The Origin and Evolution of Death Metal Death metal began in the mid-'80s with Florida band Death, led by the guitarist/vocalist generally credited as the creator of the genre, Chuck Schuldiner. In its beginning, the style incorporated simple, down-tuned riffing, fast drumming that alternated between the snare and bass drum (known as the “blast beat”) and deep growls about gore and generally violent topics. From its primitive early sound, death metal soon developed into a thriving scene in its home state, with bands such as Morbid Angel and Obituary evolving the primitive topics to lyrics influenced by H.P. Lovecraft and the occult. Lyrics weren’t the only aspect of the genre that matur

A Delicate Balance Though they tour fairly regularly and received positive reviews for their 2008 debut, the five members of Conducting From the Grave know that playing their type of music rarely becomes a lucrative endeavor. To make a living, Abernathy and his bandmates work day jobs and play music at night or take breaks from work to tour. “I’m like the one unlucky guy who doesn’t have a job that lets him go on tour and still have the job when he comes back," said Abernathy. So we toured for, like, six months at the beginning of this year for the album, and I came home and had no job. So I just said, ‘Damn, we’re leaving on tour in a few more months again so I won’t even try to find on

Sacramento has occupied space within the large world of heavy music with just two names: Deftones and Tesla. The former, an alternative rock band with metal influence, was a major player in the same mid/late '90s scene that consisted of Korn, Limp Bizkit and, to a lesser extent, Tool. Tesla is arguably the first mainstream band out of Sacramento to be branded “heavy metal," releasing albums throughout the late '80s and '90s and making a comeback in recent years with a three-album streak in 2007. But what about the bands in Sacramento's underground music scene? The one who ply their trade in the underground -- playing to a devoted local following of kids interested in complex, modern heavy