What makes it Metal or Heavy Metal.?

Funkfingers

The expression is often credited to author William Burroughs. The music is as @ICBM suggests. The lyrics of early HM recordings sometimes reflect the futurist/dystopian sci-fi literature of the time. At other times, the lyrics are simply about self indulgence. 

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Sabbath are also probably the only one of the original 'heavy metal' bands who would now be considered Metal, rather than heavy rock or classic rock.

Yeah, that's a tough one... I think Black Sabbath have to be classified as heavy metal because they invented it (I'm not having Blue Cheer or Steppenwolf or any of that).  But by today's standards they are closer to what's generally regarded as classic rock.

And to further muddy the waters, there's the fact that any new(ish) band nowadays which sounds like early Sabbath is classified as doom metal, not heavy metal (unless you're using metal/heavy metal in the broadest possible sense, which I usually do).

If I had to name one band which is the living embodiment of (traditional) heavy metal, it's Judas Priest.

Pabcrane

I've found that people who aren't into these types of music tend to say 'Heavy Metal' whereas those who are into it call it 'metal', or are more specific such as 'black Metal' or 'metalcore' or 'doom Metal' et cetera 

DrJazzTap

Wasn't the term first coined in a hawkwind song?  I've always found metalheads to be the loveliest people. 

I grew up listening to pantera and Metallica. Sure that's a bit vanilla compared to some stuff these days but some people found the hot club of France shocking. 

CavemanGrogg

Isn't it something to do with their atomic weight?  Heavy metals are more dense and have higher atomic numbers as well, such as iron, gold, copper, and tin along with lead, mercury, uranium, and zinc.

OilCityPickups

I fell in love with metal as a young punk guitarist ... browsing around a second hand record rack in a junkshop I found Masters of Reality by Sabbath. I bought it, and after that the punk in my playing fused into the NWOBHM that the band I pretty much immediately formed played. And yep ... metalheads are lovely folks.  

darthed1981

Lestratcaster said:

I'm more into metalcore which is a modern style of metal. More screaming but mixed with screaming. 

Is there any screaming?

Lestratcaster

darthed1981 said:

Lestratcaster said:

I'm more into metalcore which is a modern style of metal. More screaming but mixed with screaming. 

Is there any screaming?

Sorry typo lol meant to say clean singing with screaming.

distressed

Philly_Q said:

If I had to name one band which is the living embodiment of (traditional) heavy metal, it's Judas Priest.

I'd rather put Iron Maiden in that category. There was too much following suit with Priest - from early blues rock, through hard rock/classic heavy metal and dabbling with synthesizers to modern almost-thrash metal in the early 90s, and so on.

Kittyfrisk

Stevepage said:

It's clearly the leather underwear that makes it Metal

I don't think furry mammal fisting was really metal...

ICBM

DrJazzTap said:

Wasn't the term first coined in a hawkwind song?

No - Steppenwolf in Born To Be Wild.

darthed1981

Lestratcaster said:

darthed1981 said:

Lestratcaster said:

I'm more into metalcore which is a modern style of metal. More screaming but mixed with screaming. 

Is there any screaming?

Sorry typo lol meant to say clean singing with screaming.

Well it gave me a laugh!

darthed1981

bluecat said:

Is it all the rough shouting, or the endless widdly widdly guitar bits that are so unmelodic.

Now be honest... you aren't a fan are you?

I find that the only thing I really dislike is the really screamy stuff, which isn't my thing, or people who think everything is shit except metal (but then people saying everything is shit except the stuff they like annoys me full stop).

The lovely thing about the age of streaming is you could spend a week listening to symphonic metal then a week listening to Taylor Swift then a week listening to Blur - it's all there right for the listening.

DrJazzTap

ICBM said:

DrJazzTap said:

Wasn't the term first coined in a hawkwind song?

No - Steppenwolf in Born To Be Wild.

That's the badger!

Dr_Necessiter

But when is it (are they) Very Metal? 

Philly_Q

distressed said:

Philly_Q said:
If I had to name one band which is the living embodiment of (traditional) heavy metal, it's Judas Priest.

I'd rather put Iron Maiden in that category. There was too much following suit with Priest - from early blues rock, through hard rock/classic heavy metal and dabbling with synthesizers to modern almost-thrash metal in the early 90s, and so on.

I very nearly said Maiden, but I think of them as the archetypal NWOBHM band ("New Wave..." 45 years on!  ).  But they transcended the NWOBHM in a way that, say, Angel Witch or Diamond Head didn't.  So yeah, no strong argument from me.

Philly_Q

DrJazzTap said:

ICBM said:

DrJazzTap said:

Wasn't the term first coined in a hawkwind song?

No - Steppenwolf in Born To Be Wild.

That's the badger!

Here's an interesting scholarly article about the origins of the term heavy metal:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2013.846655

merlin

If I'm feeling a little down in the dumps I can listen to these guys for a pick-me-up.

bluecat

I read the article Philly...Q. Very interesting, it has answered a lot of questions.
Have a wiz for that. Thanks

guitarjack66

Volume?