Groove Metal Facts

Origins and early development

Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that began in the early 1990s. It is primarily derived from thrash metal but is played in slower tempos and makes use of rhythmic guitar parts. The genre has origins traced to late 1980s bands such as Exhorder, Prong and Bad Brains, with scenes noted in New Orleans and New York.

Evolution or diversification

The style was popularized by the commercial success of bands including Pantera, White Zombie, Machine Head and Sepultura in the early to mid-1990s. The genre continued to gain traction in the 2000s with acts like Lamb of God, DevilDriver and Five Finger Death Punch and persisted into the 2010s with bands such as Killer Be Killed and Bad Wolves.

Cultural or musical significance

Groove metal influenced the development of the new wave of American heavy metal, nu metal and metalcore. The genre has been described as lacking rigid boundaries and incorporating elements from industrial, death metal, nu-metal and hardcore, contributing to its cross-genre influence and periods of mainstream exposure.