Metal Rules the Globe: Heavy Metal Music Around the World
Contents
A blog about heavy metal music around the world. Find out where to find the best metal scenes, the best metal albums, and the best metal festivals.
Introduction
Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that heavy metal is a global phenomenon. This aggressive and often dark style of music has legions of fans all over the world, and many different countries have their own unique metal scenes. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular heavy metal music around the world.
Germany is one of the birthplaces of metal, with some of the earliest and most influential bands such as Scorpions and Accept coming from this country. German metal is typically quite melodic and often incorporates elements of classical music. Notable German metal bands include Powerwolf, Kreator, and Rammstein.
Poland is another country with a thriving metal scene. Polish metal tends to be quite extreme, with bands like Behemoth and Vader playing brutal, fast-paced music. black metal is also popular in Poland, and bands like Mgła and Batushka have gained a significant following in recent years.
Finland is home to some of the most well-known metal bands in the world, such as Children of Bodom and Nightwish. Finnish metal often has a very “catchy” sound, with lots of melody and hooks that will stay in your head for days. Other popular Finnish metal bands include Wintersun and Amorphis.
Sweden is another hotspot for metal, with a number of incredibly successful bands such as Metallica, Opeth, and In Flames coming from this country. Swedish death metal is particularly well-regarded, and bandssuch as At the Gates and Dismember are considered to be among the best in the genre.
The United States is also home to a large number of talentedmetal bands. While American metal can be quite diverse, there are some common themes that are often explored in this music, such as social unrest and religious intolerance. Notable American metal bands include Slipknot, Lamb of God
The Birth of Heavy Metal
It’s difficult to say when and where heavy metal was born. You could make the argument that it was in the United Kingdom with bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Or you could say it was in the United States with bands like Metallica and Megadeth.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has been home to some of the most influential and iconic heavy metal bands of all time. From Iron Maiden to Black Sabbath, the UK has produced some of the most enduring metal bands in history.
The UK was also responsible for giving birth to one of the most important subgenres of heavy metal: doom metal. Bands like Candlemass and Cathedral pioneered a sound that would go on to inspire countless other bands.
Today, the UK continues to be a major force in the world of heavy metal. While the country may not be pumping out as many new bands as it once was, the existing bands are still going strong and continuing to influence younger generations of metalheads.
The United States
The United States has always been a hotbed for heavy metal music. Some of the earliest and most influential bands in the genre, such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin, all hail from the US. In the 1980s, American heavy metal enjoyed its greatest mainstream success to date with bands like Van Halen, Metallica, and Mötley Crüe achieving massive popularity. Today, American heavy metal is as strong as ever with new bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Lamb of God carrying on the tradition.
The Spread of Heavy Metal
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new type of music was born. This music was louder, faster, and heavier than anything that had come before it. This music was called heavy metal. Today, heavy metal is enjoyed by millions of people around the world.
Europe
Heavy metal music first emerged in England in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple leading the way. From there, it spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany, Scandinavia, and Italy. In the 1980s, heavy metal reached its height of popularity with bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden. Today, there are heavy metal scenes all over Europe, from the United Kingdom to Sweden to Greece.
Asia
There are many different types of heavy metal music, and it has spread all over the world. In Asia, there are a few different styles that have gained popularity.
One style that is popular in Japan is visual kei. This type of metal is characterized by its flashy visuals and theatrics. It often includes elements of glam rock and gothic fashion. Some well-known visual kei bands include X Japan, Dir en Grey, and Malice Mizer.
Another style of metal that is popular in Asia is symphonic metal. This type incorporates elements of classical music into heavy metal. Bands like Epica and Nightwish are well-known symphonic metal bands from Europe that have a large following in Asia.
Heavy metal has also gained a following in India. There are a few different styles of metal that are popular there, including power metal and thrash metal. Power metal bands often sing about topics like fantasy and mythology, while thrash metal bands tend to have a more aggressive sound. Some well-known Indian metal bands include Kryptos and Bhayanak Maut.
South America
In South America, metal has a long and varied history. In Brazil, for example, metal has been popular since the 1980s, when bands like Sepultura andOverdose gained international attention. Chilean metal is also quite well-known, thanks in part to bands likedeathgrind pioneers Besieged.
Argentina has a strong metal scene as well, with bands like Hermética and Rata Blanca achieving widespread popularity. Uruguay also has a thriving metal community, with bands like Carajo and Sodomía garnering much acclaim.
Metal in South America is not limited to these well-known scenes, however. There are active metal communities in countries like Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia as well. In fact, heavy metal is so popular in some parts of South America that it has even begun to influence traditional music styles like cumbia and vallenato.
The Evolution of Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a musical movement that started in the late 1970s and reached its height in the early 1980s. The movement developed out of the already existing hard rock and punk rock scenes in the UK, and was spearheaded by bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Def Leppard. N.W.O.B.H.M. bands were often characterized by their use of twin guitar harmony solos, high-pitched vocals, and aggressive lyrical themes.
While the N.W.O.B.H.M. did not achieve the same level of commercial success as other heavy metal movements like glam metal or thrash metal, it did have a significant impact on the development of those genres. Many N.W.O.B .H .M .bands went on to influence future generations of metal musicians, and the movement is still remembered fondly by many fans today .
Thrash Metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its aggressive sound and fast tempo. Thrash metal songs typically use fast percussive rhythms and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work. The lyrics often deal with social issues and repressed anger.
The genre evolved in the early 1980s from a combination of other heavy metal subgenres, most notably New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and hardcore punk. It was further influenced by the underground scene of the 1980s, including crossover thrash bands such as Suicidal Tendencies and D.R.I.. The genre peaked in popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when many thrash bands achieved commercial success.
The Big 4 – Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax – are credited with helping to pioneer and popularize the genre. They were responsible for bringing it to mainstream audiences through their highly successful albums released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Other successful thrash bands include Exodus, Sepultura, Overkill, Pantera, Testament, Sodom, Destruction, Kreator, Tankard and Sacred Reich.
Death Metal
Death metal is a style of music that emerged in the early 1990s. It is characterized by fast tempo, aggressive guitar playing, and screamed vocals. Death metal is often associated with horror and gore, and its lyrics often deal with death and violence.
Death metal bands are often credited with helping to create the extreme metal subgenre of metal. Extreme metal is characterized by its extreme sound and its embrace of themes that are outside the bounds of traditional heavy metal music.
Some of the most popular death metal bands include Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Obituary. Death metal has also been influence by hardcore punk and grindcore, two other styles of music that emerged in the 1980s.
Heavy Metal Today
While metal might not be as popular as it was in the 80s, it is still a genre with a large and passionate following around the world. In fact, metal might be more popular than ever, with new subgenres constantly emerging and metal bands finding success in unlikely places. Let’s take a look at heavy metal music around the world.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has a long and storied history with metal music, dating back to the early days of pioneers like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. metal has always had a strong underground following in the UK, and in recent years has seen a huge resurgence in popularity. Today, some of the biggest metal bands in the world hail from the UK, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Slayer. The British metal scene is as strong as ever, and shows no signs of slowing down.
The United States
In the United States, metal has always been a huge force in the music scene. From its early days in the 1970s with bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, to its 1980s heyday with hair metal bands like Motley Crue and Poison, to its more recent rise in popularity with bands like Metallica and Megadeth, metal has always had a strong presence in America.
Today, there are metal scenes all over the country, from Los Angeles to New York to Florida. American metal bands are some of the most popular in the world, and the genre shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Europe
Europe is home to some of the most well-known and respected metal bands in the world, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Megadeth. Metal is extremely popular in Europe, with festivals like Bloodstock attracting tens of thousands of fans from all over the continent.
While metal originated in the United States, Europe has become a hotbed for the genre, with bands from all over the continent experiments with different styles and subgenres. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional heavy metal, with bands like Sabaton and Powerwolf leading the charge.
Whether you’re a fan of high-octane speed metal or crushing doom metal, there’s something for everyone in European metal. So put on your battle jacket and get ready to headbang!
Asia
It’s no secret that heavy metal is huge in Asia. From headbanging Mongolians to thrash-loving Japanese, Asians have been rocking out to metal for decades. In fact, some of the world’s most famous metal bands come from Asia, including China’s Cui Jian and Japan’s X Japan.
Asian metalheads have had to overcome some obstacles, though. In China, for example, heavy metal was long outlawed by the government as a “spiritual pollution” that had the potential to “corrupt” the country’s youth. Despite this, Chinese metal bands persisted in their love of the genre, forming underground scenes in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
These days, heavy metal is more popular than ever in Asia. In addition to well-established scenes in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea, there are also thriving metal scenes in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. With so many Asian countries embracingmetal music , it’s clear that this genre isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!
South America
South America has always been a hotbed for heavy metal music, with some of the earliest and most influential bands hailing from this region. Countries like Brazil and Argentina have produced some of the heaviest and most brutal metal bands in the world, while Chilean bands like Pentagram have helped pioneer the doom metal genre.
In recent years, South American metal bands have only become more popular and successful, with bands like Sepultura and Metallica achieving global recognition. South American metalheads are some of the most passionate and dedicated fans in the world, and they continue to support metal music in spite of political and social turmoil in many parts of the region.
