Every day we witness progress in music and the emergence of new genres derived from older ones. Genres inspire one another, leading to the creation of new styles. One such genre is metal music. Join Saed News to learn more about this musical style.
As you know, music is made up of various styles. However, in some styles, there are similarities that can make it a bit difficult to distinguish between them.
A music style, genre, or type is a conventional term used to describe the characteristics of musical pieces that belong to shared traditions or a group of conventions.
Music can be categorized into various styles in countless ways. The artistic nature of music means that such classifications are largely conventional and often debatable, with the potential for overlap between different genre names.
Common patterns used to classify music genres include three main categories: art music, popular (pop) music, and traditional music. Other distinguishing patterns include: time period, regional and national origins, performance techniques and instrument selection, mixed roots, and social functions.
The full name of metal music is "heavy metal," though it is often simply referred to as metal. By exploring the music of British and American hard rock bands, we arrive at metal music. Metal music emerged and was introduced in the late 1960s and the 1970s. Some believe that metal was inspired by blues rock and psychedelic rock, and after some transformations—such as long electric guitar solos and heavy rhythms—it evolved into metal. As metal developed, it reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, gaining many fans across the globe.
Black Sabbath
Led Zeppelin
Deep Purple
Judas Priest
Use of heavy and aggressive electric guitar rhythms
Some subgenres, such as thrash metal, death metal, or speed metal, are extremely fast-paced
Use of melodic guitar solos (though this feature has been omitted in some subgenres like nu-metal)
Incorporation of harmonies from classical music and blues
Use of screeching or screaming vocals
When rock music first emerged, it garnered strong interest from the youth—those who had grown up during World War II and had experienced hardship and confusion.
Thus, the first people drawn to rock were these young individuals, many of whom went on to become pioneers of rock music themselves. Over time, rock split into many subgenres, one of which was metal. Eventually, metal branched out into its own genre with various subgenres. Metal originated from hard rock. After hard rock developed in the UK in the late 1960s and early 1970s, metal entered the scene. Like hard rock, metal used heavier chords and lyrical themes that were dreamy or frightening, often expressing dissent against the social conditions of the time. Metal guitarists are typically known for their speed, innovation, and unique styles compared to those in other genres. In metal, the guitar holds a central place among the instruments.
In metal, vocals are often either very high-pitched (screams) or very low (harsh), while this is not the case in rock.
The rhythm in many metal subgenres is much faster than in rock, and metal drumming typically uses double bass drums.
Distorted electric guitar sounds are louder and more prominent in metal than in rock.
Rock is considered the parent genre, and metal, like indie, alternative, punk, and grunge, is one of its major subgenres.
There’s also a bridge between rock and metal: on the rock side, it’s called hard rock; on the metal side, it’s known as heavy metal.
Metal music has various components and characteristics that set it apart from other styles like rock and blues. Some of its notable traits include heavy rhythms, aggressive sounds, long guitar solos, and the use of classical music structures. Today, many metal songs also take on a protest tone, addressing political and social issues, making a significant impact on listeners and society.
