The Term “Heavy Metal” Was Coined by a Journalist to Describe

The term “heavy metal” was coined by a journalist to describe the music of bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. These bands were known for their heavy, distorted sound and their dark, often apocalyptic lyrics. Today, the term “heavy metal” is used to describe a wide variety of hard rock and metal styles.

The early days of heavy metal

As the story goes, in an article from the February 8, 1968 issue of the British music paper Melody Maker, journalist Brian Johnson coined the phrase “heavy metal” to describe the sound of Cream and Jimi Hendrix. This new genre of music was louder, heavier, and more distorted than anything that had come before it.

The first use of the term

The first use of the term “heavy metal” in reference to music was in a review by Mike Saunders of the track “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf in the May 1969 issue of British magazine Melody Maker. In the article, Saunders described the sound of the song as “heavy” and “metal-like”.

The term was then popularized by American rock critic Lester Bangs in his 1971 article “Heavy Metal: The Music of Satan”, which was published in British magazine Creem. In the article, Bangs wrote that heavy metal is “the intensified consciousness-altering music that came out of hard rock… [it] is intense, violent, aggressive, and capable of arousing strong emotions”.

Bangs went on to say that heavy metal is “anti-life” and “the most savage music on Earth”. He also argued that it is a reaction against the hippie movement of the 1960s and everything that it stands for.

The use of the term “heavy metal” has since evolved and been adapted by different subgenres of heavy metal music, such as doom metal, thrash metal, and power metal.

The first bands to be called heavy metal

The first bands to be called “heavy metal” were Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, who were all influenced by the hard rock of Cream and Jimi Hendrix. They started to experiment with longer songs, heavier riffs and a more distorted sound. Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album, released in 1970, is often cited as the first true heavy metal album.

Deep Purple’s “In Rock” (1970), Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” (1970) and Led Zeppelin’s fourth album (1971), often referred to as “Led Zeppelin IV” or “Zoso”, are also considered pivotal in the history of heavy metal. These four albums laid the foundation for what would become known as heavy metal.

The development of heavy metal

In an article for Creem magazine, Lester Bangs used the term “heavy metal” to describe the music of bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. This was the first time the term had been used in print. Bangs was describing the sound of these bands as being “heavy” and “metallic”.

The influence of Black Sabbath

In the late 1960s, a new genre of music was born that would come to be known as “heavy metal.” This style of rock was characterized by its loud, distorted sound and its aggressive, often dark lyrics. Though heavy metal would not achieve mainstream popularity until the 1980s, the genre can trace its roots back to the late 1960s and early 1970s.

One of the most influential bands in the development of heavy metal was Black Sabbath, a British group that formed in 1968. Sabbath’s music was marked by its heavy guitar riffs, its unusual song structures, and its dark lyrical themes. Sabbath’s sound was unlike anything that had been heard before, and it would go on to inspire a generation of metal musicians.

Sabbath’s influence can be heard in the work of later bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. These bands took Sabbath’s template and built upon it, creating a subgenre of heavy metal known as “ Brit-metal .” Through their innovative music and their dedication to themetal cause, these bands helped bring heavy metal into the mainstream in the 1980s.

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

In 1978, a new wave of British heavy metal was sparked by the rise of two new bands: Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. With their mix of progressive rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, these bands appealed to a wider audience than the traditional heavy metal fan base. This new wave of British heavy metal would go on to dominate the charts in the 1980s.

In the early 1980s, Def Leppard became one of the most successful bands in the world with their albums Pyromania (1983) and Hysteria (1987). These albums featured a more polished sound than previous heavy metal albums, and they helped to bring the genre to a wider audience. Iron Maiden also found success in the 1980s with their mix of progressive rock and heavy metal. Their album The Number of the Beast (1982) was a major commercial success, reaching number one in Britain.

The new wave of British heavy metal was not limited to England; there were also successful bands in Scotland (Guns N’ Roses) and Wales (Motörhead). These bands helped to make heavy metal one of the most popular genres of music in the world.

The popularity of heavy metal

In the early 1970s, rock music was divided into two camps: hard rock and soft rock. Hard rock was typified by groups such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, while soft rock was typified by groups such as the Carpenters and the Eagles. In the middle of this dichotomy was a new type of rock music that was starting to take shape: heavy metal.

The rise of metalcore and deathcore

The early 21st century saw the rise of metalcore and deathcore, two subgenres of metal that bothExperiencethe intense heaviness and aggressive attitude of hardcore punk, but with added elements of melody and technicality, respectively. Bands such as As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch Engage, Atreyu, Trivium, Bullet for My Valentine, Asking Alexandria and Bring Me the Horizon were at the forefront of this new wave of metal.

The influence of heavy metal in popular culture

The term “heavy metal” was coined by a journalist in the early 1970s to describe the music of bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. These bands were characterized by their distorted guitars, thundering drums and screaming vocals, which were often inspired by horror movies and the dark side of human nature.

Since then, heavy metal has become one of the most popular genres of music in the world. It has inspired countless other genres, such as hard rock, punk rock and grunge, and has influenced musicians in all genres, from pop to classical.

Heavy metal is often criticized for its dark and violent lyrics and its association with drugs, alcohol and Satanism. However, it has also been praised for its honesty, its ability to inspire people and its positive messages about individuality and self-expression.

The future of heavy metal

In an era of streaming and digital music, it can be easy to forget that the term “heavy metal” was coined by a journalist in the 1960s to describe a new kind of music. This genre of music has since evolved and diversified, but it still maintain a loyal following. So what does the future hold for heavy metal?

The decline of metalcore and deathcore

The early 2010s saw the decline of metalcore and deathcore, metal’s two most popular subgenres in the previous decade. In 2011, metalcore band As I Lay Dying was embroiled in scandal after frontman Tim Lambesis was arrested and charged with attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife. The same year, deathcore band Suicide Silence released The Black Crown, which debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200, the highest charting position for the genre at the time. However, the album was met with mixed reviews, and was criticized by some fans for straying too far from the band’s death metal roots.

The following year, Of Mice & Men released Restoring Force, which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting album by a metalcore band at that time. The success of Of Mice & Men’s album signaled a resurgence in popularity for metalcore, which continued into 2015 with releases such as Killswitch Engage’s Incarnate and Parkway Drive’s Ire. However, by 2016, both metalcore and deathcore had once again fallen out of favor with fans and critics alike.

The rise of black metal

In the early 1980s, a new type of heavy metal music emerged in Europe that was characterized by its dark, aggressive sound and anti-establishment lyrics. This subgenre, known as black metal, quickly gained a devoted following among young people who were attracted to its rebellious image.

In the early 1990s, a wave of black metal bands from Norway began to attract attention with their particularly brutal and Satanic strain of the genre. These bands, such as Mayhem and Burzum, became notorious for their shocking on-stage behavior (which sometimes included self-mutilation) and their offstage crimes, such as arson and murder.

Despite its small size, the Norwegian black metal scene exerted a considerable influence on heavy metal culture in the 1990s and 2000s. In recent years, however, black metal has been largely overshadowed by other subgenres, such as deathcore and djent.