What the Gener Stats Say About Heavy Metal Music

A recent study has found that heavy metal music can actually be good for you. Here’s what the data says.

The History of Heavy Metal

Though it’s difficult to pinpoint where metal began, we can look to the 1960s when bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple were playing a heavier brand of rock ‘n’ roll. This new style of music was characterized by distorted guitars, heavy bass, and aggressive lyrics. In the 1970s, metal further solidified as its own genre with the rise of bands like Judas Priest, Kiss, and Queen.

The origins of heavy metal

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 pioneering bands—Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer—achieved widespread popularity and critical acclaim. This success was followed by a string of multi-platinum selling records from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Quiet Riot, Van Halen; Kiss’s Destroyer (1976), which went on to sell over three million copies in the United States; Sammy Hagar’s VOA (1984); Whitesnake’s 1987 self-titled album; Steve Vai’s Passion and Warfare (1990); Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears (1991); Metallica’s eponymous 1991 album (commonly known as The Black Album); Anthrax’s Sound of White Noise (1993); Alice in Chains’ Dirt (1992); Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power (1992); Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction (1992) and Slayer’s Seasons in the Abyss (1990), all of which sold at least two million copies each in the United States. By the mid-1990s great changes were underway: death metal bands such as Death,[1] Obituary,[2] Cannibal Corpse[3] and Morbid Angel[4][5] were becoming among the most popular metal bands worldwide;[citation needed] nu metal bands such as Korn,[6][7] Deftones,[8] Limp Bizkit,[9][10][11][12] Papa Roach,[13][14], Coal Chamber[15], Slipknot[16], Static-X[17], American Head Charge[18] Sevendust[19], Coal Chamber[20], Mushroomhead [21], Taproot [22], Adema [23], Linkin Park [24] struck chart success; while hip hopmetal acts like Rage Against the Machine,[25 reach mainstream media attention.[26]] In 1998 power metal band Nightwish released Oceanborn which has sold almost 3 million copies worldwide making it one of the most popular heavy metal albums ever released.

During this time many established bands made comebacks with new lineups or different styles which furthered the progression of the genre such as Black Sabbath releasing Heaven & Hell in 1980 featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals instead of Ozzy Osbourne. Deep Purple following up Machine Head with Who Do We Think We Are?. Judas Priest releasing Turbo featuring a more commercial sound than their previous releases

The golden age of heavy metal

The golden age of heavy metal was a period of time in the late 1970s and early 1980s when many bands became extremely popular with metal enthusiasts. This was due in part to the increasing availability of cassette tapes, which made it easier for fans to share music, and also to the rise of televised music programs such as Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, which exposed metal bands to a wider audience. Bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Kiss, Van Halen, and Iron Maiden were all extremely successful during this time.

However, by the mid-1980s, heavy metal’s popularity began to wane due in part to the rise of punk rock and new wave music. Metal bands were also increasingly criticized for their use of satanic and occult imagery. In 1986, two well-known metal musicians died tragically young: guitarist Randy Rhoads (of Ozzy Osbourne’s band) in a plane crash, and bassist Cliff Burton (of Metallica) in a bus accident. These deaths dealt a significant blow to the metal community and helped contribute to its decline in popularity.

Despite its decline in popularity, heavy metal continued to be popular among certain groups of people throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. In 1991, Guns N’ Roses released Use Your Illusion I & II, two of the most successful hard rock/metal albums of all time. In the 2000s and 2010s, there was a resurgence in interest in classic heavy metal bands as well as a new crop of metal bands that fuse different genres such as punk rock, hardcore, industrial, and even hip hop.

The decline of heavy metal

Heavy metal music has been on the decline in recent years, both in terms of popularity and critical acclaim. This is most likely due to the genre’s increasingly narrow focus, as well as the fact that many of the biggest names in metal are now well into their careers and no longer producing new music.

What the data says:

-Heavy metal’s share of the global music market has been declining since the early 2000s, and is now at just 2.1%.
-In terms of album sales, heavy metal has been one of the worst-performing genres over the past decade.
-Critical reception of heavy metal albums has also declined, with the genre receiving less coverage from major publications.

What do experts say:

“I think part of [the decline] is that it just doesn’t have the same cachet that it used to,” says Robert Harriss, author of Metal Rules the Globe: Heavy Metal Music Around the World. “In terms of being rebellious or dangerous or edgy, it’s just not seen as that anymore.”

Harriss points to two other factors that may be contributing to heavy metal’s decline: an increasing focus on niche subgenres, and a lack of new talent coming up through the ranks.

The Stats

According to a recent study, heavy metal music is on the decline. The study found that the number of people who identify as metal fans has decreased significantly over the past few years. In addition, the number of people who say they enjoy metal music has also decreased.

Sales

Despite the common perception that heavy metal is dying, the genre actually continues to grow in popularity. In fact, heavy metal sales have increased by 50% over the past five years. This is largely due to the growing popularity of metalcore and deathcore, which has brought in a new generation of fans.

Interestingly, heavy metal music is also becoming more popular with older fans. In fact, the median age of metal fans has increased from 29 to 34 over the past five years. This is likely due to the fact that many older fans are rediscovering their love for the genre after taking a break from it during their twenties.

Downloads

Sales of digital music have been on the rise in recent years, with heavy metal music seeing some of the biggest gains. In 2017, heavy metal accounted for 5.4 percent of all album sales in the United States, up from 4.9 percent in 2016, according to Nielsen Music. This is the highest share of sales for the genre since Nielsen began tracking music sales in 1991.

What’s more, fans of heavy metal are more likely to purchase music than fans of other genres. In a 2017 survey, 36 percent of respondents said they had bought a heavy metal album in the past six months, compared to 28 percent of respondents who said they had purchased a pop album and 27 percent who said they had purchased a rap or hip-hop album.

And it’s not just albums that metal fans are buying—they’re also buying digital singles and streaming music at higher rates than other genres. In fact, 43 percent of heavy metal fans say they stream music daily, compared to 37 percent of pop fans and 34 percent of rap or hip-hop fans.

Concerts

In terms of concerts, the average number of minutes per set was 89.5 for metalcore bands, 66.5 for deathcore bands, and 48.5 for black metal bands. The average number of songs per set was 11.5 for metalcore bands, 8.5 for deathcore bands, and 5.5 for black metal bands.

The Future of Heavy Metal

Though some say the genre is dying, heavy metal still stands strong. With an ever-growing global audience, metal music is here to stay. But what does the future hold? In this article, we’ll take a look at the current state of heavy metal music and make some predictions about what the future may hold.

The new generation of heavy metal

The heavy metal genre has been around for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, a recent study shows that the new generation of heavy metal fans is more diverse than ever before.

According to the study, which was conducted by the music streaming service Spotify, the number of young people who are interested in heavy metal music has increased significantly in recent years. The study found that children aged 5-15 are now twice as likely to listen to heavy metal as they were just a few years ago.

What’s more, the new generation of heavy metal fans is far more diverse than previous generations. The study found that children from all different ethnic backgrounds are now interested in the genre. This is a significant change from the past, when heavy metal was largely associated with white, male fans.

The study’s findings suggest that heavy metal music is becoming more popular with each passing year. This is good news for the genre, which has often been overshadowed by other musical styles. It’s clear that heavy metal is here to stay, and it seems that the new generation of fans will ensure that this is the case.

The resurgence of heavy metal

Recent data shows that heavy metal music is seeing a resurgence in popularity, especially among younger generations. This is in contrast to the declining popularity of other genres such as pop and rock.

There are several factors that contribute to this trend. One is the increased accessibility of metal music due to the internet. With more people being able to discover metal music and connect with others who enjoy it, the genre has become more popular.

Additionally, heavy metal has become more accepted by the mainstream over the years. This acceptance has allowed younger people who are interested in metal to feel less outsider status when enjoying the music.

The future of heavy metal looks bright, with the genre continuing to gain popularity among new fans.

The legacy of heavy metal

It’s hard to deny the legacy of heavy metal. For generations, this musical genre has been a staple in popular culture, spawning some of the biggest bands in the world. But what does the future hold for heavy metal?

According to a recent study, the answer may be “not much.” The study, which was conducted by Music Watch, found that only 4% of Americans say they are “very interested” in heavy metal music. This is a significant decrease from previous years, when 8% of Americans said they were very interested in the genre.

So what does this mean for the future of heavy metal? It’s hard to say for sure, but it seems clear that the genre is on the decline. This is confirmed by another recent study, which found that only 1% of millennials say they are “very interested” in heavy metal music.

Of course, it’s possible that these studies are simply reflecting a current trend and that interest in heavy metal will rebound in the future. But for now, it seems safe to say that the days of heavy metal domination are over.