Heavy metal music
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Heavy Metal is a loud, aggressive style of Rock and roll music. The bands who play heavy-metal music usually have one or two guitars, a bass guitar and drums. In some bands, electronic keyboards, organs, or other instruments are used. Heavy metal songs are loud and heavy-sounding, and have strong rhythms that are repeated. There are many different types of Heavy Metal, some of which are described below.
Heavy metal bands usually dress in jeans, leather jackets, and leather boots, and have long hair. Heavy metal bands behave in dramatic way when they play their instruments or sing. A well-known band from the late 1970s is Motörhead. A well-known band from the 1980s is Metallica.
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[change] History
[change] 1970s
In the 1970s, Rock and Roll turned into a harder, louder form of music called Rock. In the 1970s, Rock music bands played huge, loud concerts in outdoor stadiums. In the early 1970s, many rock bands played psychedelic rock, a type of rock music which had words that described illegal drugs and drug use. Many bands from Britain played blues music mixed with rock music, such as the Kinks, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, the Jeff Beck Group.
In the late 1960s, a harder form of rock music called "Heavy Metal" was invented. The first use of the term was in a 1968 song by Steppenwolf, "Born to be Wild", and other early heavy metal bands appeared in the same year, such as Blue Cheer. Bands from Britain such as Cream and Led Zeppelin played loud, heavy rock music based on blues music. Heavy metal music was mostly based on the sounds of the electric guitar. The electric guitar in Heavy metal is always amplified through powerful amplifiers so that it has a loud, distorted, angry sound. Other bands such Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Alice Cooper played even louder, harder forms of heavy metal rock music.
Next, the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" came along. This style of heavy metal, including bands such as Iron Maiden and Motörhead playing faster and with more anger in the music. Heavy metal bands from the United States made heavy metal music popular in the late 1970s. Bands such as Kiss, Aerosmith and Van Halen put on large stadium concerts and attracted many fans.
[change] 1980s
In the 1980s, a new type of heavy metal band became popular, called glam metal rock. Bands such as Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P. and Ratt became popular. Glam metal rock bands had long hair and the men wore make up (lipstick and eyeshadow) and tight leather pants and boots. Many glam metal songs were about sex, illegal drug use, and drinking alcohol. In the late 1980s, groups such as Guns N' Roses were very successful.
Another type of heavy metal in the 1980s was called "Thrash Metal" or "Thrash." Thrash metal bands played a faster, more aggressive type of heavy metal rock. Thrash metal bands such as Metallica, Megadeth and slayer had many fans.
[change] 1990s
In the 1990s, a new form of heavy metal developed, called alternative metal. Alternative metal combined thrash metal and grunge rock with hip-hop music and industrial music. Also in the 1990's was Nu Metal, a shortening of New Metal. Nu Metal mixed rap and hip hop style singing with metal music. Nu Metal bands also often inlclude DJ decks, synthesisers and other electronic instruments. Nu Metal was very successful and made a lot of money, especially bands such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot.
Two other styles of heavy metal music, "death metal" and "black metal" played very angry, fast music. Death metal and black metal music are strange-sounding, and the lyrics (words) talk about sad things, such as death, suffering and pain. Hearing what the words are is often hard as the music is so loud and the singers often growl or roar rather than sing.
Other important styles of metal are: power metal or melodic metal, a style whose music often is about fiction and epics like The Lord of the Rings, and gothic metal, which has sad songs about abstract subjects like pain, life, death, faith and religion.
