Shred metal
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| Shred metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | Heavy metal - Speed metal - Classical music |
| Cultural origins: | Early 1980s in the United States |
| Typical instruments: | Guitar - Bass - Drums |
| Mainstream popularity: | Moderate, mainly in the 1980s. |
Shred metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music. The genre began with Swedish guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen, who popularised the shred technique.
[edit] History
The prototype for what was to become Shredding was laid down by many jazz fusion guitarists; including Al Di Meola. However; the technique was not adapted by heavy metal guitarists until the release of Yngwie J. Malmsteen's landmark album Rising Force. The shred technique was perfected by Malmsteen so as to replicate the classical music he was influenced by, and in the process; laid down the foundations for neo-classical metal and shred metal.
Since then; elements of shred metal have been found in genres like heavy metal, power metal, Glam Metal, progressive metal, thrash metal and death metal.
[edit] Musical characteristics
The most obvious and important part of shred metal is the guitar. There is usually one or two guitarists; and they generally are classically influenced virtuosi. The guitar parts usually involve fast scale runs, tapping and sweep picking. The bass guitar is usually deep and melodic, to keep rhythm for the complex guitar parts.
