*Text under construction
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Metal genres
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
⦁ Heavy metal - general (Metallica, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Pantera, Iron Maiden)
Power chords, downpicking, fast tempos, agressiveness, high vocals and/or screaming, virtuosic solos, dark imagery, long hair
⦁ Hair metal/glam metal (Mötley Crüe, Poison)
Pop influences, shred guitar solos, love lyrical themes, fasion: spandex, gloves, animal print, and long hair
Genre classification and additional characterisation is problematic because we must rely on generalisation, algorythmic interpretation, loosely painting a picture, leaving out variation and nuance. It is possible that certain bands belonging to a genre don't match all of the the given characteristics. It is important to realise that bands don't necessarily 'belong' to a genre and often don't define themselves in any particular way. For example, the band Tool is often portraited as a metal band, even though they do not consider themselves to be as such. Therefore, categorisations need to be taken with a grain of salt. An additional reason is inconsistency, which is inherent in the creative and fluent world of the arts.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
--- Extreme metal ---
⦁ (Meshuggah)
Polyrhythms and polymetered riff cycles, jazz influences to some extent, 4/4 time, elastic and atonal riffs, machine-like vocals, overlapping: progressive, math, experimental
⦁ Death metal (Death, Cannibal Corpse, Entombed, Morbid Angel)
Agressive, death growls, plam muting, sudden changes, horror lyrical themes double bass drums
⦁ Blackened death metal (Behemoth, Belphegor)
⦁ Doom-death/death-doom
Combines doom and death metal
⦁ Black metal (Darkthrone, Burzum, Mayhem)
Fast tempos, blast beats, tremolo guitar picking, shrieking vocals, raw recordings, anti-religious and misanthropic lyrical themes, make-up and body paint, spikes, occult imagery
⦁ Melodic black metal (Dissection, Dawn)
Harmonic guitar riffs and leads
⦁ Symphonic black metal (Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth)
Keyboards, orchestration, choirs
⦁ Power metal (Sabaton, Stratovarius, Blind Guardian)
High-pitched vocals, fast, melodic, uplifting, fantasy and mythology lyrical themes, keyboards, exaggeratedly flamboyant art
⦁ Doom metal (Candlemass, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Cathedral)
Slow, low-tuned guitars with thick sound, clean vocals, blues influences
⦁ Drone doom (Earth, Sun O))))
⦁ Sludge metal (Baroness, Melvins, High on Fire, Mastodon)
⦁ Funeral doom (Esoteric)
⦁ Thrash metal (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament)
Powerful drums, speed, complex chugging riffs, power chords, shredding, chromatism, warfare and olitics lyrical themes, fasion: cut-off, blue jeans, T-shirt, and long hair
⦁ Groove metal (Sepultura, Pantera, Lamb of God, Machine Head)
Syncopated, shouted vocals, bouncy rhythms, mid-tempo, down-tuned guitars
⦁ Speed metal (Slayer, Motörhead, Megadeth, Testament)
⦁ Grindcore (Napalm Death, Carcass)
⦁ Hardcore (Hatebreed, Black Flag)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Traditional heavy metal (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Dio, Saxon)
⦁ Symphonic metal (Apocalyptica, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica, After Forever)
Elements of orchestral classical music, operatic lead vocals, epic structures, fantasy lyrical themes, cinematic, gothic influences
⦁ Progressive metal (Queensrÿche, Tool, Gojira, Mastodon, Opeth, Dream Theater, Stratovarius, Meshuggah)
Complex compositional structures, extended instrumental passages, uncommon time signatures, dynamic shifts, progressive rock influences, virtuosic solos
⦁ Djent (Meshuggah, Textures, Periphery, Animals As Leaders) - genre under discussion
⦁ (Ghost)
Mixture of styles
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
--- Alternative metal ---
⦁ Funk metal (RATM, Infectious Grooves, Faith No More)
⦁ Industrial metal (Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Fear Factory, Marilyn Manson)
Synthesizers, highly repetitive, techno influences, machine-like grooves, minimalism, provocative live performances
⦁ Nu Metal (Korn, Deftones, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot)
Often less (technical) guitar solos, low-tuned guitars, elements of hip hop and groove metal, Dorian, Aeolian and Phrygian modes, baggy clothes
⦁ Rap metal (RATM, Linkin Park, Faith No More, Cypress Hill partly)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
⦁ Folk metal (Eluveitie)
⦁ Celtic metal (Eluveitie, Skiltron)
⦁ Viking metal (Bathory, Tyr, Amon Amarth)
⦁ Gothic metal (Type O Negative, Lacrimosa, Anathema)
⦁ Metalcore (Killswitch Engage, Architects, Hatebreed, Trivium, Bullet for My Valentine)
⦁ Deathcore (Whitechapel, Carnifex, Lorna Shore)
⦁ Mathcore (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Car Bomb, Converge, Botch)
⦁ Neo classical metal (Yngwie Malmsteen, Symphony X, Rhapsody of Fire, Rainbow)
⦁ Stoner rock/metal (Kyuss, Sleep, Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, Down)
⦁ Melodic death metal (Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy)
⦁ NWOBHM (Iron Maiden, Blitzkrieg, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Saxon, Grim Reaper, Raven)
⦁ Melodic death metal (Amon Amarth, Soilwork, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, In Flames)
⦁ Latin metal (Ill Nino, Soulfly, A.N.I.M.A.L., Ankla)
⦁ Avant-garde metal (Obscura, Voivod, Thy Catafalque, Celtic Frost)
⦁ Neue Deutsche Härte/dance-metal (Rammstein, Oomph!)
⦁ Technical Death Metal (Necrophagist, Obscura, Atheist)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Early influences on metal
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1960s occasional proto-metal/early influences
Proto-metal isn't necessarily metal yet but contains elements that might have influenced heavy metal or at least has similar characteristics. Some may argue that certain songs below are in fact metal. Important to emphasise is that bands included in the proto-metal category merely have a small number of songs belonging to that category, or sometimes even only fragments within songs. The rest of their oeuvre is acid rock, psychedelic rock, occult rock, blues rock, pop, avant-garde/experimental rock, prog, and so on. Black Sabbath is widely regarded as the band who combined all elements (criteria) that would be considered or develop into actual metal – delivering a blueprint. Nevertheless, one could argue whether they are still heavy acid rock with occult influences, actual metal, a mixture of the two, or another category. It is also debatable whether categories are necessary at all, since we can mostly observe a cumulative process – incremental development.
Usually, actual (heavy) metal is characterised by heavy riffs (slow, moderate or fast), dark and/or heavy themed lyrics and titles, agressiveness, distorted electric guitars, powerful vocals and bass guitar, heavy drum fills, album covers related to mythology and horror. Guitar riffs are less bluesy, contain more chromaticism, minor modes, downpicking, power chords, and drone qualities. The composition of songs is often influenced by classical music, either explicitly or subtly. It must be emphasised that categories are tricky and in certain cases omitted because its occasional uselessness or because individuals find it less pleasant to categorise something. Categories should be taken with a grain of salt, though they can be useful to provide a framework (that is ought to be flexible) in which to interpret. Finally, the term 'proto-metal' could also merely function as a guideline or loose category, only to describe 1970s bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.
King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (1969), Mars (live 1969)
Origin: UK
Rather scary album cover, chromatic riff, seemingly with power chords
Pink Floyd (early band name: the Megadeaths) - The Nile Song (1969)
Origin: UK
heavily distorted guitar, loud, rough vocals
High Tide - Futilist's Lament (1969), Death Warmed Up (1969)
Origin: UK
Non-bluesy heavy riff, sinister album cover
Coven - Black Sabbath (1969)
Origin: US
Occult artistic album characteristics including a skull and satanic themes, similarities to the band Black Sabbath: Oz Osborne-Ozzy Osbourne, devil horns hand gesture, and the song name
The Beatles - Helter Skelter (1968), the end of "I Want You" (She’s So Heavy) (1969)
Origin: UK
Screaming, bending low E string alternated with (sometimes sloppy) non-melodic heavy rhythmic picking, bursting, pushing moments (all instruments) near the end
Jethro Tull - For a Thousand Mothers (1969)
Extensive aeolian melodic lines, very rhythmic accents, album later remixed by progressive rock/metal producer and lead vocalist Steven Wilson, album cover similar to Yesterday's Children's self-titled, Toni Iommi of Black Sabbath played with Jethro Tull in 1968
Deep Purple - Wring that Neck (1968)
Origin: UK
Hard-hitting percussion/drums, more sophisticated non-bluesy melodic lines with classical influences in between blues moments
The Open Mind - Magic Potion (1969)
Origin: UK
Drone guitars, aeolian mode (natural minor), double bass drum, driven, repetition
Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown (1969), Dazed and Confused (1969) Whole Lotta Love (1969)
Origin: UK
Gun - Race With the Devil (1968)
Origin: UK
Screaming Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell on You (pre-1960: 1956), Little Demon (1956)
Origin: US
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild (1968)
Origin: CA/US
Downstrokes on guitar, the lyrics contain the words "heavy metal thunder", referring to a motorcycle
The Savage Rose - A Trial In Our Native Town (1968/1969)
Origin: DK
The Who - Boris the Spider (1966), I Can See For Miles (1967)
Origin: UK
The Pretty Things - Old Man Going (1968)
Origin: UK
Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)
Origin: US
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (1967)
Origin: UK/US
Tritone orchestration in the intro
Cromagnon - Caledonia (1969)
Origin: US
Andromeda - Too Old (1969)
Origin: UK
sinister album cover
The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (1969)
Origin: US
The Yardbirds - Stroll On (1966), Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (1966)
Origin: UK
Dick Dale - Miserlou (1962)
Origin: US
Fast alternate picking on low E string, double harmonic scale, resembling the Eastern Mediterranaen region
The Animals - Inside Looking Out (1966)
Origin: UK
Repetition, rather non-melodic, raw, rhytmic episodes, almost screaming vocals, build-ups
Blossom Toes - Peace Loving Man (1969)
Origin: UK
Sands - end of "Listen to the Sky" (1967)
Origin: IE
Clear Light - Street Singer (1967)
Origin: US
Drone effect, hard drum hits, emphasis on minor sixt in vocal
Writing on the Wall - Aries (1969)
Origin: UK
The Ritual - Speed Freak (1968/1969)
Origin: US
Dissonant harmonic progression, similar to later Black Metal,
International Harvester - There is No Other Place (1968)
Origin: SE
Repetition, phrygian mode (b2), vocals follow riff, pushing character
Jacula - Triumphatus Sad (1969-2001)
Origin: IT
Under discussion: guitar might have been added in 2001 or some time earlier, sounds similar to Nile - Sacrifice Unto Sebek
MC5 - Kick out the jams (1969)
Origin: US
Stage performance, raw vocals
Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues (1968)
Origin: US
Intro YouTube upload by Beat-Club channel shows typical later metal facial expression and heavy background music, Summertime Blues itself: hard drumming (and drummer's primitive movements and hair), repetition, modulation, vocals similar to Metallica's Seek and Destroy (direct influence unknown), album Latin title: Vincebus Eruptum
The Golden Earring - Everyday's Torture (1969)
Origin: NL
Strongly picked long, low guitar string notes, shifting away from typical blues into general aeolian guitar
Arthur Brown (performances) (1968-1969)
Origin: UK
Grand Funk Railroad - Paranoid (1969)
Origin: US
Guitarist haircut metalhead, sirens, half steps guitar riff
Van der Graaf Generator - Aquarian (1969)
Origin: UK
Drone heavy acoustic guitar, groove, b2 scale
Yesterday’s Children - Paranoia (1969)
Multi-layered aeolinan pattern guitar lines sounding in interludes/bits in between, emphasising the beat
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1970s proto-metal
Black Sabbath - War Pigs (1970), Black Sabbath (1970), Children of the Grave (1971), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), Symptom of the Universe (1975)
Origin: UK
1. Swelling feedback, phrygian/b2 riff combined with hammer-ons and pull-offs, crazy high chord, palm mute low E string, written in the 1960s 2. b5/#4 'evil' trill 3. chugging guitar riff
and tone, album name similar to Metallica's Master of Puppets (1986) 4. Sounds like what later would become stoner/doom and 1980s 5. palm-muted downstrokes and 5b/#4 power chord, harsh voice, album cover crosses, flat hair and band logo similar to later metal bands (e.g. "S" in Slayer's and Kiss's logo)
King Crimson - Red (song) (1974)
Origin: UK
Modern classical music influences in the intro and later on: octatonic and whole tone scale lines and riffs, dissonance, dark sound
Iron Claw - Skullcrusher (1970)
Origin: UK
Song title resembles horror
Deep Pruple - Hard Lovin' Man (1970), Child in Time (1970), Fireball (1971)
Origin: UK
1. (partly) guitar gallop 2. high vocals, classical influences 3. high-energy, driven, repetitive
Pentagram - Forever my Queen (1973)
Origin: US
Hard-hitting, groovy drums with continuous 8th notes cymbal, b2 guitar (power) chords riff on beats and later on aelian mode with raised 7th leading tone mixted with flat 7th, song is similar to Blue Cheer, Jimi Henrix, Cream, Iron Butterfly, band name Pentagram refers to occultism
Lucifer's Friend - Ride The Sky (1970)
Origin: DE
Triplet rhythm, high theatrical vocals, similar to Iron Maiden et al. near the end
Queen - Stone Cold Crazy (1974)
Origin: UK
Fast, precursor to speed/thrash metal, covered by Metallica
Yesterday's Children - Evil Woman (1969/1970)
Origin: US
Low harmony and groove
Kiss - Parasite (1974)
Origin: US
Chromatic and broken chord riff, album art and band image: make-up, black leather pants, high heels, bat-like, feminine mixed with evil and tough, metal(lic) armour-like elements, possible influence on King Diamond, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe, and the Black Metal genre
Bloodrock - Melvin Laid An Egg (1970)
Origin: US
Raw, punchy effect in the intro, album cover and bandname explicitly resemble violence and shock
Moxy - Fantasy (1975)
Origin: CA
Big sounding guitar in the intro, band logo similar to later heavy metal bands
Judas Priest - The Ripper (1976)
Origin: UK
Harmony guitar, vibrato voice, album cover angel and hell theme
Motörhead - Motörhead (1977)
Origin: UK
Heavy bass, fast low notes
Wishbone Ash - Throw Down The Sword (1972)
Origin: UK
Twin lead guitars, medieval/Renaissance feel
Scorpions - Top of the Bill (1975)
Origin: DE
Hysterical guitars and vocals later on
Budgie - Crash Course in Brain Surgery (1971/1974)
Origin: UK
Covered by Metallica
Alice Cooper
Origin: US
Make-up, evilness
Slade
Origin: UK
Posture, costumes
Attila - Brain Invasion (1970)
Origin: US
Predecessor of the blast beat
Sir Lord Baltimore - Hellhound (1970)
Origin: US
Sounds bluesy throughout but includes high vocals later on that would become typical for the metal genre
Focus - Hocus Pocus (1971)
Origin: NL
Especially the live version: dissonant solo, classical influences, fast tempo, high theatrical/operatic vocals
Ursa Major/Dick Wagner - Sinner (1972)
Origin: US
Fleetwood Mac - The Green Manalishi (1970)
Origin: UK/US
Dust - Suicide (1972)
Origin: UK/US
Intense, bursting, splashy drums, suicide topic, album cover slightly similar to, for example, Dio's 1983 Holy Diver and power/viking metal bands
Uriah Heep - Bird of Pray (1973)
Origin: UK
Death - Politicians in my eyes (1976)
Origin: US
Black Widow - Come to the Sabbath (1970)
Origin: UK
Obscure album art
Budgie - Homicidal Suicidal (1971)
Origin: UK
Violent, dark lyrical theme, mythological album art
Leafhound - Growers of Mushroom (1971)
Origin: UK
Bang - Future Shock (1972)
Origin: US
Unusual chord progressions (especially minor chord relation) throughout the verse
Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You (1970)
Origin: UK
Sinister contemporary classical music-like intro, chromatism later on, semi-gallop guitar, spooky and mythological album cover and title
Jethro Tull - Minstrel in the Gallery (1975)
Origin: UK
Chromatic modulations later on, reminiscent of the later band Dream Theater
UFO - Doctor Doctor (1974), Pack It Up (And Go) (1978), Born to Lose (1978)
Origin: UK
1. Bright, punchy guitar tone later on, guitars playing harmony, covered by Iron Maiden, showy and powerful live performance 2. b2 riff, bright and open sound 3. Clean guitar and later distorted solo sounds somewhat similar to 1980s Metallica
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (1976)
Origin: IE
Live version: guitar solo bits with wah wah, in-your-face, (semi) shredding sounds like 1980s, confident, showy and punchy performance
Stray - Only What You Can Make It (1970)
Origin: UK
Aeolian guitar riffs, concrete vocals and vocal expressions
Randy Holden - Fruit & Iceburgs (1970)
Origin: US
Unusual chord progression: b5/#4 and b2 interval
T2 - No More White Horses (1970)
Origin: UK
Thirds harmony, aeolian, shredding
Rainbow - Stargazer (1976)
Origin: UK/US
High theatrical vocals with power and typical vibrato, guitar effects, harmony, and hammer-ons/pull-offs, Middle Eastern/Western classical music compositional bits, epic album cover, similar to power metal, "whips and chains", "tower of stone", and "figure of the wizard" lyrics
Saxon - Big Teaser (1979)
Origin: UK
Glam rock/metal, metallic guitar sounds, warfare theme album cover
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Classical music that might have influenced metal music
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, Part I, movement II. Augurs of Spring
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 2 "Summer"
Mahler - Symphony No. 6, I. Allegro energico, ma non troppo
Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 2, III. "Funeral March"
Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee
Sergei Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights
Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 8, II. Allegro molto
Holst - The Planets, I. Mars, the Bringer of War
Beethoven - "Moonlight" Sonata, III. Presto Agitato
Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries
J.S. Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain
Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10, II. Allegro
Bartók - String Quartet No. 4, V. Allegro molto
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Heavy metal: thicker, intense, darker, machine-like, power, connotations with violence
1960s/1970s trying to be louder and heavier than the other band, competition, loudness part of the song instead of just a fragment
In the pivotal year 1980, heavy metal had been morphed into the genre that we now know it of with albums such as Angel Witch by Angel Witch, Wheels of Steel by Saxon, British Steel by Judas Priest, Ace of Spades by Motörhead, Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath, Lightning to the Nations by Diamond Head, and Invasion by Manilla Road. I would like to hypothesize that the years 1969-1970 and 1979-1980 were significant for the development of heavy metal.
To give an idea: (heavy) metal approximately came to existence from classical music such as Holst, Stravinsky, and Vivaldi, to Auburn "Pat" Hare, Screaming Jay Hawkins, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Beatles, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, MC5, Arthur Brown, Led Zeppelin, Coven, Blue Cheer, Pink Floyd, High Tide, King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Rainbow, UFO, Kiss, to Mötorhead, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Venom, Diamond Head, and Iron Maiden. Presumably, I am missing interesting incremental steps, on which experts could elaborate, but this is roughly what I came up with. Contrarily, some mayor metal bands and musicians might not even have mentioned certain of the above bands as an influence, but we should stay sceptical about what bands, musicians or composers say in interviews because we never know what reasons they have to mention or not to mention particular influences.
Bibliography
Heavy Metal Britannia (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlpVVicUuQ8
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8-4hByqXsw&t=2s
The History of Heavy Metal (1968 - 2023) (2023)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1dNXXqWwI
Polyphonic - Who Invented Metal? (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSIf_KVNsqg&t=1s
Fourble - Heavy Metal Historian archive (2014-2018)
https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/heavymetalhi
Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal (2013)
https://archive.org/details/louderthanhellde00wied/page/n3/mode/2up
My favourite metal albums:
Mastodon - Leviathan (2004), Tool - Lateralus (2001), Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970), Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984), Metallica - self-titled "The Black Album" (1991), Meshuggah - Nothing (2002), Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982), Soulfly - Primitive (2000), System of a Down - self-titled (1998), Rammstein - Sehnsucht (1997), Gojira - From Mars To Sirius (2005), Mastodon - Remission (2003), Opeth - The Last Will And Testament (2024), Meshuggah - obZen (2008), Sepultura - Roots (1996), Textures - Silhouettes (2008), Gojira - Magma (2016), Intronaut - The Direction of Last Things (2015), Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)
Add comment
Comments