Heavy Metal
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock, and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, massive sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and loudness.
Origins & History
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple pioneered metal in the late 1960s-early 1970s. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest) emerged in the late 1970s. Thrash metal (Metallica, Slayer) arose in the 1980s. Death metal, black metal, and numerous subgenres followed.
United Kingdom, United States
late 1960s-early 1970s
Musical Characteristics
- •Distorted, amplified guitar riffs
- •Powerful drumming with double-bass patterns
- •Aggressive vocal styles (growling, screaming)
- •Dark or intense lyrical themes
- •Guitar solos and technical proficiency
- •Emphasis on power and intensity
Subgenres
Thrash metal
Death metal
Black metal
Power metal
Doom metal
Nu metal
Metalcore
Related Genres
Heavy Metal Songs
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