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Black metal finds its roots in bands such as Venom and Bathory, and is often characterized by an inherently evil tone and a raspy vocal style (Quorthon of Bathory may or may not be the originator of this vocal style, but once you've heard him, many black metal vocalists will sound very similar to him, for what that's worth). The earlier bands focused on minimal instrumentation, as represented by Darkthrone, early Mayhem, and older Immortal, while another group of bands explored a more symphonic, keyboard-driven style (Emperor, Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir) and still others have migrated towards an eclectic, avant-garde direction (Arcturus, new Mayhem). Norway continues to be the primary exporter of black metal bands, though other countries have contributed some quality bands as well.


One of the more extreme forms of metal, death metal is basically an offshoot of thrash, with less melodic riffs and a low, growly, often almost unintelligible vocal style that at its best (or worst, depending on one's point of view) has been described as "cookie monster vocals". The early nineties saw the initial rise of death metal in places such as Florida ( Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Obituary, and others) and Sweden ( At The Gates, Entombed, and others), and remains a dominant form of extreme metal to this day.