Punk Metal Music Style Overview | AllMusic (original) (raw)
Punk metal is a fusion of hardcore punk and thrash metal which came to prominence during the mid-'80s. The marriage seemed natural, since both styles were intense, riff-driven, and often manically uptempo. Punk metal bands generally had more technique than the average hardcore outfit, but their riffs weren't quite as intricate as the average thrashers, and their song structures were often more straightforward. Especially early on, punk metal had a strong affinity with skatepunk, but gradually became more and more the province of metal audiences. As the '90s dawned, many remaining punk metal outfits had begun moving into the territory that became known as alternative metal; Corrosion of Conformity, for example, played a stripped-down, grungy take on the classic Black Sabbath sound, while Suicidal Tendencies experimented with alternative rock and funk metal.