Heavy metal music has long been associated with Satanism, drug abuse and crime among young people. Additionally, heavy metal has also been linked with suicide attempts and even delirium in some instances.
Studies have demonstrated that metal fans tend to be open to new experiences and hold negative attitudes toward authority figures. They also tend to possess lower self-esteem levels and desire uniqueness.
Origins
There’s much disagreement as to which record should be considered the first heavy metal album. Rock musicians had long used guitar distortion, while heavy metal took it a step further with fast tempos and aggressive sounds. Scholars generally acknowledge Blue Cheer’s cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” released in January 1968 as an early contender, while Yardbirds single “Think About It,” recorded in August by Jeff Beck Group Truth are considered early works within this genre.
Many bands known as heavy metal began in the 1960s and took their blues and rock influences to an entirely new level, creating an undeniable sound and attitude that earned them their moniker: heavy metal. Black Sabbath were one of these pioneering bands; their 1971 release Black Sabbath is often considered to be the inaugural release in this genre.
Who invented the term heavy metal remains unknown, though its early usage probably refers to bands’ heavy distorted guitar sounds and headbanging music as well as coming from industrial areas where steelmaking was a significant industry; Judas Priest’s 1980 album British Steel may provide further clues.
Heavy metal songs from its early years often had lyrics with dark and morbid themes like fear, paranoia, anger and even death – reflecting its roots in blues rock as well as Western pop music and psychedelic rock influences.
Lester Bangs of Creem magazine may have popularized the term heavy metal through his writing in February 1970 when referring to a band he thought resembled it: he wrote, “They are so metal you might think they’re wearing 27th-rate hm crap.” Another possible source was Hapshash and the Coloured Coat Featuring Human Host and Heavy Metal Kids (1967 album by British avant-garde group Hapshash taken from William Burroughs’ novel Naked Lunch by British avant-garde group Hapshash; their 1967 album took from William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch (Naked Lunch).
Styles
Metal music is typically loud, intense, and fast-paced; its signature characteristics include electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, and sometimes keyboards. Bands typically include one or more lead singers as well as backup vocalists whose singing ranges from melodic singing to unintelligible screaming; metal instruments can also be amplified and distorted for an aggressive sound.
Metal songs usually cover topics of war, death, depression, regret, justice or guilt – yet some songs even feature lighter lyrics.
Classical music has long been an influence on heavy metal, with early metal guitarists particularly being inspired by classical composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Niccolo Paganini, Richard Wagner and Ludwig van Beethoven. One guitarist who combined classical training with heavy metal was Yngwie Malmsteen; he is widely recognized for popularizing a metal-based rendition of Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance that became a hit hit in 1977.
Industrial metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that fuses punk, hardcore and traditional metal musical styles. Its hallmarks are harsh and aggressive music with downtuned guitars and distorted vocals; lyrics often reference gothic or romantic themes; its popularity expanded during the 90s.
Thrash metal, another subgenre of heavy metal that emerged during the 1970s, is distinguished by fast guitar and drum playing using complex time signatures. Some early thrash metal bands also paved the way for groove metal’s development with similar, faster sounds.
Black metal is a subgenre of heavy Metal that was popular in the early 80s. The genre is defined by shrieking raspy vocals and often utilizes pagan and satanic themes; some musicians also incorporate corpse paint or other visual effects to achieve its dark aesthetic.
Progressive metal is an eclectic subgenre of heavy metal that marries its intensity with the intricacy and innovation of progressive rock. Song structures in progressive metal tend to be complex, often featuring multiple time signatures and key changes; prominent progressive metal bands include Dream Theater, Tool, Opeth and Queensryche.
Influences
Heavy metal emerged during the late 1960s and early 1970s in England but also across North America and Europe. Early works in blues, hard rock and psychedelic music provided its basis; blues guitarist Eric Clapton experimented with amplified distortion by pushing limits of recording equipment; British blues bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath applied these techniques for more aggressive sounds while American psychedelic rock musicians such as Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead expanded musical vocabulary by drawing inspiration from them.
Heavy Metal music emerged within a counterculture environment. Contrasting with hippie culture’s embrace of peace and love, metal featured themes of darkness, evil, power and apocalypse. This theme was supported by its audio component with songs utilizing heavy bass drums and distortion guitar riffs, alongside multi-octave operatic vocalists like Ozzy Osbourne of Iron Maiden or Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister using gruff shouted vocals as vocalists.
Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy combined blues-inspired sounds with lyrics inspired by occult practices to pioneer what would later be known as metal music. Their groundbreaking sounds inspired numerous other bands as they set the bar for this subgenre of music that featured heavy riffs with complex structures, fast speeds and dark themes – qualities which eventually came to define this genre of music.
As heavy metal developed, its sound began to incorporate elements from classical music. Guitar-and-bass-dominated songs began incorporating piano, violin, cello and other stringed instruments; this new form of metal became known as progressive metal; progressive bands created complex song structures from long epic numbers to shorter melodic ones – albums often featured a central theme running throughout it all.
Power metal emerged in the ’80s and ’90s as a subgenre of heavy metal music, drawing from elements of progressive and thrash metal genres. While retaining fast tempos, anti-commercial mentality, intensity of heavy metal music, power metal also added more melodies dealing with mythology, fantasy, metaphysical topics as well as featuring keyboardists.
Listening
Metal fans tend to be very loyal to their favorite bands and music genres. A study sponsored by Spotify in 2015 suggested that metal listeners are among the most dedicated listeners out there – which could be related to its combination of emotive lyrics with its signature loud sound – providing metalheads with an emotional outlet while at the same time relieving tension through headbanging.
Metal music has the power to bring people together socially. Its distinctive features, such as loud, distorted guitars and intense drumming have led to tight-knit communities of fans that gather to attend concerts of this genre – providing an escape from everyday stresses while connecting them with like-minded individuals who share similar interests. Attending metal concerts provides an escape from modern life’s stresses as well as providing the chance for friendship-forming relationships among like-minded fans.
Metal music has long been criticized for its violent lyrics. Yet recent research by professor Bill Thompson indicates otherwise. A 2019 study conducted by Thompson discovered that regular listeners do not become desensitized to violence despite some metal songs featuring graphic violence-themed lyrics; contrary to prior findings that people who frequently listen to metal are more likely to engage in violent behaviors.
Listening to metal music has many positive aspects for mental health. One such benefit is stimulating the brain by increasing levels of oxytocin, which promotes feelings of trust and wellbeing. This can be especially important for those prone to depression; however, overdoing any music genre has its own set of potential negative side-effects; so metal should only be consumed occasionally.
Heavy metal music originated in the 1960s with its roots in classic and hard rock music, evolving over time to encompass numerous subgenres like glam metal, progressive metal, black metal, thrash metal, and power metal. All of these styles share heavy-duty sound signatures, complex song structures and darker themes in common.