a brief history of metal

a brief history of

metal

musicaltradition

1400 B.C.(Syria)

oldestsongever

Text

singlenotes(rituals & drone)

harmony&melody(scales & tonality)

dissonance&chords

Storytelling(& Drinking Songs)

“Celtic” MusicClassical (Art) Music

return date(“Y”) + 500;

distortionriffs&chords

The Kingsmen“Louie, Louie”

(by Richard Berry)

Dick Dale“Misirlou”

Pat Hare(Muddy Waters)

“I’m Gonna Murder My Baby”

Blind Willie Johnson(Howlin’ Wolf)

“How Many More Years”

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50‘sblues&60‘sgarage

The WhoPete Townshend

The KinksDave Davies

The YardbirdsJimmy Page

The Rolling StonesKeith Richards

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60‘sbritishrock

Iron Butterfly(Pace)

MC5(Feel)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience(Virtuosity)

Cream(Rhythm)

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60‘ssongwriting

AC/DCDeep PurpleBlack SabbathLed Zeppelin

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70‘sgodfathers

mostmeta(l)thingever

Adapted by making thimbles, using light

strings, and downtuning

Listened to Django Reinhardt (played with two fingers on

the fretboard)

Lost middle and ring fingertips of fretting

hand in a metal factory accident

mostmeta(l)thingever

tonyiommi

andthenthishappened

return date(“Y”) - 20;

50s&60s

counterculture

andthenthishappened

Inspired by Geezer Butler’s encounter

with a witchcraft book-stealing shadow

First song employs the tritone (diabolus

in musica) with a diminished fith

Renamed band from Earth to Black

Sabbath as homage to a ‘63 horror film

andthenthishappened

blacksabbath

if ( in_array( “Satan”, $counterculture) ) {

$counterculture = “Satan”;exit;

}

#amirite?

andthenwhathappened

counterculture

subculture

MotörheadMisfits

Iron Maiden

Judas PriestScorpions

Saxon

King CrimsonUriah Heep

Rush

Black SabbathAC/DC

Led Zeppelin

andthenwhathappened

70sdivergence(oversimplified)

2briefasides

Kiss was less metal,more shock/glam rock.

Ozzy ate a bat by accident.He was also an addict.

Also weird. But, not satanic.

andthenwhathappened

counterculture(again)

Van HalenGuns N’ RosesIron Maiden

MetallicaMegadeth

SlayerAnthrax

andthenwhathappened

80sacceleration(oversimplified)

Mötley CrüeBon JoviPoison

Def Leppard

American Hard Rock Big Four: Thrash Hair Metal

CandlemassPagan AlterPentagram

MinistryGodflesh

Nine Inch Nails

Black FlagBad Brains

Minor ThreatMisfits

HellhammerCeltic Frost

BathoryVenom

andthenwhathappened

80sacceleration(oversimplified)

DeathMorbid AngelNapalm Death

Black Metal Hardcore Punk Death Metal Industrial Metal Doom Metal

andthenwhathappened

well,now’s a good time to note:

unfortunately,

somestufflikethis :(

norwegianblackmetalcool tunes. weird scene.

mostly anti-religious,not always satanic.

wait.what’s with the face paint?

and all the anger?

complex historical reactions

+herd mentality

+other crimes

=some pretty bad PR

anyway

PanteraWhite ZombieMachine Head

Marilyn MansonFear Factory

Nine Inch NailsRammstein

Rage Against the Machine

KornSlipknot

MayhemBurzum

DarkthroneGorgoroth

andthenwhathappened

90sbranching(oversimplified)

Cannibal CorpseSuffocationAt the Gates

Napalm DeathBrutal Truth

Black Nu/Rap Death / Grind Industrial Groove

CoalesceBotch

Dillinger Escape Plan

ConvergeShai HuludHatebreed

andthenwhathappened

90sbranching(oversimplified)

Metallic Hardcore Mathcore

RefusedBorn Against

Battery

Hardcore Punk

KyussSleep

MelvinsNeurosis

Stoner & Sludge

ToolAlice in Chains

Deftones

Alternative

Gwar should be mentioned somewhere.

andthenwhathappened

Wolves in the Throne Room

LiturgyBehemoth

MeshuggahSikTh

TesseracT

MastodonBetween the Buried

and MeCynic

Dream Theater

Lamb of GodShadows Fall

Killswitch EngageUnearth

andthenwhathappened

00sbranching(oversimplified)

NileAtheist

DecapitatedAutopsy

New American Progressive Death “Djent” Black

Sunn O)))EarthJesu

IsisPelican

Cult of Luna

Despised IconAs I Lay Dying

SuffocationConverge

ThursdayCircle Takes the

SquareThrice

Underoath

andthenwhathappened

00sbranching(oversimplified)

Cephalic CarnagePig Destroyer

The Locust

Post-Hardcore Metal/Deathcore Noise / Grind Post-Metal Drone

2briefasides

Bands like Attack Attack! are less metal,more electronica with hardcore influences.

Bands like Emmureare less metal,

more hardcore withhip-hop influnces.

culturalassociations

The origin of the “Sign of the Horns” is in

dispute, but it likely doesn’t refer to Satan.

The origin of headbanging

is also in dispute and

old.

Moshing, pit dancing, crowd surfing, stage diving, wall of death.

questions?

bit.ly/historyofmetal