D-beat is a drum beat, specifically a fast rock beat unique to hardcore punk, especially in its UK and European variants. Its name is derived from the British band Discharge, as the best-known use of this style can be attributed to their drummer Terry/Tezz. All over the world, D-beat has a cult following and has developed most heavily in Scandinavia and Japan. It is a contemporary term most common outside North America.
Early Scandinavian d-beat bands, such as Anticimex, are associated with very noisy and distorted guitar and have a very maxed out sound. This wave of d-beat hardcore punk emerged in the early 1980s, particularly in 1982 with the release of Anticimex's 2nd 7", the genre-defining "Raped Ass" EP, notable for its raw recording and prominent Discharge influence. Even some of the more distinctly American sounding Swedish bands whose range of influence is classified as "thrash" (such as Mob 47) essentially employ a very fast d-beat.
Japanese d-beat bands, however they fit into the wide range of Discharge influenced punk, are usually notable for either their faithful emulation of the European Discharge-influenced punk aesthetic (something at which bands like Disclose excel) or for their technically advanced playing, employing a d-beat in the context of a more transcendent and original whole. Band such as Bastard and Deathside are notable for their strong sense of melody and their subtly metallic playing, drawing influence from other aspects of Discharge's playing as well as North American Discharge-influenced bands such as Poison Idea.
While bands have played in this style since the early '80s, hardcore punk is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in Discharge and Scandinavian/Japanese influenced hardcore in the new millennium. Groups from around the world such as Wolfbrigade and Tragedy are largely responsible for the movement towards the fusing of the driving Discharge sound with dark, melodic elements reminiscent of Amebix, while other bands such as Portland's Warcry or Canada's Decontrol exemplify a kind of punk nostalgia, playing pure d-beat hardcore and proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves.
