In this longform documentary, we document the second era of avant-garde metal and look at the artists that brought unorthodoxy and experimentation into the genre. But what do we mean by “avant-garde”?
In our view, the characteristics of avant-garde metal are:
- The use of non-traditional instruments
- Incorporation of unfamiliar genres into a metal setting
- A willingness to dismantle boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable in metal music
- Unorthodox vocal techniques or singing styles
- The desire to create metal music from non-metal foundations
- An emphasis on moving away from standard song structures in favour of experimentation
We decided to split Part 2 of this documentary series into a 2A and a 2B to keep it below 120 minutes. Part 2A covers the following chapters:
I. The beginnings of sludge and noise metal and the evolution of post-metal
II. Experimental alternative metal before nu metal
III. The fusion of metal and jazz stalls as a niche experiment
S0 let the story of heavy metal’s maverick disruptors and experimenters take you to places that are still unorthodox to this day. This is The History of Avant-Garde Metal, Pt. 2A: 1993-1999.