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Originating Location: Unknown

Originating Era: late 1960s

Contents 1 Genre Description 2 Heavy Metal Heroes 3 Labels in this genre 4 Further Reading

Genre DescriptionEdit

Heavy metal, usually abbreviated to metal is a loosely based genre generally characterized by its distorted electric guitar work, loudness, shock value, and experimentation with vocals. The origin of heavy metal music is unclear, but it most likely started in 1966 when Jimi Hendrix took influence from bluesy and psychedelic guitar work and incorporated them in his sound. Unfortunately, his band Jimi Hendrix Experience, only survived until 1969, because Jimi died from an intense overuse of drugs that year. Though he's deceased, his legacy became timeless. That same year a "triple band explosion" of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin followed Hendrix which further influenced the genre. Many other heavy metal bands and musicians who soon aided them in pioneering and progressing heavy metal for several years, including AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Cream, Def Leppard, Faster Pussycat, Foghat, Kansas, Kiss, Night Ranger, Quiet Riot, Scorpions, Ted Nugent,Van Halen, and Warrant, Z.Z. Top. These were among the first major heavy metal bands and their music has been called several things, including "Hard Rock" "Glam Metal" and "Hair Metal." Then the 80s came along and an event called the New Wave of British Heavy Metal happened, which sought to revive the early heavy metal music which, was declining due to the existing dance and pop music that seemed to be dominating. One could argue the movement was to Heavy Metal what the Punk Movement was to Rock & Roll, since the NWOBH bands were rougher and tougher than the early heavy metal, yet still sought to revive it. And like the Punk Movement, the NWOBH was short lived, but it was essential in the heavy metal timeline.

After a few years the NWOBH movement ended up splitting into two new subgenres of metal, Thrash Metal and Power Metal, and Thrash Metal ended up giving way to Black Metal, the most extreme of all metals. Whereas Black Metal took influence from the thrash bands Venom, Celtic Frost, and Hellhammer, is generally characterized by chaotic drum beats, possessed vocals, often with diaphragm ussage, use of corpse paint, and meanings usually religion-based (Christianity, Paganism, and Christian-blasphemy are the most common). Notable black metal bands include Antestor, Bathory, Behemoth, Burzum, Emperor, Enslaved, Mayhem, Moonsorrow, Satyricon, Xasthur, and the musical projects of the musicians Gaahl and King ov Hell (Gaahlskaag, Godseed, Gorgoroth, and Trelldom). Thrash metal is generally characterized by violent vocals (aggression, death growls, etc.) and lyrics pertaining to Atheism and violence. The most famous and influencial thrash band of all time was Metallica, but other notable bands include Annihilator, Anthrax, Children of Bodom, Exodus, Megadeth, Motorhead, Sepultra, Slayer, and Testament. Officially, a genre called Death Metal exists and is separate from Thrash but it really shouldn't be because the only major difference between the two is that what is called "Death Metal" uses vocals that are just a bit more violent than that of what is called "Thrash Metal" but there Meanwhile, power metal was developing as well. Modern power metal is generally known for having nicer, fantastical song meanings, coincided with epic melodies and often the inclusion of band members who play classical instruments like strings and pianos. However, original power metal seemed to just be a milder side of thrash metal, still retaining aggression in its sound only a bit more melodic/, with bands like Blind Fury, Dream Evil, Judas Priest, Manowar, Metal Law, etc. During this time, power metal and thrash metal were still closely linked together through the NWOBH. Eventually power metal seemed to separate more musically from thrash metal, sounding less aggressive and incorporating strings, pianos, and other neoclassical instruments with bands like Dragonforce, Dragonland, Dream Theater, Enchant, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Krusader, Queensryche, and Rhapsody of Fire. Power metal bands also tend to be fairly long, often passing 15 minutes with ease. Now lets go back to 1969 with Black Sabbath for a second. They may have been a hard rock themselves but they were a key factor in the emergence of Doom/Sludge Metal, which is generally characterized by low temp guitar work, depressing lyrics (usually either about doomsday, drugs, or witchcraft) and low-pitched singing (in fact, Doom metal vocals are the closest thing Heavy Metal has come to normal singing). The first true doom metal band was probably Pentagram in the mid 70s, but other notable bands that followed him included Candlemass, Electric Magma, Electric Sun, Electric Wizard, Goatsnake, Reverend Bizarre, Saint Vitus, and Witchfinder General. Doom metal songs, like power metal songs tend to be long, but also very slow. Some have even made it past a whole hour. In this sense of duration, doom and power metal have that in common, but lyrically and musically, they're very different, practically opposite in fact. Take note that these are just the independent subgenres of heavy metal. There are other forms of heavy metal like progressive metal, gothic metal, pagan metal, and nu metal, but there more so concepts that are interchangeable with the metal subgenres than subgenres themselves.

Heavy Metal HeroesEdit

• Jimi Hendrix

• Jimmy Page

• Timo Tolkki

• John Petrucci

• Kai Hansen

• Michael Kiske

• Ozzy Osbourne

• Rob Halford

• Ronnie James Dio

• Tuomas Holopainen

• Yngwie Malmsteen

Labels in this genreEdit

• 5RC
• Enigma
• Solid State Records
• Roadrunner
• EMI

Further ReadingEdit

• Wikipedia page