The artist Ian Anderson called the “prototype” for metal
The whole genesis of heavy metal almost seemed like a happy accident. The world of rock and roll had already started to get a bit more gritty than normal, and once people started turning up the distortion and writing something a bit more menacing, people started to see what wonders awaited them if they bothered writing odes to the darker side of life. Even though Jethro Tull may have been the furthest thing from what classic metal was supposed to be, even Ian Anderson could tell when the tides were turning.
Granted, Anderson has had a checkered history when it comes to all forms of heavy metal. Even if he and the rest of Jethro Tull had some of the most forward-thinking progressive rock of their time, giving them the award for the first-ever metal-themed Grammy was one of the biggest jokes in the ceremony’s history, especially given the fact that Metallica were up for the award with their classic, ‘One’.
But it’s not like Tull didn’t have that aggressive side when they wanted to. The solo on ‘Aqualung’ requires serious chops to pull off that wouldn’t have felt out of place on a Deep Purple or early Judas Priest record, but it’s not like they were the poster children for the genre, either. I mean, was anyone clamouring to hear the genesis of a new brand of metal that had flutes as a prime feature of their sound?
Then again, Anderson did have friends in high places when it came to heavy metal. After all, before Black Sabbath had become living legends, Anderson had seen something in Tony Iommi when playing the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, eventually tapping him to play guitar for his outfit before Iommi elected to see it through with his own band.
“His guitar playing and the monophonic riffs that he came up with were something not entirely unique…”
Ian Anderson
Granted, Iommi was always going to be a bit of a strange fit in Tull. He doesn’t necessarily look out of place in most of the footage from that time, but there are still some pieces that don’t quite work, like hearing him play blues when some of the songs are aching for something a little bit more extravagant.
Still, Anderson knew that Iommi was on the verge of something big when he heard him play in his new band, saying, “Tony is what we call the ‘prototype’ of heavy metal. His guitar playing and the monophonic riffs that he came up with were something not entirely unique, but a natural evolution from the more loose, blues-based jamming in bands like Cream a couple years before.”
Even if that sounds like a backhanded compliment to Iommi’s sound, the guitarist could still switch things up when he wanted. Whether it was because he worked with Tull or wanted to stretch a little bit, hearing him grow as a guitarist and an all-around musician on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage was a good indication that he had no intention of staying in one spot for very long.
So, while Iommi did shape himself into a more creative musician than he was in the beginning, it’s still for the best that he paved his own way. Otherwise, we would have been in for a heavier version of prog, and heavy metal may have ceased to exist entirely.
