IMO , "War Metal" is basicly all types of extreme metal into 1 big melting pot .

If that's the case, where's the funeral doom?

The term "War Metal" should not exist. It's like calling Cannibal Corpse "Gore Metal" or a band always singing about sex "Intercourse Metal". It's just stupid.

Lyrical themes does not create a genre.

No shit, that's why "war metal" refers to a sound and not lyrical themes.

Could you then recommend me some "war metal" bands so I understand exactly how you mean when you say that it refers to a sound. Bolt Thrower sounds just like Death Metal, with lyrical themes that happens to be about war. But then, I haven't listened to them so much, so I might be wrong.

You're in the wrong place, Bolt Thrower are completely different to what is usually referred to as "war metal."

Generally you're looking at bands like Blasphemy, Conqueror, Bestial Warlust and Goat Semen. That slightly grindy, lo-fi black/death style. I believe there was a rec list on the previous page, though I haven't heard many of the bands so I can't attest to their adherence to the style.

With Extreme Metal I meant Black/Death/Thrash + some Grind/Crust.
But then again , I'm not an expert in "War Metal".
"War Metal" reoccurs a few times in album titles and songtitles , but none of the bands are truly War Metal.

Can you play death, black, thrash, doom, gothic through your instruments?

the only genres you can play through your instrument are heavy, power, speed, symphonic, folk and groove. Because those genres actually descibe what the music does in their names.

though names like growly really heavy metal instead of death metal wouldn't actually work.

True, that is why sometimes people are misled by release titles such as LotM's "War Metal Battle Master" or even Cobalt's "War Metal" which is admittedly influenced by Revenge (Can) but falls short due to the lack of grinding and the use of acoustic guitar (if I remember correctly)

Hell, I even know some people who thought that Manowar were actually War Metal for some strange reason. You can almost bash yourself on the head.


How can you play "power" on the guitar?
Names like Death Metal, Black Metal and Heavy Metal were simply coined by influential/pioneering artists of the genre really, nothing too mysterious.

That's exactly what I thought when opening this thread. But anyone who knows me here knows I'm a huge Thornspawn fan

I'd say their first album "Blood of the Holy, Taint Thy Steel" and their EP that followed don't really have the same feel, but most of the things they released since then have more of a "war metal" feel, in my opinion, ESPECIALLY Wrath of War. Killer drumming on that album, too.