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Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, and emphatic beats. Allmusic states that "of all rock & roll's myriad forms, heavy metal is the most extreme in terms of volume, machismo, and theatricality."
Early heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple attracted large audiences, though they were often critically reviled, a status common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal such as Iron Maiden followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal had attracted a worldwide following of fans known as "metalheads" or "headbangers."
In the 1980s, glam metal became a major commercial force with groups like Mötley Crüe. Underground scenes produced an array of more extreme, aggressive styles: thrash metal broke into the mainstream with bands such as Metallica, while other styles like death metal and black metal remain subcultural phenomena. Since the mid-1990s, popular styles such as nu metal, which often incorporates elements of funk and hip hop; and metalcore, which blends extreme metal with hardcore punk, have further expanded the definition of the genre.
"Angel of Death" is the opening track on the American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood. The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi physician Josef Mengele, who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. "Angel of Death" led to the band facing accusations of Nazi sympathizing and racism throughout their career.
Despite the controversy surrounding the song and its contribution to the delay in the release of Reign in Blood, "Angel of Death" is featured on all of Slayer's live albums and DVDs and has appeared on the soundtracks of several movies. The song was well received by critics; Allmusic described it as a "classic."
- 30 November 2007: Metallica are set to debut a track from their forthcoming album on the new Rock Band video game. (Kerrang)
- 16 September 2007: The ballot deadline for Led Zeppelin's reunion concert has been extended due to demand. 25 million people have registered for the ballot at the concert's website so far. (NME)
- 14 September 2007: Iron Maiden have announced a world tour, "Somewhere Back In Time", which will begin in February 2008. (Kerrang)
- ...that Metallica was formed after both guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich had placed advertisements in The Recycler about forming a band?
- ...that Ozzy Osbourne also plays the harmonica and synthesizer?
- ...that Bullet For My Valentine were originally known as "Jeff Killed John" and played Nirvana and Metallica covers?
- ...that Dee Snider sang in several church and school choirs, including his All-State choir, as a youth?
- ...that Motörhead were once voted "the worst band in the world" by NME readers?
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Expand: Glam metal • Power metal • Progressive metal • Symphonic metal
- Heavy metal genres: Black metal, Death metal, Doom metal, Extreme metal, Folk metal, Glam metal, Gothic metal, Groove metal, Industrial metal, Neo-Classical metal, NWOBHM, Nu metal, Post-metal, Power metal, Progressive metal, Sludge metal, Speed metal, Stoner metal, Symphonic metal, Technical metal, Thrash metal, Viking metal
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- This page was last modified on 26 September 2008, at 10:48.
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