The Song Planner

Deathstep

tagStarted 2012Peak 2015–2021Last big hit still active

Located in 1 route

Electronic / Dance → Dubstep / Bass Music / 140

Deathstep is an extreme metal-influenced branch of heavy dubstep built from distorted growls, horror atmospheres, orchestral stabs, deathcore energy, and brutal half-time drops. It often sits around 140–150 BPM and emphasizes impact, dread, and technical sound-design violence over dance-pop accessibility.

History

Deathstep grew from brostep, tearout, metalstep, and deathcore-influenced bass music as producers intensified the darker possibilities of dubstep's drop structure. Code: Pandorum, Evilwave, White Eyes, Qoiet, D-Jahsta, Mantis, TenGraphs, Kretan, and Crowsnest Audio-associated artists helped define a scene that circulated through SoundCloud, YouTube promotion channels, bass festivals, and underground heavy dubstep communities. It influenced tearout, minatory, metal-dubstep hybrids, and the broader taste for horror-score bass design.

Defining artists

Essential listening

← Explore Electronic / Dance

Sources

  • UKF
  • Crowsnest Audio catalog
  • Discogs
  • bass music genre indexes