In the late 1990s, Misanthropy Records emerged as a promoter of Norwegian avant-garde metal until it folded in 2000, and, according to Jeff Wagner, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a so-called "new wave of avant-garde metal" was spearheaded by The End Records. Pioneers of avant-garde metal include Celtic Frost, Gorguts, Boris, Earth, Helmet, Mayhem, maudlin of the Well, Neurosis, Sunn O))), Mr. Another early example is the 1976 Led Zeppelin album Presence. Some early examples are the King Crimson releases Larks' Tongues in Aspic and Red in 19 respectively, with the latter album's title track defining an "avant-metal style" that Robert Fripp would revisit years later. Progressive rock has also been cited as an influence. History Īccording to Ian Christe, avant-garde metal emerged from death metal as a number of musicians "abandoned the tightly wound structure of the music and experimented with abstractions of its founding elements".
The Canadian group Voivod also influenced future bands in the genre, pioneering technique such as robotic vocal effects, unusual time signatures, and fractured, dissonant, unorthodox guitar sounds. According to Jeff Wagner in Mean Deviation, electronic percussion and drum machines see widespread use by avant-garde metal bands, along with female vocals and operatic elements, all of which he attributes to the influence of the band Celtic Frost. The lyrics and visual presentation of the genre are eclectic as well. Avant-garde metal also uses unusual sounds, breaks conventions, and often includes new elements.
Avant-garde metal is related to progressive metal, but avant-garde metal often has more experimentation, while progressive metal usually has a tighter focus on traditional metal instrumentation and higher levels of technical complexity. "Avant-garde metal" is interchangeable with "experimental metal" and "avant-metal", and may also refer to a separate genre of "atmospheric metal" or " post-metal", which was named in reference to post-rock.