Fans that prefer their music loud and aggressive have traditionally preferred metal music, from its blues roots to its current blend of sounds.
In Britain, metal music first appeared in the late 1960s and gained popularity in the early 1970s. According to popular belief, the term “metal” originated during the hippie era, when “heavy” denoted profundity or seriousness.
Heavy distortion on the guitar, intense drumming, extra-low bass notes, and angry or throaty vocals are the main elements of metal music. A touch of speed is occasionally present, whether it be in the song’s tempo or a fast-paced guitar solo showcasing technical skill.
Metal’s origins can be found in the 1950s blues, when guitarists began experimenting with harsher tones. Songs like The Kinks’ 1964 song You Really Got Me were built on two guitar chords that were significantly distorted. In an effort to compete with the guitars, many drummers began to play louder, as did The Who and Jeff Beck.
A Brief History of Rock Music
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple—often referred to as the “unholy trinity”—are regarded as the pioneers of heavy metal. Black Sabbath and Deep Purple both released significant albums in 1970, while Led Zeppelin released their self-titled debut in 1969.
With acts like Motorhead and Iron Maiden incorporating punk elements and upping tempos with more frantic drums, metal shed its blues rock roots in the 1970s. Despite the emergence of so many influential acts, metal was still being shunned by the music industry in favor of the punk movement, forcing smaller bands to release music without the backing of a label.
Glam and hair metal bands like Motley Crue and Poison led the way as metal started to delve into subgenres. Thrash metal became very popular, and bands like Metallica and Megadeth were able to attract ever-larger audiences in part because metal acts were played on MTV, which first aired in 1981.
The Birth of Heavy Metal
We can pinpoint the precise time and place when heavy metal first appeared on the scene, just as physicists point to the Big Bang as the source of our cosmos. When and where was that? Birmingham, specifically, in the West Midlands of England in 1968. What happens when a generation grows up in a struggling industrial town during a time when innocence has been lost? Black Sabbath (Paranoid) does indeed occur.
The trio created a sound that brought to mind the din of the Iron Man-like steel mills that dominated the landscape of their hometown. They sparked a sound revolution in the process. Fairies Wear Boots, hard-edged blues, and the “Devil’s Interval” were all combined by Black Sabbath with a nightmare and a huge line of people waiting to attend a horror movie starring Boris Karloff (incidentally titled Black Sabbath). With the help of Geezer Butler’s insightful lyrics and thundering bass, Tony Iommi’s dark guitar riffs, Bill Ward’s hammering drumming, and Ozzy Osbourne’s, well, Ozzy, Black Sabbath established a completely new and distinctive musical path.
The song’s sonically intense darkness and foreboding undertones stood in stark contrast to the “flower power” pop music of contemporary bands. Sabbath freely tackled socially taboo issues in their lyrics, including political corruption (War Pigs), the usage of recreational drugs, and societal rejection (Sweet Leaf) (Children of the Grave). The shape and execution of Sabbath’s compositions and performances were minimalistic in comparison to the hard rock bands of the late 1960s. Black Sabbath made up for their lack of sophistication with strength and passion, though. Nevertheless, being the original legitimate heavy metal band, Black Sabbath set the bar high.
What Defines Heavy Metal?
Just like any music genre, heavy metal has a unique style that makes it easily identifiable.
Characteristics and Instruments
Fast tempos, significant distortion, driving rhythms, and rich guitar and bass sounds are traits of metal music. Electric guitars, bass guitars, and drums are some of the musical instruments used in heavy metal. Bands may use electronic keyboards, organs, or other instruments in some metal subgenres.
Style and Themes
Songs in the heavy metal genre frequently include grim themes and lyrics. Heavy metal music often draws inspiration from themes like conflict, death, despair, regret, justice, and guilt. However, metal songs frequently feature happier topics like love or joy. Many heavy metal songs are also classified as power ballads.
A few heavy metal bands, as a side note, use themes that center around satanism and the worship of the devil. Because of this, heavy metal music is frequently connected to the devil. Another explanation would be the well-known metalhead hand motion known as the “sign of the horns.”
Why Is It Called Metal Music?
The origins of the term “heavy metal” are the subject of various legends. The phrase was first used in the lyrics of the song “Born To Be Wild” by the American band Steppenwolf. Others attribute the name’s genesis to the hippy movement because the word “heavy” was once used to mean “deep” or “depth.”
Another explanation is that the word was associated with steelmaking since the forerunners of the genre originated in areas where the steelmaking industry was thriving. Black Sabbath, for instance, was created in Birmingham. Some people also believe that the name of the genre came from how loud and powerful the music is, much like metal.
Who Was the 1st Heavy Metal Band?
Most people agree that Black Sabbath was the first heavy metal band. Ozzy Osbourne, the band’s lead vocalist, is frequently referred to as “The Father of Metal.”
There is another side to that tale, though, as reviewers and the general public both attribute the invention of heavy metal music to Led Zeppelin.
Both bands made their debuts in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with Black Sabbath releasing their “Black Sabbath” album in February 1970 and Led Zeppelin launching their “Led Zeppelin” in January 1969.
Many other metal bands and subgenres that appeared in the years or even decades that followed are said to have been influenced by Black Sabbath, according to those who give them credit. Led Zeppelin had a significant impact on the genre, yet the group is thought of as a hard rock band as opposed to a heavy metal one.
