Their worlds are almost diametrically opposed in every way, and from the instruments used to the image and attitude being sold, these two genres probably couldn’t be further apart.
That hasn’t stopped drop and breakdown from flirting with each other – yet the idea of artists splicing it exactly down the middle, and existing within a world that accommodates for fans of both, would still probably seem a little out of the question to most.
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Enter the synthwave genre: a style of music that spawned a community in online circles on such hubs as Soundcloud and Bandcamp before gradually spreading out into the real world. Prolific acts such as Perturbator, Gost and Carpenter Brut have been particularly significant in leading this genre out of bedrooms and onto not only the touring circuit, but the stages of metal festivals and dance parties all over the globe. And if you want to throw it back further, perhaps the foundations for all of this were laid down in the ‘80s by such film composers as horror master John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), science fiction extraordinaire Vangelis (Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire), and Stan Bush (Transformers: The Movie, Bloodsport).
Essentially, this is often music that’s been made by nerds who were born in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. They grew up watching forbidden VHS tapes, hyper-violent anime, and playing early Playstation and Nintendo games, before establishing a foundation for their rebellious youth amongst heavy metal.
Taking what they’d learned from all these facets, they then created something of their own that boldly and simultaneously reached into both the future and past of music. However not all within the arch of synthwave are coming at it from a metal angle – of which I’d point to The Midnight, FM-84, and Timecop 1983 – acts more interested in a direction of straight up neon-soaked romance than dense and aggressive beats. The cool thing is, there are no rules here.
Just the other week California’s Dance With The Dead released a new album entitled Loved To Death. Formed by two guys who previously played in no-name metal bands, the duo have found a name for themselves splicing ‘80s synth, increasingly modern dance inclinations, and heavy metal riffs. While past efforts sometimes felt like ‘this is the metal song, and now this is the dance song’, their seventh album (they released three in 2014 alone) finds them standing right in the middle of a sound that is proudly balanced between both worlds. The metal influence is apparent in almost every beat, but you’d have a hard time convincing anyone that this could be called heavy metal.
Perhaps just for that little bit of credibility, As I Lay Dying shredder Nick Hipa has even lent a couple of his own blistering solos to these tracks, and the results are outstanding. If you want to feel refreshed, inspired, energised, positive, and unsure of whether or not you want to throw up the horns and mosh, dance until you can’t sweat no more, or just boogie in the corner, check this out immediately.
