Metal’s golden age was in the 80s, when it developed its own subculture with its own dress and language. Big hair and garish makeup became characteristic traits of glam metal while hard rock bands like Bon Jovi and Europe became extremely popular among its fanbase.
Minor Threat’s chest-pumping call to arms became the benchmark of hardcore music bands that followed. Their testosterone-charged roar has had an immense influence.
Influences
Heavy metal music faced intense scrutiny in the 1980s from mainstream media and cultural institutions, particularly young people. They accused metal of spreading explicit content that threatened society – especially young people – creating an extremely negative public perception. Branded unfairly as “edgy”, its complex artistic expressions became obscured by misconceptions and fear-mongering; making acceptance difficult within wider musical contexts; many bands even were accused of adopting Satanic symbols that caused some people to fear its music.
Heavy metal emerged as a counterculture to hippie culture during the 1960s. Its darker themes of darkness, evil, power and apocalypse were meant to reflect reality more realistically; however critics argue that these themes promote violence and depression among fans.
Heavy metal’s sound was inspired by several rock genres, including blues, hard rock, and punk rock. Alongside its trademark distorted guitar sounds and fast drumming – which gave it its signature aggressive edge – heavy metal music also featured repetitive rock and roll melodies which could often be heard repeated as power chords.
Early metal pioneers such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep had an immense influence on later metal bands. American groups such as Alice Cooper and Kiss brought shock rock elements into metal music in the 1970s before Van Halen added more polished sounds later on.
Researchers have studied various influences on a song’s perceived heaviness; however, there has not been widespread agreement regarding which aspects contribute to it. One proposal holds that metal’s perceived heaviness results from “tight force qualities” of its instruments as well as slower rhythmic subdivisions that permit listeners to make larger physical gestures while listening; other studies have discovered the heaviness of songs can come from factors like speed, playing style and harmonic density; downtuning guitar may also play a part in creating this effect.
Styles
Heavy metal emerged as a vibrant counterculture during the 1980s, boasting its own look, clubs and language. However, heavy metal still struggled for acceptance within wider cultural contexts: mainstream media depicted it as harmful and Satanic music while many parents expressed concerns over its explicit content. In response to these issues, Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was formed – leading eventually to albums bearing parental advisory labels.
Musically, early heavy metal bands adapted chord progressions, figuration and ideals of virtuosity from Baroque models in order to develop a distinctive rock guitar sound characterized by amplified distortion for loudness. Through the 1980s guitarists such as Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Randy Rhoads of Ozzy Osbourne (Ozzy Osbourne’s band) as well as Yngwie Malmsteen of Dream Theater demonstrated different levels and styles of technique that challenged popular stereotypes of metal as monolithic and musically simple bands.
At the end of the decade, two subgenres of metal had developed. Progressive metal took its music in an experimental direction by featuring songs with complex instrumental parts and unusual time signatures; bands such as Iron Maiden incorporated these themes into their songs while their lead singer Bruce Dickinson preferred lyrics with intellectual or sociopolitical overtones.
Thrash metal was an aggressive new trend. Bands like Metallica and Anthrax made the transition from blues rock to thrash metal by writing songs with over three to four minute lengths, featuring vocalists who would growl or shout for added intensity.
Although electric guitars dominate metal music, bass plays an integral part in creating its heavy sound. The bass helps maintain rhythm and groove of songs while contributing harmonics and its signature distorted tone; additionally, its grounding effect adds depth and is known to “do all of the heavy lifting” in metal music (Berger and Fales).
Research has indicated that heavy metal’s lyrical themes can trigger antisocial schemas in adolescents and promote externalizing behaviors. Selfhout et al (2008) conducted a longitudinal study over twelve months with adolescents; their results demonstrated that heavy metal music preference was associated with greater levels of aggression and delinquency.
Bands
The 1980s was an exhilarating era for metal music, as its “Big Four” of NWOBHM, thrash, groove and power metal all thrived simultaneously. But this decade also witnessed massive evolution: bands became bigger, brasher and faster as their popularity skyrocketed – genre-shattering mavericks to hedonistic glam made an impactful statement about where music was headed in this decade.
Black Sabbath pioneered doom metal in the ’70s; Illinois-based preachermen Trouble took it even further by pushing its darker edges in the ’80s. Trouble’s suicide ballad perfectly balanced euro-metal cheese with fist-banging madness at that time and set an unprecedented standard in hard rock of that period.
Def Leppard are one of the foremost glam metal bands from their era and have cultivated an unfortunate rep. However, early hits Photograph, Hysteria and Pour Some Sugar on Me were hugely successful and helped define a new wave of British heavy metal music.
Slayer were masters of 80s thrash metal, and this song showcases their mastery: high-speed drumming, growling guitar riffs and an attitude that said: “I’m here to destroy!”
Pantera are often forgotten bands who pioneered a new wave of American heavy metal music by fusing elements of blues, funk and Southern rock with fast-paced metal. This song featuring legendary guitarist Dimebag Darrell (deceased on stage 2003) showcases their distinctive sound perfectly.
Megadeth are titans of metal music and one of the four big four bands, reigning supreme as metal’s rulers and most enduring acts. Their debut album’s epic track showcases this bristling power with thundering double bass drumming and blistering lead guitar soloing all woven seamlessly together.
Dangerous Attraction was another forgotten band from the early ’80s Sunset Strip scene, contributing immensely to its decadence and decadence-inspired music. Their sound was very similar to Def Leppard but with superior vocals and more keyboard-heavy sounds; their frontman Doug Aldrich would later go on to work with Whitesnake, Dio, and Dead Daisies. Le Mans were an underrated band which released two albums during this era – their first featuring original Enuff Z’ Nuff guitarist Derek Frigo from Enuff Z’ Nuff!
Albums
The 1980s marked the rise of heavy metal from sweaty clubs and basement record collections to basketball arenas and even your sister’s Walkman. Alice Cooper and KISS began to modify their sound, moving away from occultism and shock rock in favor of flashy guitar solos and party music – however it was British bands who laid down the blueprint for modern metal music. Iron Maiden established their place as rock icons with their self-titled debut, which combined jet-fueled rockers with dark undertones and progressive and epic songs. Paul Di’Anno’s football hooligan vocals and Steve Harris’ ability with the snarling riffage ensured they never got labeled punks (much to the dismay of original vocalist Youth who ended up in a mental institution).
Judas Priest revolutionized black metal by shifting away from their blues-influenced sound in favor of more hard-hitting songs, while British thrashers such as Morbid Angel accelerated their sound with caustic, looped basslines and terrifying horror-core lyrics that inspired Florida thrash bands such as Deicide and Obituary.
Metalheads of all ages agree that Metallica’s greatest album is Back in Black. It showcases their best performances – on tracks like Battery, Master of Puppets and Orion as well as featuring immortal classics like Back in Black anthem.
Other notable thrash albums included Slayer’s Show No Mercy, Kreator’s Demolition, and Exodus’ Killing Is My Business. Additionally, several great death metal albums were also released during 2016, such as Cannibal Corpse’s debut and Autopsy’s sophomore offering.
Of course there were many more great albums released throughout the 80s that helped define metal music; these are just my personal favorites. What are some of yours? Tell us in the comments section – we would love to hear what resonates with you. Don’t forget our other lists such as Top 10 Power Metal Albums and Speed Metal Albums as they may also interest you! Thanks again for reading and thanks again for contributing your music knowledge with us!