speed metal
Sign in to savesub-genre of heavy metal music
Key facts
- Stylistic origins
- New wave of British heavy metal heavy metal punk
- Cultural origins
- Late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly in the United Kingdom
- Derivative forms
- Neoclassical metal power metal thrash metal black metal
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots. It is described by AllMusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music.
It is usually considered less abrasive and more melodic than thrash metal. However, speed metal is usually faster and more aggressive than traditional heavy metal, also showing more inclination to virtuoso soloing and featuring short instrumental passages between couplets. Speed metal songs frequently make use of highly expressive vocals, but are usually less likely to employ "harsh" vocals than thrash metal songs.