'''Grindcore''' is an [[extreme metal|extreme]] fusion genre of death meta[[heavy metal music|lheavy metal]] and [[hardcore punk]] that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as [[thrashcore]],<ref name="Glasper 2009, p. 11"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mudrian |first1=Albert |title=Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore |date=2009 |title-link=Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore }}</ref> [[crust punk]],<ref name=grindcrust/> [[hardcore punk]], [[extreme metal]], and [[industrial music|industrial]]. Grindcore is considered a more noise-filled style of hardcore punk while using hardcore's trademark characteristics such as heavily [[Guitar distortion|distorted]], [[Guitar tunings#Dropped tunings|down-tuned guitars]], grinding [[overdriven bass]], high-speed [[tempo]], [[blast beat]]s, and vocals which consist of [[Death growl|growls]], shouts and high-pitched shrieks. Early groups such as England's [[Napalm Death]] are credited with laying the groundwork for the style. It is most prevalent today in North America and Europe, with popular contributors such as [[Brutal Truth]] and [[Nasum]]. Lyrical themes range from a primary focus on social and political concerns, to gory subject matter and [[black humor]].
A trait of grindcore is the "microsong", which is far shorter than average for punk or metal; several bands have produced songs that are only seconds in length.<ref>Metal: The Definitive Guide (Garry Sharpe-Young), US Death Metal and Grindcore</ref> Napalm Death holds the [[Guinness World Record]] for shortest song ever recorded with the one-second "[[You Suffer]]" (1987). Many bands, such as [[Agoraphobic Nosebleed]], record simple phrases that may be rhythmically sprawled out across an instrumental lasting only a couple of [[Bar (music)|bars]] in length.
