Origins
Metal. Many people who don’t like or listen to the genre, have absolutely no idea where this musical behemoth manifested from. Well, good news for those people, because on this page, I am going to explain to all of you, how it all started.
First, metal is not a genre that was just born overnight. Believe it or not, it has a long, rich, and somewhat complex history. It all started with a genre that we all know, but not all love (for some odd reason). This historic genre is Blues. Yes, believe it or not, the controversial, loud, in your face, music that is metal, finds it roots in a genre that is somewhat exactly opposite. Blues music is a gem that the southern US produced. Comprised mostly of African-American artists who were expressing the hardships they have faced all throughout their history in America. Blues musicians brought out all of their pain, suffering, anger, sadness, and put it into their music. Hence where the name of the genre originates.
Next, years after blues made its mark on American Culture, a new, faster, livelier, more upbeat music came to light. This new genre was given the name, Rock ‘N Roll, or Rock for short. An African-American guitarist named Chuck Berry is credited for creating Rock ‘N Roll. He brought his unique style to the music world, a style that had never been heard before. People instantly had strong reactions to it. Be it hate, or adoration. However, it did not become known worldwide until a man named Elvis Presley walked in, and took the world of Rock ‘N Roll to a whole new level. It was because of his contributions to the genre, that he was dubbed “The King of Rock ‘N Roll” people worshiped him, he was, and still is a major influence for different types of music.
Then, people thought the music world could not get any better, they thought music was at its peak. These people were wrong. Some time after Rock ‘N Roll became popular, Hard Rock, a subgenre of Rock, emerged, and was almost instantly a center for controversy. Now, the line between Hard Rock and Metal is quite thin. But some of the most popular Hard Rock bands are in fact credited to the creation of metal. These bands are Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and of course, Black Sabbath. At the time these bands were around, there were no other bands faster, heavier, or darker than they were. Therefore, these bands are the most often credited as being the first metal band. However, this has been a lingering question that even metal heads argue, “who was the first metal band?”. This question simply cannot, and will not ever be answered. I have provided pictures, and some music videos below. Do some analysis of your own. Listen to the songs, which do u think was the fist metal band?
