That strange beast Metal

Since its inception, metal remained a bit of an odd outsider in music. Loud, aggressive and extreme in its sound and imagery it is easy to dismiss as adolescent folly you eventually grow out of. Except when you don't.

Metal is... different

Because it sets itself apart so strongly from the majority of other styles, it is by default easy to misunderstand, avoid and straightaway dismiss. Its relatively easy to put together a top-50s-playlist for a party, that most people would get along with, despite it probably being composed of quite a variety of different styles. Generally speaking, you wont find lots of complex rhythms or lengthy instrumental passages or strong contrasts in dynamic or speed. Of course that's all the stuff is what actually makes metal so appealing!

Surely, not every metal song ticks all of these boxes, but by far and wide, metal has always been a bit of a more complex, or at least challenging musical beast (pun intended!), than the standard chart fare. It requires dedication from its listeners. Especially once you delved into its more obscure variants; some of you can call acquired tastes! Metal has a rich and cherished history, and a ton of genres and sub genres. In a sense its probably the best religion one can have!

Neurosis - Times of Grace (1999)

Not the cool kids

Right from its beginning, the relationship between metal and music critics - and actually society as a whole - has been a rather difficult one. Of course the critics 'didn't get it' when it came out and continued to dismiss or simply ignore it for a long time. The strong brush strokes of heavy guitar riffs and hard hitting drums made it too easy to dismiss as primitive, untalented and blunt. Still, metal found its fans in pretty much all parts of the world.

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

I admit it feels weird to see bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden or even an obscure underground formation like Electric Wizard or Mayhem suddenly getting featured in mainstream media sites. They even get positive reviews!

It literally took decades really until metal received some mainstream recognition and I wonder if its simply because it kept sticking around long enough and became part of life for so many people, so it could not be ignored anymore. And in the case of a band that has literally been around said decades, there is no way denying them their cultural significance.

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls (2015)

 

Metal as a whole might still not quite be liked, or even understood, though. I also think this has a lot do with demographics. Metal never was the socially most accepted music and had always this underdog vibe to it. This working-class, biker, pub and open-air festival smell that is light years away from the hip urban clubs and concert venues, frequented by the typical middle-class music journalist. 

You want it darker.

Darkthrone - Under A Funeral Moon (1993)

The typical themes metal keeps coming back to probably haven't helped its cause either. Lyrics and artworks that deal with death, destruction, war, drug abuse, apocalypse, murder, insanity, corruption, etc - all those dark themes of society and life in general that doesn't makes it terribly appealing for the majority of people. Then again, its exactly this dipping into the dark side of things that's for a large part what makes metal so interesting. It doesn't pretends the world is all fluffy nice and sweet and good. Metal fully acknowledges that the world can be a cold and cruel place - and a lot of it is mankind's own doing.

Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)

With this in mind, it isn't surprising that a lot of the inspiration that led to the creation of metal initially came from horror films and the way they play with stark themes and emotions like fear, anxiety and aggression in a controlled and safe way. In a way, this can be quite cathartic really. A crossing of boundaries that probably plays a significant role personal development towards adulthood. No surprise that both horror films and metal seem like naturally attractive to adolescent audiences.

Electric Wizard  ‎– Wizard Bloody Wizard (2017)

The flip side of this is the affinity to power fantasies, which are probably just as prevalent in metal. A lot of it is Tolkien or Robert E Howard-inspired, with lyrics full of glorious battles, manly men, mighty swords, heroic deeds and things like that. Deliberate escapism, cranked up to the maximum and often even further: deep into the realms of kitsch and comedy. Not everyone one's taste for sure, but then again - what is?

Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth (1998)

Who do you call Bastard?

Metal's influences are quite divers and at least partly surprising. There is of course hard/heavy rock, where metal directly evolved from. Especially bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple had a big influence. Their hard, often fast, riff-based songs with extensive guitar solos and, at least in Deep Purple's case, a good measure of classical influences  have inspired generations of musicians. If you say hard rock, you have to say blues. It is inseparably part of the composition, rhythm and melodic language of all rock music. Often just speed and heaviness of the sound turned an old blues standard into a hard rock hymn. Just ask Led Zeppelin!

Deep Purple In Rock (1970) - Not quite metal, but highly influential.

Metal did a couple things different though: Heavier in tone; rhythmically and in its song structure more straightforward than its predecessor. Film music was another inspiration. The intense use of contrasting intervals to create tension, the theatrics and more strict composition than the often quite loose style you find it rock music. Metal was always more extreme. Pushing intensity and aggression further than their predecessors ever did.

Rock 'n' Roll, Metal, Hardrock? All of the above! Motörhead (1977)

The evolution of the equipment, especially the electric guitar, played a big role as well. The deliberate creation of distortion of the guitar signal in the 1960s, initially just an unwanted byproduct of increased volume in a tube amplifier, blew the doors into a new world of opportunities wide open. Soon effects were developed that allowed the player to modify the guitar tone even further. The guitar turned from a relatively tame and clear sounding instrument, heavily influenced in its tone by its acoustic predecessor, into a biting, screaming and growling beast. And the players able to control it, became heroes.

Sexy like a fallen angel: Jimmy Page in 1973

With those new possibilities in tone and volume, the playing style evolved too. Soon guitarists realised that, when distorted, relatively simple chord shapes (power chords) and single notes do sound a lot more interesting than when played clean. Notes also sustain a lot longer and even muted notes develop quite a notable, percussive 'chuck'. Soon amps that allow more gain got developed and pedals that made the guitar signal 'hotter' too, making distortion more controllable and further refining and expanding the range of possibilities. All these elements led to the development of new rhythmic and melodic ideas, that created the metal guitar sounds we know today. 

Metal is... so much!

Tool - Lateralus (2001)

Browsing through this little attempt in exploring the origins and the nature of metal, I feel that if there is one thing to take away from it, is that metal is indeed a quite unique cultural phenomenon. Surprisingly long-lived, with passionate, dedicated followers. It is a vast genre. Complex and emotional and speaks to our innermost feelings. Metal is more than just music. 

Happy Birthday you loud and rude piece of music! (Metal exists for half a century now)

How it all came together... Black Sabbath's self-titled debut-album (1970)

Thanks for 2020 being what it is I didn't quite realise that this year marks the 50th birthday of our favourite music genre. Which is quite ironic really since pretty much from the start apocalyptic imagery is one of the defining themes in metal lyrics and artwork.

Probably one of the greatest pieces of escapism in music history ever: Judas Priest - Painkiller (1990)

I talked on this blog before about Black Sabbath's first two albums and what genre-defining significance their music had. And while there have been quite heavy sounding bands around before 1970, like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer or Steppenwolf, none of them blended such heaviness in tone and rhythm equally dark and (for the time) edgy lyrical themes so consequential and compellingly.

Of course I had to add Metallica. Luckily the motive really fits. Master of Puppets (1986)

The Guardian published a compelling essay about their album Paranoid and I feel I don't have much to add to it, without sounding like I just repeat what they had to say. Therefore, instead of a retrospective, lets have a look at the present - and maybe a little into the future of metal in general too. Over the last 50 years the genre did branch out into countless genres and subgenres, some of them quite narrowly defined and surprisingly traditional. Overall a lot of the metal today feels - pretty much since the 2000s - rather stagnant and often quite bland. Too many bands that try to hit a bigger audience sound very safe and streamlined. The way the music industry today works may play a role here, but as a metal fan who likes the genre for its boldness, stark contrasts and strong emotions it can express, this just feels so wasteful when there is just another... product.

Definitely not just another product. System of a Down's Toxicity (2001)

On the other hand though, the abundance of cheap, good quality equipment and software offers possibilities like never before in the history of music. Any bedroom artist on a tight budget can now access better tools and equipment than professional studios had just a few decades ago. Just go and visit bandcamp. It might not be the most popular choice for listening to music, but what does popularity say anyway? There are tons of exciting bands out there that still radiate that uncompromising, dark and raw feeling that made me simply love metal. Bands that try something new, mix genres and just go for it, without the pressure of hitting a certain target audience or whatever. Bands that just want to make their music.

One of the progressive metal bands that actually is progressive: Opeth - In Cauda Venenum (2019)

Metal might not be as big in the mainstream as it has been in the 80s for example, but that doesn't has to be a bad thing. Not every successful album of that era was necessarily a good one. Streamlined, target audience-focused music isn't a recent invention. To me, metal being more of a niche-genre today is actually a good thing. Its still big enough to draw large crowds to festivals (well, maybe not in 2020^^) and sites like the aforementioned bandcamp, soundcloud or Youtube (yeah, Spotify is missing in this list. I don't use Spotify.) together with small independent record labels offer good platforms for new and exciting bands to be heard. I also wonder how much the current social-distancing-situation will inspire people to pick up an instrument. Like with other music equipment, they have never been that good for that little money.

Folky, experimental doom metal. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun (2017)

So yeah, its not all doom and gloom for metal (pun intended!). Far from it, actually. There are still plenty of diamonds to discover in the dirt. You might have to dig a little to find them, but its worth it.