Galvanizing Metal Music

852 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about metal music

Metal music, which is mostly referred to as “Metal” is a very popular genre of rock music, though not the dominant genre in the modern world. Originating mainly in the United States of America and the United Kingdom in 1950’s, it developed and gained popularity in the next decade only. It is one of the most prominent genre in the music industry that has also influenced other genres, with its style, even in modern music. Metal music majorly consists of fast beats, a thick sound, tuned up by the amplified distortion, extended guitar solos and overall loudness. Lyrics are not the main focus of a metal song, it’s basically the instrumentals. The lyrics have a very masculine touch to them and don’t emphasize too much on optimistic topics. To start off, we should know the main characteristics of metal music, which makes it special and distinguishable from the others. Metal songs usually have loud guitars with heavy distortion, a very dense bass and drum sound and powerful vocals. A Bassist, Rhythm Guitarist, Lead Guitarist, Drummer and the Vocalist who might or might not be an instrumentalist, form a typical band lineup. All parts play a very important role in giving the song its spine. The electric guitar and the sonic power that it releases when amplified has always been the key element in heavy metal. Another one is the guitar ‘power chords’, which are played with a particular finger arrangement so that they can easily be slid up and down the fret board, for consistency of speed on stage. The prominent role of the bass enhances the metal sound, and the interplay of bass and guitar is a focal element that provides the low-end sound crucial to making the music "heavy". The spirit of metal drumming is to generate a constant loud bea... ... middle of paper ... ...d to these. It never really gained its own popularity and was criticized even more. Thrash Metal has recently seen quite a lot of popularity, even though the evolution of the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) age with Dubstep, Electro and House music is on the rise. Albums like Metallica’s Death Magnetic Slayer's World Painted Blood Anthrax's Worship Music, Megadeth's Thirteen have really put this music in the industry’s limelight. All these albums have only recently been released. Few forms of music receive such strong reactions as metal. Embraced by millions of fans across the world, it has also attracted a chorus of critics, who have denounced it as a corrupter of youth. Come what may, this industry will always carry on the legacy of Metal and optimistically come up with new styles and genres of music, adapting to the world as it changes.

Show More
Related

  • Rock Music Genre Essay

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    In rock music its target audience is the youth. And by youth I am not referring to teenagers, but instead to the mentality of youth, the adults and teens still in the sociological stage between being a ‘kid’ and accepting the responsibilities of ‘adulthood’ [Weinstein pg6] These youth negotiate the genre and change it to their liking. For example both males and females have different subgenres of rock targeted specifically at them. Males are seen from a young age as being naughty and rowdy, not very responsible and thus given more freedom. While girls are seen as quiet and polite, with very low aggression. These traits have reflected in the genres that are targeted at the two genders. Males were targeted with Heavy Metal as it expressed the qualities the very qualities they will have to give up in order to become adults and how they will lose their freedom. While for females rock music is soft and romantic, females will typically grow up faster than males and leave youth behind in order to take up responsibilities. An example of how the music was negotiated to fit the two genders is seem in the 1960s when performers such as Carole king and James Taylor transformed themes of protest into sentimental commentaries, romance and illusions of youth. [Weinstein pg 12-13] While heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath sung about politicians and how disgusting they are for exploiting young people in the name of greed which is shown in the song Wicked World. This very characteristic of rock being created by the youth for the youth is still alive today, for example during the 2004 presidential election Green Day released American Idiot. The song was about how the media and political are brainwashing Americans to remove their individuality. The singer wanted to warn America of this and prevent them from turning into ‘idiots’ and

    Read More

  • Rock And Roll Impact On Culture

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although the style of ‘Rock music’ is easily adaptable to many different sounds, it is still thoroughly identified by its definingly amplified rhythm. The sudden worldwide popularity of rock and roll resulted in an unparalleled social impact. Rock ‘n’ Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equaled. The social impact is so large that rock stars are worshipped worldwide. In its early years, many adults condemned the style of music, placing a stigma on its name, and forbid their children from listening and following its ways.

    Read More

  • Grunge: The Musical Revolution that Changed America

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Music in America in the late 1980s saw a revolution in the form of a whole new genre, which would later be known as ‘grunge’. It is perhaps one of America’s most notable contributions to the music world. Grunge originated in Seattle and spread through the United States over the 1990s. It also influenced the international music scene, inspiring artists, and creating a huge world-wide fan base. The music was inspired by punk rock, but had more edgy riffs coupled with emotive, sometimes heavy lyrics. This type of music reached out to and addressed an oppressed and often abused audience. The angry musical riffs, paired with lyrics that most young Americans could relate to, or had even experienced, made grunge instantly popular. Grunge revolutionized not only music in America, but also left its mark on American culture. Grunge, as a genre of music and as a lifestyle, broke away from the glamour of the mainstream music world, allowing people to express themselves through music that was relatable and real.

    Read More

  • Why is Authenticity Important In Rock Music?

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...le genres of music have been accused of selling out during the 80's Heavy Metal and Glam Rock were fused by bands such as Motley Crue and Poison to make Glam Metal which hardcore metal fans hated as it was not deemed authentic due to its over the top and feminine feel.

    Read More

  • The History of Metallica

    1876 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the nineteen seventies came to a close so did many of the musical styles of that decade. While some faced what seemed to be extinction others went through a sort of evolutionary process. The bands that were at the top of the heavy metal ladder during this time were such acts as Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and Tygers of Pan Tang. These groups would be just some of what the new crop of heavy metal bands would consider inspirational. This style, which is typically referred to as "The New Wave of British Heavy Metal," would fuel and empower many acts to stardom. (Marshall 3)

    Read More

  • Lollapalooza and The Alternative Music Culture

    2430 Words  | 5 Pages

    There have been many events in the course of music history that has shaped how what becomes popular and what is deemed “proper” in terms of music we should be consuming. In 1991, Lollapalooza, a multi city touring festival in the United States, highlighting alternative culture changed how music was consumed from there on forward. With the popularity of the festival and the highlighting of the alternative culture it represented the music industry took note, not long after the festival and explosion of alternative music hit mainstream music culture. New bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and bands who had been around awhile but had a smaller marginalized audiences such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers found mainstream success in a post Lollapalooza music environment. The affects of these bands are still resonating through the music that is listened to today, and without Lollapalooza there would have not been the event that signalled to the decision makers in the music industry that this kind of music could be popular to the masses.

    Read More

  • Metallica

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    brought him home a cheap set of drums which he pounded in. He was inspiried and

    Read More

  • Ozzy Osbourne Research Paper

    2053 Words  | 5 Pages

    Taken from the horror film produced by Mario Bava. Most people have heard of Black Sabbath because of their place in music history and if not they most likely have heard about them because of their lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. With Black Sabbath’s first self titled album climbing through the charts (reaching no. 8 in the UK), did the term ‘heavy metal’ come about. The bands music

    Read More

  • The Influence Of African-American Rock N Roll

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rock ‘n’ Roll Rock ‘n’ roll was a controversial yet fashionable genre of popular music that emerged in the early 1950s (America in the World, 1776 to the Present : A Supplement to the Dictionary of American History: Mâ€'Z, Index. 2016, p896-899.). Its origin is also started from the revolution of bourgeois. The younger generation had gone through the Second World War, though, the older generation had treated kids. Two generations that had each world war had divided. A lot of the pain and anger felt by the younger generation made them to resist against the social establishment. As a result, the war had created a gulf between generations but further reduced the gap between blacks and whites. The youth of the 1950s felt unconnected to their society and began looking at the world more globally, and also began looking for new role models who reflected their ideas and beliefs. They knew that ideas of old generation would no longer work in a modern society. Thus several young leaders stood out and took center stage that setting the pace for the direction of society and its music form that point on. At this time, technical innovations had emerged such as electric guitar and electric bass. This is the impetus of creation of music including rock ‘n’

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Rock Music

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rock music has been commonly linked with violence, rebellion, hysteria, distortion, sex, and more negative characteristics. According to Cotaga (2011), Rock'n'Roll groups are thought to be constantly intoxicated or affected by substances and steady gathering individuals encompassed by young

    Read More

  • What Defines Alternative Rock

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rock music is a term that should be familiar. Originally dubbed “rock and roll” in the 1940’s and 1950’s, rock and roll is almost always fronted by an electrical guitar and heavily influenced by blues, R&B, and even country music. By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s rock and roll began to be shortened to just “rock music”, and the entire style starting branching out into other sub-genres such as punk rock, heavy metal, garage rock, hard rock, among others. The sub-genre in question however is Alternative Rock, which is generally defined as despite following the fundamentals of rock music, it strays away from what is considered “mainstream” at the time by using concepts such as extensive underground music association, muddied or distorted guitars, more prominent use of power chords, and even a sort of rebellious or defiant attitude in lyrics and sound.

    Read More

  • Prog Metal Essay

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    Then with the drums it gets tricky because the drums hold a beat, but they also keep a rhythm most of the time, the same rhythm as each individual strum of the guitar and or bass. So its a very complicated process to play drums in a prog metal band. Add an odd time signature and alternating tempos with a bit of creativity and you have yourself a prog metal song.

    Read More

  • Rock And Roll

    1758 Words  | 4 Pages

    When Rock arrived on the music charts in the 1950's, a merging of African-American and White music, it made a huge impact on society. As a general rule I am not heavily into music, but I was drawn to Rock for some inexplicable reason. It is just the music I like. This genre will be difficult to write about because the origin of Rock is unclear; there are traces of Rock's style back into the 19th Century. It is also a very broad subject and I will have to compress a lot of information into as few pages as possible. Be that as it may, Rock is, in my opinion the best music genre on the charts.

    Read More

  • Radiohead's OK Computer

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the mid-1990s, rock and roll experienced another of its many transitions. During the early ‘90s, the “grunge” scene, emanating from Seattle and its surrounding area, enthralled the youth of the time with the music of such acts as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. This surge in high-distortion, high angst rock snapped the genre out of the doldrums of glam-metal, which, for a long time, dominated the “rock music” racks of record stores across America.

    Read More

  • Different Genres Of Metal Music

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term genre in music can be used to describe different forms and styles of music all over the world, whether it be country, rock, jazz, pop, and so on. But the terms used for genres can be considered broad and/or vague, so music that is commonly classified in any given genre can be categorized more specifically. For example, jazz can be a broad term for other subgenres such as Cool jazz, Free jazz, Dixieland, Ragtime and numerous other examples. This general rule applies to many different genres of music, and metal music is no exception.

    Read More

More about Galvanizing Metal Music

Open Document