The Best Genre Crossovers With Metal
Metal has a pretty diverse musical scene with an ever-expanding list of sub-genres. Today we are going to dive into some of the best genres to crossover with metal and a few examples of songs we think did a great job blending them together.
Phonk
Phonk is a style of trap/hip-hop music that is mainly inspired by 90’s Memphis rap, often featuring nostalgic samples from underground rap vocals and funky electronic cowbell melodies. Since 2023, Phonk has become incredibly popular, especially on social media with tracks like, “Murder In My Mind” going viral.
With the widespread mainstream popularity of phonk, it‘s no surprise that it is now being featured in metal tracks. While it’s hard to say who did it first, we will be sharing some of our favorite examples of songs that mix metal and Phonk together.
"I" - DEATHPHONK
Nik Nocturnal, one of the biggest metal content creators, created his metal/phonk project DEATHPHONK in March 2023 as phonk became much more popular. His coverage of phonk metal introduced a lot of people to the idea and may have helped to popularize phonk metal in general.
"on the verge" - thrown
Thrown’s track “on the verge” is one of the first examples of hardcore that we have heard with phonk. The song still primarily focuses on a hardcore/heavy metal sound but features old-school rapping samples and electronic melodies that quickly convey a phonk-inspired sound.
"You Know Who You Are" - Nail Bite
Nail Bite’s “You Know Who You Are” is one of the most evenly matched and creative blends of phonk and metal that we have heard. Nail Bite does an excellent job of changing their style to be entirely Phonk before dragging Phonk into their intense metal sound.
Dubstep
Dubstep started in London at the start of the 2000s. The genre is known for low bass tones and dramatic syncopated rhythms. It is similar to metal in that it builds up anticipation before a big drop/breakdown.
Dubstep and metal work together incredibly well and there have been a lot of bands that have mixed the two genres. Here are a few of our favorite examples.
"Narcissistic Cannibal" - Korn (feat. Skrillex, Kill The Noise)
Korn probably isn't the first band you think of when you think of Dubstep, but the band actually released a nu-metal/dubstep crossover album "Path of Totality" in 2011. "Narcissistic Cannibal" was the hit song off of the album and the blend of Korn's distinct sound with dubstep drops from Skrillex and Kill The Noise was a well-executed mash-up of dubstep and heavy metal.
"Throwin' Elbows" - Excision (feat. Space Laces)
Excision is one of the most notable names in dubstep. "Throwin' Elbows" is certainly more on the dubstep side of things, but it features undeniably metal distorted guitar build-ups and some brutally heavy dubstep drops that will leave you banging your head (or throwing elbows).
"Overkill" - Riot
"Overkill" is a very exciting crossover between metal and dubstep. With metal-esque drumming, heavy guitar tones, and screaming adding metal influences, Riot also has no shortage of booming bass drops. Mixing classic metal breakdowns with dubstep synths, bass, and vocals, Riot shows a creative and well-implemented mix of the two beloved genres.
Classical Music
Classical music is known for having a focus on melody and conveying emotion, with many metal bands taking inspiration from it. So many deathcore bands include orchestral/classical music in their songs that it has become a separate genre, called Symphonic Deathcore. While there is no shortage of tracks that include classical elements, here are 3 songs we think really blend the two well.
"Death Empress" - Synestia / Disembodied Tyrant
Synestia and Disembodied Tyrant have been teaming up lately to bring some of the nastiest symphonic deathcore tracks we've heard. "Death Empress" creates melodic atmospheres with speeding orchestral sounds and piano melodies, while combining them alongside slamming deathcore grooves. "Death Empress" also includes one of the heaviest breakdowns of 2024 so far, enjoy.
"Pain Remains 1: Dancing Like Flames - "Lorna Shore"
Lorna Shore hit mainstream popularity in 2o23 with their song "To the Hellfire". Since then they released their album "Pain Remains" which is filled with intense deathcore breakdowns, bright guitar solos, and powerful orchestral strings that create their distinct symphonic/blackened deathcore sound.
"From Ruin... We Rise" - Shadow of Intent
Shadow of Intent's 2022 album "Elegy" is filled with classical piano, orchestral strings, and choirs that create a powerfully melodic and at times cinematic blend of classical music and speeding deathcore riffage.
Rap/Hip Hop
Rap is one of the most popular genres and often has a shared fanbase with metal fans. Rap has been a part of metal music since the 90’s with early nu-metal bands like Korn, Slipknot, Linkin Park, and Limp Bizkit often utilizing the fast vocal techniques used in rap/hip-hop music.
In modern metal, there are now many bands blending even more elements of rap and metal together, including trap beats, 808s, and more to bring the two genres together.
"In the End" - Linkin Park
"In The End" is a song that is instantly recognizable. Linkin Park inspired generations of musicians and was one of the bands that showed how well rap and hip-hop influences can work with rock and metal music.
"Vagabond" - Ghostmane
Ghostmane skirts the lines between trap, industrial, and metal genres with his music. "Vagabond" is an excellent example of his influences starting off with a dark trap beat, rapping, and raw screams that quickly establish metal influences. The song builds into a thrashing metal section before a heavy-hitting breakdown with distorted guitar, slamming drums, and borderline unhinged screams.
"Watch The World Burn" - Falling In Reverse
Falling In Reverse has been mixing rap and rock for years with tracks like, "Popular Monster" being hugely popular. We think "Watch The World Burn" is the best example of Falling In Reverse's modern rapping style, with the entire song building into a final outro that is a powerful metal breakdown.
Country
Country is another of the world’s most popular genres - you either love it or you hate it. Country is often thought of as the polar opposite of metal, with simpler melodies and lyrics but more of a focus on creating catchy songs.
Currently, there are a lot of bands mixing rock/metal with Country and it's becoming a very popular subgenre of rock and metal.
"Money Where Your Mouth Is" - Lakeview, Gideon
Lakeview and Gideon collaborated on the 2024 release "Money Where Your Mouth Is". The song creates an unmistakable country sound while staying metal throughout the song with the use of heavy guitars and drumming. The track has a hilarious yet incredibly heavy hardcore style breakdown with enough Southern flair to keep up the song's country theme.
"BETTER HELL (Thicc boi)" - Bilmuri
Bilmuri creates rock-driven country music that occasionally goes into more intense metal sections. The band's song "BETTER HELL" showcases a sound that is easily recognizable as country while using creative elements like an unexpected bass-drop breakdown that still layers country instrumentals in the background.
Pop
Pop has been at the forefront of mainstream music since its inception. Metal bands have been combining commercialized pop music with their music since the 80s. Depending on your definition of pop, most current bands are including elements of commercial music through their song structure or with catchy singing choruses.
"Mary On A Cross" - Ghost
Ghost is a theatrical rock/metal band that is known for their aesthetic that parodies church visuals with the lead singer dressing as a priest (with corpse paint). Ghost's darkly colorful pop sound uses catchy vocal melodies and instrumentals like organs to create a sound that is mixed with rock-style guitar and drums.
"Granite" - Sleep Token
Sleep Token has propelled to the top of the metal scene within the past year with fans loving their mix of metal, progressive rock, pop, R&B, and more. Their discography tends to differ a lot from song to song, but Sleep Token's vocal melodies in general are very reminiscent of pop, and "Granite" is an excellent example of the band's pop influences.
"V.A.N" - Bad Omens, Poppy
Metalcore outfit Bad Omens recently collaborated with pop-gone-metal artist Poppy to release their song "V.A.N". The song is a blend of extreme metal riffage and Poppy's clean singing vocals that show a catchy mix of pop and metal.
EDM
EDM or electronic dance music is music that is known for being played by DJs at raves, and nightclubs. It is similar to dubstep except EDM is more focused on melody compared to dubstep being more industrial and bass-driven.
"We Got the Moves" - Electric Callboy
Electric Callboy is a band that mixes metalcore and electronic music (sometimes referred to as electronicore) with playful lyrics and catchy singing. The band's diverse blend of EDM and metal leads to them playing not only metal festivals but also electronic festivals across the world.
"HIVEMIND" - The Browning
The Browning is also known for their electronicore sound that verges the lines between electronic music, metalcore, and deathcore. The Browning utilizes mostly elements of extreme metal and melodic electronic elements to create deeply layered atmospheres during the band's brutally heavy breakdowns.
"Can You Feel My Heart" - Bring Me The Horizon
Bring Me The Horizon is possibly the biggest metalcore band of all time. They are known for their blend of electronic influences, pop, and heavy metal. "Can You Feel My Heart" is the band's top streamed song to date and the song's mixture of digitalized vocals, screaming, and synths, creates a distinctly electronic sound.
World Music
With such diverse musical cultures across the globe, we love to see metal bands that mix cultural music into their sound. Fortunately, there are a lot of unique bands doing this very well.
"Camel Dancefloor" - Igorrr
French solo producer Gautier Serre is the driving force behind Igorrr. The band's discography includes music spanning French music, EDM, and some songs that you can't really define. "Camel Dancefloor" takes Middle Eastern and Indian scales and instrumentals and mixes them with opera vocals, electronic chaos, and more in typical Igorrr fashion.
"Yuve Yuve Yu" - The Hu
Hailing from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, The Hu is a band that gained popularity in 2019 after major news outlets highlighted them. The Hu takes traditional Mongolian throat singing and instrumentation and puts it alongside heavy metal guitar to create their own unique sound that stands out.
"Gaddaar" - Bloodywood
Originating in India, Bloodywood is known for their combination of Indian folk music and metal. Bloodywood uses Indian instruments like the Dhol and Tumbi alongside screaming and rapping to create a sound that is an exciting blend of Indian culture and modern metal.
Closing Thoughts:
There are more metal genres than ever before, what genre do you think mixes best with metal? Do you think that metal should stay the way it is, or do you like to see metal bands pushing the boundaries and changing their sound?
What do you want to see us cover next?
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