Avant Garde - The term "avant garde" is generally applied to bands that try to achieve a higher level of artistry and creative exploration, usually by way of the fey and surreal. Avant garde approaches composition with a fresh, or inventive outlook -- complexity isn't an issue, but wild creativity is. Avant garde metal tends to be theatrical and melodramatic, attempting an infusion of art music, impressionistic and disjointed arrangements, and metal. Avant garde is not a genre, but a term that can be generally applied to any band of any genre pushing the boundaries and composing from a truly original direction. OOMPH! IN THE NURSERY

Doom metal can be described with a single word -- slow. Ponderous, ultra-heavy riffing and melodic vocals dominate this form of metal. It is a moribund, self-pitying and sentimental style of music, and the lyrical content often focuses on spiritual themes. FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM TIAMAT