Defining Heavy Metal Music

What is heavy metal music? Most people would probably say it is a type of rock music that is characterized by its aggressive sound and lyrics. But there is more to it than that. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at heavy metal music and try to define it more precisely.

Introduction

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.

In 1970, four classic tracks were released that are now considered to be archetypal of the heavy metal genre: Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, Deep Purple’s “Black Night”, Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”, and Blue Cheer’s cover of “Summertime Blues”. These songs have been widely credited with helping to shape the definition of heavy metal.

What is heavy metal music?

Heavy metal is a genre of rock that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has its roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, and often incorporates elements of folk music. Hard rock, which is often associated with heavy metal, was also an important influence on the development of the genre.

Origins

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.

In 1970, four British rock bands released debut albums that are now considered to be classic heavy metal albums: Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin IV, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, Deep Purple’s In Rock, and Uriah Heep’s Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble. These albums were hits in the United Kingdom but were less popular in the United States. Though none of these bands were American citizens when they recorded these albums (Led Zeppelin was English; Black Sabbath was English; Deep Purple was Scottish; Uriah Heep was English), they are credited with shaping the sound and style of early heavy metal. Judas Priest’s 1974 album Rocka Rolla is also often cited as an important early heavy metal release.

Characteristics

The term “heavy metal” refer to a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This style is characterized by loud, distorted guitars, aggressive vocals, and sometimes macho lyrics.

Heavy metal songs often make use of extremely fast tempos, heavy guitar riffs, and power chords. The genre is also associated with a wide range of lyrical themes, including topics like rebellion, sex, violence, Satanism, and the occult.

Today, there are many subgenres of heavy metal music, each with its own unique sound and style. Some of the most popular include death metal, black metal, speed metal, thrash metal, doom metal, power metal, groove metal, and stoner metal.

The heavy metal subgenres

There are many different ways to define heavy metal music. Some say it is simply a louder, more aggressive form of rock music, while others define it as a specific subgenre with its own set of characteristics. No matter how you define it, heavy metal is one of the most popular genres of music today.

Thrash metal

Thrash metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo. The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work. The lyrics often deal with social issues and reproach for The Establishment, using direct and denunciatory language, an approach borrowed from hardcore punk.

The genre evolved in the early 1980s from combining the fast drum beats of hardcore punk with the double bass drumming, heavy and complex guitar style of new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). It emerged partially as a reaction to the more conventional and widely acceptable glam metal, a less aggressive, pop music–infused heavy metal subgenre which appeared simultaneously. Thrash metal was an inspiration for subsequent extreme genres such as black metal and death metal.

Death metal

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beats, and complex drumming. It emerged during the mid-1980s in Death’s 1985 debut LP Scream Bloody Gore and has since evolved into a variety of styles.

Early death metal was strongly influenced by the most aggressive music of thrash metal, particularly bands such as Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax and Metallica. Death metal lyrics typically concern themes such as murder, violence, betrayal, misery and suicide while some bands take a more satirical or comical approach to the genre. Many death metal bands use horror film themes and symbolism (most famously Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) in their music videos and album artwork.

After a less successful early 1990s death metal scene divided between “tech” metal innovators such as Death, Obituary and Cynic and “brutal” death scenes in Scandinavia (led by Entombed), United States (Deicide, Morbid Angel) and England (Carcass), killer hooks helped local scenes develop around the world during the mid-late 1990s: Melodic death metal in Sweden (At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity), Florida deathcore (Cannibal Corpse) and nu-metal influenced groove metal in New Orleans (Cathedral).

In the 2000s further stylistic diversification occurred with blackened death metal giving black metal elements to traditional deathmetal for a stronger demonic sound (Behemoth); technical/progressivedeathcore becoming increasingly popular; war themed/battle scarredmelodic death taking significant influence from powermetal and even some synthpop appearing within the genre from artists suchas Dethklok.

Black metal

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emphasis on atmosphere. Artists often appear in corpse paint and adopt pseudonyms.

Early black metal core acts include Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, and Celtic Frost. Jus Oborn of Electric Wizard said that the sound of black metal was “the Satanic equivalent of playing really loudly.”[1] Black metal scenes developed initially in the United Kingdom and Norway in the early to mid-1980s. Norway’s scene was the most prominent, particularly through its early inventory of artists such as Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Immortal, Emperor and Gorgoroth.

Sweden had Maniac (of Mayhem) from Kristiansand forming Abruptum in Örebro in 1988 with one-finger guitarist IT who had written lyrics for black metal fanzines such as Blood Water Death and Nordic Vision.[2][3][4] The style at this time was characterised by fast-paced riffing,[5][6] synth lines and layouts influenced by death metal but without blast beats,[7] played at a lower gain to achieve a more atmospheric sound,[8] with lyrics often focusing on Pagan themes and Satanism.

The heavy metal scene

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The heavy metal scene typically revolves around a subculture of fans who attend metal concerts and listen to the music.

The fans

Heavy metal fans are a passionate and dedicated bunch. They are often fiercely loyal to their favorite bands and are always on the lookout for new music to discover. They are also known for their love of live music, and many metal fans make it a point to see as many shows as possible.

While heavy metal fans come from all walks of life, there is one common trait that unites them: a love of all things heavy. From the heaviest of doom metal to the most blistering of black metal, fans of this genre know how to appreciate extreme music. And while they may not always agree on which bands are the best, they can all agree on one thing: heavy metal is the best kind of music there is.

The fashion

The fashion of the heavy metal scene is one that is very unique and often imitated but never duplicated. Heavy metal fans are typically very loyal to their favorite bands and they often dress in a way that shows their support. Black is the most popular color in the heavy metal scene and many fans choose to wear band shirts, hoodies, and hats. Jeans are also a popular choice, especially ripped jeans. Chokers, spikes, and leather are also common in heavy metal fashion.

The music

Heavy metal music is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The heavy metal sound came to dominate mainstream rock music in the 1980s.

Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo. In the 1970s, some bands moved away from traditional blues influences and created what is known as power metal, with a more arpeggiated sound often characterized by twin guitar harmonies and frequent use of science fiction or fantasy themes. During the 1980s and 1990s, death metal groups became noted for their heavily distorted guitars and extreme bass tones. In 1990, Judas Priest helped spur the genre’s evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; consequently, death metal developed a distinctly “darker” tone.

Today, heavy metal has persisted as one of rock’s most popular genres. It has also evolved to include subgenres such as black metal and nu-metal.

Conclusion

While there is no one definitive answer to the question of what heavy metal music is, there are a few key characteristics that are often found in this type of music. These include loud, distorted guitars, aggressive vocals, and a focus on themes such as rebellion and darkness. Heavy metal music has its roots in the hard rock genre, and over the years, it has evolved to include sub-genres such as black metal and death metal. Ultimately, whether or not a piece of music can be classified as heavy metal depends on the listener’s personal opinion.