Traditional heavy metal

Traditional heavy metal, also known as classic metal^[1] or simply heavy metal, is the seminal genre of heavy metal music before the genre "evolved and splintered into many different styles and subgenres."^[2][3].

Terminology's issues

Basically, the short, original, and proper term for this genre is "heavy metal", but as Michka Assayas notes in his dictionary of rock^[4], the term "heavy metal" may sometimes be used in different senses. As a matter of fact, while the term can refer to the seminal style, it also can be used as a large umbrella term for any subgenres deriving from it (heavy metal= metal [see Heavy Metal article]). Hence the term "traditional heavy metal" or classic heavy metal ^[5] may be employed to avoid confusions with the larger sense. In order to avoid the potential ambiguity, others like Sharpe Young may use the term "heavy metal" exclusively to refer to original genre and use the term "metal" instead to refer to the global genre including subgenres. ^[6] Similarly Paul Dunoyer also uses the term heavy metal to refer to the original style exclusively. ^[7]

Assayas's Rock Dictionary points out another ambiguity of the term "heavy metal" ^[8] and notes that in certain context, some may consider it as synonymous to hard-rock (most particularly in the USA)^[9] when others consider it as a distinct genre from it. ^[10] The former view is supported by authors including Ian Christe and Robert Walser while the latter view is defended by authors including Garry Sharpe Young. ^[11] and Paul Dunoyer's encyclopaedia of Music^[12]. In this regard, Sharpe Young considers therefore Black Sabbath as the first true heavy metal band.

The different use of the heavy metal term may not have the same meaning according to the context and the authors. In this regard, while some authors like Ian Christe have regarded hard rock bands like AC/DC, Queen, Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple as heavy metal in the original sense, others may reject this label for these bands for example Garry Sharpe Young in his Metal guide, who denies such bands to be heavy metal considering "they refused to extract themselves from the blues."^[13].

Sharpe Young^[14], Rob Halford^[15], as well as Sam Dunn^[16] rather trace back the origin of this genre to Black Sabbath exclusively, ^[17] characterized by the dropping of the blues roots. Rob Halford notes: "Black Sabbath absolutely invented heavy metal. I've read a lot of essays and such like about tracing it all back further and further. It's as though these writers want to claim the source, a bit like Dr. Livingstone and the source of the Nile. But as a purist metal musician, I can tell you- it's Black Sabbath." ^[18]

Musical characteristics

Traditional heavy metal sound is in many cases similar to that of hard rock, and as previously mentioned some authors even consider as synonymous to hard rock. However, others such as Paul Dunoyer, in his encyclopedia of music, although recognizing many similarities between both genres, considers that heavy metal tends to depart from the original blues roots of hard-rock. A view also shared by Garry Sharpe Young. According to this view, original heavy metal is characterized by mid-to-fast-tempo riffs, by thumping basslines, crunchy riffs, extended lead guitar solos, and clean, often high-pitched vocals and anthemic choruses. One of the most important and innovative concepts of traditional heavy metal was the use of the double lead guitar pioneered by bands like Scorpions and Judas Priest. And although, this concept was sparingly used by earlier hard rock bands like Uriah Heep and UFO, it was wholly developed as a heavy metal element during the traditional heavy metal era. This concept of dual lead guitars would reach more profound heights during the late 1980s when other bands like Accept would also use it. Another musical concept that was developed was galloping rhythmic patterns which were extensively used in Iron Maiden songs, but also in certain Accept's songs ("Restless and Wild", "Metal Heart"),as well as Judas Priest ("Diamonds and Rust"), Dio ("Holy Diver"), Aria ("Geroy Asfalta", "Krov za Krov") or Trust ("Varsovie/Uptown Martyrs").

Lyrical themes

Typical Heavy metal fashion was pioneered by Judas Priest

Traditional heavy metal is lyrically diverse, with a wide variety of lyrical themes being written by the bands without a centralised prerequisite. The themes include: the occult, party and fun, fantasy, social themes, drug themes, life on the road, and war themes. A single band can write songs based on various themes. For instance, Judas Priest writes songs on party (Living After Midnight), social themes (Victim of Changes, Breaking the law), love songs (Prisoner of Your Eyes) and fantasy/fiction (Painkiller). The bands may exclusively write about party, sex, love and drugs, while other bands (such as Iron Maiden) having war, history, culture, violence, fantasy and religion as recurring themes.

War, horror fiction, mythological and historical topics are frequent themes though. Songs may also be anthems to heavy metal music itself.(for example the song "Heavy metal" by Judas Priest,"Heavy metal is the law" by Helloween, "The Gods made Heavy metal" by Manowar, "Slaves to Metal" by Accept). War is a frequent theme. Some bands including Manowar and Hammerfall tend to deal with it in a romanticized way, praising courage and masculinity, while other bands including Accept("Russian Roulette", "Man Enough to Cry", "Walking in the Shadow"), Black Sabbath("War Pigs") and Iron Maiden( "Afraid to Shoot Strangers", "Two Minutes to Midnight", "The Trooper") rather deal with war in a more serious and critical approach. Horror and mysticism sometimes overlap with religious topics, like the Apocalypse.

List of traditional heavy metal bands

References

• Sharpe-Young, Garry (2007), Metal: The Definitive Guide, London: Jawbone Press, ISBN 9781906002015 

Notes

See also

• Timeline of heavy metal
• Heavy metal
• Proto-metal
• Hard rock