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Primary Stylistic Influences (Avant-Garde):
+ Extreme metal (DeathMetal, BlackMetal, ThrashMetal, PowerMetal, {{Grindcore}}), AlternativeMetal, ProgressiveMetal, Post-Metal, {{Jazz}}, ClassicalMusic, AvantGardeMusic, {{Grunge}}, IndustrialMetal, AlternativeRock
]
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Stylistic Influences (Experimental):
+ ProgressiveMetal, {{Metalcore}}, Avant-Garde Metal, Post-Metal, AlternativeMetal, NuMetal, {{Grunge}}, NoiseRock, ElectronicMusic, {{Reggae}}, {{Ska}}, FolkMusic, WorldMusic, PostGrunge, PostPunk, PostHardcore, NewWaveMusic, HarshNoise and many other genres
]
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Stylistic Influences (Post-Metal):
+ ProgressiveMetal, DoomMetal, SludgeMetal, PsychedelicRock, SymphonicMetal, Avant-Garde Metal, FolkMusic, Free Jazz, IndustrialMetal, PostHardcore, HarshNoise, {{Ambient}}, PostRock, ClassicalMusic, ElectronicMusic, AvantGardeMusic, AlternativeMetal, {{Shoegazing}}
]

So you think ProgressiveMetal isn't technical, "smart" or experimental enough? Does it sound boring to you? Do you find its musical rules too limiting? Why not make prog metal even more prog, more wacky, up the unorthodoxy, and throw in all the faux-classical/jazz/folk/electronic/new wave/noise/whatever you can find? And that, my friends, is how you get avant-garde metal.

Avant-garde metal, also called "art metal" or "avant-metal", is a subgenre of HeavyMetal defined by the liberal use of innovative, AvantGardeMusic elements such as unconventional instruments, song structures and playing styles. It evolved out of ProgressiveMetal with influences from JazzFusion, classical, and extreme metal, and is primarily characterized by extreme musical virtuosity, a near-abandonment of heavy metal standards and a highly polished, technical sound. Avant-garde artists often seek to create an unusual, dynamic, and highly varied sound, in the same vein as most ProgressiveMetal artists. The two genres often overlap and may sound confusing to some listeners, but the main difference is that avant-garde metal artists usually take an additional step beyond and strive to push the boundaries of what's musically (and thematically) possible within heavy metal.

Often listed as a sister genre to avant-garde metal is the aptly-named "experimental metal" subgenre, which refers to a subgenre of metal, more specifically a direct offshoot of extreme metal that focuses on creating a bizarre, abstract sound through large-scale experimentation, the use of nonstandard sounds, extended playing and vocal techniques, varying degrees of musical manipulation, and the infusion of sounds from different and disparate musical genres outside of metal, such as world music, electronic, breakbeat, and noise music. In this regard, it overlaps with AlternativeMetal and NuMetal, and is seen as having grown out of it.

An offshoot of avant-garde/experimental metal is post-metal, which offsets the darkness and intensity of extreme metal with an emphasis on atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of {{ambient}}, [[HarshNoise noise]], psychedelic, progressive, and ClassicalMusic. Songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars (subjected to various effects) and drums, while any vocals are usually screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument. See the DoomMetal page for post-metal bands.

As with AlternativeMetal and NuMetal, avant-garde metal and experimental metal are often used interchangeably, and like the former two genres, metalheads will often argue that avant-garde and experimental are the same thing, but in recent years, a distinction between avant-garde and experimental has arisen, with "avant-garde" being more about proficient and innovative musicianship, while "experimental" being more about [[GenreBusting transcending stylistic constraints]]. Both subsets, however, remain [[DeadUnicorntrope very loosely defined]], as bands that fall into either one or both genres also overlap considerably with other related genres such as progressive or alternative metal.
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A partial list of bands and artists considered as or frequently associated with avant-garde metal and/or experimental metal include the following:

[[index]]
* Music/{{Afterbirth}} (experimental, also technical death metal and an UrExample of brutal death metal)
* Music/{{Akercocke}} (avant-garde, some experimental elements)
* Music/AnaalNathrakh (experimental, a brutalizing example rooted in BlackMetal)
* Music/AnimalsAsLeaders (avant-garde)
* Music/{{Antigama}} (avant-garde, along with {{Grindcore}})
* Music/{{Arcturus}} (avant-garde, early work was rooted in BlackMetal before they moved to less classifiable territory)
* [[Music/BeholdTheArctopus Behold... the Arctopus]] (Avant-garde)
* Music/{{Benighted}} (avant-garde, rooted in brutal death metal)
* Music/BlutAusNord (avant-garde, starting with ''777 - Sect(s)''; also BlackMetal, IndustrialMetal, and ProgressiveMetal)
* Music/TheBody (experimental; also SludgeMetal)
* Music/{{Boris}} (experimental)
* Music/{{Buckethead}} (avant-garde, an arguable UrExample)
* Music/CarBomb (overlaps with mathcore)
* Music/CattleDecapitation (experimental, overlaps with DeathMetal)
* Music/CelticFrost (avant-garde, the UrExample)
* Music/CephalicCarnage (experimental death metal, early material was experimental grindcore)
* Music/ComaClusterVoid (avant-garde death metal)
* Music/{{Converge}} (avant-garde, a {{metalcore}}-based example bordering on noise metal)
* Music/DeathspellOmega (avant-garde/progressive black since 2004)
** ''Music/TheFurnacesOfPalingenesia'' (2019)
* Music/DiabloSwingOrchestra (experimental)
* Music/TheDillingerEscapePlan (avant-garde and experimental)
* Music/DirEnGrey (the genre's arguable gods as of late)
* Music/{{Disbelief}} (experimental)
* Music/DogFashionDisco (experimental, overlaps with '70s-style psychedelia, jazz, and circus music)
* Music/{{DVSR}} (experimental, one more RapMetal-based example)
* Ehnahre (both)
* Music/{{EmptyTenementSpirit}} (experimental, significant overlap with raw black metal and MelodicDeathMetal)
* Music/{{Endon}} (experimental, also HarshNoise with traces of mathcore)
* Music/EnterShikari (experimental, overlaps with PostHardcore and ElectronicMusic - have {{Genre Shift}}ed towards AlternativeRock and electronic rock from ''The Spark'' onwards and have never looked back since then)
* Music/EphelDuath (post-black metal early on, later moved towards avant-garde)
* Music/{{Extol}} (avant-garde, a [[ChristianRock Christian]] example)
* Music/{{Exotype}} (both, overlaps with an insane number of other genres including {{metalcore}}, {{deathcore}}, ProgressiveMetal, NuMetal, {{djent}}, [[{{Dubstep}} brostep]], {{trance}}, glitch, and {{industrial}})
* Music/{{Fantomas}} (Experimental)
* Music/{{Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas|Band}} (both, overlaps with HardcoreTechno)
* Music/{{Fountainhead}} (avant-garde)
* Music/FreakKitchen (experimental, overlaps with HardRock and ProgressiveMetal)
* Music/GenghisTron (experimental)
* Music/{{Godflesh}} (both)
* Music/{{Gorguts}} (both)
* Music/{{Go-Zen}} (experimental, overlaps with pornogrind, overlaps with {{Hentai}}, out of all things, TropeCodifier for hentaigrind)
* Music/IBuiltTheSky (avant-garde)
* Music/{{Igorrr}} (avant-garde, mixed with breakcore, DrumAndBass, IndustrialMetal, DeathMetal and BlackMetal)
* Imperial Triumphant (avant-garde, also black metal)
* Music/{{Iwrestledabearonce}} (experimental)
* Music/JuteGyte (both, although quite prone to GenreRoulette and GenreMashup; depending on the release, may overlap with BlackMetal, {{Ambient}}, HarshNoise, IndustrialMetal, ProgressiveMetal, ElectronicMusic, and other genres)
* [[Music/JigAl Jig-Al]] (experimental, overlaps with {{Hentai}} out of all things, TropeMaker for hentaigrind)
* Music/KayoDot (both, though it really [[GenreRoulette depends on the release]])
* Music/{{Khanate}} (experimental)
* Music/{{Krallice}} (avant-garde, mixed with BlackMetal and ProgressiveMetal)
* Music/LinguaIgnota (avant-garde noise metal with classical and spiritual elements)
* Music/{{Liturgy}} (both, mixed with BlackMetal on the first two albums and EP)
* Music/{{Loathe}} (avant-garde, mixed with metalcore, post-metal, ProgressiveMetal and NuMetal; ''The Cold Sun'' includes flirtations with {{deathcore}}, while the follow-up ''I Let It In And It Took Everything'' adds in elements of {{Ambient}}, PostPunk, PostGrunge and {{Shoegaze}})
* Music/MaudlinOfTheWell (both, mixed with ProgressiveMetal, DeathMetal, and [[GenreBusting a wide variety of other genres]])
* Music/MeltBanana (experimental, overlapping with {{Grindcore}}, JapanesePopMusic and NoiseRock)
* Music/{{Metallica}} (experimental, their infamous collaboration album with Music/LouReed, ''Lulu'', mixed ThrashMetal with PostRock, ProgressiveMetal, SpokenWord and NoiseRock)
* Music/{{Meshuggah}} (TropeCodifier for experimental metal, TropeMaker for {{Djent}}, actually both)
* Music/MikePatton (both, fronted TropeMaker Mr. Bungle, and {{Trope Codifier}}s Fantomas and Faith No More)
* Music/{{Mirrorthrone}} (avant-garde)
* Misanthrope (both, along with progressive/technical death metal)
* Music/{{Miyavi}} (both, first two solo albums were experimental)
* Music/{{Mortification}} (avant-garde)
* Music/MrBungle (TropeMaker for experimental metal)
* Music/{{Mushroomhead}} (experimental, they are an AlternativeMetal outfit that mix industrial, goth, rap, electronica, punk, and even DeathMetal into an unique sound)
* [[Music/JohnZorn Naked City]] (experimental, overlaps with {{Grindcore}})
* Music/{{Necronomidol}} (avant-garde, dark [[IdolSinger idol group]] that began with a blend of BlackMetal and traditional Japanese folk, later incorporated several metal genres, DarkWave and electronica)
* Music/NegativeOhio (avant-garde and experimental, mixed with {{Grindcore}}, IndustrialMetal, Free Jazz, HardcoreTechno, Noise music, [[{{Ambient}} Dark Ambient]] and anything else they feel like in the moment)
* Music/{{Neoanderthals}} (experimental)
* Music/NeObliviscaris (avant-garde)
* Nero di Marte (avant-garde)
* Music/{{Neurosis}} (experimental)
* Music/{{Nevermore}} (avant-garde, overlaps with PowerMetal and GrooveMetal)
* Music/{{Noneuclid}} (avant-garde, mixed with death metal and progressive metal)
* Music/{{Portal|Band}} (avant-garde death metal)
* Music/{{Polyphia}} (avant-garde from ''[=TheMostHated=]'' onwards, mixed with ElectronicMusic, jazz fusion, indie pop and TrapMusic)
* Music/{{Pyrrhon}} (avant-garde)
* Music/{{Senmuth}} (avant-garde, at least on some of his ''[[ArchivePanic over two hundred albums]]'')
* Music/{{Sigh}} (experimental)
* Music/SikTh (experimental, also [[GrooveMetal djent]]. Their first EP was NuMetal)
* Music/SleepytimeGorillaMuseum (experimental)
* Music/SoundHorizon (avant-garde, best known for abusing RockOpera and [[GratuitousForeignLanguage foreign languages]] to full effect.)
* Music/SpasticInk (experimental, though tends to cross over to avant-garde as well)
* Music/{{Spiritbox}} (avant-garde, also {{metalcore}}, NuMetal, ProgressiveMetal, GrooveMetal, {{Djent}} and [[DoomMetal post-metal]])
* Music/{{Starkweather}} (both, overlaps with {{Metalcore}})
* Music/SunnO (avant-garde, overlaps with [[DoomMetal drone metal]])
* Music/{{Sybreed}} (experimental, overlaps with IndustrialMetal and MelodicDeathMetal)
* Music/{{Therion}} (TropeCodifier for avant-garde metal)
* Music/ThoughtIndustry
* Thy Catafalque (avant-garde)
* Music/{{Triptykon}} (experimental)
* Music/{{Ulcerate}} (avant-garde)
* Music/{{Unexpect}} (both)
* Music/VedBuensEnde (avant-garde, mixed with BlackMetal)
* Music/ZealAndArdor (BlackMetal mixed with GospelMusic, {{Blues}}, and [[GenreBusting traces of numerous other styles]]... no, seriously)
* [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto Zilch]] (experimental, also NuMetal and IndustrialMetal)
[[/index]]

!The avant-garde and experimental metal subgenres provide examples of the following tropes:
* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Subverted - the scene is home to some of the best drummers in metal, most of which possess monstrous stamina, but they really know their thing as opposed to the "big, dumb drummer" stereotype. Good examples include Matt Halpern (Music/{{Periphery}}), Van Williams (Music/{{Nevermore}}) and drum virtuosos Tomas Haake (Music/{{Meshuggah}}) and Music/YoshikiHayashi (Music/XJapan)
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Appreciating Avant-garde/experimental metal can be highly difficult, and usually, listeners cannot particularly identify what makes a certain song sound awesome, especially when it sounds like a [[GenreMashup chaotic mash-up of different metal and/or non-metal subgenres]] made to sound like an orderly mess, when it is drenched in guitar effects/digital processing/orchestral elements, or, if a song is old enough, [[FollowTheLeader endlessly copied]] [[ClicheStorm that it sounds like ''every other song'' out there]]. Some examples are probably made more awesome and difficult to listen to at the same time when artists deliberately encrypt thought-stimulating ideas into the music itself. Good examples of the application of this trope would be the Fibonacci sequence in "Lateralus" by Music/{{Tool}} and many a Music/{{Meshuggah}} song.[[note]]The band claims that almost everything they write is in CommonTime, but their rhythms are syncopated to the point where no one can tell[[/note]]
* AwesomeButImpractical: The genre may be this to more 'purist' metalheads, due to sheer weirdness avant-garde metal can become.
* DeadUnicornTrope: The definition of avant-garde metal (and to an extent, experimental metal) is frequently a matter of debate. Some metal fans argue that avant-garde metal isn't a standalone genre, because many bands and artists associated with the label also fall under ProgressiveMetal, AlternativeMetal, [[{{Metalcore}} mathcore]] and similar genres, but its questionable status as a genre is primarily due to the existence of [[NuMetal a certain subset of metal]]...
** Additionally, while the idea of a high-concept [[KayfabeMusic novelty band]] is often strongly associated with the genre (thanks to bands like Music/{{Therion}}, Music/DiabloSwingOrchestra, and Music/DogFashionDisco), it is by no means a requirement; many such concept-based acts also exist outside avant-garde metal, and most avant-garde metal bands would rather choose to stand out ''musically'' without seeing the need to create a particular mythos or write a ConceptAlbum about a niche concept.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness[=/=]UnbuiltTrope: Early avant-garde or experimental metal bands are usually just either ProgressiveMetal or extreme metal with a bit more unconventional style, taking influence from AlternativeRock, free {{Jazz}} and proto-FunkMetal. More and more bands added bigger and bigger elements from other musical genres until avant-garde metal becomes a distinctive genre of its own flesh instead of mere dialect of prog metal. What remains of earlier avant-metal bands are considered nowadays as either ProgressiveMetal, AlternativeMetal or extreme metal.
* EverythingIsAnInstrument: While other metal bands outside of this genre did utilise this trope to a certain extent, ''many, many'' bands here took it to its radical extreme.
* GenreBusting[=/=]GenreRoulette: Experimental metal, and to some extent, avant-garde metal draws influence from a very wide range of musical styles. Bands and artists who fall under the label also tend to produce material showcasing different styles of music, which may not exactly be "metal" in the conventional sense.
* {{Grunge}}[=/=]PostGrunge: The grunge movement and its subsequent post-grunge counterpart played a role in TropeCodifier phase of both avant-garde and experimental metal, particularly the former's dark guitar effects, DIY subculture and aesthetic, coupled with the latter's accessibility and appeal.
* IdolSinger: Arguably a staple in modern Japanese avant-garde/experimental metal, thanks to BABYMETAL's popularity. Subverted or even averted in older bands though.
* {{Improv}}: It's not uncommon for the bands in this genre to include free improvisation.
* KayfabeMusic: Many (but not all) avant-garde and experimental metal acts are so-called ''novelty bands''; primarily revolving around and cultivating a unique image and mythos that would make them stand out from other bands in the general heavy metal milieu. While many such acts such as Music/DiabloSwingOrchestra and Music/{{Buckethead}} have maintained a consistent image throughout their musical careers, others such as Music/DirEnGrey and Music/DevinTownsend have undergone numerous persona changes and stylistic evolutions.
* LeadBassist: Loads and loads of Type A (the virtuoso type, common in avant-garde) and Type D (musical lead, common in experimental) examples.
* ManOfAThousandVoices: Most examples of this trope in metal fall under the avant-garde metal umbrella. Some of the most notable include Music/MikePatton, Kyo of Music/DirEnGrey, Music/DevinTownsend, Roughton Reynolds of Music/EnterShikari, Julien Truchan of Music/{{Benighted}}, Travis Ryan of Music/CattleDecapitation, Toby Driver of Music/KayoDot, and Jonathan Davis of Music/{{Korn}}. [[Music/ToshimitsuDeyama Toshi]] was [[UrExample an early example]] with his ability to combine MelismaticVocals and MetalScream. Yasuko Onuki of Music/MeltBanana and Courtney Laplante of Iwrestledabearonce (and Spiritbox) are female examples.
* MultipleDemographicAppeal: A huge chunk of the genre's reputation rests upon its appeal to both HeavyMetal fans as well as fans of other musical styles who don't mind venturing out of their comfort zone.
* PopularityPolynomial: The genre got off to a strong start in TheNineties when several of its [[Music/{{Korn}} most]] [[Music/MrBungle influential]] [[Music/{{Meshuggah}} acts]] first emerged out of the underground scene and into the mainstream, conveniently riding the wave of creative musicianship that later gave rise to NuMetal. However, this path to success nearly led to the genre's extinction when its more mainstream counterpart fell from grace, and all but the most extreme avant-garde/experimental bands saw their fanbases dwindle as the genre was written off as pretentious and derivative. Several attempts to rehabilitate the genre were done by bands such as Enter Shikari and The Dillinger Escape Plan, but the genre was largely overshadowed in the West by the then-emerging djent scene which derived heavily from it. It took almost a decade of being a dumping ground for bands too weird to be classed as alternative, djent, or mathcore until avant-garde metal regained popularity in TheNewTens, beginning with Korn's comeback album ''The Path of Totality'' which combined GrooveMetal and NuMetal stylings with modern ElectronicMusic. A similarly huge push came from foreign, mostly Japanese, musical acts, such as {{Music/Babymetal}} and their eclectic, mainstream-friendly brand of "kawaii metal", and Music/{{Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas|Band}}, which took the electronica-infused style of Enter Shikari and pushed it to absurd extremes. The genre's ethos of being artistic proved to be a valid statement for a growing number of metal bands [[ArtistDisillusionment dissatisfied with an increasingly derivative industry]] of retro-metal pandering and soundalike "mallcore" bands, and these same bands began pushing the envelope of what is possible within HeavyMetal, bringing back much-needed diversity to the genre and appealing to a broader audience, with many avant-garde and experimental acts producing both radio-friendly but still recognizably metallic hits, as well as exceedingly technical and extreme productions that have garnered critical acclaim. In the 2020s social climate of faster-paced musical trends, convention-challenging creativity, and artists prioritizing authenticity over industry money, it would be safe to say that avant-garde metal is back in vogue.
* {{Postmodernism}}: Quite often the one concept that underpins all material classified under the genre, to the point where one would find it difficult to find anything in the genre that isn't made to be postmodern art. The trope is also one of the prime reasons why critics and fans either hold the genre in high regard or dismiss it as metal for the musically inept.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Avant-garde metal is this to early ProgressiveMetal while experimental is this to AlternativeMetal.
* StylisticSuck: Bands on the more extreme end of avant-garde and experimental metal often adopt this stance when it comes with their music, and would produce the harshest, weirdest, and most abstract tunes they could as a way to prove their nonconformity or silence critics. The irony to this is that their intentional breaking of musical conventions is often rooted in a firm and sometimes academic knowledge in music theory, instrument playing, and sound production, giving credence to the whole rule of "following the rules before breaking them"
* TropeCodifier: Music/{{Therion}} for avant-garde metal in general and Music/EnterShikari for modern avant-garde. For the Western scene, Music/{{Meshuggah}} for djenty experimental. Music/DirEnGrey, Music/{{Sigh}}, Music/SoundHorizon and Music/{{Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas|Band}} are credited as these for the Eastern scene.
* TropeMaker: Either Music/{{Voivod}} or Music/CelticFrost, for avant-garde (though the latter is usually seen as the UrExample). The origins of experimental metal are a little less definite, though Music/{{Meshuggah}}, Music/{{Korn}} and Music/MrBungle are arguably safe bets.
* UrExample: Either Music/CelticFrost or Music/{{Atheist}} for the West, and Music/XJapan for the Japanese emergence of it. Elements of what has now become avant-garde metal can be traced to bands such as Music/DreamTheater, Sieges Even and Music/KingCrimson.

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