A Beginner’s Guide To Metal Music

I want to acknowledge upfront that this article has two very different audiences: anyone who is genuinely curious about dipping their auditory toes into the deep end of the cesspool of metal music and the metal elitists that may have hate-clicked on this piece to nitpick every single line written. Hello elitists! You fresh-faced inquisitors may rest easy though, this is only for you. With any luck the following dive into the most extreme genre of music will serve as a helpful entry point for your heavy metal journey, or at the very least help you understand the metalheads in your life.

What Is Metal?

This is a point of great contention for the metaphysical basement dwelling metal snobs that love to tell you that your favorite bands aren’t real metal. To them, only real metal was recorded by Satan himself in the seventh circle of hell on an eight-string guitar comprised mostly of goat viscera, but the strings are actually human arteries. Don’t worry though, these trolls only exist if you give them credence.

However, metal music can generally be categorized by heavily distorted guitars, minor keys, aggressive rhythms and exaggerated vocals, often of the harsh variety. What is and is not considered metal has changed quite a bit since the genre’s inception, so often times what would have been heavy enough to be considered metal forty years ago wouldn’t make the cut today. What is important, however, is that the distinction is completely arbitrary, and heavy does not necessarily equal good.

The Inception Of Metal Music

While there is no precise advent for the genre, the birth of metal is often recognized as the release of Black Sabbath’s eponymous debut in 1970. While their second album, “Paranoid,” which was released later that same year, boasts the classics like “Iron Man” and “War Pigs,” there is no question that the opening riff of the title track ushered in a new era of rock music. They took the emotional stylings of the blues and turned it into something more explicitly sinister. There is no telling where metal music would be today without the riff-master himself Tony Iommi. 

Throughout the 70’s, while metal as we know it today had still not really taken hold, other British bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were taking rock in a decidedly heavier direction, while Aerosmith and Van Halen were popularizing a heavier sound over in the states. While these bands weren’t exactly metal themselves, their influence on the genre is essential.

What really solidified metal music as its own force was the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that came in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead and Diamond Head took what those other bands were doing and pushed it just a bit further. These bands established an excess and style that would define metal for decades to come. 

I Love The 80’s

While only the most legendary patrons of metal music achieved notable mainstream success up until this point, the 80’s saw an explosion of popularity in the form of Glam Metal (or Hair Metal if you’re jaded about it).  Suddenly bands like Poison, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi were dominating the airwaves and the fantasies of the women who would become our mothers. It was a time of decadence, debauchery and drunkenness, and metal music was never more popular, for better or worse.

At the same time, a counter-culture had manifested in the form of Thrash Metal. Bands like Metallica, Slayer and Exodus had taken the musicianship of the new wave of British heavy metal and combined it with the speed and attitude of punk to create a genre that was far more abrasive than its glammed up counterpart. These artists managed to carve out their own niche in the musical landscape, and while they didn’t achieve soaring mainstream success, a few of them have gone on to become amongst the most revered and influential acts in the history of metal music.

Dear God, The 90’s

The early 90’s were owned by the Grunge movement. Nirvana and Pearl Jam were in, Thrash and Hair Metal were out. Even some of the most beloved metal acts were changing their sound to match the shifting paradigm of rock music. Indeed, Grunge effectively killed metal music in the mainstream eye, with one brief exception: Nu-Metal.

Toward the tail end of the decade and into the new millennium, bands such as Limp Bizkit, Korn and Linkin Park rose to prominence by combining hip-hop and groove metal to create one of the most inexplicable eras in popular music. Now I don’t mean to editorialize here and to imply that these bands are bad, in fact many were quite good, but there’s something about Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst leading a sea of denim short wearing teenage boys in an indomitable chant that goes “I did it all for the nookie” that is deeply unsettling.   

The Current Landscape

Once Nu-Metal inevitably fell from grace, no one movement within the genre ever reached that level of notoriety again. While a few bands have been able to break through independent of a larger scene, metal peaked in popularity decades ago. What we have seen over the last twenty or so years instead is the continued splintering of the metal family tree that began most noticeably in the 80’s.

The underground scene has spawned some of the most creative and unique artists for decades now. Beginning with the early practitioners of Death Metal like Death and Morbid Angel, the first church burners of Black Metal like Celtic Frost and Mayhem and the original wizards of Progressive Metal like Dream Theater and Fates Warning, the numerous sub-genres of metal continue to be among the most inspiring styles of music in the world.

Today, extremity has a completely new meaning, as technicality, oppressively heavy production and appalling lyrics have all been pushed to their limits while every other genre of music, from EDM to Polka, has been fused with metal. With the accessibility and lack of boundaries for entry that the internet provides, there is such an astounding array of metal music to listen to, from the impenetrably brutal to the devastatingly catchy. I believe there truly is something for everyone. Where to begin?

What To Listen To First

This is the part I’ve been dreading this entire time. How do you pick just one star from a galaxy of billions? Conventional wisdom might dictate that you start from the beginning with Black Sabbath, but I disagree. As important as they were, listening to a fifty year old song might not be the best way to experience metal on your own for the first time.

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No, I recommend something that sounds modern but feels classic. I think the song “Steambreather” by Mastodon is a great first listen. This is where the metal elitists roll their eyes so far back into their heads that they pass out, but it’s an unflinchingly groovy and catchy song by one of the most respected metal bands of this century that contains zero screams or growls to scare off the feint of heart. 

Next I would suggest “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold, and at this time the metal elitists have flatlined. This song is so bombastic and playful and gives listeners a better taste of the musicianship that they can come to expect as they dive deeper into the genre. 

Finally I propose “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden, and the elitists have come back to life. The opening of this song is absolutely spellbinding, and the chorus is so immediate and memorable. It may come across as sort of corny to a modern listener, but we needed at least one classic track in our little homework assignment. 

Further Listening

Alright, if you’re a noob who listened to those three tracks and had your interested piqued or if you’re one of the elitists who just wants to judge my taste even more, I’ve got several more recommendations.

If you’re looking for some more accessible songs that go beyond the mainstream, I’d encourage you to check out the bands Leprous, Good Tiger, Trivium and Bear Ghost.

For some of the more legendary artists that weren’t mentioned, you can’t go wrong with Pantera, Slipknot, System of a Down, Megadeth, Rush and Dio. 

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to check out some of the more extreme and forward thinking bands, I implore you to give Ne Obliviscaris, Zeal & Ardor, Enslaved, Between The Buried And Me and Opeth a try. 

If after all that you’re still with me, I hope I either helped you achieve a better understanding of the massive web that is metal music or I offended your snobby sensibilities. Was this helpful? Do you want to tell me how wrong I am about everything? Let’s hear about it!

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