After Black Sabbath fired Ozzy Osbourne, their next move was a make-or-break affair. The decision to hire Rainbow/Elf vocalist Ronnie James Dio and proceed in a more “dungeon metal” direction paid off handsomely with this mostly-downtempo epic. The song’s driving vibe was carried onward by both Sabbath and Dio after their separation, and was returned to in glorious fashion when they reunited as Heaven & Hell in the late 2000s. – Peter Hodgson
Metallica took on their first true ballad with “Fade to Black,” off 1984’s Ride the Lightning. The ambitious, epic song showed Metallica bravely paving new directions that would influence the metal genre for years to come. The track grows from an acoustic, minor-key ballad into a electrified mix of thrashy guitars and wraps up with one of the most popular, gut-wrenching guitar solos ever. “Fade to Black,” truly, is the archetypal metal song. – Anne Erickson
source
Notwithstanding its controversial subject matter, this Slayer classic set a new standard for speed metal when it kicked off the band’s 1986 masterpiece, Reign in Blood. Underscored by pile-driver drums and a thunderous bass line, Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman deliver their dual-guitar riffs with machine-line, rapid-fire precision. Monumental in its conjuring of unspeakable brutality, the song comes off as the aural equivalent of a horrific painting. – Russell Hall
source
source
No song better exemplifies Megadeth’s thrash metal brilliance better than “Peace Sells” does. From the memorable, Primus-like opening bass line to the galloping 4/4 attack that sends the track to its ferocious conclusion, this classic contains all the ingredients that made the mid-’80s such a heyday for metal guitar. As opposed to being merely flashy, the shredding never sounded more essential to the song at-hand. – Russell Hall
Black metal started in the early '80s. It drew influences from thrash metal, but took things to even more extremes. The Norwegian scene quickly grew and was plagued by church burnings and murders in the early '90s. The genre spread across Europe and into North America. Many black metal bands wear corpse paint and stage outfits that make them look evil or threatening.
Musical Style Early black metal was raw and very poorly produced, with blast beat drumming and distorted guitars. The production value improved, but the rawness was still a hallmark of the first wave of black metal. Today's "second wave" bands are more melodic and symphonic with a lot of keyboards, but still very extreme and uncommercial. Image is just is important as musical style in this genre.
Black Metal Vocal StyleMostly high pitched rasps and guttural growls that are completely intelligible. If you look at the lyrics sheets many have pagan or satanic themes. Many vocalist try to sound like a demon or something straight out of hell.
Pioneers
Venom
Venom formed in England in the late '70s and consisted of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon. Their debut album Welcome To Hell was released in 1981 and followed a year later by the album that gave the genre its name, Black Metal.
Mayhem
The Norwegian band is famous because of their music, and infamous because of everything else that went on around them. Vocalist Dead committed suicide and Euronymous was stabbed to death by fellow band member Count Grishnackh. Formed in 1984, they were at the forefront of the increasingly popularity of black metal in Norway.
Musical Style Early black metal was raw and very poorly produced, with blast beat drumming and distorted guitars. The production value improved, but the rawness was still a hallmark of the first wave of black metal. Today's "second wave" bands are more melodic and symphonic with a lot of keyboards, but still very extreme and uncommercial. Image is just is important as musical style in this genre.
Black Metal Vocal StyleMostly high pitched rasps and guttural growls that are completely intelligible. If you look at the lyrics sheets many have pagan or satanic themes. Many vocalist try to sound like a demon or something straight out of hell.
Pioneers
Venom
Venom formed in England in the late '70s and consisted of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon. Their debut album Welcome To Hell was released in 1981 and followed a year later by the album that gave the genre its name, Black Metal.
Mayhem
The Norwegian band is famous because of their music, and infamous because of everything else that went on around them. Vocalist Dead committed suicide and Euronymous was stabbed to death by fellow band member Count Grishnackh. Formed in 1984, they were at the forefront of the increasingly popularity of black metal in Norway.
Doom metal has its origins in the early 70’s, with heavy metal band Black Sabbath playing songs with slow riffing and dark, foreboding lyrics. In the 80’s, bands like Saint Vitus, Trouble, and Candlemass took those elements and warped them into what became known as doom metal. The genre spanned out in the early 90’s to include other musical genres, including death, thrash, and black metal to form a multitude of subgenres. Out of these subgenres came successful doom metal acts such as My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. Today, the genre is still going strong, especially in the underground scene.
Musical Style:
Doom metal has slower melodies and dark lyrical themes, usually dealing with death, destruction, and feelings of despair and emptiness. The sound is heavy and thick, due in part to the guitar tone, with distortion and downtuning usually prevalent characteristics in the guitar work.
Vocal Style:
Most vocalists sing cleanly, save for some that use either growled or whispered vocals. The singer usually sounds depressed or moody, with a lot of pausing and a heavy-handed approach that emphasizes the gloomy lyrical content.
Pioneers of Doom Metal:
Pagan Altar
Pagan Altar One of the first true doom metal bands, Pagan Altar would quickly fade into obscurity in the early 80’s. Their debut album Volume 1 was not released until 1998, but was originally recorded in 1982, and showcased the early incarnation of doom metal. Along with fellow British band Witchcraft General, Pagan Altar left a lasting impression on the genre, even in their brief time together. The band reformed in 2004, and released two albums, 2004’s The Lords Of Hypocrisy and 2006’s Mythical and Magical.
Witchcraft General
While eventually following the same career path as Pagan Altar (breaking up early, re-forming about twenty years later), the band was able to release a few essential doom metal albums in their original lineup. 1982’s Death Penalty took many cues from Black Sabbath, but slowed down the tempo considerably, save for a few NWOBHM-influenced cuts, like “Free Country.” The band would release one more album, 1983’s Friends Of Hell before disbanding, only to bring the band back to life in late 2006.
Saint Vitus
Over in America, a metal band from California would make their mark in the genre with their self-titled debut in 1984. With epic numbers like “Zombie Hunger” and “Burial At Sea,” the five tracks on their first album would make the band a major underground hit. The band would go on for another decade, releasing quality material, before ending the band in the late '90s.
Musical Style:
Doom metal has slower melodies and dark lyrical themes, usually dealing with death, destruction, and feelings of despair and emptiness. The sound is heavy and thick, due in part to the guitar tone, with distortion and downtuning usually prevalent characteristics in the guitar work.
Vocal Style:
Most vocalists sing cleanly, save for some that use either growled or whispered vocals. The singer usually sounds depressed or moody, with a lot of pausing and a heavy-handed approach that emphasizes the gloomy lyrical content.
Pioneers of Doom Metal:
Pagan Altar
Pagan Altar One of the first true doom metal bands, Pagan Altar would quickly fade into obscurity in the early 80’s. Their debut album Volume 1 was not released until 1998, but was originally recorded in 1982, and showcased the early incarnation of doom metal. Along with fellow British band Witchcraft General, Pagan Altar left a lasting impression on the genre, even in their brief time together. The band reformed in 2004, and released two albums, 2004’s The Lords Of Hypocrisy and 2006’s Mythical and Magical.
Witchcraft General
While eventually following the same career path as Pagan Altar (breaking up early, re-forming about twenty years later), the band was able to release a few essential doom metal albums in their original lineup. 1982’s Death Penalty took many cues from Black Sabbath, but slowed down the tempo considerably, save for a few NWOBHM-influenced cuts, like “Free Country.” The band would release one more album, 1983’s Friends Of Hell before disbanding, only to bring the band back to life in late 2006.
Saint Vitus
Over in America, a metal band from California would make their mark in the genre with their self-titled debut in 1984. With epic numbers like “Zombie Hunger” and “Burial At Sea,” the five tracks on their first album would make the band a major underground hit. The band would go on for another decade, releasing quality material, before ending the band in the late '90s.
The origins of metalcore date back to the mid-1980s, where bands like Agnostic Front and Suicidal Tendencies were mixing thrash, punk, and hardcore together. The genre became huge in the late '90s, as a major wave of metalcore bands formed to tear up the metal landscape. Bands like Unearth, Killswitch Engage, and All That Remains have made names for themselves in the mainstream, headlining major festivals and achieving solid albums sales. Today, metalcore is still one of the most popular genres of metal, even with criticism from some in the underground metal community.
Musical Style:
Metalcore is structured linearly, with the songwriting consisting of aggressive verses and melodic choruses. Breakdowns are a vital part of the genre, usually used to invoke moshing at live shows. A good portion of the bands in the genre have recently added in solos and a greater emphasis on technical guitar playing, including a heavy use of palm muting. Double bass drumming is prevalent in the genre as well. The sound is polished and the lyrics range from personal to political issues.
Vocal Style:
Most vocalists scream and growl, with some saving the clean vocals for selected points in the song (chorus, bridge).
Metalcore Pioneers:
Earth Crisis
Formed in 1991, Earth Crisis made a splash in metalcore with their 1995 debut album Destroy The Machines. The album is considered one of the most influential albums towards garnishing mainstream recognition of the genre. Earth Crisis released a few more albums that showcased a cleaner and more refined approach to metalcore before dissolving in 2001.
Shai Hulud
While some today may consider the band to be closer to a hardcore/punk hybrid, Shai Hulud was considered a pioneer of metalcore back in the mid '90s. Their 1997 album Hearts Once Nourished With Hope And Compassion was an anger-fueled journey; however, Shai Hulud brought intelligent lyrics to the forefront of their music, helping them to achieve critical and commercial acclaim.
Musical Style:
Metalcore is structured linearly, with the songwriting consisting of aggressive verses and melodic choruses. Breakdowns are a vital part of the genre, usually used to invoke moshing at live shows. A good portion of the bands in the genre have recently added in solos and a greater emphasis on technical guitar playing, including a heavy use of palm muting. Double bass drumming is prevalent in the genre as well. The sound is polished and the lyrics range from personal to political issues.
Vocal Style:
Most vocalists scream and growl, with some saving the clean vocals for selected points in the song (chorus, bridge).
Metalcore Pioneers:
Earth Crisis
Formed in 1991, Earth Crisis made a splash in metalcore with their 1995 debut album Destroy The Machines. The album is considered one of the most influential albums towards garnishing mainstream recognition of the genre. Earth Crisis released a few more albums that showcased a cleaner and more refined approach to metalcore before dissolving in 2001.
Shai Hulud
While some today may consider the band to be closer to a hardcore/punk hybrid, Shai Hulud was considered a pioneer of metalcore back in the mid '90s. Their 1997 album Hearts Once Nourished With Hope And Compassion was an anger-fueled journey; however, Shai Hulud brought intelligent lyrics to the forefront of their music, helping them to achieve critical and commercial acclaim.
