Firstly, just to let you know this question spawned when I saw a Dubstep moshpit on Tiktok (yes I use TikTok) and some heavy metal fan said that it was weak. I like to think Metal and Dubstep have loads of things in common and I respect metal fans.
Ever since dubstep fell down off the mainstream, it’s been categorised as MLG Epic Music, as we all know. Heavy Metal has always been seen as the “heavy emo” genre to the people who don’t have an open mind basically since it was created. Both have moshpits and both are considered abrasive to a majority of people.
Metal is categorised by intense, usually distorted electric guitars, emphatic rhythms, a pronounced vocal, which in the heavier genres of metal is usually accompanied by screaming and vigorous, dense drums. This encompasses everything that is considered heavy excluding synths.
Modern Dubstep is categorised by 2-step drums, and a bassline, usually consisting but not limited to: growls, wubs, lazers, sines, and everything in between.
Modern Dubstep, since it is categorised by the drop, gives loads of room for influence by every genre there is. Part of the reason I’ve loved Dubstep is because of it’s ability to work with loads of genres. Metal, for example, is a popular genre infused with Dubstep.
Metalstep and Deathstep are the kings of infusing Metal and Dubstep together, but the more heavier and plain dark form is categorised by Deathstep.
A subgenre of Deathstep (yes, a subgenre of a subgenre, theres a subgenre of the subgenre of a subgenre aswell) is called Minatory and usually sucks out any life in Deathstep and is pure darkness. Machine guns and gravelly basses, usually accompanied by heavy drums with “pansnares”, also seen in other heavy non-bass genres. A lot of Minatory is just walls of noise with heavy drums, starting the intro with dark atmospheres.
A good example of this is “Level Above God, Level Below Human” by Feast For Crows and Viridus, who are two staple artists in Minatory.
Metal, is still the staple “heavy genre”, and will remain for a long time. You could argue that since the heavier parts of dubstep are derived from metal influence metal is the heavier genre.
Would you think Heavy Metal’s longer runtime as a genre allow more forward-thinking heavy music to come out that is heavy in all aspects, therefore classifying it as a heavier genre if what’s been in the mainstream of that genre for the majority of its time outweighs what we see nowadays in modern dubstep, which I would say from my experience in the genre to be stomping briddim / riddim? Obviously yes, in my opinion. Briddim / riddim, despite still being dark, has more colour and fruitfulness to it then what I see of Heavy Metal’s most popular songs. Categorizing heaviness by the heaviness of the mainstream makes sense as the song I mentioned comes from quite a very underground genre which in no way encompasses dubstep as a whole.
This is just a friendly discussion, that I’d like answers upon.