The Best of Heavy Metal Music
Contents
Discover the best of heavy metal music with recommendations and new releases from the genre’s top artists.
The Origins of Heavy Metal
Where did it come from?
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 British rock bands released debut albums that are now considered to be influential to the development of heavy metal: Black Sabbath’s self-titled album, Deep Purple’s In Rock, Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album, and Uriah Heep’s …Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble. These albums departed from earlier blues-influenced rock to develop a hard rock or proto-metal sound. They inspired a commercialized genre that featured extended solos and emphasis on technical skill. At the same time in America, groups such as Blue Cheer released innovative albums of hard rock. In later decades, heavier subgenres developed. English bands such as Judas Priest helped spur the development of British heavy metal during the 1970s;they were soon followed by American acts including Kiss (with their 1974 album Hotter Than Hell),[7][8] Aerosmith (with Toys in the Attic)andVan Halen(with their 1978 self-titled debut). During the 1980s glam metal became popular with groups such as Mötley Crüe while Thrash Metal developed in response to glam metal with Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All in 1983 but it didn’t gain widespread traction until 1984 when Slayer released Reign In Blood followed by Megadeth’s Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, Anthrax’s Spreading The Disease and Metallica’s Ride The Lightning which saw Metallica break into Billboard 200 for the first time entering at number 100 selling 500K copies making it one of only six thrash metal albums to be certified platinum by RIAA.[9]
After a relatively quiet 1990s for mainstream hard rock/metal acts due to grunge,[10] nu metal,[11][12] emo,[13] punk[14][15] and alternative music[16][17] dominating mainstream radio airplay,[18][19] control of airplay shifted back towards more traditional hard rock/metal acts towards the end of that decade as well as into 2000s when some nu metal,[20][21] punk[22][23]and alternative music[24][25] acts began adopting a more radio friendly sound while others began experimenting with other genres while some established artists returned to their roots while incorporating elements from other genres into their sound giving birth to various subgenres over time.[26][27](+info)
Who started it?
The term “heavy metal” was first used in the late 1960s to describe the increasingly loud and aggressive sound of rock music, particularly that of bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. These bands were influenced by earlier, heavier sounding pioneers such as Blue Cheer and the Jeff Beck Group. In the early 1970s, heavy metal began to take on a more defined sound with groups such as Black Sabbath creating a dark and foreboding style that would become known as “doom metal.”
In the 1980s, heavy metal reached its commercial peak with the rise of “hair metal” bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison, and Guns N’ Roses. These groups combined the heaviness of metal with the flashy showmanship of glam rock to create a highly successful formula that dominated radio and MTV throughout much of the decade.
While heavy metal has undergone many changes since its inception, it remains one of the most popular and influential genres of rock music.
The Different Types of Heavy Metal
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, powerful sound, dense composition, and highly distorted guitars. There are many different subgenres of heavy metal, each with its own unique sound and style.
Thrash Metal
Thrash metal emerged in the early 1980s as a fusion of the hard-driving, riff-based guitars of heavy metal with the speed and aggression of punk rock. The first wave of thrash was led by such bands as Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer and Exodus. These bands brought new energy and excitement to heavy metal, infusing it with a sense of urgency that had been missing in the music for some time.
Today, thrash metal is enjoyed by millions of fans around the world and continues to evolve and progress with each new generation of bands. Some of the most popular contemporary thrash bands include Lamb of God, Trivium, Machine Head and Mastodon.
Death Metal
Death metal is a form of heavy metal music that emerged in the late 1980s. It is typified by fast tempos, heavily distorted guitars, deep growling vocals, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes. The lyrical themes of death metal may encompass the subjects of murder, torture, suicide, narcissism, depression, disaster, angst, and genocide.
The genre is considered extreme and aggressive. Death metal songs are often associated with death, horror, and the occult. On some occasions, clean vocals are used in contrast to the guttural style of other death metal subgenres.
Death metal began to emerge in the late 1980s as a distinct genre within heavy metal music. Early pioneers of the style include Morbid Angel, Possessed and Death. The scene was further enhanced by the success of Death’s thrash metal album Scream Bloody Gore in 1987. In 1989 At War With Satan by Venom was published which helped inspire other bands like Cannibal Corpse to form later that year. In the same year Obituary’s Slowly We Rot was released which also influenced many future death metal bands. In 1990 Autopsy’s Mentally Murdered EP helped give rise to the goregrind subgenre while also inspiring bands like Carcass and Benediction who would experiment with similar sounds on future albums.
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.
Black metal developed in Europe in the early 1980s, drawing inspiration from British and American hardcore punk and extreme metal such as Venom, Celtic Frost, Slayer, and Motörhead. An early Nur Ein? zine devoted to black metal was published in 1982. Black metal groups eschewed traditional heavy metal influences and instead drew inspiration from early hard rock bands like Cream, the Stooges, Blue Cheer as well as proto-metal acts like Jimi Hendrix Experience and Vanilla Fudge.
Typical black metal instrumentation includes electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, and keyboards. However, many black metal bands have incorporated acoustic guitars and classical instrumentation into their music.
The Best Heavy Metal Bands
Metallica
If you’re looking for the best heavy metal bands of all time, then you can’t go wrong with Metallica. They’re one of the most influential groups in the genre, and their music has been hugely popular for decades. They’re also one of the most successful bands commercially, selling millions of records and winning multiple Grammy Awards. If you’re a fan of metal, then you need to check out Metallica!
Slayer
In 1986, Slayer released their thrash metal classic Reign in Blood. The album is often cited as one of the most influential metal albums of all time, and it cemented Slayer’s place as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Featuring relentless riffing, pounding drums, and guttural vocals, Reign in Blood is an aggressive and punishing record that is essential for any metal fan.
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson in Los Angeles, California. The band has since released thirteen studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, thirty-six singles, ten video albums, and forty-four music videos. Megadeth is known for its distinctive, fast-paced style of guitar playing. The band’s debut album Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! (1985) was released on the independent label Combat Records. Due to distribution problems with the label, the album was not widely available until it was rereleased on Capitol Records in 1986. The first single from the album was “Mechanical Man”, which did not gain much attention.
The Future of Heavy Metal
It is said that music is the universal language, but is there a limit to how far that universality can extend? When it comes to heavy metal, a genre that is often maligned and misunderstood, it seems that there may be more of a cultural divide than ever before. So, what is the future of heavy metal?
Where is it going?
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 1968, three British rock bands, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, influenced heavy metal’s development when they began deliberately increasing the volume and distortion of their music. They were quickly followed by American acts such as Alice Cooper (in his band’s eponymous debut album), Blue Öyster Cult, Kiss (on their 1974 album Hotter Than Hell), Aerosmith (on their 1975 album Toys in the Attic), and Van Halen (in their 1978 self-titled debut album).
In the 1980s and early 1990s, heavier guitar riffs commonly used wah-wah pedals to produce an overdriven sound. Some bands moved away from this heavier guitar sound towards what was variously described as hard rock,[14] melodic metal,[15] or simply “metal”.[16][17] Lyrics also became more aggressive during this time; many compared the style to that of hardcore punk.
Who is leading the charge?
With the continued popularity of heavy metal music, there are many bands who are leading the charge and keeping the genre alive and well. Here are just a few of the most popular and influential heavy metal bands today.
Slayer is one of the most well-known and respected bands in heavy metal. They formed in 1981 and have been going strong ever since, with a huge following all over the world. Their music is fast, furious, and full of energy, with themes often centering on dark topics such as war, murder, and terrorism. They are widely credited as being one of the pioneers of thrash metal, and have inspired countless other bands.
Metallica is another hugely popular and influential band, who formed in 1981 and are still going strong today. They are known for their powerful musical style, which often combines elements of speed metal, thrash metal, and hard rock. Their lyrics often deal with dark subjects such as death, war, addiction, and betrayal. They have won numerous awards over the years, including nine Grammy Awards.
Mastodon is a relatively new band compared to some of the others on this list, having only formed in 2000. However, they have already made a big impact on the heavy metal scene with their unique brand of progressive metal. Their music is complex and technical yet still accessible to a wide audience, with themes ranging from fantasy and mythology to nature and society. They have won multiple awards over the years, including two Grammy Awards.
