Heavy metal music has captured the hearts and imaginations of music enthusiasts since its debut. But where exactly is this genre from?
Metal’s founders found inspiration in various musical genres and artists; blues-rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf and Black Sabbath played an influential role in helping define this subgenre of rock music.
The Blues
Heavy metal music’s roots can be traced back to many different musical genres, but blues has had a particularly profound influence. Blues musicians possess an extraordinary talent for expressing human emotions like struggle, pain and loss through song. This raw emotional intensity has helped build a genre of music that transcends cultural barriers – no wonder its fans exist worldwide!
Early rock musicians were heavily influenced by blues music, particularly its guitar riffs and vocal style. Some researchers even suggest that blues was one of the primary inspirations behind “heavy metal.” Few bands played it better than Black Sabbath who began as Polka Tulk Blues Band before becoming Earth before eventually evolving into what we know today as Black Sabbath – their unique blend of blues, rock music, and dark, foreboding atmosphere helped pave the way for modern heavy metal.
Other pioneers of heavy metal also drew from various musical genres. British bands Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple combined blues, folk, and rock into an amalgam that produced both heavy and complex sounds. Jimmy Page’s innovative guitar playing, Robert Plant’s distinct vocal style, and John Bonham’s thunderous drumming all contributed significantly to heavy metal’s development.
Glam metal, which emerged in the 1980s, had its roots in various musical genres. Artists such as Kiss, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper were all inspired by various aspects of rock ‘n’ roll such as blues, psychedelia and pop music in creating their showy guitar licks and outrageous outfits that became so synonymous with this style of music.
Blues was an influential form of music on heavy metal’s guitar riffs and harmonic structures. Many early metal guitarists were well-versed in classical techniques, which allowed them to develop new chord progressions and solo techniques which propelled heavy metal from its small beginnings in the 1960s to becoming an ever-increasing presence by the 70s.
The Electric Guitar
Heavy metal music’s central instrument, the electric guitar, has long been associated with its powerful, amplified sound. Played through distortion pedals and overdriven tube amplifiers to produce this “heavy” sound; often played with distortion pedals and heavily overdriven tube amps for added amplification and distortion effects; its bass player provides rhythm while lead guitarist adds melodies and improvises melodies and solos as part of their main musical structure; most metal bands also include keyboard players and drummers though these latter roles tend to decrease in modern metal bands.
Early 1970s saw British blues-based rockers like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath develop new sounds. By ditching acoustic roots for electric instruments with added distortion pedals and more distorted guitar leads, their music created a heavier sound which many metal bands would soon adopt.
As metal evolved, thrash metal emerged during the 1980s as one of its subgenres, featuring fast drumming and politically charged lyrics. Bands like Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth revolutionized thrash’s speed and intensity to become one of the most iconic sub-genres within metal music history.
Subgenres of heavy metal that have seen increased popularity include melodic hard rock and progressive metal. Both types draw inspiration from classical composers, blues musicians and 1960s drug culture influences; progressive metal stands out due to its combination of classical melodies with countercultural themes mixed in with heavy guitar riffs and vocal distortion.
Heavy metal music has long been at the center of controversy, with critics accusing artists and fans of its genre of encouraging Satanism and rebellion, exploring dark topics considered taboo by religious conservatives, as well as exploring forbidden subjects like drug addiction. Defenders of heavy metal counter that it simply represents one side of human nature that needs expression – although religious conservatives view it differently. Regardless, heavy metal remains an enormously influential genre that continues to capture audiences with its raw energy and seductive image, as well as inspiring musicians across genre boundaries while adapting and evolving with constantly shifting musical landscapes allowing it to stay relevant within ever changing musical landscape.
The Leather and Studs Look
As rock music began to shift during the late 1960s, artists experimented with amplified distortion on electric guitars for heavier and more aggressive sounds than blues music, setting the groundwork for heavy metal music.
While many bands used distortion, three were widely recognized for creating heavy metal music: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Each brought with them their own style: punishing vocal performances and thunderous rhythm sections to rock music along with shredding electric guitar solos that revolutionized shred guitar techniques.
Heavy metal’s distinctive sound has always featured double lead guitarists, an early practice that could be found among bands like Wishbone Ash and Allman Brothers Band. Later, iron Maiden and Saxon popularised this style; making it something we now associate with heavy metal music.
Deep Purple and Black Sabbath helped define heavy metal’s fashion sense, as well as its musical style. Metal bands wore leather or studded clothing reminiscent of London’s Soho gay bars and clubs; many donned long, curly locks now associated with heavy metal music.
Heavy metal bands were an iconic fashion statement during the 1970s, leading to widespread fame and widespread fashion recognition – giving rise to an entirely new genre known as metalheads. Their lifestyle had a direct effect on lyrics featuring themes of evil, madness and death; thus leading many people to blame metal music as being responsible for everything from crime and violence to depression and suicide.
Heavy metal music experienced an international shift during the 1980s as its popularity declined globally, yet continued its development and evolution. Bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Saxon emerged during this time period to build upon Black Sabbath and Deep Purple sounds while adding their own signature sounds; giving the genre new image while paveing the way for other subgenres like doom metal and stoner metal to emerge.
The Influence of Classical Literature
Heavy metal fans who wish to take it seriously often see parallels between heavy metal and classical music, especially younger fans who have discovered classic metal bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden with their impressive musicianship, anthemic songs, and dramatic storylines as models for heavy metal musicians who listen closely. Classical music has evolved over thousands of years; those familiar with it find that its aesthetic resonates strongly.
Multiple writers have noted the correlations between metal music and ancient Greece and Rome. Bands such as Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi was a steel factory worker while Judas Priest with their twin guitar harmonies and operatic vocals have been called “metal’s operas.” Metal music also draws heavily upon fantasy imagery with lyrics depicting images of darkness, death and supernatural forces.
Heavy metal music has many possible origins; however, most agree it originated in blue-collar working class areas in the UK where factories processed actual metal (primarily steel). Many metal band members have noted these factories as influences in their music; many also attribute steam hammers and heavy machinery pounding as influencers of their sound.
Other influences of early metal include rock and roll, blues rock, and British psychedelic rock such as that produced by The Yardbirds, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Some scholars have pointed out that Bill Ward of Black Sabbath may have taken inspiration from an iconic chunky guitar riff from The Yardbirds song You Really Got Me that inspired his unique metal sound.
By the late 1960s, many of the defining characteristics of heavy metal had begun to take shape. Subgenres emerged as artists developed it further. Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer pioneered thrash metal in the 1980s – marked by fast tempos, harsh vocal and guitar tones, aggressiveness, critical or sarcastic lyrics and fast tempos.
Heavy metal has seen tremendous popularity recently, yet has also come under attack by political and academic bodies who blame it for everything from violent crime to mental instability. Yet its supporters maintain that its exploration of madness and horror does not cause social problems; instead it simply articulates them.