6th April,2010

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The Beginning: mid 1960s

•Bands like The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds, experimented on the blues-rock genre by speeding up the tempos.

•The combination of blues-rock with psychedelic rock formed much of the original basis for heavy metal.

•One of the most influential bands in forging the merger of genres was the British power trio Cream. Their albums Fresh Cream(1966) and Disraeli Gears(1967) are regarded as essential prototype for the heavy metal genre.

• The Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut album, Are You Experienced(1967), was also highly influential. Album's most successful single, "Purple Haze," is identified by some as the first heavy metal hit.

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•In late 60s, the music became heavier, with faster tempos ,more distorted riffs and amplifications. Bands like Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin pioneered this genre

•With the advent of bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions and Kiss, during the early 70s, heavy metal, as a separate genre, was established.

•Songs like Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ became instant hits, climbing up the charts and receiving tremendous publicity both as acclaim and criticism

•With the increasing fame and hysteria, metal kept on evolving. Mid and late 70s bands like AC/DC, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Def Leppard et al brought different genres like rock n roll , punk to a common platform---HEAVY METAL

LATE 1960s and EARLY 1970s

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•By late 70s, the first generation of the metal bands was at decline as several of the prominent bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple disbanded!

•It was then the New Wave of British Heavy Metal(NWOBHM) movement reenergized the heavy metal genre.

•With the airing of Judas Priests’ British Steel on the MTV, heavy metal went global.

•With more radio and television coverage, there came more audience and more criticism.

• Various different protest movements, in a way, helped heavy metal to create a fanatic followers’ base.

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LATE 1970’s to EARLY 80’s

•80s was a metamorphosis period for heavy metal. This period saw the birth of some of the most famous sub-genres of heavy metal, like speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, etc.

•“The big four” of the period, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer popularized the thrash metal genre.

•Bands like Death, Celtic Frost, Pentagram, Mercyful Fate further diversified heavy metal into death, black, doom and gothic metal.

•Amidst all the criticism and protests, heavy metal rose to new heights. With metal bands like Metallica topping the charts, and selling more than all-famous artists like Madonna, heavy metal surely was a movement rather than just another genre of music.

Late 80s to 1990

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o Metal’s popularity declined in early 90’s.

o Rise of grunge was the major reason.

o Glam metal fell out of favor.

o Rise of heavier forms of metal alienated it from common crowds.

o Censorship in US also added to metal’s fall.

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o In the 90’s Nu metal prevailed.

o Post 2000 metalcore rules the mainstream metal scenario.

o Extreme forms like Death, Melodic death metal have become popular in Scandinavia.

o Most of these bands are underground bands.

o Though metal has revived true metal music is no longer mainstream music.

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Metal culture like any other culture has its own philosophies, traditions, symbols etc. o Symbols: The two most enduring symbols in metal culture are The devils horns and 666 ( the number of the beast).

o Appearance: Black clothing, band t-shirts, silver and leather apparels along with long hair, tattoos and even piercings.

o Concerts: Concerts are temples for metal heads. Mosh pits are a common site.

o Head banging: The jerky swaying of the head to the tune of the song.

o Air-guitaring: You must have seen this…metal heads playing solos on an imaginary guitar.

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o Philosophy: The basic philosophies of a metal head are:

• Individuality.• Rebellion.

Metal heads have a strong sense of brotherhood. Loyal to the music they love and hence the popular saying among metal heads “ Once a metal head always a metal head.”

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The most common misconceptions about metal include:

• Lyrical Content: Popular beliefs that metal lyrics are always dark and depressive.

•Satanism: Metal seems to symbolise and glorify Satan .

•Social disturbances: It seems to promote suicides, violence etc.

•Lack of melody: It’s noise!!!

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