Dissonant death metal is a subgenre of death metal that stands out for its aggressive, harsh, and atonal characteristics. While traditional death metal thrives on technicality, heaviness, and brutality, dissonant death metal pushes boundaries further by incorporating unsettling, discordant elements that create an atmosphere of unease. This article will explore the distinct features of dissonant death metal, its origins, evolution, and influence on the broader metal scene. By delving into the key components of its music, we will understand how dissonance shapes this subgenre, making it one of the most intense and complex forms of extreme music.
What is Dissonance in Music?
Before diving deep into dissonant death metal, it is important to understand what dissonance is in music. Dissonance refers to a combination of tones that sound unstable or harsh. This is in contrast to consonance, where the sounds blend more harmoniously. In classical music, dissonance was often resolved by moving to consonance, but in modern genres like death metal, dissonance can be sustained, creating tension and discomfort.
In death metal, dissonance often arises from the use of unconventional scales, chords, and intervals. These create a sense of chaos and disarray, which complements the aggressive and often violent themes present in the genre. Dissonant death metal, in particular, amplifies this tension, pushing the limits of what can be perceived as “musical” and instead crafting a sonic landscape that can feel unsettling, alien, and intense.
The Birth of Dissonant Death Metal
Roots in Traditional Death Metal
To understand the rise of dissonant death metal, we must first look at the roots of death metal itself. Death metal emerged in the mid-1980s, with bands like Death, Possessed, and Morbid Angel leading the charge. The genre was known for its fast tempos, deep growling vocals, and heavily distorted guitar riffs. While traditional death metal was rooted in thrash and black metal, it took those elements to new extremes, focusing on brutality and complexity.
As death metal evolved throughout the 1990s, many of its practitioners began to experiment with more complex song structures and sounds. While the genre had always been dark and heavy, some bands started to veer away from traditional harmonic progressions and ventured into dissonant territory. This shift was not instantaneous but rather an organic progression of the genre’s experimentation with darker, more chaotic tones.
The Influence of Other Genres
The development of dissonant death metal was also influenced by other genres within the extreme metal spectrum. Bands from black metal, grindcore, and even progressive metal had an impact on the way death metal bands began incorporating dissonance. For example, black metal’s emphasis on atmosphere and unorthodox scales, like the use of diminished and augmented intervals, gave death metal musicians new tools for expressing a darker sound.
Additionally, the emergence of more experimental forms of metal, such as avant-garde or post-metal, introduced new possibilities for musicians to explore non-traditional tunings, time signatures, and tonalities. These innovations led to a natural blending of influences that created the unique sound of dissonant death metal.
Key Features of Dissonant Death Metal
Dissonant Guitar Riffs
The guitar is the backbone of any death metal band, and in dissonant death metal, the riffing style is often angular, unpredictable, and chaotic. Dissonant guitar riffs are characterized by the use of intervals that clash, creating a jarring effect. These riffs rarely follow standard major or minor scales and instead incorporate diminished, augmented, or whole-tone intervals. The result is an unsettling, almost “out-of-tune” feel that defies traditional harmony.
Many dissonant death metal bands use extended techniques on the guitar, such as tapping, sweeping, and legato, to further create a feeling of unease. Additionally, the guitar tones are often heavily distorted and processed to achieve a raw, abrasive sound. This emphasis on dissonant guitar work is crucial to the genre’s identity.
Unconventional Song Structures
Unlike traditional death metal, which often follows a more predictable verse-chorus structure, dissonant death metal tends to break away from these conventions. Songs are often nonlinear and less focused on melody or catchy hooks. Instead, the emphasis is placed on building an atmosphere of discomfort through abrupt changes in tempo, time signatures, and key.
The song structures in dissonant death metal can be fragmented, with sections that don’t necessarily resolve or follow any logical progression. This unpredictability can heighten the tension within the music, making the listening experience feel more confrontational and disorienting.
Aggressive and Evolving Drum Patterns
The drums in dissonant death metal are typically fast, technical, and relentless, much like traditional death metal. However, the drumming in this subgenre also often complements the dissonant guitar work by employing unusual rhythms and complex time signatures. Blast beats are frequently used, but they may be mixed with syncopated rhythms or polyrhythmic patterns that increase the sense of chaos.
This rhythmic complexity can be disorienting for listeners, as the drums do not always serve as a straightforward foundation for the music. Instead, they add another layer of unpredictability, further intensifying the atmosphere of discomfort.
Vocals as Another Layer of Dissonance
The vocal style in dissonant death metal often includes guttural growls, shrieks, and other extreme techniques that fit the abrasive nature of the music. These vocals are typically harsh and abrasive, contributing to the aggressive and chaotic atmosphere. The lyrics often explore dark, philosophical, or existential themes, enhancing the unsettling nature of the music.
While traditional death metal vocals are often characterized by deep growls or grunts, dissonant death metal may feature a wider range of vocal techniques, such as higher-pitched shrieks or even spoken word elements. These varying vocal styles add to the overall discomforting tone of the music, which is central to the dissonant death metal experience.
Production Techniques and Atmosphere
In dissonant death metal, production plays a critical role in shaping the overall sound. The mixing and mastering process often emphasizes the rawness of the instruments, keeping the music unpolished and abrasive. This lack of clarity in the production makes the sound more chaotic, adding to the feeling of disorder.
Atmosphere is key in this subgenre. The use of reverb, delay, and other effects can make certain parts of a song feel distant, cavernous, or otherworldly. Some bands even incorporate eerie soundscapes, like field recordings or ambient noises, to further enhance the sense of unease.
Influential Bands in the Dissonant Death Metal Scene
Several bands have been pioneers in shaping the sound of dissonant death metal. These bands have introduced unique elements to the genre, helping to define its characteristics and push the boundaries of what death metal can be.
Gorguts
Perhaps the most well-known band associated with dissonant death metal is Gorguts. Their 1998 album Obscura is considered a groundbreaking release that pushed death metal into new territories. The album’s use of complex, dissonant riffs and unorthodox song structures set the standard for many future dissonant death metal bands. Gorguts’ focus on atonal and abrasive sounds has been highly influential.
Ulcerate
Another key band in the dissonant death metal movement is Ulcerate. Known for their use of tension-building dissonance, Ulcerate’s music is marked by its technical complexity and dark, atmospheric qualities. Their album Everything Is Fire (2009) is widely regarded as a classic in the genre, with its intricate rhythms and unsettling melodies defining the dissonant death metal sound.
Portal
Australian band Portal is another important name in the dissonant death metal scene. Their music is characterized by its chaotic and unstructured nature, as well as its haunting, eerie atmosphere. Portal’s albums, such as Outre (2007) and Vexovoid (2013), are examples of how dissonant death metal can blur the lines between death metal, black metal, and avant-garde music.
Immolation
While not always classified as a strictly dissonant death metal band, Immolation’s use of dissonance, particularly in their later albums, has earned them a place in this discussion. Their ability to blend traditional death metal with complex, dissonant elements has made them a key influence on the genre.
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Conclusion
Dissonant death metal is a genre that thrives on discomfort, chaos, and innovation. By incorporating dissonant riffs, complex rhythms, and unconventional song structures, it creates an experience that is both intense and unsettling. This subgenre’s evolution has been influenced by other forms of extreme metal, as well as a desire to push the boundaries of what music can convey. With its raw, abrasive sound and philosophical, often disturbing themes, dissonant death metal offers a challenging yet rewarding listening experience for those who seek something beyond the traditional forms of death metal. As it continues to evolve, one thing is certain—dissonant death metal will remain a powerful force in the world of extreme music.
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