Grindcore is an extreme form of hardcore punk and heavy metal, related to both death metal and crust punk, but historically formed by combining elements of Hardcore Punk and early thrash metal.Grindcore is characterized by extreme speed, brutality,increadable screams/growls which sometimes are used in conjunction with a pitch shifter, discordant guitars and intense blast beats. The genre was pioneered during the early 1980s in the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Brazil by bands such as Sore Throat and
Napalm Death. In the United States the genre has their roots with proto-grindcore and hardcore punk bands such as Siege,
DRI, Cyanamid, Deep Wound and Repulsion.
Many of the early bands, such as Napalm Death, DRI, and Siege were seen by their contemporaries as part of the
anarcho-punk and hardcore punk scenes. As many anarcho-punk and
peace punk bands in England and hardcore in the United States had already incorporated elements of heavy metal into their music.
Over time
grindcore has evolved into many many sub genres and has also hybridized with death metal to create death grind. Grindcore has proven somewhat difficult to
categorise. Some fans and musicians have a firm concept of genre and subgenre, but others reject such categorisation as limiting or useless.
There is often significant crossover from one category to another, and often the influence of non-metal music is present.
Genres
* Political grindcore: This subgenre is known for having politically aware lyrics, and is sometimes associated with the crust punk and peace punk movement. Of all the subgenres of grindcore, this one remains the most musically similar to the earliest grindcore bands. Examples include
Nasum and Napalm Death.
* Porno Grind a sub genre similar to
gore grind which can have perveted lyrics that focus purely around sex or can mix perverted lyrics with gory lyrics. The often but not always
pornogrind bands use pitchshifters and have low pitched gargling vocals. Examples include Cock And Ball Torture, Regurgitate and
Gorgasm
*
Power violence a lot like grindcore, drum-wise and vocal-wise at times, but leans more to being faster sounding hardcore. Widely considered a sub genre of hardcore, equally if not more.
* Goregrind: This subgenre started with the band Carcass, and is most notable for having gore obsessed lyrics, and pitchshifted vocals.
* eGrind (also referred to as
Cybergrind, Digital Grindcore, Digigrind, or
Midicore) is a form of grindcore that, aside from the instruments used by ordinary grind, uses computer generated sounds and/or drum machines and other synthetic instruments. Typical bands in the genre are lightning fast with shorter songs, usually under 2 minutes and sometimes use samples.
* Death/Grind: Death metal with heavy grindcore influences, or vice versa.
*
Noisecore: structure-free grindcore, with feedback, hateful lyrics and general disregard for musicianship. For example
Anal Cunt, Genital
Masticator, Rutatron.