Heavy Metal Television Shows

What’s up, metalheads? I hope you all had a killer time welcoming in the new year.

For “Into the Pit’s” first post of 2014 I thought it would be a cool opportunity to talk about heavy metal television shows. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, metal became an extremely popular genre of music around the world, and television stations began to show an interest in programming related to heavy metal music.

In this post I am going to talk about my five favorite heavy metal television shows. Time for another totally sick countdown!

Honorable Mention: The Osbournes. This show is too much of a reality show and not enough of a metal show to be included on the list. It still deserves to be mentioned for bringing some attention to heavy metal’s greatest family. Ozzy Osbourne is the man and documenting his family life made for one hell of a television show. The Osbournes is super funny and totally worth watching even if you have no interest in heavy metal whatsoever. 

5. Metal Evolution.

This show was created by Sam Dunn, the man behind Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, which is one of my favorite heavy metal documentaries. Metal Evolution takes Dunn’s acclaimed “Heavy Metal Family Tree” and breaks it down. Dunn’s metaphoric tree shows the development of heavy metal through the creation of subgenres. The tree has become extremely famous since the release of Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and is a great way to take a look at the origins of heavy metal. Dunn capitalizes on its success through Metal Evolution, which talks about a particular subgenre or era of heavy metal in each episode. The show features interviews with famous musicians and takes a close look at the past and how it has led to the present day heavy metal scene. Metal Evolution is very informative and is a good, fast way to learn about how heavy metal has evolved over the past several decades.

4. Supergroup.

Supergroup revolved around five famous heavy metal musicians being forced to live in a mansion together and form a band. The band was called Damnocracy and it consisted of Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Evan Seinfeld (Biohazard), Ted Nugent and Jason Bonham. The show was a reality show at its core, but it still had some pretty “metal” moments. It revealed a lot about the personalities of the musicians involved, which could be seen as a good and a bad thing. Supergrouop featured some great music and the band definitely had chemistry. Unfortunately, Damnocracy didn’t last beyond the scope of the show, as the musicians involved went their separate ways. Still, Supergroup was a fun experiment that should definitely be tried again in the future.  

3. That Metal Show.

This show has gotten really popular in recent years. Hosted by radio legend Eddie Trunk, along with his pals Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine, That Metal Show is a metal talk show. That Metal Show succeeds because of its well rounded and likable hosts. These guys live and breathe heavy metal, both new and old school, and thus their show features a nice variety of metal musicians. Everyone from Corey Taylor to Axl Rose has made an appearance on That Metal Show because it’s just the cool thing to do. Eddie Trunk has used his connections to develop an awesome television show that is totally worth watching weekly.

2. Metalocalypse.

Metalocalypse is a kickass adult animated show about the fictional death metal band Dethklok. The show is darkly funny, and it features some monstrous music. Metalocalypse’s storyline is fantastic and its characters are incredibly likable. The writing for the show is brilliant, and the music developed for it is expertly composed. The show has taken off, and now creator Brendan Small frequently tours and releases music on its behalf. There are four excellent death metal albums released for the show, which Small has recorded with legendary metal drummer Gene Hoglan. Metalocalypse is among heavy metal’s best programming, and is a show that should not be missed.

1. Headbanger’s Ball.

This is probably the most famous heavy metal show of all time. Initially airing during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Headbanger’s Ball played hard rock and heavy metal videos for the group of music lovers who didn’t care about MTV’s usual content. The show featured appearances from various bands and went through several different hosts. The show was a flagship of MTV’s line-up for a long time, and it helped determine what was cool and popular in heavy metal music. The show abruptly died in 1995, due to the rise of grunge and alternative rock, along with MTV’s lack of interest in promoting metal. The show was revived in 2003, after the grunge scene died down, but it wasn’t the same. It was more scripted and the excitement for the show just wasn’t there. The show still exists, hosted by Jose Mangin, and is now a web-only series. During its prime, Headbanger’s Ball was amazing and its influence on heavy metal was incredible. Headbanger’s Ball is without a doubt my favorite heavy metal television show, and it represents a great era in heavy metal’s evolution.

2013 in Heavy Metal

Oh man, 2013 was a big year in heavy metal. Where to even begin? Well I guess let’s start at the beginning.

The year started off pretty slow. In January, the biggest event to occur in heavy metal was Rob Caggiano leaving Anthrax. I give a lot of credit to that man for reviving Anthrax from the dead, but they prospered for a long time without him, and they can certainly do so again. Jonathan Donais from Shadows Fall should be an interesting addition to the band. He’s not of the same musical caliber as Caggiano, but he’s still a killer guitar player that could stylistically bring a lot to the band. Also worth noting is that Caggiano has since joined Volbeat, a band that is more than deserving of his presence and expertise. 

As far as music releases go, the biggest release of January was probably Jason Newsted’s Metal EP. It was nice to hear from Metallica’s former bassist, though the songs themselves were fairly lackluster. Cult of Luna without a doubt put out the best album of the month, though Voivod, Hatebreed and Tomahawk also put out solid records.

Just a month after Caggiano announced his departure from Anthrax, another band of “The Big Four of Thrash Metal” announced a line-up change. In February, Dave Lombardo said that he would not be performing live with Slayer in Australia. His status in the band would be left uncertain until May, where his departure would be officially announced. This was a really rough year for Slayer. More on that later though.

A bunch of good albums came out in February. The biggest highlight was Darkthrone’s The Underground Resistance, on which the band stylistically paid tribute to many of their older heavy metal heroes. The album is so old school and is insanely awesome. Suffocation, Portal, Omnium Gatherum and Byzantine also put out pretty strong albums that month.

March was a sad month because former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr passed away. Burr was the drummer on The Number of the Beast, one of the best heavy metal records of all time. He may be gone now, but he left a hell of a legacy. 

Also in March, Randy Blythe from Lamb of God was acquitted of all charges in Prague. That was a major relief for the metal community. If a man gets on stage and charges at you, you push him away. Blythe followed his instincts and who could blame him? After what happened to Dimebag Darrell in 2004, you can’t take any chances.

Soilwork’s double album The Living Infinite was probably the musical highlight of March. A lot of people really dug Sevendust’s new record, too. Kvelertak, Avantasia, Finntroll, KEN mode and Hypocrisy also had albums that are really worth checking out. 

April was the month where every mainstream metal band ever decided to release an album. Drowning Pool had a new album come out with another new singer (insert sarcastic cheers here) that actually wasn’t that much of a train wreck. Killswitch Engage’s new album that featured the return of Jesse Leach also came out, but was pretty underwhelming. Bring Me the Horizon dominated the mainstream metal market that month with their new album, Sempiternal, which is definitely their best record to date. David Draiman’s new band, Device, also released its debut record, and it sounded exactly like Disturbed, just as everyone predicted.

April continued with even more mainstream metal releases, as Ghost, Stone Sour, Rob Zombie and Deep Purple all put out pretty good records. The new Stone Sour was the second part of The House of Gold & Bones double album, and it had me impressed. Rob Zombie’s newest record was also his strongest in quite some time. That brought a smile to my face.

The best albums from April were the new releases by Norway’s Shining, The Ocean and Altar of Plagues. For those of you planning on checking out ACRN’s albums of the year list, you can expect to see the new records from The Ocean and Altar of Plagues on my list. They were both phenomenal. Altar of Plagues may have announced their demise, but man, the band is definitely going out on a high note.

As far as events go, the only thing to happen in April was the death of Chi Cheng of Deftones fame. It was no secret that his recovery was not going well, so his death was sort of expected. It’s a shame because he was a very talented bassist and he seemed to have been a really great guy.

May was probably the worst, but most important month in metal this year. On May 2^nd, Jeff Hanneman from Slayer passed away. The heavy metal community was blown away by this unexpected loss. No one realized that Hanneman was in such bad condition, and everyone was sure he was on his way to recovery after the lethal spider bite. Hanneman’s influence on heavy metal was monumental to say the least, and Slayer will always be incomplete without him. 

Meanwhile, during the same month, Tim Lambesis from As I Lay Dying was arrested for trying to hire a hitman to kill his wife. This is a classic case of stupid people making stupid decisions. Way to go, Tim. Way to make your band members proud. Lambesis’ impending court case has gotten a lot of attention this year, and was certainly a big event from 2013.

As far as records go, May saw fantastic new album releases from Immolation, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Kylesa, Dark Tranquillity, Tesseract, Alice in Chains, The Resistance and Chthonic. The Dillinger Escape Plan really blew up in 2013, and has become way more popular than the group could have imagined. It’s nice to see such a talented band getting recognized by the heavy metal community for their excellent music. 

June saw a new incarnation of The Haunted take shape, which totally got me psyched. Apart from that, June was seen as kind of a recovery month for the heavy metal community. Hanneman’s death was a big deal, and many people still haven’t accepted it. 

Black Sabbath released their first new album in a long time in June, and many people were excited about that. Queensryche also put out its first album without Geoff Tate, and it sounded totally awesome. Children of Bodom and Amon Amarth put out good, but overly hyped albums in June. Deafheaven and The Black Dahlia Murder put out the most acclaimed records of the month. These albums were some of the best of what 2013 had to offer in metal. White Wizzard, Scale the Summit, August Burns Red and Mouth of the Architect also put out memorable records in June. 

July was a fairly boring month in metal. No major events happened, and the only album releases worth talking about were Battlecross’s second record, Misery Signals long anticipated fourth album, and Phil Anselmo’s first solo album. Anselmo’s record didn’t really meet the high expectations set for it, but it was still nice to hear him perform heavy music again.

The big news during August was Dark Angel’s reunion. Don Doty wanted to get back into the music scene and basically proclaimed a reunion without asking any of the other band members if they were up for it. Gene Hoglan retaliated with a statement saying that the band was considering reuniting for some festival dates, but not with Doty on vocals. Doty has since backed off from Dark Angel and has formed a new band. Meanwhile, Dark Angel has reunited with Ron Rinehart and has some performance dates set for the near future.

In August, many awesome records were released. Gorguts’ first album in over a decade, Colored Sands, was probably the highlight of the month. It met expectations and proved that Gorguts are still leaders in the death metal scene. Jason Newsted, Avenged Sevenfold, Exhumed, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Watain, Revocation, Last Chance to Reason and Devildriver also put out pretty good albums in August. Avenged Sevenfold’s new album received a lot of attention due to the band’s decision to take heavy influence from some of their favorite popular metal acts. Machine Head’s Robb Flynn congratulated the band on their “covers album,” which sparked some commotion between the groups.

September featured album releases by Vista Chino, Annihilator, Ministry, Satyricon, Gwar, Dream Theater and Carcass. Carcass’ comeback record was the talk of the town when it came out. It was a good combination of Necroticism and Heartwork, and fans were very pleased with it. That record is going to be on a lot of favorite album lists at the end of the year.

The big metal news story of October was Blake Judd’s arrest and Nachtmystium’s subsequent demise. Judd felt that he was in a dark state, and that it would be best to end his band on a high note. Nachtmystium will put out one final album next year. Many of the band’s fans were devastated by this news.

Fates Warning, Soulfly, Death Angel, Red Fang, Pestilence, Motorhead, Sepultura, Protest the Hero, Skeletonwitch and Toxic Holocaust all put very memorable albums in October. Metalheads were particularly impressed with the latter three records listed. Meanwhile, Korn and Trivium put out pretty divisive records in October that may have impressed as many fans as they disappointed.

This month The Melvins, Sun and Sail Club, Hell and Deicide all put out memorable records. There doesn’t seem to be much going on next month, though.

This has been a memorable year in metal. There were two horrible deaths and some sad band break-ups, but there were also several major reunion records. Many very well known metal acts also put out some major releases this year that will be talked about for time to come. Next year promises to be an exciting year, as many great bands are talking about awesome upcoming albums and tours. Next post I will summarize the best of what is yet to come in heavy metal in 2014.

The Dismal Current State of Mainstream Heavy Metal

Is there anyone we can rely on to put out a good mainstream heavy metal album anymore? I’m serious. Mainstream heavy metal is in some major trouble and in desperate need of new blood. Let’s take a quick look at some of the genre’s most popular bands, and see what the hell is going on with them.

 

Metallica: The most popular metal band to have ever existed just put out a 3D movie no one asked for. Metalheads can’t even rely on Metallica to put out a good record anymore. Just when the band had finally slightly redeemed itself with Death Magnetic, they put out Lulu. Now all hopes and expectations are out the window.

Megadeth: Really guys? Super Collider? That record speaks for itself. It’s a piece of trash. I want United Abominations and Endgame Megadeth back.

Slayer: Fans probably would have accepted the band with Gary Holt just permanently replacing Hanneman, but getting rid of Dave Lombardo was too much of a slap in the face for Slayer fans. Lombardo is essential to the band, and without him and Hanneman, what hope does Slayer have of putting out a decent record?

Black Sabbath: Without Bill Ward the band just feels incomplete. The newest record is still good, but something is missing, and I think many other metalheads will agree with me on that point.

Sepultura: REUNITE WITH THE CAVALERA BROTHERS ALREADY! This is getting ridiculous. 

Slipknot: The world could really use Slipknot, but Corey Taylor is holding his crew back from putting out the comeback record that fans are all dying to listen to. The motivation for the record is there for everyone but him, and it’s driving listeners insane. System of a Down is experiencing something very similar with Serj Tankian’s lack of desire to fully recommit to the band, despite the excitement of the rest of his bandmates. 

And those are just examples of what’s wrong with some of the active bands. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are taking a really long time to release new stuff. 

 

Meanwhile, you have heavy metal icons such as Phil Anselmo, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie trying to get back in the game, but still coming short of reclaiming past glory.

Taking a look at newer popular heavy metal groups, Avenged Sevenfold basically just released a covers album, Device sounds exactly like Disturbed, Hellyeah has never released an original record, and really Stone Sour? That’s your attempt at rejuvenating heavy metal? Your last double album was good, but not nearly as exciting as promised. 

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten Five Finger Death Punch, who hasn’t released a memorable record since the debut, yet is still managing to get major headlining gigs. Then there’s Trivium, who wrote a tribute record to Metallica a while back and now seems to be doing so for Disturbed, further tarnishing their good reputation.

At least mainstream heavy metal has Anthrax, though, right? The band's last album was pretty great. Hopefully Rob Caggiano wasn’t the only one keeping them in check. 

Look, I’m not trying to just shamelessly bash popular heavy metal groups. What I’m trying to point out is that a lot of metal’s most beloved bands are lowering their standards and not thinking out their records. It’s easy to have fun and put out a metal album. It’s hard to put out a record that is of high quality, and it’s even harder to put out one that sounds original. 

I think with fame a lot of bands have become lazier and/or less inspired. Megadeth’s new album is a good example of both of those characteristics. Super Collider sounds like an album made by a band going through the motions, and that’s just not alright. I have a lot of respect for bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Tool, who are bands that collectively took a step back when they didn’t feel motivated. Taking a break to explore other musical outlets can sometimes be exactly what a band needs in order to sound fresh again. 

Deftones is a great example of a band that is just always out to impress their fans, no matter how famous they get. They threw out an entire album because they felt they had a bigger statement to make. They followed their artistic vision and look at how that turned out. Diamond Eyes was incredible, and worthy of the praise it received. 

Some of these famous bands, such as Avenged Sevenfold and Trivium, just have no idea where to go. They lack direction, and a directionless band can never and will never be able to put out a memorable record. These groups either need some fresh blood, a producer to give them direction (who isn’t David Draiman) or maybe just a break.

It’s also not alright to keep rehashing the same album. The only metal band who can do that and still be accepted by both critics and their fans is Mötorhead, but they've earned that right.

I think what heavy metal really needs is some new blood. There are a lot of exciting new things happening in the heavy metal underground, but nothing is happening in the heavy metal mainstream. There hasn’t been a new hugely successful metal band since Avenged Sevenfold. To clarify, I’m not talking about the Lamb of God and Machine Head level of success. I’m not even talking about super cool, "scene" Asking Alexandria success. I’m talking about rock star success. The kind of success that allows people to include “Synyster Gates” and “Slash” in the same sentence. 

I think the world needs a new figurative Slipknot. When Slipknot came onto the scene, people freaked out. The group had nine members, chaotic live shows unlike anything else and had music that balanced aggression with exciting creativity. In other words, people need mainstream metal that sounds fresh and hasn’t been done before. 

Kudos to Ghost for trying, but the over-the-top-Satanic band just doesn’t have the exciting music to coincide with the cool gimmick. They will never be as big as they could be because of that, even if it is nice to hear Blue Oyster Cult-influenced metal suddenly get a little bit more popular again. 

Heavy metal needs a band that can get the masses freaking out again. A new boundary needs to be broken. A new anger needs to be unleashed. A new group needs to step up, and just take the world by storm. 

The question now is, how much longer will it take for this new band to appear? With the music industry constantly evolving and heavy metal becoming more and more multi-dimensional, one can only hope that the next big thing in heavy metal is only a couple of years away. Until then, the wait might be difficult with releases like this:

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

In the late 1970s, heavy metal records were not selling as well as they did earlier in the decade because of the rise of punk, disco and mainstream rock acts. Therefore, the popularity of early traditional heavy metal bands had begun to decline. However a new heavy metal movement was on the horizon. This movement would forever change the world of rock music and be known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).

The NWOBHM was musically characterized as having toned down the blues influences of early heavy metal groups while incorporating punk elements into the music: having faster tempos, and adopting a tougher sound. Most NWOBHM bands also more heavily utilized power chords, soaring vocals, and fast guitar solos.

NWOBHM bands reached the peak of their popularity during the 1980s. Some of the most famous NWOBHM bands were Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Def Leppard, Venom, Saxon, and Angel Witch.



We discussed Motörhead in depth last week; however, we did not talk very much about the major significance of Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden is quite frankly one of the most important and successful heavy metal bands of all time. The band has sold over 85 million records to date despite their having received little radio support. Iron Maiden has an iconic image that is represented through their mascot, "Eddie the Head."

Furthermore, they broke many boundaries through their landmark album, The Number of the Beast. That classic heavy metal album contained artwork and other evil references that made many accuse the band of being satanic.

Of course, the band was not actually satanic, but the release of the album still fueled the fire behind those who claimed that heavy metal was a sinister genre of music.



Another extremely important NWOBHM band was Diamond Head. Diamond Head never had much success; however they are notable for having influenced famous thrash metal acts such as Metallica and Megadeth. Metallica would go on to cover many songs from Diamond Head’s debut, Lightning to the Nations.



Similarly, Venom influenced many more extreme heavy metal acts. Venom came along late into the era of NWOBHM, but they were very important; as, they particularly influenced the onset of black metal, thrash metal and death metal. Venom was not the stereotypical NWOBHM band, and their genre is actually pretty heavily debated among critics.

Nevertheless, their first two albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal influenced millions of heavy metal bands around the world.

It is important to note, however, that Venom has always been criticized for their lack of musical skill. Many claim that Venom chose to play their faster music because they did not have the musical technicality of the other bands around them. Most critics do note though that their musical skills have gotten better with age.



The final NWOBHM band that we must discuss is Def Leppard. The band had major worldwide success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. They have sold over 100 million albums to date, and their song “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” would become one of the first heavy metal videos to be featured on MTV. Def Leppard has made the lists of many critics who consider them to be one of the most notable hard rock and heavy metal acts of all time.



In the 1990s, NWOBHM began to decline. Many of the bands went through musical shifts because the interest in NWOBHM was simply not as strong as it was in the 1980s.

Def Leppard notably had the most success with their musical shift which targeted the American hard rock audience and achieved renewed popularity. Some other major NWOBHM acts such as Iron Maiden and Motörhead just drifted towards traditional heavy metal, which wasn’t an extremely far leap for both of the bands, but they still did not receive the success or the acclaim that they did in the earlier part of their career.

In the 2000s however, NWOBHM bands received renewed popularity. Many bands have since reformed with classic line-ups and have reverted to old musical habits. The NWOBHM revival continues today with many bands touring and performing around the world.

Traditional Heavy Metal (Part 2): Mid 1970s-Present

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.

Traditional Heavy Metal (Part 1): 1960s-early 1970s

Alright metalheads, it’s time to get down to business. It’s time to talk about the subgenres of heavy metal music.

To understand the essence of every heavy metal subgenre, though, it is important to understand where the genre of music came from. Heavy metal has a long history and it all starts with traditional heavy metal.

Traditional heavy metal by definition is characterized as having mid-to-fast-paced tempo riffs, thumping basslines, extended guitar solos, and clean (often high pitched) vocals. Many might mistake certain traditional heavy metal bands for hard rock bands, but most of these heavy metal bands are less focused on the blues influences that are found in hard rock music. Traditional heavy metal also helped to promote the use of dual lead guitars.

Traditional heavy metal consists of many bands that really helped to create heavy metal music in general. The genre started significantly developing in the 1960s with the simple experimentation of many hard rock bands. The Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones were two hard rock acts that particularly helped to set the foundation for heavy metal, but neither quite managed to completely step forth into metal territory. Their harder and heavier sound still managed to pave the way for the development to come though.

Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin then came onto the scene and were essentially the transitional bands between the hard rock of The Yardbirds and the more purely metal sound of Black Sabbath. Led Zeppelin had highly distorted guitars and a vocalist who utilized the idea of high pitched wailing. Both of those qualities would soon prove to be staples of early heavy metal music.

The “first heavy metal band” is an often disputed concept, with many claiming that the title belongs to Deep Purple.



Most critics and professionals would agree, though, that Black Sabbath was the real first heavy metal act. Tony Iommi, who is the lead guitarist of Black Sabbath, was injured in an industrial accident, causing him to tend to tune his guitar lower and to rely on power chords. Iommi also wrote music using the tritone (also known as “The Devil’s Interval”) and combined with the dark lyrics that Black Sabbath relied upon, they were seen as the first heavy metal band.



At first, heavy metal was not well received. Many critics reviled the music, calling it dark, evil, and even Satanic. However people were drawn to the music and it received a strong following.

The next real example of heavy metal is Judas Priest. When they arrived on the metal scene, reality began to really sink in. Metal was becoming a phenomenon. It was a musical genre that divided critics and listeners alike. Judas Priest utilized many of the musical techniques that metal is known for, including higher pitched vocals as well as dual distorted guitar work and moody basslines.



There were several other traditional heavy metal acts of the early '70s. These acts included Alice Cooper, Scorpions, Blue Oyster Cult, and Kiss.

Next week, we will continue to discuss traditional heavy metal, focusing on the late '70s until present day.

Diving Into The Pit

By: Justin Silk, Contributor

I’m pretty sure every metalhead on Earth has had the following exchange in some way, shape, or form:

Ignorant Listener: What is this garbage you’re listening to?

Me (The Super Kvlt Metalhead): I’m listening to At the Gates. They’re a melodic death metal band.

Ignorant Listener: This is terrible. It’s just a guy screaming into a microphone.

Me (The Super Kvlt Metalhead): It’s not like that at all. It’s heavy metal. It’s a really fast and intense song, and the harsh vocals are necessary to add a powerful tone to the music.


Ignorant Listener: Well it sucks. Real music has singing and is catchy. This isn’t catchy. It’s crap.

And at this point in the discussion, there is a standstill. The “Ignorant Listener” doesn’t understand the appeal of this heavy music, and thereby will refuse to listen to any argument as to why some might find it enjoyable. There are a lot of people like that who simply don’t enjoy harsh vocals, and that’s fine, but for many metalheads around the world, those harsh vocals help to add a new level of intensity to the compellingly vicious music.

Just because a listener doesn’t enjoy harsh vocals (which may consist of screaming, shouting, growling, howling, shrieking, or other experimental styles), doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy heavy metal. It’s a common misconception that all heavy metal music has to be dark, fast, and scary. That’s not the case at all though. In fact, there are many heavy metal bands that wouldn’t dare use harsh vocals, and there are many that also wouldn’t dare to even play fast music.

Heavy metal is a vast genre of music that is always growing in experimentalism. There are so many subgenres of heavy metal and it may be surprising to inexperienced listeners to learn what kinds of bands are actually considered to be a part of the genre.

“Into The Pit: A Metal Blog” is designed to educate readers and listeners alike about the various subgenres of heavy metal music. A different subgenre will be discussed each week, resulting in what could serve as a sort of “heavy metal bible” for those learning about the genre. Each post will consist of a subgenre’s description, history, most popular bands and current activity.

I hope that with this blog, ACRN can better educate music enthusiasts about the amazing world of heavy metal music around them.

So to start things off, below are a few different examples of some the world’s most interesting (but not necessarily the most popular) heavy metal acts. This is just for fun and to show the diversity of the genre. Tune in next week for the discussion of the first heavy metal subgenre!

"Desert Urbania" - Unexpect


"Anthropocentric" - The Ocean


"Scream of the Butterfly" - Acid Bath


"Annubis" - Septic Flesh-


"Twilight Tavern" - Ensiferum


"Into the Painted Grey" - Agalloch