Heavy metal music is a genre of rock that uses guitars, drums, and bass. It also uses growls and harsh vocals.
Its lyrical themes sometimes depict violence and misogyny, and negative stereotypes about metal have been shown to influence social attitudes, clinical decisions, and therapeutic recommendations.
But for millions of metalheads, a good song relates strength and resilience, not aggression.
The Eagles – “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)”
The Eagles may have been a band of jerks (Glenn Frey in particular), but they made some of the best rock and roll of all time. That doesn’t mean they were a well-oiled machine; their tensions, ego battles and personal feuds often led to disastrous consequences. However, the band as a whole was a force to be reckoned with and deserved all of its success. The fact that their reunion shows are still selling out in the face of a long, bitter split is testament to the enduring legacy of the band.
Even though the set tended towards the Eagles hits that Felder played on and performed live in the band’s heyday, he did include some obscure solo tunes and soundtrack contributions as well. He also shared plenty of anecdotes about his time in The Eagles, offering a rare glimpse behind the scenes at one of rock’s legendary bands.
“Heavy Metal” was a song that Felder had originally presented to the band during sessions for what would have been their swansong album, The Long Run. The tune, which was covered by Sammy Hagar on his Standing Hampton LP and included in the soundtrack to the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal, is a rock and roll pummelling good time.
It’s a shame that Felder never got the recognition as an elite guitarist that he deserved. He had a fantastic career between 1974 and 2001 with a few acoustic reinventions in 1994, but his solo albums have always been subpar. That’s too bad, because he’s an incredible guitarist and a solid singer as well. Joe Walsh is definitely ahead of him as a songwriter, but I’d say that both are on par as great musicians.
Steely Dan – “True Companion”
This dreamy, quasi-instrumental ditty brims with dense Fagen vocal harmonies and pleasing fluent guitar playing. The song, which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard chart, was a b-side on the band’s second single to come from their 1978 album Gaucho. It was later included on a Donald Fagen sampler and in a four-CD box set compilation called The Nightfly Trilogy, along with the tracks “Hey Nineteen” and “Third World Man.”
Musically, “True Companion” sounds like a ‘Dark Star’-style meditation of the spiritually bereft inhabitants of a spaceship, possibly narrated by God or some other omniscient being. It’s a far cry from the cryptic, sometimes cynical and often humorous lyrical tone of Steely Dan albums during their odious decade-long hiatus.
The song’s sleek production, a touch of electronic manipulation and a more expansive melodic style make it a welcome departure from the band’s signature jazz-influenced pop. Nevertheless, it still carries a strong sense of the duo’s distinctive worldview and their unique way of turning phrases.
The song’s lyrics also reveal the darker underbelly of a culture that values profit over ethics and lives in constant competition for power. While the ’80s marked an era of acrimony between Becker and Fagen, the pair was still able to put together three more classic studio albums during their brief reunion. The band also played the song live on their second comeback tour in 2011, showcasing the soulful back-up singers, who added new dimensions to its poignancy. Despite its more pop-oriented approach, the song’s evocative lyrics and sonic depths have made it a staple in the catalogue of bands beyond predictable genres. For example, it is an early influence on Swedish death metal act Edge of Sanity’s 1996 fifth full-length album, Crimson, which tells the story of a shattered, post-human civilization on the planet of Aniara.
Don Felder – “All of You”
As its title indicates, Heavy Metal: Music From the Motion Picture skews heavier than most rock-and-metal compilations. Ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder proves that he can hold his own in the genre, playing his moody “All of You” and cowriting the riff-y theme song to the 1981 movie. He also helped to write the group’s classics like “Hotel California” and “Take It Easy.”
But this double album contains a few entries that aren’t quite metal enough. Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen plays a little progressive jazz light rock on “True Companion,” while Cheap Trick straddle a fine line between pop and hard rock on their pounding version of Lee Dorsey’s stomping coal mine anthem, “Working in a Coal Mine.” Nevertheless, the bulk of this collection groans with electric guitars and churns with severe rhythms.
A handful of long songs are featured on this album. The most notable is Knjaz Varggoth’s 71-minute “The Key to the Gates of Apocalypse.” This one-track song combines elements of black metal with dark ambient and drone. It’s a hypnotic and fascinating song that takes up the entirety of the second CD of the album.
Another notable is the hour-long instrumental track by the New Zealand band Manowar, entitled “Open Arms.” It’s an epic, awe-inspiring composition that features complex harmonies, pulsating bass lines and twinkling keyboard melodies. It also boasts a lengthy guitar solo. The song is a powerful tribute to the fallen soldiers of 9/11. It’s a moving composition that reflects the pain of loss and the strength of human resilience. It’s an important addition to the list of long metal songs. The sombre tone of the song makes it one of the most poignant on the album.
Stevie Nicks – “Blue Lamp”
The song “Blue Lamp” by Stevie Nicks is one of the longest metal songs. It’s 61 minutes long and has an instrumental arrangement. The song features acoustic guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals. It’s a very complex song and is the longest metal song by any artist. The lyrics of the song describe a dark and gloomy world. It’s an epic metal song that has a lot of emotion.
Stevie Nicks’ evocative phrasing and lilting voice are the hallmarks of this haunting piece of melodrama. The song takes on the thorny theme of a broken heart and offers hope for redemption. The song is an essential part of the band’s discography. It is also a classic rock song.
Released as the lead single off Bella Donna in July 1981, it’s a poignant reminder of the ephemerality of fame under rock ‘n’ roll’s glare. It is a potent statement of self-confidence and the desire to maintain personal autonomy, even in the face of the men in her male-dominated band and patriarchal society at large.
Originally written in 1972 (though misdated 1975 on the album sleeve), the country-tinged “After the Glitter Fades” prefigures much of what would follow once Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, where she became a concert cynosure, drifting spacily across stages in gossamer black chiffon and midnight suede riser boots. Nicks’ lyrics reexamine her relationships with men and explore the enduring power of her inherent talent for songcraft.
The song is a masterpiece of the genre that combines elements of drone, industrial music, and dark ambient with influences taken from doom metal. The song was also recorded by a New Zealand experimental band called Black Boned Angel, who used a technique called thaumatgenesis in the production process to create an hour-long track that is one of the longest metal songs.
Trust – “Prefabricated”
One of the more unusual things about metal music is the tendency for extended compositions. This is evidenced by the fact that there are many metal songs that are over 13 minutes long. In addition, the band Green Carnation has a song called “Light of Day, Day of Darkness” that is 60+ minutes long. It is said that the song contains over 600 samples. Other examples of extremely long metal songs include the song “Doomsday” by Sunn O))) and the track Hin-Fort by Boris, which is over an hour long.
Trust rose to fame in the first half of the 1980s with their music, which blended hard rock influences with acerbic social and political commentary and anarchist undertones. The band was known for guitarist Norbert Krief’s prowess and singer Bernard Bonvoisin’s voice, which was reminiscent of AC/DC’s Bon Scott.
The band disbanded in 1985, but reformed in the 2000s for live performances and new recordings. They released three albums with a new line-up under live conditions and also re-released their first three albums as a box set.