged drains, riffs tuned lower than your nan’s bingo voice. Festival: Brutal Assault, Obscene Extreme.
Melodic Death Metal (Melodeath)
Bands: In Flames, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth. The Vibe: Death metal’s angry cousin who also learned guitar harmonies.
Black Metal
Bands: Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone. The Vibe: Cold, grim, frostbitten. Lo-fi production, corpse paint, dodgy church-burning history. Fan Uniform: Spikes, bullet belts, bad WiFi in the forest.
Doom Metal
Bands: Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Electric Wizard. The Vibe: Slow, crushing riffs. Feels like being trapped in molasses while stoned.
Sludge Metal
Bands: Crowbar, Eyehategod, Acid Bath. The Vibe: Doom but filthier. Born in the swamps.
Grindcore
Bands: Napalm Death, Carcass. The Vibe: Songs under 30 seconds. Blink and you’ve missed the album.
🎹 Epic & Over-the-Top – Nerd Heaven
Power Metal
Bands: DragonForce, Blind Guardian, HammerFall. The Vibe: Swords, dragons, endless solos. Feels like Skyrim but faster.
Symphonic Metal
Bands: Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation. The Vibe: Orchestras, choirs, opera singers belting it out with pyro everywhere.
Progressive Metal
Bands: Dream Theater, Tool, Opeth. The Vibe: 10-minute songs, weird time signatures. Smartest nerds in the pit.
🤘 Modern Mayhem – Core & Nu
Nu-Metal
Bands: Korn, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park. The Vibe: Downtuned riffs, DJs, baggy jeans, and teenage angst in spades.
Metalcore
Bands: Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, Architects. The Vibe: Breakdowns, breakdowns, and more breakdowns.
Deathcore
Bands: Suicide Silence, Whitechapel. The Vibe: Death metal + breakdowns heavy enough to snap your spine.
Djent
Bands: Meshuggah, Periphery, Tesseract. The Vibe: “Chug chug” guitar tone. Nerdy prog meets gym-bro energy.
Groove Metal
Bands: Pantera, Lamb of God, Machine Head. The Vibe: Heavy, mid-tempo riffs that slap harder than your mam’s wooden spoon.
🌍 Folk, Pagan & Regional Madness
Folk Metal
Bands: Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, Finntroll. The Vibe: Accordions, fiddles, beer-soaked chants. Festival beer tent soundtrack.
Viking Metal
Bands: Amon Amarth. The Vibe: Growling about Odin while rowing an inflatable longship through the crowd.
Celtic Metal
Bands: Cruachan, Waylander. The Vibe: Irish folk instruments meet heavy riffs.
Oriental Metal
Bands: Orphaned Land, Myrath. The Vibe: Middle Eastern melodies fused with metal crunch.
🏭 Industrial, Weird & Wonderful
Industrial Metal
Bands: Rammstein, Ministry, Fear Factory. The Vibe: Cold, mechanical, pyros so hot you lose your eyebrows.
Avant-Garde Metal
Bands: Igorrr, Arcturus, Mr. Bungle. The Vibe: Metal meets jazz, opera, and sometimes chickens. (Yes, really).
Post-Metal
Bands: Isis, Cult of Luna, Pelican. The Vibe: Atmospheric, moody, builds like post-rock but with riffs.
Blackgaze
Bands: Alcest, Deafheaven. The Vibe: Black metal meets shoegaze = “sad but beautiful screaming.”
💄 Glam, Party & WTF Genres
Glam Metal
Bands: Mötley Crüe, Poison, Ratt. The Vibe: Hairspray, spandex, songs about partying with strippers.
Shock Rock / Horror Metal
Bands: Alice Cooper, GWAR, Rob Zombie. The Vibe: Blood, guts, latex monsters. Every gig is Halloween.
Pirate Metal
Bands: Alestorm. The Vibe: Rum, sea shanties, inflatable rubber ducks in the pit.
Nintendocore
Bands: HORSE the Band. The Vibe: Hardcore + chiptunes. Like Mario in a mosh pit.
🎧 Playlists for the Brave
Classic & NWOBHM: “Wrathchild” (Maiden), “Denim and Leather” (Saxon). Thrash: “Raining Blood” (Slayer), “Peace Sells” (Megadeth). Death/Black: “Hammer Smashed Face” (Cannibal Corpse), “Freezing Moon” (Mayhem). Power/Symphonic: “Through the Fire and Flames” (DragonForce). Nu/Metalcore: “Duality” (Slipknot), “My Curse” (Killswitch Engage). Weird Stuff: “Du Hast” (Rammstein), “Very Noise” (Igorrr).
🎪 Festival Finder – Where to Hear It Live
Download (UK): Nu-metal, Metalcore, Classic, Thrash. Bloodstock (UK): Death, Black, Doom, Pagan. Steelhouse (UK): Classic, NWOBHM, Bluesy Hard Rock. Wacken (Germany): Power, Folk, literally everything. Hellfest (France): The ultimate smorgasbord of ALL genres.
🎲 QUIZ – Which Metal Subgenre Are You?
Love dragons and can’t stop singing in falsetto? → Power Metal. Covered in tattoos and only wear black? → Metalcore. You own a hurdy-gurdy and drink mead? → Folk/Viking Metal. Your Spotify Wrapped is just blast beats? → Death/Black Metal. You still own Adidas popper trousers? → Nu-Metal.
🍻 Outro
So how many types of metal are there? The safe answer is 20–30 core genres, but let’s be real, mun — metalheads have created over 100 micro-genres. If someone plays a banjo over blast beats in a basement gig tonight, there’ll be a new subgenre on Metal Archives by tomorrow.
That’s the beauty of metal: it refuses to stay in one box. It just keeps splintering, mutating, and coming back louder than before.
Now excuse me while I go start my new band: Celtic Post-Industrial Vikingcore Featuring Triangle. Tidy! 🏴🤘
