experimental metal
what it is
Experimental metal, also known as avant-garde metal or avant-metal, is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and characterized by the use of innovative, avant-garde elements, large-scale experimentation, and the use of non-standard and unconventional sounds, instruments, song structures, playing styles, and vocal techniques. It evolved out of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and extreme metal, particularly death metal and black metal. Some local scenes include Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, Oslo in Norway, and Tokyo in Japan.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make experimental metal a playlist
turn these 14 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is experimental metal?
Experimental metal, also known as avant-garde metal or avant-metal, is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and characterized by the use of innovative, avant-garde elements, large-scale experimentation, and the use of non-standard and unconventional sounds, instruments, song structures, playing styles, and vocal techniques. It evolved out of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and extreme metal, particularly death metal and black metal. Some local scenes include Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, Oslo in Norway, and Tokyo in Japan.
What are good experimental metal albums to start with?
Try MACABRE by DIR EN GREY, Unfortunate Snort by Pinkly Smooth, Shades by Anxious Mind, and Sol Niger Within Version 3.33 by Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects.
Who are some women making experimental metal?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/experimental-metal/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making experimental metal, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20