Orlando’s Heavy Rock and Metal Music Scene

Orlando is well known for its vibrant music scene, and that includes a thriving heavy rock and metal music scene. If you’re a fan of this genre, check out our blog for the latest news and reviews on Orlando’s heavy rock and metal bands.

The Beginnings

It all started in the mid-seventies. Bands like Black Sabbath, Kiss, and Aerosmith were having mainstream success, and kids all over the world were picking up guitars and drums and forming bands of their own. This was the birth of heavy rock and metal music, and Orlando was no exception.

Central Florida’s first metal bands

The first stirrings of Central Florida’s metal scene came in the late 1970s with bands like Jack Starr’s Guardrail, who were playing a brand of heavy metal influenced by British bands like UFO and Saxon. In the early 1980s, more bands began to emerge, including part-time Orlando band Tiranicide, who would release an EP in 1983 called “Evil Shall Prevail”, and Longwood band Hellwitch, who would become one of the region’s most popular metal bands in the mid-80s.

By the mid-’80s, Central Florida’s metal scene was beginning to take shape. In addition to Hellwitch and Tiranicide, other notable bands included Winter Park’s Sanctuary (not to be confused with the Seattle band of the same name), Ocala’s Morbid Scream, and Daytona Beach’s Intruder. These bands would lay the foundation for what would become one of the most vibrant and active metal scenes in the country.

Orlando’s first metal club

In the early 1980’s, there was only one place to go to hear metal in Orlando, and that was the Peanut Gallery. The Peanut Gallery was a tiny hole-in-the-wall club located in downtown Orlando. It was owned by a guy named Duke, who was also the DJ. There were no backstage areas, and the band loaded their equipment in through the front door, right through the club, and set up on stage. The club had a small dance floor in front of the stage, and there was a bar along one wall. The bathrooms were located outside, down a flight of stairs. There were usually about 50 people at these shows, tops. But it was always a great time.

The ’80s and ’90s

Orlando’s heavy rock and metal music scene dates back to the early 1980s when a handful of local bands started playing shows at clubs and bars around town. Among them were the seminal death metal outfit Death, who would go on to international fame, and Morbid Angel, who would also find success in the years to come. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Orlando would become known as a hotbed for heavy music, with a number of local bands making a name for themselves both regionally and nationally.

The rise of death metal

In the early 1980s, a new style of heavy metal music was beginning to take shape in the American state of Florida. This style would come to be known as death metal, and it would soon gain a worldwide following.

Death metal is characterized by its aggressive sound, often featuring distorted guitars, blast beats, and growled or screamed vocals. The lyrics often deal with dark subject matter, such as death, violence, and the occult.

The first death metal band is generally considered to be Death, who formed in 1983. Death’s debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, was released in 1987 and is considered to be a key work in the development of the genre.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, death metal experienced a surge in popularity, with bands such as Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse achieving widespread acclaim. The genre has continued to evolve since then, with new bands appearing on the scene all the time.

The birth of Orlando’s hardcore punk scene

The 1980s and ’90s saw the birth of Orlando’s hardcore punk scene, which was heavily influenced by the skate punk and straight edge styles that were popular at the time. The music was fast, aggressive, and often political, with bands like Child Abuse and Eyehategod becoming particularly well-known in the underground music scene. Orlando’s punk scene would go on to influence a number of other genres, including hip-hop and metal, making it one of the most important musical movements to come out of the city.

The metal scene in the 1990s

Central Florida in the late ’80s and early ’90s was a hotbed for metal music. With venues like The Edge and Rock N Roll Beach Club, Orlando was a destination for metalheads from all over the state. Bands like Deicide, Morbid Angel, and Obituary called Orlando home, and Death Metal was born.

The metal scene in the 1990s was unfortunately short-lived. As grunge and alternative rock began to take over the airwaves in the mid-’90s, metal music fell out of popularity. Many of the metal bands that were popular in the ’90s broke up or changed their sound to appeal to a more mainstream audience.

While the metal scene in Orlando is not what it once was, there are still a few venues that cater to fans of heavy music. And with bands like Mastodon and Gojira achieving mainstream success, it seems that metal is starting to make a comeback.

The New Millennium

In the new millennium, Orlando’s heavy rock and metal music scene has become one of the most vibrant in the country. The city’s metalcore and deathcore bands have gained national attention, and its metal and hardcore festivals attract fans from all over the world. Orlando is also home to a number of iconic metal venues, such as The Haven and The Abbey.

The metalcore explosion

After a bit of a lull in the early 2000s, the metalcore genre exploded in popularity in the middle of the decade. This was in large part due to the success of bands like Killswitch Engage, Trivium, and As I Lay Dying, who combined the aggression of metal with the melodic elements of hardcore punk. The metalcore sound quickly caught on with fans of both metal and punk, and soon Orlando was home to a thriving scene.

Local bands like Misery Signals, Chelsea Grin, and After the Burial built followings by constantly touring and releasing well-received albums. Though they never achieved the same level of mainstream success as some of their peers, these bands helped keep metalcore alive during its darkest days. In recent years, the genre has experienced something of a resurgence, thanks in part to Orlando’s continued commitment to heavy music.

The rise of stoner metal

In the early 2000s, a new metal subgenre was on the rise: stoner metal. Rooted in heavy psychedelic rock and classic metal, stoner metal mixed driving riffs with droning, hypnotic grooves. The sound was perfect for headbanging – and for tripping out.

Stoner metal quickly gained a following among hard rock fans, and soon bands like Kyuss, Sleep, and Electric Wizard were household names among metalheads. In 2003, the New York Times even declared that stoner metal was “the new millennium’s first great heavy music genre”.

Today, stoner metal is as popular as ever. If you’re looking to get into the genre, check out some of the essential albums below.

The Orlando metal scene today

The Orlando metal scene has been through a lot of changes in recent years. Gone are the days when the music was dominated by death metal and hardcore punk. Today, there is a much more diverse range of styles represented, from black metal to djent to progressive metal. And while the scene is not quite as thriving as it once was, there are still a number of great bands and venues worth checking out.

Some of the most popular Orlando metal bands today include J808, BVB Army, Aversions Crown, and Wretched. These bands all have their own unique take on heavy music, and they’re definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of metal. As for venues, Will’s Pub is probably the best place to catch a show in Orlando. They’ve got a great selection of beers on tap, and they usually have something going on every night of the week. So if you’re looking for some heavy music in Orlando, these are definitely some of the best places to start your search.