What Did Heavy Metal Bring to the Music World?
What did heavy metal bring to the music world? It brought a new level of intensity and heaviness that was unmatched by anything else at the time. It was also a genre that was not afraid to experiment with new sounds and ideas, which led to some truly groundbreaking music being created.
The Birth of Heavy Metal
1970 saw the release of Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album, an album which would go on to change the face of rock music forever. Sabbath’s success paved the way for other bands to experiment with heavier sounds, and the sub-genre of heavy metal was born. But what did heavy metal bring to the music world? Let’s take a look.
The Pioneers of Heavy Metal
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 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.
Early heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Iron Butterfly, and Blue Cheer were often seen as deconstructing the form of the rock band. Each band pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in terms of length (incorporating jams often lasting 20 minutes or more), instrumentation (such as dual lead guitars), aggression (loudness, distorted guitars), and themes about drugs and sex.
The First Wave of Heavy Metal
The first wave of heavy metal began in the late 1960s and early 1970s with bands such as Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. These bands were inspired by the hard-rocking music of earlier groups such as the Rolling Stones and Cream. They took the basic structure of rock music and added heavier guitars, louder drums, and more powerful vocals. The result was a sound that was both menacing and exciting.
The first wave of heavy metal was short-lived, but it laid the foundation for the genre that would become one of the most popular forms of music in the world. In the 1980s, bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax took the sound of heavy metal to new heights with their aggressive guitar riffs and thunderous drumming. These bands would become known as thrash metal and would help to define the sound of heavy metal for generations to come.
The Evolution of Heavy Metal
Going back to the origins of heavy metal, it is important to note that this genre of music has always been about pushing boundaries. Heavy metal has always been about breaking the mold and doing something different. Whether it was with their attitude, their look, or their sound, metal bands have always tried to stand out from the pack.
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) was a musical movement that started in the late 1970s and gained momentum in the early 1980s. The term was coined by journalist Geoff Barton in a May 1979 issue of the British music newspaper Sounds to describe the emergence of new heavy metal bands that were influenced by the existing bands of the time, such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple.
The NWOBHM is often seen as a precursor to the later development of thrash metal and death metal. Many of the bands from this movement went on to influence these genres, including Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Judas Priest,Saxon, and Venom.
The Americanization of Heavy Metal
In the early 1970s, a new form of rock music was emerging in England – a heavier, more aggressive sound that would come to be known as heavy metal. While heavy metal had its roots in earlier Blues-based forms of rock music, it was the American band Black Sabbath that truly defined and popularized the genre. Sabbath’s dark, distorted sounds and lyrics about occult subjects set them apart from their contemporaries and helped to establish heavy metal as its own distinct genre.
Black Sabbath’s popularity would eventually lead to the formation of other metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Kiss. These bands would go on to have enormous success in the 1970s, selling millions of records and packing stadiums around the world. But it wasn’t just American bands that were making waves in the metal scene. In 1975, a band from Birmingham, England named Judas Priest released their sophomore album, “Sad Wings of Destiny”. The album featured a heavier sound than anything that had come before it and is largely credited with being one of the first true heavy metal albums.
While Judas Priest may have been one of the earliest examples of pure heavy metal, it was another British band – Iron Maiden – that would help to define the genre in the 1980s. Maiden’s 1980 debut album “Iron Maiden” featured fast tempos, dual guitar solos, and high-pitched vocalist Paul Di’Anno screaming over top of it all. The sound was unlike anything that had come before it and helped to solidify heavy metal’s place in rock music history.
Since its inception in the early 1970s, heavy metal has undergone several changes and has continued to evolve into new subgenres. But one thing has remained constant – heavy metal is still one of the most popular forms of rock music in the world.
The Rise of Thrash Metal
In the mid-1980s, a new wave of metal was born: thrash. Bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth combined the speed and aggression of hardcore punk with the complex song structures and big riffs of heavy metal. This new sound quickly caught on, first in England and then in America. By 1985, thrash metal was the biggest underground music movement in the world.
While they may have started as an underground phenomenon, thrash bands soon began to experience mainstream success. In 1986, Metallica released their third album, Master of Puppets, which debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart. The following year, Megadeth’s Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? reached number 22 on the same chart.
The popularity of thrash metal continued to grow throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991, Metallica released their self-titled album (often referred to as “The Black Album”), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 16 million copies in the United States alone. Around this time, other thrash bands like Anthrax and Slayer also experienced mainstream success.
Today, thrash metal is considered one of the most influential genres in heavy metal history. The fast tempos and aggressive styles of thrash bands have influenced countless other metal genres that have come after it, from death metal to black metal to groove metal. Even if you’re not a fan of thrashmetal, there’s no denying its impact on heavy metal as a whole.
The Influence of Heavy Metal
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion and extended guitar solos. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.
The Impact of Heavy Metal on Pop Culture
Since the inception of heavy metal in the early 1970s, the genre has had a profound impact on pop culture. While metal was initially met with skepticism by the mainstream music industry, it has since gone on to become one of the most popular and influential genres in the world. Over the years, heavy metal has permeated virtually every aspect of popular culture, from fashion and film to literature and television.
Some of heavy metal’s most iconic moments have occurred in film. One of the earliest and most famous examples is Elvis Presley’s performance of “Hound Dog” in the 1956 film Jailhouse Rock. This scene is often cited as an early influence on metal musicians, as it features Presley headbanging and thrashing his guitar in a rebellious manner. Another pivotal moment occurred in 1982’s Heavy Metal, an animated film that featured some of metal’s biggest stars lending their voice talent to an over-the-top story about an evil spirit trying to take over the world. The soundtrack for Heavy Metal remains one of the best-selling metal albums of all time.
In recent years, heavy metal has also made its mark on television. One of the most popular examples is HBO’s Game of Thrones, which features a number of well-knownmetal bands performing theme songs for each season of the show. Additionally, many shows like The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy have featuredmetal songs as part or all of their opening credits sequence.
As heavy metal continues to evolve and influence new generations, its impact on pop culture is likely to only grow stronger.
The Influence of Heavy Metal on Other Genres of Music
Since its inception in the 1960s, heavy metal has had a profound influence on other genres of music. Hard rock, punk rock, thrash metal, and grunge all owe a debt to metal, and many metal bands have incorporated elements of these genres into their own music. Metal has also been a major force in the development of electronic dance music, with many metal bands making use of synthesizers and other electronic instruments to create a more aggressive sound.
While metal has often been derided by the mainstream music industry, it has nonetheless had a significant impact on popular culture. Heavy metal fashion, particularly the use of black leather and chains, has been adopted by many subcultures, including Goths and punks. Andmetal music has served as the inspiration for films, television shows, video games, and even toys.
