For me, the “creators” of Heavy Metal, would be Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.
Hard Rock? That is far more difficult to answer, but maybe The Beatles? Check out George Harrison‘s riff on I Feel Fine (1964), which can then be followed by Paperback Writer (1966), the opening riff in Revolution (1968) and Harrison’s playing in Come Together (1969).
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“Creating” is such a definitive word and I don’t know that it can apply strictly to any single band. I feel that music evolves as certain bands push the envelope little by little from what came before them. In the process, every once in a while, there’s a band or album or song that seems fully realized – or breaks through – as something totally new and genre-defining.
Did Judas Priest “create” heavy metal? Yes, but only in the sense that they may have been the first fully realized band to break through to play – and look like –what we now call “heavy metal.” However, what they presented as fully realized was based on the envelope-pushing of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, etc. Just as those bands based their innovations/breakthrough on the envelope-pushing of artists before them.
Same goes for hard rock. And in the Beatles’ case, they were so good, they pushed the envelope beyond what THEY played previously – I Feel Fine to Paperback Writer to Revolution to Helter Skelter (maybe not so much Come Together). There is an argument to be made that Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin pushed the envelope set by Helter Skelter (Highway Star, Communication Breakdown).
…And so ends my TED Talk. Thank you.
I’m ignorant of The Kinks as I never paid them much attention. I couldn’t tell you the name of any of their songs besides “You Really Got Me” which I think is a good rock song.
Music progressed from generation to generation. However, the debut Black Sabbath record featuring the title track that Dana listens to in the dark before bed each night was simply on another level when it comes to heaviness! I think the next three records were even heavier when you think of songs like Sweet Leaf, War Pigs, Into The Void, Iron Man, Children Of The Grave & Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. There was really nothing like it at the time and it opened the floodgates for what was to come from the likes of Judas Priest and many others. If you disagree that Sabbath created heavy metal, my man Randy Blythe (pronounced Bly – I read his book) will fight you over it!
it’s funny…rock and roll was rocking back and forth …not a freaking rock…… how is music like a rock? then “heavy metal” started when a critic described an early Black Sabbath concert as a car crash….”heavy metals clashing together” …ok, but that still has nothing to do with rocking and rolling….”heavy metal thunder” is describing a motorcycle, not music…yet, here we are…people devote their whole lives to it…Eddie is a music insider who likes hard rock and roll…the point is it has more of an edge…but the whole thing makes no sense…Punk rocking back forth? I would describe modern music as static…so much going on and it’s just one big static noise…
Well, at least the term Heavy Metal, describes what could be a sound, unlike Hair Metal, which truly describes an image.
as a car crash, you mean? I think the way it’s used is as a mutation of a literal heavy rock, and it’s heavier and made of steel…which, again, makes no sense. Hair Metal does describe an image…but it’s guys dressed up in drag…lol….no offense to anybody…please.
..but to answer The Question of the Week….sorry, and glad you’re still talking to me….ok, so now that I have established a definition of this music that fits …I am going stipulate “metal” as rock and roll w/out the rock or roll…i.e., no back beat rhythm….more like a robot moving; mechanical…it sort of takes humans out of being human and into another reality…so Priest started that…even though they were still more of a hybrid of rock and roll and “metal.” …that goes through all the NWOBHM bands…that whole wave…then you get to Metallica…which fully realized the metal form…so, Metallica, final answer (even though they would become rock in roll later, then back to metal…I like them more as rock and roll, can’t appreciate music that has no swing to it).
I don’t know how the term “heavy metal” originated, but it’s the term used to describe a genre of music, of which, we all share passion. One of the things I have learned, particularly cuz of this question Dana asks, is that each individual defines “heavy metal” music differently. I think Judas Priest is the first, and creators of, heavy metal/band. And I think Black Sabbath, while offering a dark, doomy, drop tuned guitars were pioneers for their brand of music, they were still a heavy “blues based” hard rock band, not a heavy metal band. Yes, many heavy metal bands follow Black Sabbath lead with dark, drop tuned music, but that does not make Black Sabbath the first “heavy metal” band….they were influences.
Another term…..”Power Metal”. This is a classification for bands like Hammerfall, Stratovarious, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, etc….how did this term even originate? Well, Ron McGovney had it printed on Metallica’s first business cards. When Lars Ulrich saw their music branded as such, he got pissed at Ron,screaming “What the f- is “Power Metal”!? I guess there was no basis for labeling something “Power Metal” then, although now it is known as music that is traditional heavy metal with an anthemic sound, fantasy based subject matter, strong choruses, and incorporating symphonic elements….all of Metallica’s music is not.
Rattle,
What is so ironic, had it not been for Iommi‘s factory accident, which cut off the fingertips, of his fret playing hand, the band most likely, would not have invented their signature sound.
Iommi was forced to lower the action, on his guitar, hence creating that drop tone, you wrote about, in your comment above. The lowering of the action, along with the artificial fingertips, that he fashioned for himself out of wax (or whatever the material was, I forgot), were, no pun intended, instrumental in creating their darker sound.
Who knows what Black Sabbath would have sounded like otherwise? Or if they would have ever become the influential icons, they became? That accident, forced them to adopt a whole new sound, image, etc. That maybe a good question to pose for next week?
Hi Dana, the other thing Tony Iommi did to give Sabbath’s music a darker sound was he played root note barre chords on the 6th guitar string rather than the 5th guitar string. This gave the guitar tone a less bright, deeper, fuller, more powerful sound. Many heavy metal bands have been influenced by Sabbath to use this same technique,,,,but that does not mean I’m crediting Sabbath for being the first heavy metal band…..I still think Judas Priest is the first heavy metal band.
Regarding other classifications of music….the NWOBHM band Raven classified their early music as “Athletic Rock”. I have no idea what that means, or why they chose to classify it as such. And Lemmy never considered Motorhead a “heavy metal” band. He often referred to Motorhead as “rock and roll”. I, on the other hand, have always considered Motorhead a heavy metal band. For me, the term “rock and roll” is the “umbrella” for various genres of music, like heavy metal, power metal, thrash metal, doom metal, hard rock, soft rock, etc…it’s ALL ROCK AND ROLL!! :o)
Athletic Rock? LOL!! Is that the cousin to Stadium Rock? Many of these sub genres are so confounding and silly, and yes, you are correct they are all Rock N’ Roll.
…but, and although this isn’t the Question this week, the best band at doing metal, which again is this robotic type rhythm…it’s about the rhythm, not the notes, it has nothing to do with tri tone, or any of that…it has to do with instruments, equipment, and rhythm over all of that….is Priest…they’re the most musically talented band to play metal, and there’s a lot of irony there…they are saying that they don’t like what society is turning them into, and reflecting it back….Screaming had the perfect synthesis of music and lyrics…and still had a bluesy kick in there (that really shows their musicality).
Well, being that, Screaming For Vengeance, is my all time favorite album, naturally, I concur-LOL!
the British truly got irony, not sure if they still do…. a song like Metal Gods when it was released was an exciting turning point for them…it’s an industrial rhythm…both guitar verse and drum part…Reznor completely used it later…..that was such a great time for this music. I remember Priest playing that song live early on and being really excited about it; these guys can play really difficult guitar parts and it’s so simple, but that misses the point….they hit on a new sound.