⚙️ Full Metal ⚙️
Written By Ayrton Tong
Metal – one of the most dominating genres of music in the history of the art form. It is frequently confused with punk or hard rock, but the more astute listener will be able to understand the nuances that set it apart. Having peaked in the music industry during the 1980s and early 1990s, some of its most notable names include Metallica, Megadeth, and Pantera. While its listenership has varied from decade to decade, looking at the first 40 years of its history reveals that, fortunately, heavy metal will not be slowing down anytime soon.
1970
Black Sabbath (1970)
Just as physicists point towards the Big Bang being the source of our cosmos, we can pinpoint the precise time and place when heavy metal first appeared on the scene. When and where was that, you may ask? Birmingham. Specifically, in the West Midlands of England in 1968. What happens when a generation grows up in a struggling industrial town during a time when innocence has been lost? Black Sabbath occurs. The trio created a sound that dominated the cultural landscape of their hometown.
They sparked a “sound revolution” in the process. With the help of Geezer Butler’s insightful lyrics and thundering bass, Tony Iommi’s dark guitar riffs, Bill Ward’s hammering drumming, and Ozzy Osbourne’s, well, Ozzy, Black Sabbath established a completely new and distinctive musical path. Each song’s sonically intense darkness and foreboding undertones stood in stark contrast to the “flower power” pop music of contemporary bands. Sabbath‘s lyrics boldly tackled a variety of socially forbidden issues, such as governmental corruption (‘War Pigs’), the usage of recreational drugs (‘Sweet Leaf’), and rejection by society (‘Children of the Grave’). The shape and execution of Sabbath’s compositions and performances were minimalistic compared to the hard rock bands of the late 1960s. Yet, Black Sabbath made up for their lack of musical sophistication with strength and passion. Being the original heavy metal band, they set the bar high.
Black Sabbath Album Cover
Just as physicists point towards the Big Bang being the source of our cosmos, we can pinpoint the precise time and place when heavy metal first appeared on the scene. When and where was that, you may ask? Birmingham. Specifically, in the West Midlands of England in 1968. What happens when a generation grows up in a struggling industrial town during a time when innocence has been lost? Black Sabbath occurs. The trio created a sound that dominated the cultural landscape of their hometown.
1972
Deep Purple
In Hertford, North of London, something else was cooking. Deep Purple, a five-piece band, was experimenting with many of the same inspirations as its neighbours in the northwest. Being a group of professional musicians who were each highly competent and sought after for their instrumental skills, their style contrasted that of the amateur, workmanlike style of Black Sabbath. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar pyrotechnics and Ian Gillian’s soaring vocals propelled what followed into a hard-driving, turbo-charged, highly musical version of prototype heavy metal. The songs were just as intense as Sabbath‘s, but more intricate and filled with various virtuosic instrumental flourishes. Deep Purple pushed the boundaries and norms of heavy metal, while also helping to develop and refine the genre.
1978
It was only a matter of time until someone combined heavy metal with a defined culture, especially considering the musical basis that Black Sabbath and Deep Purple had established. Birmingham’s Judas Priest stepped up to the task, with a sound akin to Black Sabbath, while also adopting many of the musical innovations introduced by Deep Purple. The band was able to successfully exemplify their blend of musicianship with ferocity, inspired by the bands which came before them, in ‘Tyrant’ and ‘Dissident Aggressor’. Judas Priest led heavy metal into uncharted territory with the twin-guitar attack of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, as well as the magical vocal prowess of Rob Halford.
Judas Priest
1986
Other bands continued on a course that was very different from the hair metal trend. Thrash Metal emerged as a new subgenre, drawing influence from the first metal bands and the more intense NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) performers. Thrash bands saw the New Wave as an open challenge, serving as the pinnacle of the heavy metal “arms race”: harder, faster, louder. Bay Area spearheaded acts such as Metallica, Exodus, Megadeth, and Slayer.
At the time, thrash was indicative of the most extreme form of heavy metal. Its main focus lay in the intricate riffs played at lightning speed, which were pioneered by James Hetfield of Metallica, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, and Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman of Slayer; the music was more rhythmic than melodic. Through socially and politically conscious songs, the thrash bands defied social conventions and freely voiced out their bile and unhappiness.
1990
By the beginning of the 90s, heavy metal had reached a turning point. “Hair metal”, which combined pop-influenced hooks and riffs, lost its freshness as soon as it appeared on the scene. Thrash was (and still is) too extreme for general audiences, though bands like Metallica and Megadeth successfully experimented with a simplified and commercially appealing direction. Other thrash bands enjoyed the unrestricted freedom of the underground, while some gravitated towards the spotlight.
One group, Dallas-based Pantera, found commercial success by releasing an advanced thrash-hardcore hybrid. Pantera promoted many of the same thrash metal conventions but with an emphasis on the extremes. Phil Anselmo’s sledgehammer vocals and “Dimebag” Darrel Abbot’s fiercely melodic guitar playing collaborated to produce a riff-driven, no-nonsense sound that exemplified the inevitable development in the metal race. Ironically, compared to the variety of bands pursuing extreme metal, Pantera was pedestrian. This broad subgenre featured classic metal tropes carried to their maximum insanity, including low-tuned guitars, guttural vocals, quick tempos, and extreme lyrical matter.
2000s
At the turn of the century, the shackles of expectations and commitments imposed by major record contracts were finally released. This allowed metal bands more leeway to develop novel and innovative ideas – many creative and avant-garde interpretations erupted onto the scene when left to their own devices. Metal as a genre developed many subgenres including “Symphonic”, “Folk”, “Melodic Death”, “Progressive Death”, and “Technical Death”. These performances took heavy metal’s theoretical limitations to new heights.
Due to the devoted support of its fervent fan base, the aggregate success of these underground acts confirmed heavy metal’s ongoing appeal. The reuniting of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and eventually even Black Sabbath with their original lineups at various stages in the 2000s may have been influenced by this success. Heavy metal continued to be a phenomenon while receiving very little support from the general public.
Heavy metal’s ongoing appeal depends greatly on the diversity of the musical mode, and its international expansion; when Dave Mustaine of Megadeth resolutely said in 1986, “If there’s a new way, I’ll be the first in line” (“Peace Sells”), he truly meant it. Though the genre may be a contentious topic that is open to much discussion, “I can recognize heavy metal when I hear it”, to paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart. Although there are numerous subtle and technical distinctions among the various metal genres, at the end of the day – it’s all heavy metal.