Alright metalheads, it’s time to continue our discussion from last week about traditional heavy metal music. This week we will talk about traditional heavy metal from the mid '70s to present day. Normally “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” will not take two days to discuss one subgenre of heavy metal, but with traditional heavy metal there is a lot of material to cover; as, it is the foundation for every other heavy metal subgenre.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, punk rock began to emerge. Punk rock was essential in the development of heavy metal; as, it helped to inspire the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (which we will discuss in depth next week), as well as many other traditional heavy metal acts.
One of the most important traditional heavy metal acts of this time was Motörhead. Formed in the mid-70s, Motörhead carried the rebellious spirit of punk music over to heavy metal. Motörhead was also a significantly faster band than nearly every heavy metal band around at the time, and because of that, they became the first speed metal band.
Around the time of Motörhead, both Iron Maiden and Diamond Head were formed. Both bands would have a tremendous influence on heavy metal throughout the 1980s and were leaders of both traditional heavy metal as well as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
At the very end of the 1970s, Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath. That lead to the band's hiring Ronnie James Dio as their new lead singer. Dio had previously been involved with bands such as Elf and Rainbow, and had become a very prominent name in hard rock. With the addition of Dio, Black Sabbath’s sound evolved even further. Dio had a wider vocal range than Osbourne, and he would soon become a heavy metal icon. Dio is frequently credited as having invented the “devil horns” hand gesture that is popular among heavy metal fans today.
During the 1980s, traditional heavy metal continued to be very popular. Dio left Black Sabbath in the early '80s and went on to form a new band with Vinny Appice that was named after himself, Dio. Dio would prove to be a very successful band and continue Dio’s legacy.
Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne had also decided to form a solo band when left Black Sabbath during the late 1970s, and he released Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman in the early 80s with his legendary guitarist, Randy Rhodes. Those albums are legendary heavy metal releases and are heavy metal classics to this day.
Apart from Dio and Osbourne, the important traditional heavy metal bands of the 1980s were Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Accept, W.A.S.P., and Mercyful Fate. Each of these bands blossomed during the 1980s and influenced countless other metal bands.
Accept helped to develop the speed metal subgenre and were notable as being one of the big early heavy metal bands to come from Germany.
W.A.S.P. was an important band that blurred the lines between shock rock and heavy metal, and they gained immense popularity.
Mercyful Fate influenced the development of numerous other heavy metal subgenres such as black metal, thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal. Furthermore, their iconic frontman, King Diamond, would become legendary among heavy metal fans for his impressive vocal range as well as his notorious solo career.
Traditional heavy metal declined during the 1990s. Many of the bands that were prominent throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s began to experience major line-up changes and break-ups. Furthermore, the quality of the material that the bands put out began to decline as well.
During the early 2000s, and continuing on to present day, many traditional heavy metal bands have had reunions of classic line-ups that have performed and put out new material together.
Some notable modern traditional heavy metal albums are Iron Maiden’s Final Frontier, Judas Priest’s Nostradamus, Heaven and Hell’s The Devil You Know, and King Diamond’s Give Me Your Soul…Please.
Recently, Black Sabbath announced that their original line-up would record a new album together for the first time since the 1970s. Traditional heavy metal is alive today, and remains a popular subgenre of heavy metal music.
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