Sandy Pearlman, original producer and manager for Blue Oyster Cult, coined the term heavy metal. He used it to refer to their music as one with strong values that defied popular stereotypes of rock as being monolithic and simple musically.
Iron Maiden were one of many groups who embraced heavy metal’s concept of darkness and evil as opposed to pop’s fantasy side, emphasizing darkness and evil themes instead of escape and fantasy elements. Not only does the guitar contribute heaviness; bass also has a key part to play.
Black Sabbath
Heavy metal’s birth cannot be pinpointed exactly, as its development was the result of many factors coming together to form this genre. One key influencer was the introduction of new musical technology in the 70s that allowed bands to create heavier and more aggressive sounds; Black Sabbath used many distortion and fuzz pedals that created an angry sound; their album Paranoid became an icon of heavy metal music and helped define this subgenre.
Black Sabbath’s album released on Friday 13th February 1970 was an unprecedented worldwide success, being performed by heavy metal bands worldwide and even providing Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple a platform from which to perform live. Today it remains considered as one of the best heavy metal albums of all time; Black Sabbath were responsible for popularizing heavy metal as an genre of music!
Black Sabbath were initially known as Earth, until guitarist Tony Iommi introduced the term ‘Black’ to represent their evolving doom-and-gloom themes. Following signing a deal with Jim Simpson to expand outside England and into mainland Europe – playing their music at notorious dives such as Hamburg’s Star-Club where they earned themselves the name ‘the lunatics of Germany’ – their moniker became Black Sabbath.
After their self-titled debut was released in April, Paranoid came out in September as an alternately dark and serious album that continued exploring evil themes such as wars started by self-serving politicians (see songs “Wicked World” and “War Pigs”).
Heavy metal may have been first coined sometime between the late 1960s and early 70s. At this time, bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple emerged as leading lights within this genre. While it would be easy to cite these three bands as its creators, other bands should also receive recognition such as Uriah Heep and Deep Purple who released albums during this era that are considered heavy metal albums.
Led Zeppelin
As is commonly believed, Led Zeppelin was one of the pioneers of heavy metal music. They may have taken inspiration from other rock and blues acts but ultimately created their own distinct sound with new sounds of their own that evolved throughout the 1960s – which saw bands such as Jimi Hendrix and Vanilla Fudge also making experiments into heavier sounds.
However, they remain widely revered as one of the pioneers of heavy metal music. Not just due to the heavy nature of their songs but due to how they were played. Bonham’s massive drum sound helped set them apart while Page’s production techniques gave their songs their distinctive quality.
Led Zeppelin’s heavy sound could be traced back to their lyrics, which often featured dark and sexually explicit themes. Additionally, Led Zeppelin were one of the first bands to stage spectacular stadium shows which added visual depth to their music; these shows, combined with their hard-living lifestyle created an image which attracted fans and ultimately contributed to their success as an act.
Led Zeppelin have often been maligned as corporate sell-outs, but it should not be forgotten that they were among the pioneers of heavy metal music. Not only were they masters at creating hits one after another but also they invented an original language for rock and roll that has never been replicated again since their debut.
Although its exact date of origination remains uncertain, most scholars agree that Lester Bangs was likely the one to coin the phrase in 1972 for Creem magazine. As he often categorize genres himself, Bangs’ use of this term was likely no coincidence.
Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Alice Cooper also helped define heavy metal’s unique sound; each band’s music had many of the hallmarks associated with heavy metal: shouted vocals; louder, faster and harder music; as well as a unique style of dress (black leather jackets with spikes or studs affixed on them, jeans worn over combat boots or sneakers and crewcut-style haircuts). Although not entirely sure who created metal music as a genre in its current state – but these bands certainly had an influence.
Deep Purple
Who invented heavy metal can be debated between individuals. Some might point to Black Sabbath while others will cite Led Zeppelin, while the reality is both bands borrowed elements from various genres to form their unique styles; both striving to make their music heavier and more intense than that which came before – giving rise to its existence as a genre.
Rock and blues bands had begun using distortion in their music before Black Sabbath took it further. Their guitar riffs became denser, more intricate, and deeper compared to their predecessors while including more vocals for an aggressive approach – further pushing the limits of what an electric guitar could achieve, creating a sound which was both loud and heavy.
Smoke on the Water” is one of their best-known songs, thanks to its catchy guitar riff that has become an instant classic and their influence seen among various other bands today. Their unique sound helped define heavy metal genre, and remains one of rock history’s most significant acts.
Some have speculated that the term heavy metal was coined by rock critic Lester Bangs. Bangs noted Black Sabbath as having both “heavy metal feel” and a “metal sound.”
Heavy metal has long been part of popular culture and enjoyed by millions worldwide – as evidenced by festivals dedicated to this musical style like Ozzfest and Download. When did the heavy metal genre emerge? It dates back many decades but continues to flourish today.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly when heavy metal was first created, its roots can be traced back to the early 1960s. Bands like The Beatles and Rolling Stones began using distorted guitar sounds in their music but Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin truly advanced it further.
Alice Cooper
Heavy metal music emerged during the late 1960s to describe louder, harder rock music than its predecessor – blues-based music – known as heavy metal. While Black Sabbath is widely recognized as having invented this style of rock music, other groups like Deep Purple and Alice Cooper also played heavy metal styles of music that became known by this moniker. Heavy metal was characterized by electric guitar distortion effects producing distorted sounds; vocals would frequently be shouted during performance while it was performed energetically.
Heavy metal developed as a subgenre of hard rock music that utilized more complex musical structures and extended solos, as well as more psychedelic elements and amplified sounds for enhanced distortion effects. Some bands also introduced more aggressive musical styles, including double bass drums. Heavy metal fans became known as metalheads while its lyrics have often been associated with aggression or machismo.
While some bands, such as Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, diverged from the traditional sound of heavy metal, most kept to its core aesthetic and form. Heavy metal’s distinctively distorted sound was generated using an electric guitar passed through a fuzz box which altered its signal by speeding it up and distorting its waveforms.
Alice Cooper rose to stardom with the release of “Raise Your Fist and Yell,” becoming an influential voice within the emerging new wave of metal bands. Combining horror dramatics with raw dynamic sound, he became known as the godfather of shock rock with performances ranging from frenetic displays to morbid productions in which he would stab baby dolls onstage.
Alice Cooper found his niche during the ’80s with his 1989 album Trash. In addition to appearing in horror movies Monster Dog and John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness as well as recording songs for Roadie, Class of 1984, Friday the 13 Part VI: Jason Lives and Wes Craven’s Shocker soundtracks; Alice struggled with alcoholism and drug dependency but managed to remain an international star.