Styx

During the '70s, FM radio stations gradually diluted the freewheeling innovations of pirate radio and early FM stations. Theoretically, the new stations did what the pioneers did -- play album tracks instead of singles -- but they soon relied on a set group of artists for their playlists. The one thing that tied all these Album Rock artists together was their dedication to the album as the vehicle for their music, plus their reliance on rock as the foundation of their music. That means album... [+] Read More

During the '70s, FM radio stations gradually diluted the freewheeling innovations of pirate radio and early FM stations. Theoretically, the new stations did what the pioneers did -- play album tracks instead of singles -- but they soon relied on a set group of artists for their playlists. The one thing that tied all these Album Rock artists together was their dedication to the album as the vehicle for their music, plus their reliance on rock as the foundation of their music. That means album rock consisted of everything from heavy metal and Southern blues-rockers to prog-rock and singer/songwriters with supporting rock bands. It was fairly diverse, actually, but they all shared a certain artistic aesthetic and little bit of indulgence, plus their constant exposure on FM radio. These album rock bands ruled the '70s FM airwaves. They persevered into the '80s, but when album rock radio evolved into classic rock radio, fewer and fewer of their new albums hit the airwaves. By the '90s, album rock acts still turned out new albums, but their older material was heard on the radio -- and usually in the reunion concerts these bands mounted. [-] Hide

Biohazard

At its outset, alternative metal was a style united by its nonconformist sensibility rather than any immediately classifiable sound. Heavy metal was at the core of the music, but the bands were too offbeat and their influences too eclectic to fit into the thrash underground, so their main audiences were mostly alternative fans who liked heavy guitar rock. However, after grunge helped make alternative metal more palatable to mass audiences, it became the most popular style of heavy metal in... [+] Read More

At its outset, alternative metal was a style united by its nonconformist sensibility rather than any immediately classifiable sound. Heavy metal was at the core of the music, but the bands were too offbeat and their influences too eclectic to fit into the thrash underground, so their main audiences were mostly alternative fans who liked heavy guitar rock. However, after grunge helped make alternative metal more palatable to mass audiences, it became the most popular style of heavy metal in the '90s, particularly when more aggressive bands began standardizing its sound. That approach was a far cry from alternative metal's early days in the late '80s, when it represented the least categorizable heavy music around. By that time, most surviving hardcore punk bands had moved into metal territory, pushing underground hard-guitar-rock bands to look elsewhere for inspiration. The first wave of alternative metal bands fused heavy metal with prog-rock (Jane's Addiction, Primus), garage punk (Soundgarden, Corrosion of Conformity), noise-rock (the Jesus Lizard, Helmet), funk (Faith No More, Living Colour), rap (Faith No More, Biohazard), industrial (Ministry, Nine Inch Nails), psychedelia (Soundgarden, Monster Magnet), and even world music (later Sepultura). There was no real "scene," just an increased willingness to experiment with a form that had grown overly reliant on pure instrumental technique. Some of those bands eventually broke out to wider audiences, often with help from the Lollapalooza tour, and they also set the stage for a new wave of alt-metal that emerged around 1993-94, centered around the rap-metal fusions of Rage Against the Machine and Korn, the grindingly dissonant Tool, the heavily production-reliant White Zombie, and the popular breakthrough of Nine Inch Nails. These bands would become the most influential forces in shaping the sound and style of alternative metal for the rest of the '90s, along with Pantera, whose thick, molten riffs sounded like no other thrash-metal band. Like many alt-metal bands, Pantera was serious, bleak, and inward-looking, but they demonstrated how to be macho about it. By the latter half of the '90s, most new alt-metal bands were playing some combination of simplified thrash, rap, industrial, hardcore punk, and grunge. This new sound was more about grinding textures and intense aggression than hooks or memorable riffs, and accordingly relied more on studio production to achieve its force; however, it captured the adolescent machismo that has long been mainstream metal's stock in trade, and accordingly became a commercial juggernaut. Korn, Marilyn Manson, and Limp Bizkit were the biggest stars of this new movement -- sometimes dubbed aggro-metal, nu-metal, or (incorrectly) hardcore -- and by the end of the decade, countless new bands were performing that style in a major-label feeding frenzy similar to the proliferation of hair metal bands in the late '80s (ironic, given alternative metal's vehement rejection of hair metal's attitude). [-] Hide

Blue Öyster Cult

Arena Rock developed in the mid-'70s, when hard rock and heavy metal bands began to gain popularity. The music became more commercially oriented and radio-friendly, boasting slick productions and anthemic choruses, both on their hard rock numbers and their sweeping power ballads. Most of these bands earned their following through saturation airplay on FM radio and through constant touring. Bands like Journey, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Foreigner, and Styx became some of the most popular bands of...

Arena Rock developed in the mid-'70s, when hard rock and heavy metal bands began to gain popularity. The music became more commercially oriented and radio-friendly, boasting slick productions and anthemic choruses, both on their hard rock numbers and their sweeping power ballads. Most of these bands earned their following through saturation airplay on FM radio and through constant touring. Bands like Journey, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Foreigner, and Styx became some of the most popular bands of the mid- to late '70s through this circuit. [-] Hide

The Celibate Rifles

Aussie Rock does not refer to all rock & roll bands from Australia. Instead, Aussie rock is a particular style of tough hard rock performed by Australian bands that earned their skills by playing the country's legendarily rough-and-tumble pubs. There's no specific sound, per se, but there is a certain aesthetic that unites bands as diverse as the Saints, the Celibate Rifles, AC/DC, and Midnight Oil.

Aussie Rock does not refer to all rock & roll bands from Australia. Instead, Aussie rock is a particular style of tough hard rock performed by Australian bands that earned their skills by playing the country's legendarily rough-and-tumble pubs. There's no specific sound, per se, but there is a certain aesthetic that unites bands as diverse as the Saints, the Celibate Rifles, AC/DC, and Midnight Oil. [-] Hide

Canned Heat

Boogie Rock is an offshoot of the heavy blues rock of the late '60s. Instead of emphasizing instrumental improvisation like the original blues-rock bands (Cream, Jimi Hendrix, the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), boogie rockers concentrated on the groove, working a steady, choogling backbeat. Nearly every band in the style played the same 4/4 tempo -- the main distinction between the groups was their instrumental attack, since some groups, like Foghat, played heavier than others.

Boogie Rock is an offshoot of the heavy blues rock of the late '60s. Instead of emphasizing instrumental improvisation like the original blues-rock bands (Cream, Jimi Hendrix, the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), boogie rockers concentrated on the groove, working a steady, choogling backbeat. Nearly every band in the style played the same 4/4 tempo -- the main distinction between the groups was their instrumental attack, since some groups, like Foghat, played heavier than others. [-] Hide

Queen

British Metal, in an odd way, is as a much a reaction to the lumbering arena heavy metal groups of the mid-'70s as punk rock. Taking their cue from the grimy riffs of Black Sabbath, British metal groups were faster, tougher, harder, and louder than their predecessors. Frequently dressed in leather and playing fast, pounding riffs, they stood apart from the AOR-oriented metal bands that dominated hard rock since the early-'70s. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead were the leaders of the... [+] Read More

British Metal, in an odd way, is as a much a reaction to the lumbering arena heavy metal groups of the mid-'70s as punk rock. Taking their cue from the grimy riffs of Black Sabbath, British metal groups were faster, tougher, harder, and louder than their predecessors. Frequently dressed in leather and playing fast, pounding riffs, they stood apart from the AOR-oriented metal bands that dominated hard rock since the early-'70s. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead were the leaders of the movement and they gained a dedicated following in both Europe and America, even though they didn't cross over into the mainstream. Nevertheless, they set the tone for all the metal bands that followed, from thrash to death metal. [-] Hide

Deicide

Death Metal grew out of the thrash metal in the late '80s. Taking the gritty lyrics and morbid obsessions of thrash to extremes, death metal was -- as its name suggests -- solely about death, pain, and suffering. These relentlessly bleak lyrics were set to loud, heavy riffs that owed as much to the lumbering metal of Black Sabbath as it did to Metallica. Death metal bands also owed a debt to the complex song structures of '70s art rockers, though most of these winding, intricate compositional... [+] Read More

Death Metal grew out of the thrash metal in the late '80s. Taking the gritty lyrics and morbid obsessions of thrash to extremes, death metal was -- as its name suggests -- solely about death, pain, and suffering. These relentlessly bleak lyrics were set to loud, heavy riffs that owed as much to the lumbering metal of Black Sabbath as it did to Metallica. Death metal bands also owed a debt to the complex song structures of '70s art rockers, though most of these winding, intricate compositional methods were learned through Metallica. Death metal never attracted a wide audience, but to some diehard heavy metal fans, it was a preferable alternative to Metallica and Guns N' Roses -- who were selling millions of records in the late '80s and early '90s -- or the pop-metal of Poison. It kept a small, dedicated cult throughout the '90s. [-] Hide

The Stooges

During the late '60s and early '70s, Detroit was home to not just Motown, but a thriving rock & roll scene that had a major impact on mainstream hard rock of the '70s, and also laid much of the initial groundwork for the punk movement. Detroit rock was simple, hard-driving, and ultra-high-energy; it was also often raw and grimy, prizing attitude far above polish. The roots of Detroit rock actually extended out to two nearby cities: the industrial Flint and the college town of Ann Arbor,... [+] Read More

During the late '60s and early '70s, Detroit was home to not just Motown, but a thriving rock & roll scene that had a major impact on mainstream hard rock of the '70s, and also laid much of the initial groundwork for the punk movement. Detroit rock was simple, hard-driving, and ultra-high-energy; it was also often raw and grimy, prizing attitude far above polish. The roots of Detroit rock actually extended out to two nearby cities: the industrial Flint and the college town of Ann Arbor, though the most important performance venues (including the Grande Ballroom) were in Detroit itself. The earliest Detroit rock included psychedelia-tinged garage bands like the Amboy Dukes and ? and the Mysterians, as well as hard-rocking blue-eyed soul bands like the Rationals and Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels, who were primarily influenced by early R&B and rock & roll (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc.). The scene really hit its stride, however, with the massively influential proto-punk of the Stooges and the MC5, both of whom released groundbreaking debut albums in 1969 and continued to put out brilliant records in the early '70s. Commercial they were not, but Detroit rock did have a more accessible side. Grand Funk Railroad and former Amboy Duke Ted Nugent both became superstars in the '70s with their brands of populist hard rock, while Cub Koda's Brownsville Station scored a massive one-off hit with the classic "Smokin' in the Boys' Room." Alice Cooper, a Detroit native who'd been playing Arizona and Los Angeles, returned to the city and streamlined his band's sound to become one of hard rock's greatest performers, while former Ann Arbor garage rocker Bob Seger finally broke through to stardom in the mid-'70s after nearly a decade of recording impassioned, traditionalist rock & roll. Still, the first flowerings of what would become punk rock remain Detroit rock's greatest legacy, and the main reason the scene is still revered. [-] Hide

My Dying Bride

Inspired largely by the lumbering dirges and stoned, paranoid darkness of Black Sabbath, doom metal is one of the very few heavy metal subgenres to prize feel and mood more than flashy technique (though the latter can certainly be present). Even more indebted to Sabbath than most metal, doom metal is extremely slow, sludgy, and creepy, feeling so heavy it can barely move; its deliberate pace and murky guitars are meant to evoke (what else?) a sense of impending doom. The movement began to... [+] Read More

Inspired largely by the lumbering dirges and stoned, paranoid darkness of Black Sabbath, doom metal is one of the very few heavy metal subgenres to prize feel and mood more than flashy technique (though the latter can certainly be present). Even more indebted to Sabbath than most metal, doom metal is extremely slow, sludgy, and creepy, feeling so heavy it can barely move; its deliberate pace and murky guitars are meant to evoke (what else?) a sense of impending doom. The movement began to take shape in the mid-'80s, as underground bands like the SST label's Saint Vitus, the critically acclaimed Trouble, and Sweden's Candlemass attracted cult audiences for their out-of-fashion, Sabbath-dominated sounds. Trouble and Cathedral helped bring doom metal to a wider (though not mainstream) metal audience during the early '90s, and doom's monolithic darkness quickly made it appealing to a variety of tastes. Doom metal was one of the formative influences on the retro-obsessed stoner metal movement of the '90s, and it was not uncommon for bands to find favor in both camps. Another dominant strain of '90s doom metal -- pioneered by British bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema -- fused Sabbath heaviness with the sounds and sensibilities of goth-metal, plus occasional touches of death metal; the results were sorrowful, gloomy epics. The '90s also birthed a unique doom metal scene centered in New Orleans; the sound of bands like Crowbar and Eyehategod was often described as "sludge metal" because of their heavy debt to early Seattle grunge bands like the Melvins and Soundgarden. Several doom metal bands incorporated progressive tendencies, though this approach was much less widespread. [-] Hide

Roy Wood

Often confused with '80s hair metal (at least by American listeners), glam rock was an almost entirely British phenomenon that became wildly popular during the first half of the '70s. Glam rock was fairly simple, crunchy guitar rock put across with outrageous theatricality. Most of the music was unabashedly catchy, with melodies drawn from teenage bubblegum pop and hip-shaking rhythms from early rock & roll. But those innocent-sounding influences were belied by the delivery, which was all... [+] Read More

Often confused with '80s hair metal (at least by American listeners), glam rock was an almost entirely British phenomenon that became wildly popular during the first half of the '70s. Glam rock was fairly simple, crunchy guitar rock put across with outrageous theatricality. Most of the music was unabashedly catchy, with melodies drawn from teenage bubblegum pop and hip-shaking rhythms from early rock & roll. But those innocent-sounding influences were belied by the delivery, which was all campy, glitzy showmanship and sexuality. In fact, one of the main reasons glam never caught on in the U.S. was that glam artists intentionally played around with gender conventions, dressing themselves up in outlandish, androgynous costumes and makeup. In general, glam rock fell into two schools. The most prevalent one was the intentionally disposable trashiness of T. Rex; leader Marc Bolan pioneered glam's fashion sense and crafted music that was all sexy, silly fun -- or, to put it another way, music where the surface was the substance. Artists like Gary Glitter, Sweet, and Slade followed the T. Rex aesthetic, in the process creating a substyle known as glitter (which was even more exclusively British). But for a style which relied so heavily on image, glam had a surprisingly arty side too, epitomized by David Bowie and Roxy Music. This school was more grandly dramatic and ambitious, both sonically and lyrically; glam was an opportunity for these artists to manipulate their personas at will, making their senses of style part of the overall artistic statement, and exploring the darkness lurking under the music's stylish, glitzy surface. Apart from them, the lone American glam-rock band was the New York Dolls, whose raw, Stonesy proto-punk sounded different from their British peers, but whose trashy aesthetic and transvestite wardrobe clearly put them in the same camp. Glam effectively began with T. Rex's 1971 hit Electric Warrior, but 1972 was its real breakthrough year: T. Rex consolidated its popularity with The Slider; David Bowie released his classic Ziggy Stardust and produced Mott the Hoople's star-making All the Young Dudes album; Roxy Music issued their groundbreaking debut; and the New York Dolls embarked on their first tour of England. Glam rock's creative peak was over by 1975, as most of its remaining major artists were either moving away from the style or releasing subpar work. However, glam had a definite influence on the kids who grew up to head the British punk movement, and an even bigger impact on the theatrical gloom of post-punk. And, of course, glam rock was extremely important to '80s pop-metal, though apart from Def Leppard, many of those bands were American and had minimal knowledge of the original sources. [-] Hide

Showaddywaddy

Glitter is the big, dumb, silly side of British glam rock. Glam did produce more than its fair share of art-rockers (David Bowie, Roxy Music, Brian Eno), but glitter drew its inspiration chiefly from the instant catchiness, stomping beat, and outrageous theatrics of T. Rex. Glitter made the hooks even bigger and simpler, the lyrics even dumber fun, and was thus able to last for a time on the British pop charts even when, as a whole, the glam movement's heyday began to fade. Glitter's... [+] Read More

Glitter is the big, dumb, silly side of British glam rock. Glam did produce more than its fair share of art-rockers (David Bowie, Roxy Music, Brian Eno), but glitter drew its inspiration chiefly from the instant catchiness, stomping beat, and outrageous theatrics of T. Rex. Glitter made the hooks even bigger and simpler, the lyrics even dumber fun, and was thus able to last for a time on the British pop charts even when, as a whole, the glam movement's heyday began to fade. Glitter's best-known artists are probably Sweet (during their early years) and Gary Glitter; other bands prominent in the U.K. include Kenny and Showaddywaddy. [-] Hide

My Dying Bride

Goth metal fuses the bleak, icy atmospherics of goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal, finding the middle ground between the two styles in a melodramatic sense of theater and lyrical obsessions with religion and horror. Prior to the emergence of goth rock as a post-punk genre, the vaguely medieval, minor-key sounds of metal bands like Rainbow, Dio, and Judas Priest had been described as "gothic," but true goth metal is always directly influenced by goth rock --... [+] Read More

Goth metal fuses the bleak, icy atmospherics of goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal, finding the middle ground between the two styles in a melodramatic sense of theater and lyrical obsessions with religion and horror. Prior to the emergence of goth rock as a post-punk genre, the vaguely medieval, minor-key sounds of metal bands like Rainbow, Dio, and Judas Priest had been described as "gothic," but true goth metal is always directly influenced by goth rock -- ethereal synths and spooky textures are just as important as guitar riffs, if not moreso. Thus, goth metal frequently holds appeal for listeners on both sides of the equation. Goth metal first emerged during the early to mid-'80s, centered around Los Angeles' so-called "death-rock" scene headed by Christian Death. Many goth metal bands have since sprung up in both America and Europe, with the tongue-in-cheek Type O Negative breaking out to a wider alternative metal audience in the '90s. During the latter half of that decade, goth metal also proved to be an important influence on black metal bands searching for new ways to darken their sound. [-] Hide

Death

While the term Grindcore has often been used somewhat interchangeably with death metal, the two started out as very different, albeit similarly extreme, forms of music, despite becoming more alike over the years. When it first appeared in the mid-'80s, grindcore in its purest form consisted of short, apocalyptic blasts of noise played on standard heavy metal instrumentation (distorted guitar, bass, drums). Although grindcore wasn't just randomly improvised, it certainly didn't follow... [+] Read More

While the term Grindcore has often been used somewhat interchangeably with death metal, the two started out as very different, albeit similarly extreme, forms of music, despite becoming more alike over the years. When it first appeared in the mid-'80s, grindcore in its purest form consisted of short, apocalyptic blasts of noise played on standard heavy metal instrumentation (distorted guitar, bass, drums). Although grindcore wasn't just randomly improvised, it certainly didn't follow conventional structure, either; while riffs could sometimes be picked out, pure grindcore never featured verses, choruses, or even melodies. Grindcore vocals sounded torturous, ranging from high-pitched shrieks to low, throat-shredding growls and barks; although the lyrics were usually quite verbose, they were very rarely intelligible. Grindcore's jaw-dropping aggression was so over the top that pointing to its roots in thrash metal and hardcore punk hardly gives an idea of what it actually sounds like. Indisputably, the band that invented grindcore was Napalm Death, whose 1987 debut album Scum is also perhaps the most representative example of the style. In Napalm Death's hands, grindcore was actually rather arty, a sonic metaphor for the bleakness, violence, and decay of modern society; the group's lyrics were additionally packed with angry social commentary. More extreme in the lyrical department was Carcass, the only other band to really epitomize the original grindcore sound; their gruesome, gory rants were literally taken from anatomical textbooks for maximum shock (and gonzo comedy) factor. However, grindcore's original form was inherently limiting, and its intensity could easily turn into self-parody; on Napalm Death's second album, they had already begun to experiment with industrial textures, a fusion that would prove popular not only with bands who loved the jackhammer rhythms a drum machine could provide, but also with slower, moodier bands like Godflesh (itself a Napalm Death offshoot). Grindcore's blistering intensity was assimilated not only into underground heavy metal, but also into avant-garde and experimental music circles; Japanese noise bands like the Boredoms and Merzbow found it inspiring, and jazz musician John Zorn formed the grindcore-inspired group Painkiller (which featured former Napalm Death drummer Mick Harris). Although pure grindcore was a distinctly British phenomenon, the early albums by the Florida band Death -- which ratcheted up the aggression and morbidity of prime Slayer -- had a raw, crude, assaultive quality that made them extremely similar. Apart from adopting the low, demonic growl of the grindcore vocal style almost wholesale, American death metal bands with relatively limited technical ability who played at fast tempos often resembled grindcore outfits with song structures. In fact, by the '90s, Napalm Death's sound was virtually impossible to separate from either death metal or grindcore, and Carcass had become a full-fledged, even melodic, death metal band. One of the very few bands to stick with grindcore's original form was A.C. (aka Anal Cunt), which primarily employed it to a snottily humorous effect. [-] Hide

Steve Morse Band

The talented, flamboyant lead guitarist was always one of rock's most cherished roles, but it wasn't until the late '80s that the Guitar Virtuoso reigned supreme in mainstream rock. During the '60s such guitarists as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix had engendered serious hero worship because of their immense instrumental gifts. All four players laid the groundwork for the age of the guitar virtuoso, which began in the late '70s with Eddie Van Halen. A fanatical devotee... [+] Read More

The talented, flamboyant lead guitarist was always one of rock's most cherished roles, but it wasn't until the late '80s that the Guitar Virtuoso reigned supreme in mainstream rock. During the '60s such guitarists as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix had engendered serious hero worship because of their immense instrumental gifts. All four players laid the groundwork for the age of the guitar virtuoso, which began in the late '70s with Eddie Van Halen. A fanatical devotee of Clapton, Van Halen relentlessly practiced his instrument, developing a lightning-fast, technically accomplished style that was almost entirely devoid of the blues. There had been a few guitarists immediately before him, including Steve Howe and Allan Holdsworth, that had similar styles, but were less rock-oriented. Eddie Van Halen, however, was a heavy rocker and he immediately spawned legions of imitators -- and these imitators weren't only in metal, but also in mainstream pop. Throughout the '80s, these flashy guitarists dominated mainstream rock and pop, and soon there was an entire subgenre of hard rock that was dedicated to showcase the instrumental acumen of these guitarists. Of course, each metal or hard rock band, from Metallica to Whitesnake, each had a phenomenal guitarist, but soon solo guitar albums became popular. These guitar virtuosos -- often dubbed "shredders" by the guitar magazines -- became cult favorites and, in the case of Joe Satriani, they also crossed into the mainstream. By the end of the '80s, the guitar virtuosos had ruled mainstream rock & roll for over a decade, so it wasn't a surprise that they were unseated almost overnight when Nirvana brought primitive punk rock into the Top Ten in 1991. The guitar virtuosos didn't disappear, but they did fade away. They kept recording throughout the '90s, but at a considerably diminished profile. [-] Hide

Tesla

Hair Metal is a derisive term applied to the slick, pretty, and pop-oriented heavy metal and hard-rock bands of the late '80s. These bands expanded the approach of the loud but safe arena-rock bands, only they had a more distinctive visual image because they were living in the post-MTV era. Wearing flashy clothing, heavy makeup, and large, teased hair, the bands had an appearance that was more distinctive than their music, though both their look and their sound became a curse in the early... [+] Read More

Hair Metal is a derisive term applied to the slick, pretty, and pop-oriented heavy metal and hard-rock bands of the late '80s. These bands expanded the approach of the loud but safe arena-rock bands, only they had a more distinctive visual image because they were living in the post-MTV era. Wearing flashy clothing, heavy makeup, and large, teased hair, the bands had an appearance that was more distinctive than their music, though both their look and their sound became a curse in the early '90s. After Nirvana brought grunge and alternative music to the top of the charts in 1991, hair metal bands quickly died, losing all of their popular support. Some tried to change their sound, while others struggled on with their trademark sound to no avail. Though some bands still survived in the mid-'90s, they had adopted a harder sound than they had in the '80s, but their fondness for pop hooks and melodies had not faded away. [-] Hide

The Dictators

Hard rock is a term that's frequently applied to any sort of loud, aggressive guitar rock, but for these purposes, the definition is more specific. To be sure, hard rock is loud, aggressive guitar rock, but it isn't as heavy as heavy metal, and it's only very rarely influenced by punk (though it helped inspire punk). Hard rock generally prizes big, stadium-ready guitar riffs, anthemic choruses, and stomping, swaggering backbeats; its goals are usually (though not universally)... [+] Read More

Hard rock is a term that's frequently applied to any sort of loud, aggressive guitar rock, but for these purposes, the definition is more specific. To be sure, hard rock is loud, aggressive guitar rock, but it isn't as heavy as heavy metal, and it's only very rarely influenced by punk (though it helped inspire punk). Hard rock generally prizes big, stadium-ready guitar riffs, anthemic choruses, and stomping, swaggering backbeats; its goals are usually (though not universally) commercial, and it's nearly always saturated with machismo. With some bands, it can be difficult to tell where the dividing line between hard rock and heavy metal falls, but the basic distinction is that ever since Black Sabbath, metal tends to be darker and more menacing, while hard rock (for the most part) has remained exuberant, chest-thumping party music. Additionally, while metal riffs often function as stand-alone melodies, hard rock riffs tend to outline chord progressions in their hooks, making for looser, more elastic jams should the band decide to stretch out instrumentally. Like heavy metal, hard rock sprang from the mid-'60s intersection of blues-rock and psychedelia pioneered by artists like Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jeff Beck Group. Blues-rock and psychedelia were both exploring the limits of electric amplification, and blues-rock was pushing the repeated guitar riff center stage, while taking some of the swing out of the blues beat and replacing it with a thumping power. Hard rock really came into its own at the dawn of the '70s, with the tough, boozy rock of the Rolling Stones (post-Brian Jones) and Faces, the blues-drenched power and textured arrangements of Led Zeppelin, the post-psychedelic rave-ups of Deep Purple, and the loud, ringing power chords of the Who (circa Who's Next) setting the template for much of what followed. Later in the decade, the lean, stripped-down riffs of AC/DC and Aerosmith, the catchy tunes and stage theatrics of Alice Cooper and Kiss, and the instrumental flash of Van Halen set new trends, though the essential musical blueprint for hard rock remained similar. Arena rock also became a dominant force, stripping out nearly all blues influence and concentrating solely on big, bombastic hooks. During the '80s, hard rock was dominated by glossy pop-metal, although Guns N' Roses, the Black Crowes, and several others did present a grittier, more traditionalist alternative. Old-fashioned hard rock became a scarce commodity in the post-alternative rock era; after grunge, many guitar bands not only adopted a self-consciously serious attitude, but also resisted the urge to write fist-pumping, arena-ready choruses. Still, the '90s did produce a few exceptions, such as Oasis, Urge Overkill, and the serious but anthemic Pearl Jam. [-] Hide

Alice in Chains

Of all rock & roll's myriad forms, heavy metal is the most extreme in terms of volume, machismo, and theatricality. There are numerous stylistic variations on heavy metal's core sound, but they're all tied together by a reliance on loud, distorted guitars (usually playing repeated riffs) and simple, pounding rhythms. Heavy metal has been controversial nearly throughout its existence -- critics traditionally dismissed the music as riddled with over-the-top adolescent theatrics, and... [+] Read More

Of all rock & roll's myriad forms, heavy metal is the most extreme in terms of volume, machismo, and theatricality. There are numerous stylistic variations on heavy metal's core sound, but they're all tied together by a reliance on loud, distorted guitars (usually playing repeated riffs) and simple, pounding rhythms. Heavy metal has been controversial nearly throughout its existence -- critics traditionally dismissed the music as riddled with over-the-top adolescent theatrics, and conservative groups have often protested what they perceive as evil lyrical content. Still, despite -- or perhaps because of -- those difficulties, heavy metal has become one of the most consistently popular forms of rock music ever created, able to adapt to the times yet keep its core appeal intact. For all its status as America's rebellion soundtrack of choice, heavy metal was largely a British creation. The first seeds of heavy metal were sown in the British blues movement of the '60s, specifically among bands who found it hard to adjust to the natural swing of American blues. The rhythms became more squared-off, and the amplified electric instruments became more important, especially with the innovations of artists like the Kinks, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and the Jeff Beck Group. Arguably the first true metal band, however, was Led Zeppelin. Initially, Zep played blues tunes heavier and louder than anyone ever had, and soon created an epic, textured brand of heavy rock that drew from many musical sources. Less subtle but perhaps even more influential was Black Sabbath, whose murky, leaden guitar riffs created a doomy fantasy world obsessed with drugs, death, and the occult. Following the blueprint laid down by Zep and Sabbath, several American bands modified heavy metal into more accessible forms during the '70s: the catchy tunes and outrageous stage shows of Alice Cooper and Kiss; the sleazy boogie of Aerosmith; and the flashy guitar leads and wild party rock of Van Halen (not to mention the distinctively minimalist grooves of Australia's AC/DC). In the late '70s, a cache of British bands dubbed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (including Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead) started playing metal faster, leaner, and with more menace than ever before. They helped influence a new American metal scene known as thrash in the '80s, which took shape as a reaction to metal's new mainstream pop breakthrough, which came courtesy of Def Leppard's Pyromania. Metal enjoyed its greatest presence on the charts during the '80s, thanks to a raft of glammed-up pop-metal bands, but thrash bands played complex riffs at breakneck speed, sometimes dispensing with vocal melody altogether. Thrashers like Metallica and Megadeth built rabid cult followings that pushed them into the mainstream around the same time that grunge wiped pop-metal off the charts. Mainstream metal in the '90s centered around a new hybrid called alternative metal, which (in its most commercially potent form) combined grinding thrash and grunge influences with hip-hop and industrial flourishes, though it broke with metal's past in downplaying the importance of memorable riffs. Meanwhile, the underground grew harsher and bleaker, producing two similar, thrash-derived styles known as death metal and black metal, which produced some of the most abrasive, intense, hyperspeed music and graphic shock tactics the metal world had yet witnessed. [-] Hide

Stabbing Westward

While pure industrial takes its primary cues from experimental music and electronic dance, Industrial Metal makes the distorted noise of electric guitars a crucial part of the music. Some industrial metal bands base their songs around metal-style guitar riffs, while others use the instrument more for the harsh, abrasive textures it can create. Either way, industrial metal generally possesses greater aggressive force than straight-ahead industrial, which helped the style cross over to metal... [+] Read More

While pure industrial takes its primary cues from experimental music and electronic dance, Industrial Metal makes the distorted noise of electric guitars a crucial part of the music. Some industrial metal bands base their songs around metal-style guitar riffs, while others use the instrument more for the harsh, abrasive textures it can create. Either way, industrial metal generally possesses greater aggressive force than straight-ahead industrial, which helped the style cross over to metal and alternative audiences accustomed to guitar-driven music. Industrial metal lyrics also mirror the darkness and aggression of standard heavy metal, although the sensibility is filtered through the personal alienation of punk and alternative rock. Whether its rage is turned inward at the self or outward at society, industrial metal is unremittingly bleak and angst-ridden, using its pounding walls of noise as expressions of near-hopeless alienation from the rest of the world. Ministry was the first band to popularize industrial metal in the late '80s, basing their signature grind on countless repetitions of jackhammer guitar riffs, as well as electronics, samples, and distorted vocals; however, it was Nine Inch Nails that really brought the sound to the mainstream during the early '90s, thanks to Trent Reznor's flair for melodic songwriting and multi-layered production. In the wake of NIN's success, a number of similar-sounding bands popped up on alternative radio, and toward the end of the decade, a number of popular alternative metal bands appropriated industrial metal's electronic production touches into their hybrid of aggressive music styles. [-] Hide

Ozzy Osbourne

It comes as no surprise that Eddie Van Halen's stunning technical abilities as a guitarist spawned legions of imitators. Like Hendrix, his style was so fresh and so revolutionary that many ambitions axe-slingers strived to copy it. Throughout the early '80s, his fluid, speedy hammer-ons and impeccable phrasing could be heard on metal, rock, and pop recordings of all stripes. Soon, there was a whole subgenre of metal containing nothing but guitar virtuosos, or "shredders." Within these... [+] Read More

It comes as no surprise that Eddie Van Halen's stunning technical abilities as a guitarist spawned legions of imitators. Like Hendrix, his style was so fresh and so revolutionary that many ambitions axe-slingers strived to copy it. Throughout the early '80s, his fluid, speedy hammer-ons and impeccable phrasing could be heard on metal, rock, and pop recordings of all stripes. Soon, there was a whole subgenre of metal containing nothing but guitar virtuosos, or "shredders." Within these shredders, there was a subset of guitarists who were equally influenced by classical music and Van Halen's guitar style. They applied hammers and sweep-picking to classical pieces, using them as vehicles for their prodigious technical abilities. Yngwie Malmsteen was the head of these Neo-Classical Metal guitarists, yet he often worked within the framework of a fairly traditionalist metal band; his records were split between sung songs and instrumental tracks. By the second half of the decade, more and more neo-metal guitarists chose to work in a strictly instrumental vein. This was true of shredders in general -- most notably Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, who broke through to mainstream recognition -- but neo-classical metal guitarists particularly benefited from the sans-singers setting, since it gave them ample room to flex their musical muscles. After all, the primary value of these neo-classical metal guitarists was their technical acumen, and fans and other guitarists alike thrilled to the sounds of extended solos, consisting of blinding arpeggios and flurries of precisely picked notes. Of course, there is a limited audience for this kind of music, and by 1992, when alternative rock had replaced metal in the hearts of many hard rockers, neo-classical metal suffered accordingly. Soon, there weren't as many classical shredders, but a few of the prog-metal bands, such as Dream Theater, carried the flame by incorporating elements of classical and neo-classical metal into their dense music. [-] Hide

Samson

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal re-energized heavy metal in the late '70s and early '80s. By the close of the '70s, heavy metal had stagnated, with its biggest stars (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath) either breaking away from the genre or sinking in their own indulgence, while many of its midlevel artists were simply undistinguished, churning out bluesy hard-rock riffs. The NWOBHM kicked out all of the blues, sped up the tempo, and toughened up the sound, leaving just a mean, tough, fast,... [+] Read More

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal re-energized heavy metal in the late '70s and early '80s. By the close of the '70s, heavy metal had stagnated, with its biggest stars (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath) either breaking away from the genre or sinking in their own indulgence, while many of its midlevel artists were simply undistinguished, churning out bluesy hard-rock riffs. The NWOBHM kicked out all of the blues, sped up the tempo, and toughened up the sound, leaving just a mean, tough, fast, hard metallic core. It didn't make any attempts to win a wide audience -- it was pure metal, made for metal fans. Perhaps that's the reason why it's at the foundation of all modern-day metal: true metalheads either listened to this, or to bands like Metallica, which were inspired by bands like Diamond Head. [-] Hide

Lita Ford

The least metallic variation of heavy metal, pop-metal became the most popular form of hard rock during the '80s. Some pop-metal bands emphasized metal's most important building block -- the guitar riff -- more than others, but pop-metal's main attraction were the huge, catchy hooks that owed a great deal to the fist-pumping choruses of arena rock. Most of the Los Angeles-based bands (where the scene was heavily concentrated) also drew on the elaborate visual stylings of British glam rock,... [+] Read More

The least metallic variation of heavy metal, pop-metal became the most popular form of hard rock during the '80s. Some pop-metal bands emphasized metal's most important building block -- the guitar riff -- more than others, but pop-metal's main attraction were the huge, catchy hooks that owed a great deal to the fist-pumping choruses of arena rock. Most of the Los Angeles-based bands (where the scene was heavily concentrated) also drew on the elaborate visual stylings of British glam rock, which resulted in the much-maligned "hair metal" boom of the late '80s. While pop-metal sounded loud and aggressive on the surface, it nearly always had a slick studio sheen that kept it radio-friendly. '70s artists like Aerosmith and Alice Cooper had an undeniable influence on pop-metal, but the band that sparked the true genesis of the style was Kiss. Kiss' music was catchy and utterly simple, and their wildly theatrical visuals were an essential part of their appeal. Next came Van Halen, whose wild party-rock and virtuoso lead guitarist set the style for much of the pop-metal that followed. The first wave of pop-metal -- bands like Motley Crue (who would later become superstars), Quiet Riot, Dokken, Ratt, and Twisted Sister -- wasn't quite as poppy as it would later become, save for Def Leppard's 1983 landmark Pyromania, perhaps the most melodic metal album up to that point. Bon Jovi's 1986 smash Slippery When Wet ushered in the age of hair metal, where photogenic looks (and, yes, teased-up hair) became just as important in selling a band as the music itself. The following year, Def Leppard's Hysteria set new standards for smoothed-out production as well as blockbuster sales. Not all subsequent pop-metal fell into the slick, image-conscious hair-metal camp; Guns N' Roses, Tesla, and Skid Row often had a grittier edge, and Extreme was unpredictably eclectic, while veteran rockers Kiss, Aerosmith, and Alice Cooper all staged pop-friendly comebacks. But by and large, the hair bands reigned supreme, playing lots of sleazy Aerosmith boogie and big AOR-style power ballads with bits of Van Halen flash; Poison embodied the glammed-up, party-hearty excess of hair metal perhaps better than any. Pop-metal and hair metal (and the excess and formula that had come to be associated with both) were effectively wiped off the musical map by grunge in 1991; some pop-metal bands continued to record for smaller labels and cult audiences, but the music's reputation had suffered too much to restore its former glamour. [-] Hide

Iced Earth

Over the years, the term power metal has been used to describe everything from NWOBHM bands to hardcore-tinged thrashers like Pantera. As a movement, though, power metal crystallized during the mid-'90s, mostly as a reaction against the harshness and lack of melody in death and black metal. Though it sometimes incorporated the complexity of progressive metal, or the menace and growling vocals of death metal, power metal was essentially a classicist style, paying unabashed tribute to its... [+] Read More

Over the years, the term power metal has been used to describe everything from NWOBHM bands to hardcore-tinged thrashers like Pantera. As a movement, though, power metal crystallized during the mid-'90s, mostly as a reaction against the harshness and lack of melody in death and black metal. Though it sometimes incorporated the complexity of progressive metal, or the menace and growling vocals of death metal, power metal was essentially a classicist style, paying unabashed tribute to its influences. Its tight sense of groove was rooted in the NWOBHM and early-'80s Teutonic outfits like Accept; it also drew from the flashy technical chops and pseudo-operatic vocals of NWOBHM mainstays Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Power metal was primarily (though not exclusively) a continental-European phenomenon, with a handful of '80s veterans reviving their careers, plus a number of newer bands who'd started out playing death metal but wanted to sound more like the music they'd grown up with. [-] Hide

The Galactic Cowboys

Progressive Metal blends the attack, volume, and aggression of metal with the grandiose, pseudo-classical ambitions of prog-rock. Of course, certain bands emphasize one influence over the other -- Dream Theater, for instance, leaned toward prog more than some of their peers -- but they all shared this one basic ambition. Progressive metal first surfaced in the late '80s, led by such bands as the Pink Floydian Queensryche. At the time, prog-metal was fairly underground (although such Metallica... [+] Read More

Progressive Metal blends the attack, volume, and aggression of metal with the grandiose, pseudo-classical ambitions of prog-rock. Of course, certain bands emphasize one influence over the other -- Dream Theater, for instance, leaned toward prog more than some of their peers -- but they all shared this one basic ambition. Progressive metal first surfaced in the late '80s, led by such bands as the Pink Floydian Queensryche. At the time, prog-metal was fairly underground (although such Metallica albums as And Justice for All were as dense and layered as prog albums), and it remained that way throughout the '90s. However, it was popular enough to produce a handful of crossover hits, most notably Queensryche's "Silent Lucidity." But even though it never became a huge seller in the '90s, progressive metal always had a dedicated following, and bands like Queensryche and Dream Theater stayed on major labels throughout the decade. By the end of the '90s, however, it was firmly the province of hardcore fans. [-] Hide

D.R.I.

Punk metal is a fusion of hardcore punk and thrash metal which came to prominence during the mid-'80s. The marriage seemed natural, since both styles were intense, riff-driven, and often manically uptempo. Punk metal bands generally had more technique than the average hardcore outfit, but their riffs weren't quite as intricate as the average thrashers, and their song structures were often more straightforward. Especially early on, punk metal had a strong affinity with skatepunk, but gradually... [+] Read More

Punk metal is a fusion of hardcore punk and thrash metal which came to prominence during the mid-'80s. The marriage seemed natural, since both styles were intense, riff-driven, and often manically uptempo. Punk metal bands generally had more technique than the average hardcore outfit, but their riffs weren't quite as intricate as the average thrashers, and their song structures were often more straightforward. Especially early on, punk metal had a strong affinity with skatepunk, but gradually became more and more the province of metal audiences. As the '90s dawned, many remaining punk metal outfits had begun moving into the territory that became known as alternative metal; Corrosion of Conformity, for example, played a stripped-down, grungy take on the classic Black Sabbath sound, while Suicidal Tendencies experimented with alternative rock and funk metal. [-] Hide

Rage Against the Machine

Rap-Metal seeks to fuse the most aggressive elements of hardcore rap and heavy metal, and became an extremely popular variation of alternative metal during the late '90s. With few exceptions, rap-metal is far and away the domain of white musicians coming to the form from the metal side of the equation. Prior to the initial emergence of rap-metal, there had been several successful fusions of rap with hard rock guitar -- Run-D.M.C.'s collaboration with Aerosmith on a remake of the latter's... [+] Read More

Rap-Metal seeks to fuse the most aggressive elements of hardcore rap and heavy metal, and became an extremely popular variation of alternative metal during the late '90s. With few exceptions, rap-metal is far and away the domain of white musicians coming to the form from the metal side of the equation. Prior to the initial emergence of rap-metal, there had been several successful fusions of rap with hard rock guitar -- Run-D.M.C.'s collaboration with Aerosmith on a remake of the latter's "Walk This Way," the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill -- but the true birth of rap-metal was Anthrax's comic 1987 single "I'm the Man," which combined a heavy guitar riff (actually the melody of "Hava Nagila") with full-fledged, surprisingly competent rapping. Funk-metal outfits like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More dabbled in the style, but the intense hardcore tone commonly associated with '90s rap-metal was established by another Anthrax record, a 1991 remake of Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" that featured members of PE itself. Some metal bands had come to associate hardcore rap with the street-tough urban attitude they wanted to project, and after "Bring the Noise," they suddenly found it possible to experiment with fusing the two. Many of these efforts focused not on the linguistic and rhythmic complexity of rap, but on the cathartic intensity that could be achieved by sort of shout-rapping the lyrics instead of singing them. In spite of projects like 1993's much-hyped Judgment Night soundtrack -- which featured all-star teamings of artists from the rap and rock worlds -- crossover collaborations faded as the '90s wore on. At the same time, rap-metal began to draw influences from alternative metal -- specifically, bands like Helmet, White Zombie, and Tool, who relied on crushingly heavy sonic textures more than catchy songwriting or immediately memorable riffs. The thick sound and the lack of melodic emphasis fit rap-metal's concerns perfectly. With the exception of Rage Against the Machine's angry left-wing politics, most rap-metal bands during the mid- to late '90s blended an ultra-aggressive, testosterone-heavy theatricality with either juvenile humor or an introspective angst learned through alternative metal; the vocalists drew from hip-hop MC traditions in varying degrees. Some alt-metal bands, spearheaded by Korn, incorporated hip-hop beats into their music, but full-fledged rap-metal always featured a rapper as frontman. Limp Bizkit became rap-metal's most popular band during the late '90s. [-] Hide

Uncle Kracker

Rap-Rock was a continuation of rap-metal, a hybrid of hip-hop and heavy metal pioneered by such bands as Anthrax. Rap-metal had big, lurching beats and heavy, heavy riffs -- occasionally, it sounded as if the riffs were merely overdubbed over scratching and beat box beats. Rap-rock was a little more organic, often because it was a rock song where the vocalist rapped instead of sang. Nevertheless, there was certainly elements of hip-hop in the rhythms, too, since there was more funk to... [+] Read More

Rap-Rock was a continuation of rap-metal, a hybrid of hip-hop and heavy metal pioneered by such bands as Anthrax. Rap-metal had big, lurching beats and heavy, heavy riffs -- occasionally, it sounded as if the riffs were merely overdubbed over scratching and beat box beats. Rap-rock was a little more organic, often because it was a rock song where the vocalist rapped instead of sang. Nevertheless, there was certainly elements of hip-hop in the rhythms, too, since there was more funk to rap-rock than normal hard rock. At times, the difference between rap-metal and rap-rock may be minute, since they both favor loud guitars and beats, but the main difference is that organic, integrated sound, best heard on Kid Rock's 1998 rap-rock masterpiece, Devil Without a Cause. [-] Hide

Entombed

Presaged by the proto-black metal, Venom-influenced '80s thrash of Sweden's Bathory, Scandinavian metal became a dominant force in the heavy metal underground during the '90s, with a reputation for producing some of the most extreme death and black metal ever recorded. Although the scene was much more diverse than that, attention centered mainly on Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal. Sometimes nicknamed Viking metal, the basic Norwegian sound was noisy, chaotic, and often augmented... [+] Read More

Presaged by the proto-black metal, Venom-influenced '80s thrash of Sweden's Bathory, Scandinavian metal became a dominant force in the heavy metal underground during the '90s, with a reputation for producing some of the most extreme death and black metal ever recorded. Although the scene was much more diverse than that, attention centered mainly on Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal. Sometimes nicknamed Viking metal, the basic Norwegian sound was noisy, chaotic, and often augmented by sorrowful keyboard melodies. Swedish death metal bands, meanwhile, tended to favor thick, grinding, detuned riffs instead of a blur of white noise. In both cases, though, there was an audibly chilly bleakness permeating most of the music, which critics often likened to Scandinavian winters. After the Scandinavian scene first came to international attention during the early '90s, some bands began to expand upon the basic blueprints, often adding progressive levels of instrumental technique to the music's core intensity. A second wave of Norwegian bands followed, and the Swedish scene came to be dominated by the so-called "Gothenburg sound," which essentially married ultra-heavy but memorable riffs and death-style vocals to more traditional song structures and an audible influence from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Several Finnish acts rose to prominence during the '90s as well; they tended to be even more indebted to the NWOBHM. Distributors like the Century Media label continued to discover and license new Scandinavian metal acts for overseas consumption into the new millennium. [-] Hide

Eyehategod

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Gregg Allman Band

Southern Rock drew from the heavy blues-rock of the late '60s as well as honky tonk and Bakersfield country, creating a distinctive fusion. Throughout the early '70s, Southern rock bands formed a major part of the American hard rock band. The first Southern rock band was the Allman Brothers, who elaborated on the improvisational tendencies and loudness of Cream and the Grateful Dead while staying closer to rock & roll's blues and country roots. They were followed shortly afterward by Lynyrd... [+] Read More

Southern Rock drew from the heavy blues-rock of the late '60s as well as honky tonk and Bakersfield country, creating a distinctive fusion. Throughout the early '70s, Southern rock bands formed a major part of the American hard rock band. The first Southern rock band was the Allman Brothers, who elaborated on the improvisational tendencies and loudness of Cream and the Grateful Dead while staying closer to rock & roll's blues and country roots. They were followed shortly afterward by Lynyrd Skynyrd, who played heavier and louder than the Allman Brothers; in the process, they set the template for all the Southern rock bands that followed them. Skynyrd had three lead guitarists, so they naturally indulged themselves in long jams. They also had a sharp songwriter in Ronnie Van Zant, who was able to fuse traditional music with contemporary rock & roll and also had a gift for perceptive lyrics. The bands that followed Skynyrd often lacked a songwriter the stature of Van Zant, but they were able to replicated the group's heavy boogie and long jams. Several bands took the music closer to its country or blues roots, while others, like the Dixie Dregs, developed skilled improvisational technique. Still, the dominant sound of Southern rock was its loose fusion of several rootsy genres and its fondness for heavy boogie jams. The genre died out in the early '80s, after Molly Hatchet, the Marshall Tucker Band, and .38 Special experienced a string of AOR hits, but the spirit of the music lived on in '90s bands like the Black Crowes and Widespread Panic. [-] Hide

Anthrax

In the early '80s, speed metal became the most popular form of heavy metal in the American underground. Crossing the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with hardcore punk, speed metal was extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding -- the bands played fast, but their attack was precise and clean. In that sense, speed metal always remained true to its metal roots. But what it borrowed from hardcore -- namely, insanely fast tempos and a defiant, do-it-yourself attitude -- was equally... [+] Read More

In the early '80s, speed metal became the most popular form of heavy metal in the American underground. Crossing the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with hardcore punk, speed metal was extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding -- the bands played fast, but their attack was precise and clean. In that sense, speed metal always remained true to its metal roots. But what it borrowed from hardcore -- namely, insanely fast tempos and a defiant, do-it-yourself attitude -- was equally important, since it gave the bands not only a unique musical approach but also an attractive image for legions of alienated suburban youths. Because it was so intense and technically demanding, speed metal quickly evolved into thrash, which allowed greater leeway in terms of tempo, groove, and instrumental dexterity. Led by Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer this new wave of metal bands stood in direct contrast with the pop-oriented metal that dominated the charts during the '80s, but they managed to cultivate dedicated cult followings that would eventually allow them to go platinum with no support from mainstream media, radio, or MTV. [-] Hide

Monster Magnet

Though plenty of heavy metal bands have been regarded through the years as especially compatible with the effects of marijuana, stoner metal was a distinctly '90s phenomenon. Stoner metal bands updated the long, mind-bending jams and ultra-heavy riffs of bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Blue Oyster Cult, and Hawkwind by filtering their psychedelia-tinged metal and acid rock through the buzzing sound of early Sub Pop-style grunge. Stoner metal could be campy and self-aware, messily... [+] Read More

Though plenty of heavy metal bands have been regarded through the years as especially compatible with the effects of marijuana, stoner metal was a distinctly '90s phenomenon. Stoner metal bands updated the long, mind-bending jams and ultra-heavy riffs of bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Blue Oyster Cult, and Hawkwind by filtering their psychedelia-tinged metal and acid rock through the buzzing sound of early Sub Pop-style grunge. Stoner metal could be campy and self-aware, messily evocative, or unabashedly retro; in any case, bands like Monster Magnet and Kyuss were perfect fits for the eclectic tastes of the early-'90s alternative metal movement. Even after grunge had faded away, and the influence of industrial and hip-hop began to dominate alternative metal, stoner metal maintained a devoted cult following into the new millennium. [-] Hide

Moonspell

Though it's an imperfect designation, symphonic black metal is the most common term for a European-centered style that emerged in the mid- to late '90s. It isn't literally symphonic, of course; that simply refers to the thick-sounding instrumentation and sweeping, dramatic soundscapes. Nor is its connection to black metal always readily audible; although nearly all of its bands started out playing standard-issue black metal, symphonic black metal often bears little surface resemblance to its... [+] Read More

Though it's an imperfect designation, symphonic black metal is the most common term for a European-centered style that emerged in the mid- to late '90s. It isn't literally symphonic, of course; that simply refers to the thick-sounding instrumentation and sweeping, dramatic soundscapes. Nor is its connection to black metal always readily audible; although nearly all of its bands started out playing standard-issue black metal, symphonic black metal often bears little surface resemblance to its immediate forebear. The starting point for symphonic black metal was the early-'90s sound of Norwegian black metal, specifically the wing of bands that employed sorrowful, melodic keyboard lines as a counterpoint to their furious assaults. Black metal groups looking to push past the inherent limitations of the form began de-emphasizing the guitar and adding elements of progressive rock (primarily psychedelic space-rock bands like Pink Floyd) and goth metal, with its emphasis on chilling, eerie texture. The resulting sound is usually lush, and much more inviting and accessible than straightforward black metal. After outfits like Tiamat and Samael pioneered the form, a new wave of bands led by the Gathering also began incorporating ethereal female singers, sometimes as the sole vocal focus. The symphonic black metal movement remains somewhat limited, partly because of its epic ambitions and partly because it isn't traditionally metallic, but its fascinating synthesis of influences made it an instantly identifiable alternative in underground metal at the turn of the millennium. [-] Hide

Helloween

Thrash was essentially the sound of underground heavy metal during the '80s, dominated by a driving, percussive approach to rhythm guitar (thanks to a pick-hand technique called palm muting) and furious levels of aggression. Thrash was often technically accomplished, taken at fast tempos, and emphasized heavy, sometimes atonal guitar riffs over melody; however, these generalizations are far from absolute rules. In its early days, thrash was essentially the same thing as speed metal, the... [+] Read More

Thrash was essentially the sound of underground heavy metal during the '80s, dominated by a driving, percussive approach to rhythm guitar (thanks to a pick-hand technique called palm muting) and furious levels of aggression. Thrash was often technically accomplished, taken at fast tempos, and emphasized heavy, sometimes atonal guitar riffs over melody; however, these generalizations are far from absolute rules. In its early days, thrash was essentially the same thing as speed metal, the product of American bands who in the early '80s fused the lean, vicious attack of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with the tempos of hardcore punk and Motorhead. However, the dexterity and constant intensity required to play speed metal proved limiting to some, and a variety of different approaches quickly took shape: some thrash bands concentrated more on midtempo grooves, occasionally accelerating into speed-metal realms; some, like Metallica and Megadeth, used their instrumental technique to craft more intricate and progressive music; others emphasized the music's aggression to project theatrically menacing images. Thrash provided a harder, heavier, more authentically metallic alternative to the accessible pop-metal bands who dominated the charts in the late '80s, and despite a dearth of airplay, it became quite popular, so much so that when Metallica and Megadeth streamlined their sound to make it more accessible in the early '90s, they became instant superstars. Diehard underground metalheads took refuge in the thrash-inspired death and black metal styles, which took thrash's dark subject matter and visceral force to intentionally disturbing extremes. [-] Hide