Heavy metal music is a genre of rock music characterized by loud, fast vocals that feature harsh vocals accompanied by aggressive guitar solos. Additionally, this genre often uses distortion as part of its signature sound.
No one knows for certain who first coined the term “heavy metal,” although critics such as Eddie Bangs and Saunders used it in their 1972 Creem article on Black Sabbath to describe them.
Origins
Heavy metal music emerged during the late 1960s and early 1970s from blues rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock, and blues revival music. Distorted electric guitar is at the core of this sound; bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin create an epic atmosphere through their guitar riffs.
Metal music is a loud, aggressive style of music that often takes an anti-establishment stance and pokes fun at conventional themes such as love, faith and religion. Many metal bands focus on violence, death imagery and unrestrained hedonism in their song lyrics for added effect.
The origin of the term “heavy metal” remains obscure; however it appears to have been coined by counterculture writer William Burroughs in his 1962 novel The Soft Machine as part of a reference to cannons at that time; later it came to mean specific elements or compounds with high levels of density.
Steppenwolf’s 1969 single Born to be Wild was the turning point for popular culture to accept the term and define its musical form as being truly “wild.” The song served as an antiwar anthem with its powerful guitar riffs which took no mercy for politicians sending young men off to Vietnam for life-altering battle.
Metal music quickly gained momentum, quickly becoming an underground movement. By the mid 1970s, groups like Judas Priest and Black Sabbath had garnered wide recognition for their epic songs and energetic live shows. Some have accused metal fans of homophobia or sexism – these claims have mostly been refuted by metal fans themselves.
By the 1980s, various other subgenres had emerged, such as glam rock with its elaborate makeup and clothing; metal took on elements from classical music, particularly Johann Sebastian Bach and Niccolo Paganini; this helped influence Yngwie Malmsteen to create his groundbreaking neoclassical guitar work that later inspired generations of metal guitarists; black metal also gained mainstream appeal during this era; with groups such as Anthrax and Darkthrone creating a hybrid style which mixed elements from heavy metal with harsh vocals, harsh vocals, harsh vocals as well as various other styles; black metal reached mainstream audiences during this decade as groups such as Anthrax and Darkthrone created anthrax-based sounds which blended elements from heavy metal together with harsh vocals while also including harsh vocals, harsh vocals, harsh vocals, harsh vocals as well as various other musical elements that mixed elements of traditional heavy metal with harsh vocals, harsh vocals as other genres – eventually leading up to mainstream audiences, where groups like Anthrax and Darkthrone creating thrash-based sounds which combined elements from traditional heavy metal with harsh vocals along with various other genres and styles like Darkthrone creating their signature sound mixed elements from traditional heavy metal combined traditional heavy metal with harsh vocals along with harsh vocals from other genres into what became known as Darkthrone created their signature sound that mixed elements such as darkthrone-esque vocals in other genres into black metal; creating their signature darkthrone sound infiling audiences with aggressive vocals like Darkthrone would eventually mainstream audiences; while Black metal made its mainstream audiences with its introduction into mainstream audiences for mainstream audiences via groups like Anthrax and Darkthrone creating their unique sound while mixing this style using elements with harsh vocals into black metal with harsh vocals to produce such sounds created as well as different musical genres into Black Metal’s own sound from which mixed traditional heavy metal alongside harsh vocals into black metal along thrash combined heavy metal with harsh vocals as well.
Influence
Metal musicians enjoy an extraordinary relationship with their fans, which often manifests itself in their lyrics. Metal musicians can communicate complex emotions in ways that resonate deeply with listeners on an emotional level, helping listeners find solace and strength during difficult times. Meanwhile, fans form bonds with artists within this subculture.
Heavy metal has long had an influence across numerous musical genres and many bands from this subgenre have found mainstream success in mainstream music culture. Bands such as Alice Cooper, Kiss, Aerosmith, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden all achieved mass appeal by fusing elements of rock, blues and punk music with heavy metal. Their genre-defining acts have opened the door for future heavy metal artists to reach wider audiences.
Heavy metal’s evolution has been hastened by its proliferation of various subgenres. Thrash metal, speed metal, and power metal are just three that have contributed to expanding its popularity; bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden have established signature styles within thrash metal that have become part of its identity; their fast tempo, use of percussive beats, and shredding guitar leads are iconic aspects that define thrash metal as a genre.
Groove metal, also referred to as neo-thrash and post-thrash, has made its mark on the music scene. This slower style features bluesy guitar solos and heavy drum work; its signature sound also includes gritty vocals with wry lyricism.
Christian metal, an increasingly popular subgenre of heavy metal that draws its inspiration from biblical teachings, first popularized by American bands Resurrection Band and Petra in its infancy and now used by Tourniquet and Saving Grace to spread Jesus Christ’s gospel.
Heavy metal musicians were predominantly male until recently; however, women have since made significant strides to change that trend. Particularly in symphonic metal and power metal subgenres, women now appear as lead singers for bands such as Nightwish, Delain, and Within Temptation.
Styles
Heavy metal has evolved into various subgenres, but traditional heavy metal is generally defined by mid-to-fast-tempo riffs, thumping basslines and extended lead guitar solos. Early bands also featured screaming vocals, moshing and an intoxicated style of dressing that included jeans or combat boots with T-shirts underneath, T-shirts worn open at the collar and crewcut-style haircuts.
Heavy metal music’s thematic and lyrical content often draws its inspiration from pop culture, offering an escape-from-reality fantasy experience through outlandish, surreal lyrics that help provide an escape-from-reality fantasy world. Together, its aural and thematic components form a genre with both humorous and more serious cathartic aspects; some critics even blame heavy metal’s explorations of darkness and evil for drug use and societal decline.
Rock historians typically credit Blue Cheer’s 1968 recording and release of “Summertime Blues” as being the first heavy metal song, although other recordings such as Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” and Yardbirds “Think About It” also utilize heavy blues elements.
Progressive metal, a form of blues-rock, emerged in response to the lighthearted hippie culture prevalent during the late 1960s in both North America and Europe. Progressive rock bands such as King Crimson used distorted electric guitar sounds to increase emotional intensity of their music; their 1969 debut album In the Court of the Crimson King included all of the thematic, compositional and musical characteristics associated with progressive metal.
Thrash metal, one of the more aggressive subgenres of heavy metal, emerged out of British new wave heavy metal during the late 1970s and 1980s. Drawing inspiration from hardcore punk music, thrash metal added hardcore punk tempos that had already been adopted by early heavy metal bands; its music thus became fast, abrasive and technically demanding; its lyrics often critiqued The Establishment or opposition to war, similar to black metal themes; bands using this hybrid of styles include Metallica, Strapping Young Lad and Dissection among others.
Neoclassical metal is a subgenre of metal music that incorporates melodies and harmonic progressions from classical music, often featuring highly technical guitar playing techniques such as crosspicking and economy picking to play rapid scales and arpeggios. Prominent bands in this subgenre include Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Tony MacAlpine as pioneers.
Popularity
Metal music has quickly become a worldwide genre, with regional hubs of fandoms and active scenes for each subgenre around the world. Despite its often-violent and controversial themes, Metal has found ways to bridge cultural divides by uniting subcultures through anthemic yet cathartic riffs that bridge multiple subcultures together. Metal’s thunderous roar has graced hit films as soundtracks as well as unifying nations across borders across TV shows and fashion trends alike.
This list draws upon data from global streaming service Spotify to reveal the world’s most beloved Metal bands. This ranking takes into account both monthly listener count and overall listening trends, providing an in-depth portrait of a scene featuring both up-and-coming acts as well as established heavyweights.
According to Chartmetric Artist Score, the United States has become home to many of the world’s most beloved Metal bands over time, a trend which has only intensified. This may reflect both American-rooted genre origins as well as iconic bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden being immensely beloved around the globe.
Hard rock fans of all kinds will recognize this iconic track as it brings together guitar rumble and vocal shrieks from its frontman to create an unforgettable moment in musical history. Be it seen as an experiment in genre-mashing or as proof that their band had gone bonkers, this screaming, guitar-driven metal monster has cemented its place among classic albums.
Linkin Park’s 2000 hit Hybrid Theory remains one of the most-streamed Metal songs on Spotify to this day, thanks to its diverse mix of influences that spans genres – an example of their band’s ability to fuse elements from alternative, metal and rap music into an altogether unique sound.
This thrash classic stands as an example of how one simple riff can be both anthemic and brutal at once. Featuring neck-snapping time changes, an infectious chorus line and the thunderous attack of an electric guitar jackhammer assault, it perfectly captures metal’s pure heaviness while at the same time reflecting how this band has changed and grown over the past 21 years; their brutal slabs often giving way to spacey melodies reminiscent of prog rock music.