The Early 1990s, The Rise of Grunge and Changing Tastes in Metal

In past blog posts, I have briefly mentioned how heavy metal’s popularity declined once grunge was introduced in the early 1990s. In this post, we are going to examine that era of heavy metal a little more closely.

In the early 1990s, the tastes of the American public began to change. In 1991, four very important albums were released. Metallica released The Black Album, which totally changed the mindset of thrash metal bands around the world. The Black Album took a more mainstream approach to Metallica’s music, incorporating elements of hard rock. The album was such an immediate success that record labels started pressuring other thrash metal groups to follow in Metallica’s example.

Certain bands managed to adapt and become more mainstream, but many bands could not keep up and were either tossed from the mainstream to the underground world of heavy metal, or were forced to break up. The success of The Black Album coincided succinctly with the rise of grunge. The American public was more interested in dark rock music than ever before. They wanted albums by bands that weren’t flashy with their music or image. Henceforth, thrash metal quickly lost popularity and no longer became supported by mainstream record labels.  

The disappearance of thrash metal left a void in the heavy metal mainstream. That void was kind of filled by groove metal bands such as Pantera, Machine Head and Lamb of God, but groove metal still struggled to maintain popularity, and only Pantera was really successful at first. Pantera was seen as an anomaly for the most part. The difference between Pantera and other groove metal groups is that Pantera's attitude was similar to those of grunge acts. Their angsty vibe was appealing to both fans of grunge and thrash metal alike. That was what made Pantera such an instant success in the eyes of the public.

Alternative metal took the place of thrash metal more fully. The genre became popular because of its similarities to grunge. Alternative metal artists (just like grunge artists) were down to earth and never tried to look flashy or play over-the-top music. The genre was mixed in terms of what was musically acceptable, but for the most part, the music was darker and filled with more angst. Alternative metal musicians were the first metal musicians to really not dress up or try and “look metal.” Most of them looked like average members of the American youth, but just so happened to harbor musical talents. This resonated with the audience in the 1990s and led to the fast paced growing of the genre. 

Alternative metal’s rise came very shortly after the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind, Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger and Pearl Jam’s Ten in 1991 (the three other important albums mentioned above). Nevermind, Badmotorfinger and Ten helped launch grunge and alternative rock into the world of mainstream rock music. The public fell in love with these acts that bridged hard rock and heavy metal in a way that had never been done before. 

As grunge rose, glam metal got totally obliterated. The images and music of the bands in these two scenes completely contrasted with one another. Grunge was down to earth, had more relatable lyrics and dark music. Glam metal, on the other hand, was based in a heavy metal wonderland and was a genre that focused on almost unrealistic dreams and desires. One genre definitely had to go, and it ended up being glam metal. 

With changing trends in the taste of the public, heavy metal became completely different within the scope of only a couple of years. The genre of music started to become an underground phenomenon as fans fell in love with grunge, alternative rock and more hard rock-based metal groups. Beneficial changes to the genre came from the grunge scene, and now metal is much more diverse and eclectic than it ever was before.

Glam Metal

Now that we’ve talked about current heavy metal trends for the past few weeks, it’s time to take a step way back in time to talk about what very well might have been the most commercial form of heavy metal to ever exist. It’s time to discuss glam metal.

The most distinctive aspect of the glam metal subgenre is the image associated with it. Glam metal musicians usually have long, backcombed hair and very tight clothing. Denim and leather clothing are commonly worn, along with spandex and occasionally headbands. Makeup is common for male musicians in the glam metal scene, and they are rarely found without it. A picture of the glam metal band Mötley Crüe can be found below wearing stereotypical glam metal clothing. 

Musically speaking, glam metal is a hybrid of hard rock and heavy metal that also contains many punk and pop rock sensibilities. Glam metal is reliant on catchy guitar riffs and most songs usually contain a shredding guitar solo. Power ballads are also not uncommon in glam metal, with many of the subgenre's most successful songs being categorized as such. The lyrics of glam metal usually focus on love and sex, though other topics may be explored as well.

Glam metal’s origins can be traced back to bands of the 1970s such as Aerosmith, Kiss, Alice Cooper and The New York Dolls. It wasn’t until the 1980s when glam metal started to really take shape. Def Leppard’s High ‘n Dry, released in 1981, was arguably the first glam metal record. The band's follow-up album, Pyromania, gave this new style mainstream exposure, allowing a new wave of bands to take influence from them.

Major glam metal bands that formed following Def Leppard’s success were Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, W.A.S.P. and Ratt. Quiet Riot’s debut album, Metal Health, was the first metal record to reach number one on the Billboard music charts, and was proof that the subgenre was clearly reaching fans of mainstream rock. 

Of course, out of all of these bands in the first wave of glam metal, Mötley Crüe became the most successful. Shout at the Devil, Theatre of Pain, Girls, Girls, Girls and Dr. Feelgood would all become phenomenally successful records and establish them as a major rock act. 

In the mid-1980s, more glam metal bands began to form, establishing a second wave of the scene. Poison, Cinderella and Stryper were among this second wave, with Poison receiving the most success. Poison is particularly well-known for its first three albums, Look What the Cat Dragged In, Open Up and Say…Ahh! and Flesh & Blood.

In the late 1980s, glam metal took another huge step forward, gaining even more mainstream attention with Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. Up until this point, glam metal appealed primarily to men, but Slippery When Wet was the first glam metal record to appeal to women, too. Slippery When Wet has sold over 28 million copies worldwide, and is without a doubt the most successful glam metal record of all time.

When the 1990s came around, glam metal experienced a sharp decline. Grunge took the mainstream spot of glam metal, and many famous glam metal acts either broke up or released a series of lackluster and unoriginal records. 

Since then, glam metal has seen a resurgence in the 2000s. Older bands such as Mötley Crüe, Poison and Bon Jovi have seen renewed popularity. Meanwhile, new glam metal acts have formed such as Black Veil Brides, The Darkness and Buckcherry. All of these new groups have brought new life to the subgenre, but glam metal will never be nearly as popular as it was in the 1980s.