An Introduction to Heavy Metal Music

Discover the history and origins of heavy metal music, and learn about the different subgenres and styles that have developed over the years.

What is heavy metal music?

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.

Heavy metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals. Metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these attributes. New York Times critic Jon Pareles writes that “identifying a heavy metal song is sometimes like spotting a star in an adjacent constellation. There are lots of them out there; they seldom seem to have much in common except their general diffuseness.”

The history of heavy metal music

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. 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 1968, three British bands led by Black Sabbath released debut albums that are now considered to be groundbreaking works in the history of heavy metal: Black Sabbath’s self-titled album, Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut, and Deep Purple’s In Rock. These works were followed by other landmark recordings likeIron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast (1982), Metallica’s Ride the Lightning (1984), and Slayer’s Reign in Blood (1986). Since then, heavy metal has diversified into numerous subgenres.

The evolution of heavy metal

The early history of heavy metal music is often traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin began releasing a series of groundbreaking albums that defined the genre.

Over the next few years, heavy metal evolved and diversified, with new subgenres such as hard rock, glam metal and thrash metal emerging. In the 1980s and 1990s, metal continued to evolve, with pioneering bands such as Metallica and Megadeth helping to shape the sound of the genre.

Today, heavy metal is one of the most popular genres of music in the world, with a huge global fanbase. There are now hundreds of different metal subgenres, each with its own loyal following.

The elements of heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has its roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, and is often characterized by a thick, heavy sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The lyrics and themes of heavy metal often deal with topics such as violence, death, and the occult.

The instruments

The guitar is usually played with power chords, which are a combination of two or more notes played together. The guitar solo is a very important part of heavy metal music, and many guitarists show off their technical ability in their solos. The bass guitar provides the low-pitched background riffs and sometimes plays solos. The drums keep the beat and often use a lot of cymbals to create a loud sound. The vocals are usually aggressive and sung in a higher range.

The vocals

In metal music, the vocals are typically much louder and more aggressive than in other genres. The vocalist may also use techniques such as growling and screaming to create a more aggressive sound. The lyrics often deal with dark and violent subject matter, such as death, war, and darkness.

The lyrics

Heavy metal lyrics are often very dark and deal with topics like death, violence, and sex. They can be very graphic and explicit, and some people find them offensive. Many metal bands sing about things like Satanism or the occult, which can also be controversial.

Some people think that heavy metal lyrics are a reflection of the dark side of human nature, while others see them as a form of cathartic release. either way, they are an integral part of the heavy metal experience.

The subgenres of heavy metal music

Heavy metal music is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has its roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, and is often characterized by a distorted, high-pitched guitar sound, aggressive vocals, and dark, ominous lyrics. There are many subgenres of heavy metal music, each with its own distinctive sound and style. Some of the most popular subgenres include thrash metal, death metal, black metal, and doom metal.

Thrash metal

Also referred to as speed metal, thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that emerged in the early 1980s. Thrash metal is characterized by its fast tempo and aggressive musicianship. The songs are often shorter than those in other heavy metal genres and typically feature two guitarists who play harmony leads and back-up riffs. Drummers in thrash metal bands typically use double bass drumming techniques to keep up with the fast tempo of the music.

The lyrics of thrash metal songs are often dark and violent, dealing with topics such as war, death, destruction, and disease. Themes of apocalypse and rebellion are also common. Many thrash metal bands have anti-establishmentarian lyrical content, which has led to the genre being associated with left-wing politics.

The origins of thrash metal can be traced back to bands such as レイジードッグ (Raiden), 地獄少女隊 (Jigoku Shoujo-tai), and Sabbat, who were all active in the Japanese underground scene in the early 1980s. These bands mixed the speed and aggression of punk rock with the heaviness of heavy metal to create a new sound that would come to be known as “speed metal” or “thrash core”. While early Japanese speed metal was influenced by Western bands such as Motörhead and Venom, later groups such as 鬼 (Oni) would go on to develop a more distinctly Japanese sound, characterized by cleaner production values and a greater focus on melody.

Thrash metal would gain international prominence in the mid-1980s with the release of seminal albums such as Metallica’s Ride the Lightning (1984), Slayer’s Reign in Blood (1986), Megadeth’s Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? (1986), and Anthrax’s Among the Living (1987). These albums showcased the musical virtuosity of their respective bands and popularized the use of double bass drumming, tremolo picking, and blast beats – all of which would become signature tropes of thrash metal.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, thrash metal fell out of favor with mainstream audiences due to the commercial success of grunge music. However, many thrashmetal bands continued to record and release music throughout this period, albeit to a smaller audience. In the 21st century, there has been something of a resurgence in interest in thrashmetal music, with older bands reformings or releasing new material, and newer bands drawing inspiration from classic thrashmetal sounds.

Death metal

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1980s. It is characterized by fast tempos, guttural vocals, and brutal rhythms. Death metal songs often deal with topics such as death, disease, torture, and Satanism.

The genre’s lyrical themes and imagery might be shocking and offensive to some people, but to fans of death metal, they are simply a reflection of the dark reality of life.

Death metal is not for everyone, but if you are a fan of extreme metal music, then it is definitely worth checking out. Some of the pioneers of the genre include bands such as Death, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse.

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 recording, and often unconventional song structures. Artists often appear in corpse paint and adopt pseudonyms.

During the 1980s, several thrash and death metal bands influenced by black metal advocated satanism and antisemitism. In the 1990s, members of the scene were responsible for a wave of church burnings. There is also a small neo-Nazi movement within black metal.

Scandinavian black metal, particularly Norwegian black metal, has played a significant role in the development of the genre. Norwegian artist Mayhem’s 1994 album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is regarded as one of the genre’s most influential albums.

Black metal grew out of heavy metal and punk rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many artists within the movement were inspired by Venom’s 1981 album Black Metal, which led to the term being used to describe this style of music. Artists such as Bathory, Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer/Crucifixion and early albums by Mayhem and Darkthrone are considered pioneers of black metal.

The culture of heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is characterized by a dense and powerful sound, as well as a heavily distorted electric guitar sound. Heavy metal music has been associated with a number of subcultures, including the hippie counterculture, the punk subculture, and the goth subculture.

The fans

Heavy metal music has a very large and loyal fan base all over the world. The fans of this genre of music are usually very dedicated to the music and the bands that they love. They are also usually very supportive of new heavy metal bands and music.

The fans of heavy metal music tend to be very diverse in their backgrounds and interests. However, they all tend to share a few common qualities. Firstly, they tend to be passionate about the music. They also tend to be very open-minded and tolerant of different people and cultures. Lastly, they tend to be very supportive of one another.

The fashion

Fashion in heavy metal music has changed a great deal since the genre’s inception in the late 1960s. Early on, artists often adopted a rebellious, DIY aesthetic, sporting tattered jeans, T-shirts, and leather jackets. As the genre gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, though, many bands began to adopt a more polished look, complete with designer jeans, designer T-shirts, and slick leather jackets. Today, fashion in heavy metal music runs the gamut from the very casual to the very formal.

The festivals

Each year, metalheads from all over the world descend on a number of different festivals dedicated to their favourite genre of music. Some festivals are general heavy metal festivals, while others focus on a specific subgenre, such as black metal or power metal.

The most well-known heavy metal festival is probably Wacken Open Air, which takes place in the small town of Wacken in northern Germany. Wacken attracts around 80,000 people each year and has been running since 1990. Some of the biggest names in metal have played at Wacken, including Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Slipknot.

Another popular festival is Download Festival, which takes place at Donington Park in the UK. Download was originally founded as a rock and alternative music festival in 2003, but it has gradually become more focused on heavy metal in recent years. Headliners at Download Festival 2019 include Tool, Slipknot, and System of a Down.