Heavy Metal
Emerged in late 1960s Birmingham, England
Louder. Heavier. The sound of distortion as religion.
Heavy metal took the heaviest elements of blues rock and hard rock and pushed them past the point of no return. Born in the late 1960s in the industrial heartland of Birmingham, England, it turned distortion into an art form and volume into a philosophical statement.
From Black Sabbath's doom-laden riffs to Iron Maiden's galloping twin guitars to Metallica's precision thrash, metal has continuously evolved while maintaining its core identity: heavy, aggressive, technically demanding, and utterly uncompromising.
Defining Characteristics
—Heavily distorted guitars
—Complex riffing
—Powerful vocals
—Double bass drumming
—Technical proficiency
Essential Artists
Essential Albums
1970
Paranoid—Black Sabbath
1982
The Number of the Beast—Iron Maiden
1986
Master of Puppets—Metallica
1986
Reign in Blood—Slayer
1990
Rust in Peace—Megadeth