Where did the term ‘heavy metal’ originate?
No other musical genre has the power to generate both glee and disdain in the same way as heavy metal. Widely known simply as metal, the genre is perhaps the most multifaceted of them all. Metal has taken many forms and subgenres under its broad umbrella, ranging from the melodic to the borderline unlistenable. One only needs to mention that both Black Sabbath and Burzum are classed as metal acts to understand just how diverse of a landscape it is. Elsewhere, the genre features the likes of Type O Negative, Tool, Pantera and Napalm Death, with each group doing their bit to push the boundaries of what was once a relatively straightforward genre.
As well as being such an extensive field, heavy metal is also a way of life that comes with a matching aesthetic. Although this concept has many different levels, with black clothing, leather jackets, piercings, and tattoos all well-known and stereotypical signifiers of a metalhead, this is not absolute. Metal appeals to many, from my Five Finger Death Punch-loving optician to A-listers such as Margot Robbie and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.
Whether it be Ozzfest or Download, there are many celebrations of the metal genre that happen year after year. It is an ever-present fixture on the bills of more generic festivals such as Reading and Coachella. In fact, it is such a ubiquitous form that since its inception, metal has become a cultural institution featured in film, TV, radio, and literature. Here, we look back at the origins.
Who started the metal genre?
Who started the metal genre? Well, that is a question that has multiple answers. However, the genre has its roots in classic rock, which in turn took from the American blues of the 20th century, with figures such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters pioneering the form.
Although the likes of Link Wray and The Kinks are noted as having an impact via their use of distortion, it was in 1968 that what we know as heavy metal started to take shape.
That year saw the three main groups hailed as the progenitors of the genre form; Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. Each of them instilled a darker edge into rock, with more punishing vocal performances than fans were used to. They utilised thunderous rhythm sections and a great deal of shredding on the electric guitar.
The likes of Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore were specifically galvanised by the work of Jimi Hendrix, as it was the Seattle native who assisted the guitar in its metamorphosis from an instrument into a weapon. Arguably, though, it was Iommi’s Sabbath that had the greatest impact on the formation of metal. Their eponymous 1970 debut was the evilest body of work anyone had ever heard at that point. The record established a blueprint that the band would refine over the next couple of years with the likes of Paranoid and Master of Reality. By the end of the decade, they had made such an impact that metal was in full swing, with Motörhead, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden broadening its scope greatly.
However, the aforementioned bands were not the only groups that pioneered metal. Props also have to go to two other outfits that delivered essential pieces in 1968. These came in the form of Iron Butterfly’s ominous classic ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida‘ and the Mars Bonfire song recorded by Steppenwolf, ‘Born to be Wild’.
It must also be noted that Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the mind behind the 1956 effort ‘I Put a Spell on You’, impacted the genre via his spooky lyrics and macabre live shows. As the first shock-rocker, it is from him that we get Alice Cooper and the likes of GWAR and Slipknot.
How did the metal genre develop?
After Black Sabbath released their first three albums, and Led Zeppelin had usurped The Beatles as the biggest band on earth, the cat was out of the bag. Now, a myriad of groups would take the formula and inject their personalities into it, helping metal to become the diverse form it is today.
American acts such as Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and Kiss made it more accessible by adding an anthemic twist, whereas British groups pushed their boundaries a little further.
Lemmy and Motörhead inserted some of their amphetamine-influenced energy into it, with their sound more in keeping with punk. Elsewhere, Judas Priest helped it to move away from the influence of the blues, with the guitars more piercing than ever and frontman Rob Halford’s operatic wail giving Robert Plant a run for his money.
In the late 1970s, what became known as the “new wave of British heavy metal” burst onto the scene. The likes of Iron Maiden and Saxon were the vanguard, popularising the “metalhead” way of life and aesthetic that we commonly associate with the genre. It was also from these acts that the notions of aggression and masculinity synonymous with the genre originated. These outfits gave metal a rebirth and broke away from the likes of Zeppelin and Sabbath.
Then, in the 1980s, glam metal became the dominant genre, with Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, Poison, Twisted Sister and Bon Jovi leading the charge. Running concurrently with this bombastic and highly commercialised metal style, the underground scene produced more aggressive, unrelenting forms, including thrash, death and black metal.
The bands riding the crest of the thrash wave were ‘The Big Four’, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Simultaneously, other acts such as Napalm Death and Cannibal Corpse were on the fringes of the form, pioneering grindcore and death metal. They made it more visceral than was ever thought possible in the late 1960s. Then, in the early 1990s, groove metal became the sound a la mode thanks to the likes of Pantera and Machine Head. Elsewhere, Norwegian black metal erupted and gained worldwide notoriety from a spate of church burnings and murders. However, it is one of the most influential subgenres of metal.
By the dawn of the new millennium, nu-metal, the successor to groove, was then the most popular form, casting off the influence of the blues and completely breaking from the traditional conception of rock and metal. Since then, metalcore, djent and many others have become immensely popular.
This is all well and good, but it begs the question…
Where does the term heavy metal come from?
This is debatable, but the most likely source comes from Steppenwolf’s ‘Born to be Wild’. Famed for its inclusion in 1969’s Easy Rider, it is a countercultural classic and, stylistically, a piece of hard rock. Nevertheless, it was the first time the term was used, with the second verse explicitly containing the line “heavy metal thunder”.
Although the lyric describes a motorcycle, with regards to sociologist Deena Weinstein’s description of the genre as an “onslaught of sound”, it was a perfect tag for everything else that was to come.
