Metal

While the exact origins of heavy metal music are unknown, it can be estimated that the genre had been in the early stages of development throughout the late 1960s. Heavy metal borrows much of its influence from legendary Blues Rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. It is a widely debated topic as to which band was actually the first to make the leap from rock to metal, but the main contenders are generally Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. Regardless of which band is labeled the first in the genre, the music itself developed immense popularity in the early 1970s due in no small part to the aforementioned bands. The United Kingdom and the United States alike saw a drastic influx of new bands, including legendary acts like Judas Priest and Motörhead.

Early metal music was characterized by driving and distorted riffs, aggressive drumming, vigorous vocals, and an all around show of brute force. Fashion played a major role in the scene as well, with the predominant color of choice being black to signify individualism, and the most popular clothing style being tight leather. Most band members grew down-the-back long hair, adopted from the hippie culture of the 1960s. Lyrical themes were often used as weapons of shock value towards the mainstream music culture, often emphasizing dark and depressing subjects such as anti-religion, drugs, war, death, and suicide. The fallen angel Satan would become a prime symbol for the genre, embodying the messages of individuality and anti-conformity that heavy metal music strived to create.

Since its birth in the early 1970s, metal has since branched out into dozens of subgenres, each incorporating a unique style or theme. Death Metal, for example, is an aggressive subgenre that tends to emphasize deep, guttural growls, fast tempos, blast beat drumming, complex song structures, and a general emphasis on gory lyrical content. Black Metal on the other hand, is a subgenre that tends to focus more on lo-fi production to enhance atmosphere while employing tremolo picking, shrieked vocals, unconventional song structures, and generally Satanic or anti-Christian lyrics. While each subgenre is inherently different, it is clear that the original message of individualism found in the early heavy metal music is still alive today.