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Slam Death Metal


Symbiontas

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Slam can be hard to enjoy because of the (for many unfortunate) influence of Cephalotripsy, but I think it's a genre that unironically holds some of the most creative releases out there. An example is Jenovavirus, Demo #1, a cult slam release that while possessing stretches of gritty slamming features eerie vocal fry, atmospheric guitars (in contrast to the unrepentant breakdowns of ~Cerebral Incubation), and some of the more alien licks on the diminished scale I've heard. Another name already mentioned is Dripping, which is the genre's Demilich, and although they are mostly known for weird sample abuse they pack some unforgiving riffage on the main course.

There are also mainstay titles like Devourment (a progenitor of slam) and several more eccentric dark horses that can be named (7 H. Target), but I do agree that the majority of slam is repetitive and not engaging beyond some sudden headbanging. The genre is very homogenous and rarely overachieves. On an average day, I would easily say its older brother of brutal death surpasses it in variety and average quality, as well as classic records. However, the extreme "experiment" posed by slam death inspires rare creative bands to work out of its confines and create a summarily more engaging release, surpassing even brutal death titans.

 

Edited by ArgyleSocks
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  • 5 weeks later...
On 8/30/2013 at 6:29 PM, Symbiontas said:

Hello, brothers and sisters in metal. Today, I would like to ask you, what do you think about Slam Death Metal? For me, it's still unexplored genre, but I enjoyed both Pathology and Abonimale Putridity. So, say what you think!

Slam became the new deathcore for me. As soon as I saw a particular logo or a video from Slam Worldwide I was 95% right in assuming what it was going to sound like. It got predictable and boring really quickly for me. 

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I have no idea what slam is but if it's primarily based around breakdowns, I doubt that I'd like it. Breakdowns were a key component of the haircut scene back around the mid 00s and so called "hardcore" bands were founded specifically to play breakdown after breakdown so the haircut kids could do their Shaolin Monk act in the pit and think that they were really tough because they kicked and punched the air.

Another user called it insipid wiggercore and that made me laugh, because it reminds me of so many of the types who would show up to the breakdownz-only VFW hardcore shows that used to go on around here. Guys with shaved heads, build pools for a living and thus perpetually sunburned, teardrop tattoos under their eyes despite never having killed someone, always saying "dawg"... I don't even know what slam is and I can kind of already get an idea of it from the descriptor that @BlutAusNerd used and I don't really think it would be my thing because "hardcore" bands like The Chariot were not my thing either and the only point of that band (and many others in the mid 00s) was to play breakdownz.

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