The History and Progression of the Musical Genre of Metal

1050 Words5 Pages
The History and Progression of the Musical Genre of Metal What comes to mind when you think of metal music? Some people immediately, and unfairly, accept the common stereotype that it is a genre composed entirely of unlistenable, atonal music. Others, including myself, see the genre as having strengths and weaknesses, like any other, and find that those strengths outweigh its weaknesses. In reality, today’s music, of all genres, would not be the same without the influence of metal, and in turn, modern metal would not be the same without influences like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, as well as pioneers such as Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Today, I will inform you of the definition of metal music, its origins, and how it has progressed and changed over time. So what exactly is metal music? Jon Pareles, a music critic for The New York Times defined metal as, “a major subspecies of hard-rock – the breed with less syncopation, less blues, more showmanship, and more brute force”. This description may spark the curiosity of anyone interested in looking into a genre packed with high octane music highlighted by blazing guitar riffs and pounding drum beats, but it may also have a converse effect on the easier listener and the rhythmic music aficionado. While Jon’s statement is a good “at a glance” description of the genre, metal has changed and progressed so much over the years and produced so many subgenres, which I will discuss later, that there is usually a style of metal music that even the most skeptical critics of the genre may find themselves coming to enjoy. While each subgenre of metal has its own unique sound to it, metal has some characteristics that generally remain constant throughout its many different innovative interpretations; all metal bands have at least one bassist, one guitarist, a vocalist or “frontman”, and a drummer, the guitars are highly

More about The History and Progression of the Musical Genre of Metal

Open Document