Australian Warmetal is a subgenre of Heavy metal music particular to Australia - not to be confused with the War metal music performed by British band Bolt Thrower, who employ cartoonish warfare imagery, and are sonically very different. Parallels are frequently drawn to between Australian Warmetal and Norwegian Black Metal . Australian Warmetal takes its fantasy imagery from Teutonic, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon mythology, and combines it with satanic overtones and most importantly a particularly Australian sense of humour.
The style is characterized by a fusion of death metal style drumming, with 1980s thrash-style guitar and bass riffs, particularly influenced by German thrash bands such as Sodom and Destruction, and also influenced by American thrash band Slayer.
The originators of the genre were the Melbourne band Bestial Warlust with the demo ‘Descension Of A Darker Deity’ (1992.) "The Warsluts" were influenced by the Virgin Metal bands Hobbs Angel Of Death and Hatred .
The most famous Australian Warmetal band are Destroyer666 , who relocated to The Netherlands. Other exponents of Australian Warmetal include Gospel Of The Horns , Abominator , Spear of Longinus & Vomitor .
