Heavy Metal Music

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2 CONTENTS CONTENTS

3 05. 04. Rhythm & Tempo Harmony What is Heavy Metal Music? 07. 06. Concert Photo Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold Band Band 09. 08. Heavy Metal Instru- Machine Head Photo ments

4 HEAV Y METAL M U S IC Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock, and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by dis- tortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and loudness. The lyrics and performances are some- times associated with aggression and machismo, an issue that has often led to accusations of misogyny. In 1968, three of the genre’s most famous pioneers, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Pur- ple, were founded. Though they came to attract wide audiences, they were often derided by critics. Several American bands modified heavy metal into more accessible forms during the 1970s: the raw, sleazy sound and shock rock of Alice Cooper and Kiss; the blues-rooted rock of Aerosmith and the flashy guitar leads and wild party rock of Van Halen. During the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre’s evolution by discarding much of its blues influence, while Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Beginning in the late 1970s, bands in the new wave of British heavy metal such as Iron Maiden and Saxon followed in a similar vein. By the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as “metalheads” or “headbangers”.

5 During the 1980s, glam metal became popular with groups such as Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe. Under- ground scenes produced an array of more aggressive styles thrash metal broke into the mainstream with bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, while other ex- treme subgenres such as death metal and black metal remain subcultural phenomena. Since the mid-1990s, popular styles have expanded the definition of the genre. These include groove metal and nu metal, the latter of which often incorporates el- ements of grunge and hip hop. Rhythm and tempo An example of a rhythmic pat- tern used in heavy metal. The Harmony upper stave is a palm-mut- ed rhythm guitar part. The One of the signatures of the genre is the guitar power chord. In lower stave is the drum part. technical terms, the power chord is relatively simple: it involves Rhythmic Pattern Audio (0:06) just one main interval, generally the perfect fifth, though an octave The rhythm in metal songs may be added as a doubling of the root. When power chords are is emphatic, with deliberate played on the lower strings at high volumes and with distortion, stresses. Weinstein observes additional low frequency sounds are created, which add to the that the wide array of sonic ef- “weight of the sound” and create an effect of “overwhelming power”. fects available to metal drum- mers enables the “rhythmic pattern to take on a complex- ity within its elemental drive and insistency”. In many heavy metal songs, the main groove is characterized by short, two- note or three-note rhythmic fig- ures—generally made up of 8th or 16th notes. These rhythmic figures are usually performed with a staccato attack created by using a palm-muted tech- nique on the rhythm guitar.

6 A ve n g e d S e ve n f o l d Avenged Sevenfold (some- Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), by former Bad Religion drum- times abbreviated as A7X) is and released and toured in sup- mer Brooks Wackerman, but an American heavy metal band port of their fifth album Night- the lineup change was not from Huntington Beach, Cal- mare in 2010, which debuted announced to the public un- ifornia, formed in 1999. The on the top spot of the Billboard til 2015. The band then sur- band’s current lineup consists 200, their first number one de- prise-released their seventh of lead vocalist M. Shadows, but.In 2011 drummer Arin Ile- studio album titled The Stage rhythm guitarist and backing jay joined the band on tours on October 28, 2016, which de- vocalist Zacky Vengeance, and recording. buted as number 4 on the Bill- lead guitarist and backing vo- board 200 chart in the US. The calist Synyster Gates, bassist The Stage is their first conceptual and backing vocalist John- band’s sixth studio album Hail ny Christ, and drummer to the King, which was re- album and it marked anoth- Brooks Wackerman. leased in 2013, marked the er stylistic change for the only Avenged Sevenfold album band, moving towards a Avenged Sevenfold is featuring Ilejay. Hail to the King progressive metal sound. known for its diverse charted as number 1 on the rock sound and dra- Billboard 200, the UK Albums To date, Avenged Sev- matic imagery in al- chart, as well as the Finnish, enfold has released bum covers and mer- Brazilian, Canadian, and Irish seven studio albums, chandise. The band charts. In late 2014, Ilejay left one live album/DVD, emerged with a metalcore the band, and was replaced two compilation albums sound on their debut album and eighteen singles and Sounding the Seventh Trum- have sold over 8 million pet and continued this sound albums worldwide, and their through their second album records have received numer- Waking the Fallen. However, ous certification awards, includ- the band’s style had evolved by ing five platinum album awards the group’s third album and first from their home country’s insti- major label release, City of Evil, tution (RIAA). They have also into a heavy metal and hard created four original songs for rock style. The band continued the Call of Duty: Black Ops se- to explore new sounds with its ries, all of which were compiled self-titled release and enjoyed together in the 2018 EP Black continued mainstream success Reign. The band were ranked before their drummer, James No. 47 on Loudwire’s list of Top “The Rev” Sullivan, died in 2009. 50 Metal Bands of All Time.

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9 I N S TRUM E N T S The electric bass is the The drum kit is the next in- next instrument. It was strument in the lineup. The also invented during the drum kit was developed 1930s (The History of the Mod- from an ensemble of different ern Bass Guitar). The bass is percussion instruments. It start- played by slapping or thump- ed in 1890 with just an arrange- ing the strings with your fin- ment of various percussion in- gers. The role of the instrument struments that were all played is to lay down the bass line of by hand. But as time went on the song and compliment the more and more instruments guitar. It is also played through were added to the set thus cre- an amplifier like the electric ating the drum kits that we see guitar. It has four strings and today. Drum kits are used to do is also used to perform solos. many things music, let alone heavy metal. Drum kits set the The last instrument of the beat of the song and the speed. day is the human voice. The vocals play the most important part of the song, they sing the lyrics. The vocals of heavy metal come in all differ- ent types, depending on which heavy metal genre you are listening to. Death metal and black metal, along with doom/ gothic metal, uses the human voice to darken to mood of the song. The person who has this role is called the screamer. The screamer does what it sounds like they do, they scream.

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