A Brief History of Heavy Metal

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Many people view heavy metal as loud, obnoxious music played by people with no talent and listened to by a bunch of head banging punks who do not like listening to “real music”. But many people do not know anything about heavy metal or its history. Heavy metal is a term widely characterizing a style of music that is loud, aggressive, and extremely popular. Heavy metal is extremely diverse and has many sub genres which is why not all heavy metal bands sound the same. Many different heavy metal bands and sub genres originate from all over the world. During its 40-plus-year history, heavy metal has outlasted many trendier genres and continues to evolve and become popular today.

Heavy metal started in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United Kingdom with the emergence of psychedelic rock and blues-rock. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, the founders of the genre, were known to be a part of the British Invasion. These three bands were the pioneers of louder, darker, faster, and harder music at a time when flower power was the rage. According to the article What Is Metal Rock?, “The early groups' sound and lyrics were ominous in nature with some sexual overtones as well as having a heavy influx of mythological / fantasy elements.” The British band Steppenwolf first coined the phrase “heavy metal” in their 1968 song “Born to Be Wild” when they referred to “heavy metal thunder”.

During the 1970s American bands modified heavy metal into more employable forms. According to the article What Is Metal Rock?, “In the 1970s, glam metal broke onto the scene with hard hitting songs that treated life as a party. Groups such as Kiss, Alice Cooper and T Rex embraced showmanship while creating alter-egos and concept album...

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...world. During heavy metal’s 40-plus-year existence, heavy metal has outlasted many trendier genres and to this day it continues to evolve and gain more popularity.

Works Cited

1. Bingaman, Mark. History of Heavy Metal Rock. 2010, 28 May.

2. Bower, Chad. What Is Heavy Metal?. N/A

3. Gilmore, James. Heavy Metal Music Facts. 2010, 23 April.

4. Heibutzki, Ralph. Interesting Facts About Heavy Metal Rock. 2010, 14 June.

5. Rutella, Anne-Marie. What Is Metal Rock?. N/A.

6. N/A. Heavy Metal. N/A.

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