At the turn of the decade in 1970, while England was feeling the effects of a psychedelic rock and blues hangover, a Birmingham based band were about to release their debut album. Originally named Earth, a roots blues-rock quartet formed in 1966 had officially changed their name the previous year. The band looked to be dead and buried when their guitarist and founding member left to join Jethro Tull but upon his return the band set to work on their first full length recording. Their name change now in place, they released their self-titled debut in the February of 1970.

After an industrial accident at 17 years of age in a sheet metal factory, which left him without the tips of his fingers on his right hand, he had considered abandoning his passion for playing the guitar. However, inspired by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt who only had partial use of two paralysed fingers of his fretting hand, he would go on to mould hardened tips or thimbles from plastic to allow himself to continue playing while also using lighter banjo strings and down-tuning his guitar. The consequences of this would be that Tony Iommi would help to create a sound that steered his band away from the psychedelic and blues-rock trends of the time and help to create a genre of music that would quickly grow in popularity throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Iommi, the man often credited with the invention of the heavy metal riff, and his band Black Sabbath released two records in the same year that would become to be considered essential albums in the development of the genre.



Of course the origins of heavy metal are debateble. Many believe that bands such as Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Mountain and Deep Purple among others can all be credited in some way to the formation of the genre, whether these bands are generally recognised as metal bands or not. A deeper, lower, heavier guitar tone would become much more prominent in rock music all over the world, along with a faster pace, power drumming and an overall aggression in its delivery. Hard rock bands began to form very quickly and acts such as Blue Oyster Cult, Kiss, Motorhead and Scorpions would all help to lay the groundwork for an explosion of heavy metal bands in the seventies and early eighties, especially in the UK.



The likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon and Venom were establishing a heavy metal scene in the UK while the likes of Van Halen, Ratt and Motley Crue were establishing a scene in the US. In the 1980’s the genre would start to unravel further. In California, a number of bands playing faster, more aggressive metal music in the San Francisco bay area would be credited with the origins of Thrash metal. Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth were labelled the “big four” bands for this scene and thrash would become more popular around the world with the likes of Exodus, Sepultura and Sodom all helping to popularise the genre. Away from the commercial mainstream heavy metal would quickly begin to evolve and the genre was then split into several other sub-genres.



Possessed and Death were at the foreground of a blossoming Death metal scene. Venom, Celtic Frost and Bathory are recognised as being among the first Black metal bands. Usually inspired by Black Sabbaths down-tuned, sludge-sounding riffs, bands like Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Witchfinder General and Candlemass would develop the Doom metal genre. The list of metal sub-genres simply is staggering and it continues to evolve. Bands such as Pantera, White Zombie, Ministry, Fear Factory, Rage Against The Machine and Tool have brought heavy metal through the 1990’s into the new millenium, through many different trends and styles, many different scenes of varying levels of commercial success and popularity and as with most styles of music the genre continues to expand, evolve and revisit its roots at the same time.

My ears are always open to any metal music that is new to me. As you may have noticed, alot of specific sub-genres have their own themed weeks so i can see this week being devoted more to traditional metal bands. But check the theme schedule, use common sense and if you feel something is appropriate to contribute then do it. This week could just as easily be used to celebrate the variety within such a wide ranging genre of music. Lets hope we dont spend the next week focusing too much on classifying the genre of any song, album or band contributed here but rather share some of our favourite metal music and if you arent a fan, heres hoping our members can offer you something that you may enjoy.