Death Metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by deep, growling vocals, loud guitars with heavy distortion, fast and often technically intricate drums, and complexity in the structure of the tracks. The lyrics often explore themes such as death, violence, war, and other harsh subject matter. Bands in the genre typically strive for a dark aesthetic and use intense rhythm and orchestration to create a sense of power and intensity. It emerged in the late 1980s and has evolved into various subcategories.