Roots (late 1960s)
Although the term heavy metal was used later, releases before the 1970s are considered samples of early heavy metal. In the United Kingdom, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Cream, and in the United States, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Steppenwolf, inspired the bands that would later create the idiom. Especially the song Born to Be Wild of the latter is considered by many the first heavy metal song, as its lyrics contain the favorite for fans of metal themes of motorcycles and speed, while the lyrics “heavy metal thunder” played a key role in the name of the idiom.That was the case until Black Sabbath was founded in 1969 in Birmingham, England by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Gizer Butler and Bill Ward. The need for intense guitar distortion and loud bass arose on a Black Sabbath tour of German pubs, where Ozzy found that people were talking loudly and not paying enough attention to their music. So, to pique their interest, the band tried to amplify and harden the sound.
Birth (1970s)
On February 13, 1970, Black Sabbath released the first self-titled album, which is considered by most metalheads to be the first metal release. For this reason, the date of its release is also considered the date of birth of the idiom. [6] The same year they released their second album entitled Paranoid. The first two records contain hymns for the idiom. Also released the same year are albums by Uriah Heep, UFO and Alice Cooper.The following year, the debut of the Irish Thin Lizzy was released, while in 1972, the debut of the Blue Öyster Cult was released. The first albums of Aerosmith (1973), Judas Priest (1974) and Australian AC / DC (1976) were soon released. Another important band, Van Halen, released their self-titled debut, while in 1979 they released three British Motörhead records entitled On Parole, Overkill and Bomber and AC / DC Highway To Hell, the band’s last album. Bon Scott, who died the following year. That same year, Black Sabbath fired singer Ozzy Osbourne and replaced him with Ronnie James Dio, a former Rainbow singer.
N.W.O.B.H.M and the creation of new subcategories (1980s)
1980 is considered by many to be the best record year of heavy metal. Some of the many releases of that year are Judas Priest’s British Steel, Iron Maiden’s debut title, AC / DC’s Back In Black with singer Brian Johnson, which is the second best-selling album worldwide with 49 millions of copies right now, Motörhead’s Ace of Spades, Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell, Saxon Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law, and Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career debut as Blizzard of Ozz.At the same time, a new wave called N.W.O.B.H.M (New Wave of British Heavy Metal), ie New Wave of British Heavy Metal, appeared and played a decisive role in the creation of new subcategories. Some of the bands of the new wave were Saxon, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Def Leppard, Diamond Head and Venom. The latter in particular are considered the main inspiration for the creation of Thrash Metal in the middle of the decade, while their second album entitled Black Metal gave its name to an entire subcategory of heavy metal that was created later.
In 1985 and 1987, Possessed and Death respectively, following in the footsteps of thrash metal bands, created an even more extreme heavy metal subgenre. Death metal, which owes its name to the Possessed demo of the same name, to the name of Death and to the theme of the lyrics, which were related to death, is still considered the most extreme subspecies of heavy metal. It is characterized by roaring vocals, low tuning and very fast rhythms. The lyrics refer to diseases, death, violence and Satanism, although they later acquired a socio-political approach.The original covers of the American Cannibal Corpse have been banned in many countries around the world due to the extreme images of violence they display. Other death metal bands that stood out are Morbid Angel, Obituary, Bolt Thrower and Deicide.
Power metal, a less extreme but high-speed subtype, was born in the 1980s. It was started in Germany by the Helloween and later the Blind Guardian, and is characterized by clear vocals, melodies and fast speeds. Other bands that stood out are Iced Earth, Gamma Ray and Rhapsody Of Fire. It is directly related to progressive metal, which is characterized by long-lasting tracks and complex song structures. Although it was created by Rush Canadians several years earlier, bands such as Dream Theater and Fates Warning have made it known to the general public.
Glam Metal was also born in the mid-1980s. Influenced by the theatricality of KISS and the heavy metal of the 1970s, bands such as Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P. and the Twisted Sister are the main representatives of the movement, which was a great commercial success.