CRASH COURSE ON ALL METAL GENRES
Traditional Heavy Metal
Traditional Heavy Metal (or more commonly referred to as Classic Metal or just Heavy Metal) is recognised as the first form and ultimately the forefather of invention of heavy metal itself. Considering this circumstance, if classic metal hadn't been the first, you may as well forget the term "heavy metal" as the defining signature of this wonderful genre of music!
Characteristics
The first instances of metal were hugely developed over time in the 1960s as an extension of hard rock music at the time, combining heavier riffs, lower guitar tunings and harder-hitting drumming, and much further pioneered in the 1970s era of metal.
Since the first use of the term well over 3 decades ago, when compared to present day subgenres that have grown out of classic metal and evolved and branched off into the other realms of metal that we know today, classic metal can be more or less put on par with more traditional-sounding metal styles, and to a lesser extent that of hard rock, both with vast similarities, especially when analysing the earliest and original heavy metal bands that first defined the genre. However, classic metal is still a very popular influence for many bands, particularly to symphonic metal, power metal and speed metal-based groups.
Originally, classic metal was typically based around guitars and vocals, putting emphasis on guitar riffs, especially during instrumentals, and instruments were played on lower notes and/or downtuned to make the music heavier and separate the genre apart from other genres of the same time. Today classic metal retains much of the same stylistic focus albeit at the same time incorporating relatively more "modern" metal influences into songs, and in a general sense bringing the musical direction forward into a more contemporary appeal.
The vocals of classic metal have always been clean and are very melodic, with the lyrics usually sung on falsetto and soprano notes, with many verse passages sticking to relatively moderate notes. Themes in classic metal have generally included politics, people/society, rebellion, anarchy and sometimes religion.
More info bout Metal genres coming up....
