Supergroups, The Quick Burn Effect, and Hired Guns

Supergroups:

A supergroup is formed when a group of musicians from different bands join up for a musical project, and make an album. Shortly after they release it, they tour playing the music from the project and maybe a song or two from their main band or other projects. A notable supergroup was the band Cream. This band was most well known for their song “Sunshine of Your Love” on their album “Disraeli Gears”. Cream only lasted a couple of years, which was longer than most.

Many Supergroups have since been formed and broken up, with very few actually having longevity. One of the few supergroups that has shown longevity is Down. Down is a formation of musicians from the Louisiana metal music scene. With some of the mainstays of the group: singer Phillip H. Anselmo (Pantera), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), and Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Crowbar). This band celebrates the metal scene in New Orleans by spreading the unique metal music that was created there.

The Quick Burn Effect:

This term ‘the quick burn effect’ is when a new music group comes together, and it only lasts for a short time, with an average life span of about a year. The effect usually takes place during the tour or shortly after the tour, when one or multiple members leave to go on to other projects or back to their main band. If they aren’t replaced and continue on, the band is put off indefinitely, in music purgatory, or disbanded altogether. But there is a far worse outcome than this, the band never plays a live show, like the supergroup KXM (Ray Luzier, George Lynch, and (Doug) dUg Pinnick). After KXM recorded their album, they were too busy with other projects to go on tour together. The quick burn effect usually takes place in either a newly formed supergroup or an original project made up of one or two established musicians and new fresh musicians. A band that died off after only a few years was California Breed. It was comprised of Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, and new guy Andrew Watt. They recorded a fantastic record and then went on tour. After a few shows, Bonham left. They replaced him with another drummer but they only lasted a short time before disbanding. This behavior of short lived music projects is generally predominant in the rock and metal world than in other genres.

Hired Guns:

When an established band needs to replace previous members, they usually get hired guns. These musicians learn the material and only play with the band live or sometimes in studio. This can persist over a few years. Very few of these musicians actually become members of the bands full time, and even fewer are allowed to become full partners.

The main argument is the differentiation between bandmates and hired guns. Bandmates or band members are the people who have a vested interest in the band. They have invested their time and creativity into the band making it their own. Hired Guns or freelance players, are people that are brought in to fill a role and not much else. These musicians usually have one or two projects that are their main interest, and they are playing in this band or bands for extra income.

Music is both and art and a business. Some musicians want to work together to create something special outside their normal endeavors. Sometimes situations change and musicians need to be replaced for short or longer periods of time. Unfortunately, these projects can be short-lived. Creative and financial success is not guaranteed. It is most disappointing to those fans who listen and buy the music for they may only have one chance to experience the music live or even own a recording.

Singing vs Screaming

Singing vs Screaming is one of the most heavily debated subjects when come to the Heavy Metal genre. This conflict splits the fans of metal right down the middle with very few people that go in between. Now my definition of screaming is that of screams, yells, barks, growls, and shrieks. As for my personal preference, I like singing more. I prefer to hear the lyrics being clearly audible with the melody. But that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the harshness of screaming.

Singing:

According to Dictonary.com, [singing] is “to utter words or sounds in succession with musical modulations of the voice; vocalize melodically.” But when it comes to singing and the music that goes along with it, one thing must present, that being melody.

When it comes to high pitch vocals, Joey Belladonna used his vocals to help Anthrax stand out from their peers. It differentiated them from other thrash metal bands, like Slayer and Overkill.

 

Iron Maiden was able to infuse screams into the singing of their songs. This was best shown in their live performances. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson would scream to extend a note to make it louder and fuller. This is where his nickname the “air raid siren” came from. But the best example of his screams are present on his first album he did with Maiden on the title track “Number of the Beast”.

Ronnie James Dio is best known for his vocal abilities and passion shown while singing the lyrics. In the first song he wrote with Sabbath, “Children of the Sea”, he demonstrated his superior vocal range.

Screaming:

Screaming is the broad term for any singing style where the vocals aren’t crisp and clean. According to Diconary.com [Screaming] is “to utter a loud, sharp, piercing cry. Or to emit a shrill, piercing sound” This style is more prevalent when the singer is trying to make a point. When the tuning drops and the riff get heavier, the screaming coincides with the music. While singing is possible with the music, guttural purging and shrieks are more common. Essentially screaming comes down to the type of music being played. Each style of music lends itself to a different vocals. Punk had no real singing, just more shouting. Through the years, this style evolved into the modern scream in metal.

Lamb of God are the latest in the arsenal of successful bands that utilize this brutal vocal style. This style of unrelenting screaming can be attributed to the monstrous vocal ability of D. Randall Blythe.

Judas Priest is known for their melodic music and Rob Halford’s high pitches. In the 90’s, they created a definitive song when they released their screaming assault titled “Painkiller”.

Dillinger is a progressive metal band that is so technical that it has been called math metal by some. When people listen their music for the first time, it can sound like a gurgle of noise.  But after listening to their music multiple times, their brilliance does come through

Even though there are two vocal styles, each one has its place in metal music. Singing is synonymous with high pitched vocals in the operatic singing style like Freddy Mercury. While screaming is signified by the harsh tone that coincides with the music. Both types have added to the appeal of metal music.

What is an Album?

I have previously discussed the different genres of metal and the listeners of the music. Now before we move on, I feel compelled to inform you of the history of records.  But how did the music companies get the music out for people to listen to? What were the different mediums used to get the music out to the public? Originally there was the live performance or concert, then came radio, the vinyl record, the cassette, MTV, CD, MP3, and now music streaming. The music went from being analog recordings to digital recording in less than 35 years. 

Since the introduction of the LP vinyl “album” in 1948 by Columbia Records, it set the standard for the music industry. The LP revolutionized the music industry. Now people could own music recorded by their favorite bands. They could listen to their favorite music when they wanted to at home. People didn’t have to wait for concerts or listen to the radio anymore. It was considered revolutionary.

Back in the day music was put on vinyl. A large two sided black disk with grooves that are imbedded into it. A turntable would spin the record and on a platter. An “arm” with a needle on the end would go straight in the grooves of the vinyl. The signal from the needle was sent to a receiver amplifier and out to the speakers. On a vinyl there were two sides, a side A and B or 1 and 2. There are also two sizes of vinyl, a 7” and 12”. EP’s and LP’s would be the 12 inch diameter run at 33 1/3 rpm, while Singles would be the 7 inch diameter run at 45 rpm.

Singles would contain two songs - one on each side. Side A would have the song that the artist is advertising, while side B may have another song from the album, a live recording, or an original song that usually has no relation to the main song or album. As for the terminology, there is the Single, the EP or Extended Play, and the LP or Long Play.

An EP is characterized as being significantly shorter than and LP, and usually having about 4 to 5 songs. There are longer EP’s that can contain 8 to 9 songs, but these are usually composed of cover songs. Finally, there is the popular LP. These are what we usually see when we put on a CD or vinyl.

An LP can have a number of different songs, but as far as running time goes they are usually 50 minutes to an hour. There are also a subset of LP’s called double albums. Traditionally these are two vinyl’s or CD’s that are the makeup of the album.

What is on an Album? An album contrary to what some might think is not just a collection songs strung together under one title. An album, record, LP, or sometimes referred to as just a CD, is so much more! An album is an experience, a musical journey from the beginning to the end, where each song leads into the other. The reason why classic albums like Pink Floyd’s “Dark side of the Moon” is hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time is because each song on Dark side is integral to the record. Each song flows into each other forming not a collection of different songs, but forming a collaboration, or entity, that emphasizes the theme of the album.

From the 1950’s through the 1980’s it was popular to collect all the LP’s of your favorite groups. People would have vast collections of vinyl. Today, people would rather just buy a song or two from an artist, cherry picking the “best” songs. People now collect individual songs instead of LP’s. This is why today’s music industry is called a single economy, because people would rather buy singles or EP’s rather than full length records.

Social Outlets for Metal

Outlets for Metal:

When it comes to being an outsider, as in someone who doesn’t join in the popular mainstream trends, it can be hard to find like-minded individuals who share your tastes in media (books, music, movies, etc.). Back in the day, you would have been hard-pressed to find someone with similar interests. In most cases you would have had to go to a show of band that you liked and socialize with the other concert goers. Small underground specialized newspapers and magazines would have been another way to keep in touch. In large cities, people used to live in the same communities so they could congregate together. Today with the internet, it is much easier to get connected no matter where you live. You can find hundreds if not thousands of people with similar interests. Today, there are many websites and social media pages devoted to metal bands and their music. Each of these outlets are for metalheads by metalheads. There are additional websites for the hard rock and classic rock fans.

• Loudwire 
• Ultimate Classic Rock 
• Blabbermouth

A classic media method with staying power is through print media, specifically magazines. Photo journalism is still a popular medium. They give the reader a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes as well as the overall story. While some magazines from the heyday of the 1980’s have sadly not survived into the new millennium, many are still around. These magazines still publish physical copies that can be found, but also have their articles on their websites.

• Metal Hammer 
• Kerrang! 
• Revolver

Podcasts and Radio are two more popular outlets, although the latter of which mostly you’ll have to look to satellite radio. Other media outlets include the mediums of television and documentary movies. There are more TV shows and documentaries now on the subject of metal music than there has ever been. Most of these are documentaries cover observations on Metal as music genre, or Metal culture and the effect it has on people’s lives. For movies there are

• Metal: A Headbanger's Journey 
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil 
• This Is Spinal Tap 
• The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

These movies range from a journey of what metal means to most fans, a documentary on a band, a mockumentary or rockumentary, and an observation on the music scene. Other than feature length pictures, on the small screen there are television shows like:

• Metal Evolution 
• Rock Icons 
• That Metal Show

All of which happen to be on the VH1 Classic television channel.

Today, there are more options available to find and explore heavy metal music in every medium, but it can be overwhelming at times. To immerse yourself in this music and culture, the best way is of course to “get it from the horse’s mouth”, or in laymen’s terms to talk to other metal fans to get their personal perspectives.

Sub-genres:

My previous posts on the subjects of sub-genres were very fun to do, but mostly fruitless because they were overviews of different perceived styles of metal. Sub-genres from my perspective are too confining. They try to label or control a band’s creativity or style to a medium. This is true for all types of music or other art forms. Artistry doesn’t come from doing one type of thing over and over again. It is an evolving living thing. Creativity comes from adding or taking away certain things to change the art, or to come up with something that is entirely original and unique. Thus, the thought of categorizing artistic creativity is ludicrous. Trying to confine an artist to a certain style limits their possibilities for growth. In my earlier posts, I was not trying to portray the bands as having only one style. I was merely pointing out that some of their music fits into the category being discussed. For example, Iron Maiden would be categorized as New Wave of British Heavy Metal. If you analyze their more recent albums, you can clearly hear the progressive direction that Iron Maiden has taken. Ultimately a band chooses their own musical direction.

Metal Culture and the Music Scene

During my discussions about the different genres of metal in my blogs, I have left out the vast majority of metal bands. These include the likes of Ratt, Blue Oyster Cult, UFO, and so many others. This is because when I talk about a genre, I highlight bands that feature the topic being discussed. If I went into a total in-depth analysis, the post would be a novel. The genres I have covered are abridged views of what they are, what to expect, and why they are significant to the history of Metal Music. To me, they are just fun to talk about.

The Fan Base:

The fans of metal music cover a wide variety of people from different genders, faiths, ethnic backgrounds, and countries around the world. Metal does have a distinct fan base, the outsiders. Metal was never meant to be pretty or conform to any standard of popularity. Most fans happen to be people who may not fit in or conform to the norms of society. They can find solace in this music and other fans like them. But if you had to, it’s pretty easy to point out a metalhead because they wear their pride loud and proud. They usually wear their favorite band’s t-shirt everywhere, and for most, metaling it up for a show can be simple or complex. The metalhead standard attire is denim and leather.

The Scene:

Within the music scene there are many artists that influence each other. Whether they’re contemporaries, old bands that inspire new bands, or vice versa there are defining bands of any genre. These bands that define each genre or subgenre are usually the most successful. For example, Metallica is the most successful Thrash Metal band. But you can hear the thrash metal sound as early as the band Anvil, which was in the late 70’s early 80’s. Of course there can be more than one successful band in a genre. In thrash there are the big 4, which are Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The point is that every movement has their Beetles and there are many other bands which don’t receive the notoriety or spotlight they deserve.

Another thing that is common is the clash of different genres of music. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was met with the opposition of Punk music which was coming out at the same time. While Punk took the spotlight for a short time it eventually imploded on itself. NWOBHH took over and continued on showing its longevity. I am not bashing punk music. Its music has its place in the history of metal. There are bands that have survived and are still around today. It’s just that the movement of punk was just go out there and play for the moment. It was not going to live a long sustainable life. Punk music’s message of anarchy is awe inspiring but didn’t have much staying power. Punk songs themselves don’t have the intricacy and complexity of metal music that was combating it.

During the 1980’s when MTV was still music television and when Glam ruled over the normal MTV airplay, there was a special program for other types of metal to get on MTV. This event was known as “Headbanger’s Ball”. This outlet allowed the bands that wouldn’t have had commercial airplay, get their videos played to the audience. They featured special guest hosts and making cameos on the program, such as Ozzy Osbourne.

The Event:

While most other music genres can have dance incorporated with the music, metal strays from traditional dance. Metal has two primary motions for the music. The Headbang and the Mosh Pit (of course there is the every popular stage dive and crowd surfing as well). The head bang is fairly simple but has many variations. There is the normal headbang, the side to side (this is when your neck is so tired from the normal headband but you still want to headbang), the varying degrees of the bodybang, and the windmill. For a more comedic twist on headbanging, Jared Dines has created a video of 10 ways to headbang (for beginners)

Mosh pits were incorporated into Metal from punk music. This ‘dance’ is better described as an event. It has many people running around jumping into each other. There are four different kinds of mosh pits, although two of them are variations of each other. There is the closed and open pit. This is essentially whether the people are close together or spread out. Depending on the density of people, you can tell which is which, but essentially they are circle pits that have people run around. The next is more of a unison of a tightly packed crowd and more looks like a wave of people than a traditional Mosh pit.

Of course there is an etiquette for moshing. If someone is down (falls), it’s up to the nearest person to help get them up. Also, not to drag a person who doesn’t want to mosh into the mosh pit. While a mosh pit may seem harmless, it can be dangerous. Injury can occur and it is advised not to bring anything of value, importance, or that can be broken easily into the pit.

There is one mosh pit that I haven’t talked about yet, and that is the most deadly of them all. “The Wall of Death”. There is only one way to describe this certain type of pit. Two sides of people clashing against each other, like they are reenacting a civil war battle without weapons.

Metal is more than a style of it’s a way of life, a religion even. This notion comes from the innate tribalism of Metal music. And for many a fan, going to a concert wearing denim and leather, and moshing, is like going to church.

Power Metal, Pirate Metal, and Viking Metal

Power Metal:

Power Metal by itself is kind of ambiguous. To sum it up, its metal that utilizes high fantasy lyrics and over the top riffs. But even this is still limiting to what Power Metal is exactly. Let us go back to the beginnings with the band Rainbow. Rainbow was formed by Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple fame and the band Elf which had vocalist and lyricist Ronnie James Dio. Blackmore and Dio were the core members of Rainbow until Dio left for creative reasons in 1978. Dio then joined Black Sabbath for a time. He then formed his own band Dio, where he would continue into the realms of fantasy. Rainbow was one of the first bands to explore the high fantasy settings like in the one created by Tolkien. Dio contributed by painting picture of these fantastical things through his lyrics, having the listeners’ imagination paint the picture with songs like “Stargazer”, “Catch the Rainbow”, and “The Gates of Babylon”.

Since then, other artists have increased the influence of the genre, such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Power Metal is unique in that it is mostly, if not all, exclusively European. This music thrives in large audience venues. In Europe, there are many open air festivals that fit the bill. Power Metal has been described as “Happy Metal”. The sound can certainly be described as such. The themes of this genre can be from the fantasy of dragons and elves, to that of Conan the Barbarian.

This led to other sub-genres like Pirate Metal and Viking Metal. These sub-genres added more to the fantasy themes. I believe these two sub-genres are self-explanatory.

Pirate Metal:

Pirate Metal is more about the adventures and debauchery of pirates. It reflects more of a swashbuckler theme like in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, rather than modern pirates portrayed in the movie “Captain Philips”. None the less Pirate Metal gives that feeling of being in a tavern on one of those tropical islands where pirates frequented back in the day.

Viking Metal:

Viking Metal is very similar to Pirate Metal. But in recent years it has gone heavy with the immersion of Death Metal into the genre. Viking Metal innately already has a dark side to it because of the historic inspiration for the genre, the Viking raids in the 12^th century. While there are many great stories of these raids this genre doesn’t stop there. They also delve into Norse myths and legends.

The link between Power/Pirate/Viking Metal:

Each sub-genre has different aspects to each. Some may be serious in their lyrical content, while others are more about having fun. Each one of them is enjoyable and fun in their own way. This can be said for all of Heavy Metal music. Heavy Metal isn’t about being overly serious. It’s about relieving destructive emotions in a positive way and making you feel good. Of course if it happens to have a good message or point out things wrong with society, then it becomes more than just a feel good song. It becomes auditory art. 

Progressive Metal

There is a saying in the art world, “less is more”. But if we were to think about this logically that can’t be true. How can less be more? Surely, more is more! This ideology of “more is more” is the cornerstone to Progressive music. Progressive music, or Prog as it is known, is usually identified as long songs with complex orchestrations and multiple time changes. But put simply it is complex music. Unlike art or psychedelic music which prides itself on the strange and trippy sound, Progressive tries to do more. This process results in longer more complex songs. Many an artist have gone in the progressive direction later in their careers, because they try to expand and push the boundaries of their own music. They did this by adding more to the arrangements, lengths, and the “meat” of the music. It can be identified with complex instrumentation, soaring vocals, and concepts that spanned from daring to the outlandish.

But to get a full picture of this music we have to look at its beginning in Progressive Rock or “Prog Rock” for short. Prog Rock can be seen as an extension jazz music, with the free forming experimental sound. Bands like Yes, Genesis and King Crimson added different twists and turns in their music that weren’t being used in music. They were trying to see how far they could go as musicians. These time changes made the music more complex. Just like any type of art form, music evolves over time incorporating different aspects of different mediums into the music.

After the foundation of Prog Rock was made by incorporating classical and jazz influence into the newfound genre, the next step was to add hard rock music. Rush was able to do this with great success. They combined Prog with the rock influences of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Rush was able to push the envelope and fused complex melodies with rock. These desires lead to heavier music and the founding of what would become Progressive Metal. Rush musically structured their music into almost a narrative. This style is what helped create the epic songs in their catalog like “The Necromancer” on their album Caress of Steel. Even later in their career, they decided to be progressive in a way that was not thought of being progressive. They went with shorter songs. Rush also added a progressive twist by having an individual concept for each song without compromising the complex arrangements of the music. Again, more is more.

 The next step was adding heavy metal to Prog Rock. This pushed the genre into a more heavy direction. Queensrÿche (pronounced Queens-Reich) used the influences of heavy metal bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden to give them their metal foundation. The influences of King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis drove them to be more progressive. This fusion gave their sound a more aggressiveness Prog Rock sound. This sound evolved into what is known today as Progressive Metal. Much like their early sound, they grew as a band with the continual addition of progressive influences in their music.

One of the identities of Prog, although not exclusive to it, is the concept album. That is taking a story or theme and spreading it out through an entire album. One of the most notable concept albums is Queensrÿche’s “Operation Mindcrime”.

After the advent of Progressive Metal with Queensrÿche, many other bands have followed in their wake like Dream Theater. With each continued iteration of Progressive Metal, it has gone heavier and more complex with adding different aspects into the music. One such aspect is making the whole sound into rhythm. In other words, making the entire band sound the same, even the vocals. This is done by making every instrument basically into a percussive instrument, which makes the vocals mostly screaming.

Even bands that weren’t first considered progressive seem to have gone in that direction. For example, Iron Maiden had a longer song “Phantom of the Opera” on their first album. Even though most of Iron Maiden’s music has been comprised of shorter songs like “2 Minutes to Midnight”, this song and many others that have since followed are longer and known as the “Maiden Epic”. But since the turn of the century they have been steadily increasing the length of each album, from “Brave New World” to the most recent “Book of Souls”. This has to do with the increasing length of time on each song, and with the increased length comes more instrumentation within the song.

In conclusion, Progressive Metal showcases the music, shows how talented the musicians are, and how technical the music is as a whole. This can be described as the ever growing art form of Progressive Metal and Progressive Music in general.

Thrash Metal

Thrash Metal is a combination of New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and Punk, making the music faster and more aggressive. Thrash was the antithesis to Glam Metal. Instead of makeup and hairspray to make them “presentable”, Thrash Metal bands wore jeans and t-shirts. They didn’t care what they looked or smelled like and they played how they felt. This movement can be attributed to Metallica as the torchbearers of this music. But without the other bands within this genre and their fans, they wouldn’t have been pushed to better themselves and their music. The movement started in LA within the Glam Metal scene. But soon they realized they weren’t getting any traction in the gloss infested venues, and moved to San Francisco. On the east coast in New York and New Jersey, there was Anthrax, Overkill, Nuclear Assault and many other bands. Even in Canada thrash Metal thrived with bands like Annihilator. Europe even had its big three of Thrash, with Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction. But the breeding grounds for this music was in the San Francisco Bay area. With bands like, Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel. But four bands rose to prominence in this genre, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica, the Big 4 of Thrash.

The subjects in Thrash Metal songs are more akin to that of punk than of traditional metal. Talking about politics, atrocities committed by humans in the past, and the dystopian future. Each band also had different styles. Of the big 4, Anthrax was considered the silliest of the bunch. Their mascot was the “NOT Man” which comes from their song “I’m the man”. This song was one of the first fusions of rap and Metal. But just because of ascetics and attitudes doesn’t mean they can’t talk about serious subjects. In their song “Indians”, the subject is about the crimes committed to the Native Americans in the past by the immigrants, like the Trail of Tears. While subject matter is important for gaining exposure, what set Anthrax apart was the range of vocals of their lead singer Joey Belladonna.

Megadeth is the most technical out of the group. They have been called “a jazz band playing metal”. Megadeth has always been a group of great musicians playing metal that is more impressive than anyone’s solos. Dave Mustaine, the bands founder, vocalist and guitarist, started with Metallica. Before Metallica recorded their first record, Mustaine was suddenly and brutally ousted from the group. This fueled his anger and passion to be better than his former band. He formed Megadeth. Now the bands have reconciled. Megadeth was more political with their lyrics than any other band in the Big 4. Their three big hits are “Peace Sells… Buy Who’s Buying?”, “Symphony of Destruction” which is about the dangerous amount of power in the hands of the ruling class, and “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”, which is about wars like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Then we have our favorite guilty pleasure SLAYER! Although, they should change their name to “Fucking Slayer” because that’s all you hear at a show from the fans. These guys walk the edge of being Thrash or Extreme Metal. Slayer is the odd one because of the intensity of the music and lyrics. The subjects are for example about a famous evil Nazi doctor who had done experiments on prisoners in WWII, such as sowing together two people and making them Siamese twins. This stems from the influences of wars and the atrocities committed, and horror movies and novels. Slayer’s music is not for everyone.

Although I have talked about three of the big 4, I haven’t talked about is Metallica. They are one of the most successful Metal bands in the world. Anyone who knows metal that is worth their salt, knows about Metallica. Metallica is comprised of music fans who hated the music scene around them. They decide to make their own music that they wanted to hear. This desire is what gave birth to Thrash Metal. They were miles ahead of every other band in the scene, and got majorly successful with their ingenuity. But there is one problem that many fans have with the band, which was their fifth self-titled album. Fans felt that they sold out, as in going too commercial. But they still play their old material, and still fill stadiums around the world.

Thrash Metal is one of my favorite sub-genres of metal. With my personal favorite band in this genre being Megadeth and Anthrax as a close second. 

Glam Metal

Glam Metal is a music sub-genre that emphasizes poufy hair, makeup, and overall glamour excess. They originally targeted the female audience with their looks and the male audience with the music. But it evolved to gain a more broad audience, with the ever changing looks and music of these bands. One such evolution was the power ballad. This type of song starts off slow and continues to gather speed, up until the climax of the song. Essentially the power ballad can be attributed to two songs, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin and “Love Hurts” a cover by Nazareth.

Glam Metal started in the early 80’s on the Sunset Strip in LA. It became the most commercially successful subgenre of metal. In general, the Metal genre is considered outsider music. It is generally not found in the mainstream of American music. Much like many other subgenres, Glam had scenes on both the east coast and west coast, usually New York and California respectively. The east coast had bands like Twisted Sister and Bon Jovi. The west coast had bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison, and Quiet Riot, to name a few. Their music was influenced by bands like Van Halen and Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and The New York Dolls. While the genre wasn’t necessarily defined by their music, their visual influences were.

With most metal bands, the live show is where they flourished. Their shows included videos, smoke, pyrotechnics, and all mannerisms of special effects on stage. But what ultimately gave this genre the commercial success was Music Television. MTV a brand new medium where the visual side of music could be shown internationally. These bands jumped at the chance to be on TV and launched their careers. Because these bands cared of what they looked like, they were very popular with the female audience. The first band of this genre to break it big was Quiet Riot. They were the first metal band to have their album, Metal Health, go to #1 on the charts.

Around the 90’s when the music scene was shifting, many of these bands either endured, took a break, or disbanded entirely. The bands that have endured or have reformed are now mostly thriving on their past material. Since the turn of the century, some of these bands have recorded new songs and put out new records. Most are just performing as nostalgia acts.

There is a big discussion on the name of this genre, and that is either Glam or Hair Metal. I don’t like the name hair metal because it gives the connotation that it’s only about the persons’ hair or appearance that they have. Where glam gives the genre a broader definition to classify the music. Although it has been said that GLAM stands for “Gay L A Metal”, that doesn’t really fit because all of the bands were targeting the female audience. But then again, that name came from the animosity between the other metal subgenre that came around the same time with similar influences, Thrash Metal.

In the end, I believe Glam Metal music is pop dressed as metal. It does have its merits and deserves a spot within the heavy metal genre. I believe that it’s a great starting point for those who want to check out metal music. But ultimately, this is only one part of Metal music. 

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal

This musical genre, New Wave of British Heavy Metal, started in the late 1970’s, was the answer to the punk rock movement. Its origin began right before punk emerged. This new wave took what the bands that came before them Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, UFO, Yes, etc. and evolved it into a faster more aggressive direction. But with the advent of punk music, this movement was delayed. With the rise of the Sex Pistols and The Damned among others, they had to bide their time waiting for them be noticed and get a record deal. But in 1980, Iron Maiden jump started the movement with their self-titled debut album “Iron Maiden”. This release sparked the beginning of the movement now known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal or NWOBHM for short.

The bands with in this genre include the likes of: Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard, Motörhead, Judas Priest, and Diamond Head. While there are more bands that can be identified in this genre, the bands Def Leppard, Motörhead, and Judas Priest are the most controversial when it comes to whether they are a part of the genre. Leppard came around the same time as the others bands but had a different sound. They incorporated more melody into their music, and because of their song “Hello America” on their debut album, they were thought of as “sell outs” by their contemporaries. Motörhead and Judas Priest both debuted before the movement started, 1975 and 1970 respectively. Due to their influence and the rejuvenation of metal due to NWOBHM, both have released landmark records during this time. Motörhead brought into being speed metal and are the forefathers of the double bass drum. Judas priest is known for the S&M, leather and studs look to metal and made it look cool. As well as the duel guitar attack of guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton.

While I have stated that NWOBHM is the antithesis of Punk music, none is more true about the attire and live performance experience. Punks dressed with short or spiky hair, usually leather jackets, but otherwise a kind of DIY off the street look. Metalheads, on the other hand, had denim and leather, with patches of their favorite bands on their denim vests. In the live show, punk music had moshing. Metal on the other hand had the headbang.

This genre was instrumental in the look and sound of all future metal bands, and would go on to influence Thrash Metal, Power Metal, and Black Metal. The culture and music of these bands are still celebrated today. 

The Story of Metal

I have touched upon the beginnings of heavy metal music, in my first post. There is something that is important to note before we get started. Rock and metal bands have always had a stage presence. The live show was as integral to the success of their music as the albums were. Back in the day, a live performance was the advertisement for the album. Today, the digital age has changed things. That approach has now flipped. The album is now the enticement to go to a live show. I say performance and show because the word concert doesn’t even begin to describe the experience of a live show. When you see a metal or rock show, you get the music, pyrotechnics, and a theatrical show. When you go see an artist live from any other genre, it’s just not as exciting as good live metal or rock band like Iron Maiden. 

Theatrics was always part of the show, just look at Kiss or Alice Cooper. That is why when MTV first appeared in the 80’s, metal bands where the first on with their music videos. Because they were camera ready. They had the theatrics, and knew how to perform. It’s like opera with electric instruments.

The history of metal is not that long in retrospect of our entire shared history. Only from the late 1960’s to now, so almost 50 years. Even though metal music is relatively young, there are hundreds if not thousands of bands within this genre with millions of fans around the world. Now we must ask the question, what differs one band or artist from another in this genre? If you were to compare Pantera and Deep Purple, you could distinctly tell the difference sonically. But attitude about the music and the scene are also part of the equation. Look at Alice Cooper, he has a stage show like no other. Performing stunts of his own decapitation, it’s like watching theater. And of course Punk influenced many later musicians and it is reflected in the music. There’re many subgenres such as Early Metal, which is Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and the like. Thrash Metal, Shock Rock, New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM, although not so new anymore), Progressive Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Grindcore, Groove Metal, Pirate Metal (yes it exists), and so many more in the metal family tree. 

Heavy Metal as it’s known, is a genre of music that started from the working class factory workers in Birmingham, England. Birmingham, one of the birthplaces of metal, was much like Detroit back in the day. A gritty gloomy place where the mass population were working class that worked in factories. Because of the environment the music reflected the musician’s upbringing. Of course you can listen to a Zeppelin song and think that it’s not overly gloomy. But it wasn’t until the formation of Sabbath and the tragic accident their guitarist Tony Iommi incurred, which made the unique sound which is a milestone in the tale of metal. Although they are the creators of this music genre, their musical influence stem from the blues, jazz, and classical music. If we had to go back to the beginning of where the sound came from in rock music, it can be heard as early as The Kinks song “You Really Got Me” with that crunchy sound made by cutting the amplifier with a razor blade.

After hearing this, the first Marshall amplifier was created. Marshall is as synonymous with metal as leather and studs. Of course there are many other examples in classic rock that can be categorized as having this sound. But even though I said that metal music is a British invention, the US was also integral to the foundation of this music, like Aerosmith and Ted Nugent. The roots of metal were born from the working class and it has evolved into a technical and theatrical show. Heavy music founded itself from multiple genres. From the classical compositions to the hard rock anthems. 

Album Review: The Book of Souls

After a 5 year interim, Iron Maiden has finally released their 16^th studio album, The Book of Souls.

     I.                    First Impression

The Book of Souls, was released on September 4^th, 2015. This album’s music will surely stimulate your senses and rock your soul like their last album The Final Frontier in 2010. The Book of Souls is everything I hoped for and more from Iron Maiden. Nowadays, bands are only releasing EP’s and singles. But in true Iron Maiden fashion, they came out with a double album. A whole 92 minutes of an amazing performance from the opening track “If Eternity Should Fail” to the epic “Empire of the Clouds”. Every song has a memorable chorus, and hook that make you want to listen to them again and again. 

II.                    The Music

“If Eternity Should Fail” deals with one of man’s greatest fears - death! While everyone will die, it’s whether there is a place for the soul to go. What if there is no eternity or heaven to go to? Where will we go? Death also brings out another fear. If we are mortal men, will our legacy just be remembered on earth or will it follow us into heaven? This song brings these ideas into a metaphysical world of spirits. 

“Speed of Light” has more of an old school sound to it. While listening to the song and reading the lyrics, you get a feeling that you’re going through a journey through space. Watching the lights of stars go by, having no concept of speed and going ever faster into the void. As the song starts, you can hear Bruce Dickinson unleash his inner Ian Gillian with that booming scream.

“The Great Unknown” examines the demise of the world. It deals with whether people will retain their humanity or lose it and evolve into packs of wild wolves and tear each other apart.

“The Red and the Black” is about gambling in its purest form, a game for the soul. The red verses black theme can be taken literally. In this game of chance you are gambling against the house.  The odds are stacked against you. The other literal theme is in war. When two sides oppose each other, the red and black can be taken as the color of the uniforms of each army. While in this conflict you need someone to save or bail you out of your situation. No matter how hard you try, you’re doomed. People don’t want the truth. They want the illusion of victory even if it costs them everything in the end.

“When the River Runs Deep” delves into the search for meaning in life. While some people are content with waiting for fate, most would rather seize the day deciding it for themselves.

“The Book of Souls” is the title track of the album. It captures the grand nature of the burial of a Mayan king. Mayan’s would sacrificed animals or sometimes a human in honor of their king, and surround his burial site with riches. Not only will the king be judged by the demons of the afterlife, but he will also traverse the garden of the gods. This Mayan king is on a journey for the truth, which lies in the book of souls.

 “Death or Glory” is a song about war, but does not take place on any normal battlefield. It takes place in the sky. Arial combat has been used as an instrument of waging war for at least a century now. One of the most notable figures was the Red Baron. His dog fights in the skies of World War 1 made him a legend. Death or glory represents the mantra of these heroic pilots.

“Shadow of the Valley” takes its origins from Psalm 23, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”. The song becomes its own adding the view of the biblical apocalypse and the fall of man.

“Tears of a Clown” is an epitaph to the late comedian Robin Williams. Even though the comic has a smile on his face, his eyes show the deep sadness of the man inside.

“The Man of Sorrows” deals with is the passage of time. As people get older they gain knowledge and wisdom, but good friends and family leave your side and pass away. We tend not to think about these people, because we do not dwell on the thought of death. The surviving man is still passing on knowledge and enriching the lives of those around him. Thus, we don’t feel afraid of that certainty called death.

“Empire of the Clouds” is a true epic in every sense of the word. It is the first Iron Maiden song to feature piano, which is played by Bruce Dickinson. It tells of the maiden voyage of the zeppelin R101 British airship, “the largest vessel built by man, a giant of the skies”. This song takes you on the fateful journey and demise of being on the large zeppelin.

III.                    My Verdict

While each song is about familiar subjects like war, life beyond death, or glorious historical events. Each one brings something new to the table.  I give this album a score of 5 out of 5 Eddie hearts. The Book of Souls in my opinion is a spectacular album and worthy to be in every music aficionado’s library. If I had to make a top five songs off the album it would be:

1) The Red and the Black

2) If Eternity Should Fail

3) Tears of a Clown

4) Speed of Light

5) Death or Glory

While I believe this album, The Book of Souls, is amazing. I do see two shortcomings.

1) The Cover is plain and simple. I was hoping for something more along the Mayan theme. I would suggest a temple with a few natives worshiping with Eddie at the altar. Something more than shaman Eddie with a black background. If you get the digital booklet or the physical booklet, it contains some cool artwork within that genre of what I was looking for.

2) Lack of a narrative of Necropolis throughout the album. At the end of “If Eternity Should Fail”, there is a passage/message about this character. There are opportunities throughout the album on multiple songs where they could have had more passages from this character. Similar to Bruce Dickinson’s solo album, The Chemical Wedding, where guest musician, Arthur Brown, does a few passages of William Blake after a few of the songs.

IV.                  Extras/Behind the Scenes

After finishing the recording of the album, vocalist Bruce Dickinson went to get a lump on his neck checked out by doctors. He was diagnosed with throat cancer. The cancerous tumor was on the back of his tongue. He has since conquered the disease and is in recovery. Doctors believe Bruce is cancer free and will have a full recovery. 

What is Heavy Metal Music?

“What is 'Heavy Metal' music?” This is the main question people have. Some people try to explain it as a wall of sound composed of roaring guitars, soaring vocals, pounding drums, and a strumming bass.  But to put it simply, it’s heavy music. It’s not so hard to understand once you hear it. Heavy music was birthed in the late 1960’s with bands we all know such as Led Zeppelin and to a lesser degree Deep Purple. But it goes back even further to the Beatles and the Kinks. But the real culmination of that iconic sound that is “Heavy Metal” goes to the band Black Sabbath, who changed the world with their self-titled debut in 1970. Back when it was first released it actually scared people when they heard it. As the album starts with a roaring thunderstorm then suddenly a loud strum form a guitar breaks the sound of the storm and pierces into the listener. That opening song also called Black Sabbath, used what is called the devils tritone. This set of notes, the devils tritone, was actually banned for a time because of the sound it produced. Although now days we have much more fearsome and scarier music, but then that was a different time and place. Heavy music sure has evolved since then, from the subjects of love and sex (although this theme persisted through the 80’s), to touching on subjects of death, drug abuse, the occult, and Satanism. Now I have to make a point that about 99.9% of all bands and artist that fall into this category are not Satanists. In fact more musicians are actually born-again Christians. The other 0.1% are the Norwegian death metal bands, who I will touch upon on a later post.

Now the question some may have is what’s the difference between “Metal” and popular music? Well “Pop” is music that is made to be popular. I call it cookie cutter music. Song writers find a formula that works then create 20 other song that differ slightly, but are the same. Another thing about “Pop” is the fan-base. People get into an artist for a little while and then they move on to the next artist and continue on this cycle. I call it the flavor of the month bands, not to jab at the fandom of popular music. I was once a fan of it myself in my preteens. Now compared to “Metal”, which isn’t made to be popular. The song styles and genres are unique to each band. In the beginning, some metal bands went commercial to trying to appeal to more people with varying degrees of success. Then again it was the 70’s and 80’s, most record companies had most if not total control of these bands. Metal music is very diverse with over 25 different subgenres, and then subgenres of those subgenres. The fan-base while mostly characterized as something you’d see in biker bar looking like they belong in Hell’s Angels or on the TV show “Sons of Anarchy”. In reality, most metal heads are average people like you and me from all over the world. They may wear a shirt of their favorite band like Iron Maiden or Megadeth. But mostly no different from you or myself. But the fan-base is the most most loyal out of any other genre.If you compare a metal fan and a fan from any other genre, say rap for example. Have them listen to music from an artist of their choice and then we wait 15 years. While both will have moved on to different artists. The metal fan with without a shadow of a doubt still be listening to that artist to this day. I can’t speak for rap fans due to my own ignorance, but I think unless they were really nostalgic probably won’t listen to that same artist or will vary rarely listen to them again.

This blog is not to deter or gain people from listening to heavy metal music, but rather to express a subjective view from someone who is a fan of this music and share it with everyone. I also want to show that this music has a long history and global reach far beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.