Bayer Gerd Ed. on Heavy Metal Music in Britain
Contents
Bayer Gerd’s book on heavy metal music in Britain is a must-read for any fan of the genre. The book covers the history of the genre, the key players in its development, and the British scene today.
Introduction
Bayer Gerd Ed. on Heavy Metal Music in Britain is an exploration of the worldwide phenomenon of Heavy Metal music. The book documents the history, culture and politics of British Heavy Metal from its beginnings in the late 1960s to its present day incarnation.
The book features interviews with many of the key figures in the British Heavy Metal scene, including musicians, managers, promoters, and journalists. These interviews offer a unique insight into the world of Heavy Metal music and its effects on British culture.
The early days of heavy metal in Britain
The genre of heavy metal music first started to take shape in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the United Kingdom, bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin were at the forefront of the heavy metal revolution. British heavy metal bands were heavily influenced by the hard rock and blues music that was popular at the time.
The first wave of British heavy metal bands
In Britain, the first wave of heavy metal bands arose out of the hard rock and blues scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath defined the sound and style of British heavy metal, which would soon find favour with American audiences.
The second wave of British heavy metal bands emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These bands, such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard, took the sound and style of their predecessors and developed it further. They also began to experiment with different musical elements, incorporating aspects of speed metal, power metal and thrash metal into their sound.
The third wave of British heavy metal bands arose in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was a period when many American bands were gaining popularity in Britain, thanks to the growth of MTV and the rise of commercial radio stations that played rock music. As a result, British bands began to experiment with a more Americanised sound, incorporating elements of glam metal and melodic hard rock into their music. This trend culminated in the rise of bands like Guns N’ Roses and Metallica, who would go on to achieve global success.
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) emerged. One key development during this period was the emergence of independent record labels like Neat Records, which were able to sign promising new bands and help them develop a following. By the mid-1980s, a number of these bands had become quite successful, with bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard achieving mainstream success both in Britain and abroad.
The NWOBHM also had a significant impact on the development of black metal, with Venom’s Black Metal album (1982) being highly influential on the early Norwegian scene.
The evolution of heavy metal in Britain
Britain has always had a strong metal scene, with bands like Sabbath and Maiden being some of the most influential in the genre. However, the British metal scene has evolved over the years, with new bands bringing their own unique sound to the table. In this article, we’ll take a look at the evolution of heavy metal in Britain, from the early days to the present.
The British metal scene in the 1990s
In the early 1990s, death metal and black metal began to fuse into a new subgenre, known as blackened death metal. This combined the extreme sound and themes of death metal with the intensity and speed of black metal. British bands such as Benediction and Bolt Thrower were at the forefront of this new style, which would go on to have a major influence on the international metal scene. In the later 1990s, a new wave of British heavy metal bands emerged, many of them influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal of the 1980s. These bands, such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, kept the traditional sound of heavy metal alive while also incorporating elements of newer styles such as speed and thrash metal. This helped to keep heavy metal relevant in a rapidly changing musical landscape.
The British metal scene in the 2000s
In the early 2000s, the British metal scene was divided between two very different sounds and styles. On one side were the light, melodic metalcore bands such as Bullet for My Valentine and Bring Me the Horizon; on the other, the brutal, skull-crushing deathcore bands such as Architects and Suicide Silence.
The former took their cues from American metalcore bands like Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold, while the latter were inspired by American deathcore bands like Despised Icon and Necrophagist.
In the middle of this divide were a few bands that didn’t quite fit into either category, but who nonetheless had a significant impact on the British metal scene. These include Cradle of Filth, who mixed death metal with gothic sensibilities; DragonForce, who played a highly technical brand of power metal; and Trivium, who combined elements of both metalcore and deathcore.
As the 2000s wore on, it became increasingly clear that metalcore was the dominant force in British heavy music. This was no more apparent than in 2006, when Bullet for My Valentine’s debut album The Poison topped the UK charts.
The following year saw even more success for British metalcore bands, with Bring Me the Horizon’s debut album Count Your Blessings and Suicide Silence’s second album The Cleansing both reaching number one in the UK charts. Metalcore had truly arrived in the mainstream.
In the 2010s, British metal has continued to be dominated by metalcore bands such as Asking Alexandria, While She Sleeps, and Don Broco. However, there has also been a resurgence of interest in older styles of heavy music, particularly doom metal and black metal. This has led to a renewed interest in old-school British heavyweights like Paradise Lost and Napalm Death, as well as newer bands like Conjurer and Witchsorrow.
The influence of heavy metal on British culture
The impact of heavy metal on fashion
The impact of heavy metal on fashion was huge, not just in Britain but also around the world. British heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were at the forefront of the development of a distinctive look that went hand-in-hand with the music. This look was characterised by tight leather trousers, sleeveless vests, spikes, studs and Mullets.
While some critics lambasted this look as nihilistic and anti-fashion, there is no doubt that it had a huge impact on youth culture and fashion in general. The trend for tight leather trousers, in particular, can be traced back to heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. The spikey hair and studded belts were also heavily influenced by heavy metal fashion.
While it would be wrong to say that heavy metal fashion is still hugely popular, it is fair to say that it has had a lasting impact on youth culture and fashion. The tight leather trousers worn by Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are now commonplace in mainstream fashion, while the studded belts and spikes seen in heavy metal fashion are also popular accessories.
The impact of heavy metal on the media
In the 1980s, metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard achieved widespread success and became a significant force in the British music industry. As a result, heavy metal began to receive more mainstream coverage in the media. This increased exposure helped to boost the popularity of metal music and made it more acceptable to the general public.
The impact of heavy metal on the media was most apparent in the way that it was represented in popular culture. For instance, the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap featured a fictional British heavy metal band that spoofed many of the stereotypes associated with the genre. In addition, several British television shows such as Top of the Pops and The Chart Show began to feature metal bands on a regular basis. This increased visibility helped to increase the popularity of heavy metal music among young people in Britain.
Despite its growing popularity, heavy metal music remained largely underground in Britain throughout the 1980s. However, this changed in the early 1990s when a new generation of British bands such as Metallica and Nirvana began to achieve global success. The mainstream appeal of these bands helped to bring heavy metal music into the mainstream media spotlight and made it one of the most popular genres of music in Britain.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be seen that heavy metal music in Britain has a very long and varied history. It has been both reviled and admired, but its popularity has never wavered. It is a genre that is constantly evolving, absorbing new influences and mutants as it goes. As long as there are young people looking for something to believe in, heavy metal will continue to thrive.
