death metal

American  

noun

1. a type of speed metal music featuring violent or Satanic imagery.

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death metal British  

noun

1. 1. a type of heavy-metal music characterized by extreme speed and lyrics dealing with violence, satanism, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a death-metal band

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Etymology

Origin of death metal

First recorded in 1985–1990

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

death metal

One is chamber music, the other death metal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Tap in a few text descriptors—male blues vocal, 80s synth pop with dark romance, death metal with accordion—and out comes an AI produced song within a matter of minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

“You don’t want to rock down the highway to death metal at 90 decibels with a nervous dog in the car,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

I don’t really keep track, but once something as extreme as death metal has been around for decades, it becomes an established part of the music scene.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025

It feels like there’s a skyscraper pushing into my chest and my heart is going to burst out of me and seven death metal bands are screeching at the same time inside my head.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell