dont smile at me

Pink Floyd's ground-breaking album The Dark Side of the Moon was the result of a long creative process that began around 1968. A Saucerful of Secrets (the main track from the eponymous album) was, for Nick Mason at least, where it all began. Their next album Ummagumma (1969) gave each band member the opportunity to create a solo piece, though they would have to combine their talents if they wanted to hit the jackpot. Pink Floyd continued to search for the perfect record with Meddle, an album which highlighted their skills in the studio, and Atom Heart Mother, before they reached nirvana with The Dark Side of the Moon. And the album’s perfection hasn’t faded one bit.

“If punk was about getting rid of hippies, then I'm getting rid of grunge.” It was with this sentence from Damon Albarn in 1993 that England invaded the stage previously dominated by Nirvana and Seattle grunge. Britpop is deeply linked to politics and local identity and emerged just as Tony Blair and New Labour were entering the scene. English romanticism was once again becoming attractive compared to the American identity, which was considered too hollow in the UK. Make way for “Cool Britannia”.

The great oak tree of heavy metal contains more than meets the eye. Its mighty branches, visible to the average rock fan, consist of thrash, hair, nu, black, 'core, and death metal—all arguably the genre's more iconic iterations. But beneath its tremendous trunk are ever-growing roots that stretch endlessly into a vast underground of niche stylistic offshoots. There are literally dozens of subgenres—and many subgenres within those subgenres—throughout the heavy metal lexicon, and it would take a lifetime to become fully versed in all of them. Here we zoom in on five unique and compelling lesser-known metal subgenres that aren't obvious entry points for the average headbanger, but every fan of aggressive music should be familiar with these sounds.