First metal band?

Vic2010 said:

For me the sonics of Heavy Metal developed from 1966 to 1969, starting with Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Blue Cheer, Mountain, and Led Zeppelin. There were probably a lot of others in that time period I've never heard of but you might include the early proto-punks too (The Stooges, MC5, etc.). Then Black Sabbath came along (and Alice Cooper too, I guess) and stuck a dagger in the heart of the hippy era of proto-metal. Whenever I see some of those VH1 list type programs Black Sabbath gets a lot of mention as the first "true" metal band. I don't have a problem with that. So what's the answer? For me it started with Cream and Hendrix. I get the same head banging, horn throwing, air guitar playing vibe from those two (especially Cream) that I get from Metallica or Iron maiden.

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Excellent points. Before The Jimi Hendrix Experience came along, the biggest 'guitar freak-out' album in rock was the Yardbirds' Roger the Engineer record, featuring the playing of Jeff Beck.

Another important "missing link" in the Yardbirds-to-Led Zeppelin evolution was the first album by the Jeff Beck Group. Jimmy Page used that as a blueprint for the hard-rockin' bluesy sound of Led Zeppelin I (Zep even played one of the same songs that Beck had done,"You Shook Me").

Cream was also definitely a link between the Yardbirds' bluesy rave-ups and heavy metal. (and don't forget that Clapton was the first rock guitarist to use Marshall amps, on his album with the BluesBreakers...Marshall amps definitely were a part of the evolution of metal).

IMO, the heavy metal sound didn't fully crystallize until the first Black Sabbath album (even though Iommi used Orange amps... they're very similar to Marshalls' sound). Partially it was Iommi's using so many minor chords, along with his throwing 'the devil's interval' tritone in here and there. It was also Ozzy's singing...he sounded like a doomed madman, with the demons closing in on him at any minute, with lyrics that were rich with dark, occult imagery.

aeroplane said:

Without reading every single reply so far (yes I am that obtuse), I have to ask the "stupid" question of when the term heavy metal started being used as a style of music in the first place.

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I remember hearing the term in either the mid or late 70s very sparingly. I don't remember anyone on the "street" using it but I'd read or hear rock journalists use the term. I'd say in 80, or 81 is when it was in common use. There were a lot of bands that were given the heavy metal label back then that wouldn't be considered heavy metal today. Heavy Metal is more than sound, it's image, attitude, blah blah. I never cared for the term myself.

Metallica for me. It appealed to my testosterone fueled early teenage years, but as a testosterone fueled late teenager I've calmed slightly in music taste and dived into the weird and wonderful world of prog

FretBuzz said:

IMO, the heavy metal sound didn't fully crystallize until the first Black Sabbath album (even though Iommi used Orange amps... they're very similar to Marshalls' sound). Partially it was Iommi's using so many minor chords, along with his throwing 'the devil's interval' tritone in here and there. It was also Ozzy's singing...he sounded like a doomed madman, with the demons closing in on him at any minute, with lyrics that were rich with dark, occult imagery.

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I think Tony Iommi was one of the first heavy guitarists to downtune his guitar too, which gave the riffs an even more ominous, doomy vibe. For some reason Black Sabbath never clicked with me in the early 70s. Maybe I thought that they were gimmicky (like Kiss and Alice Cooper) and relied too much on image. I'm still not a fan but I enjoy some of the hits (Iron Man, Sweet Leaf, etc.). Back then (1971) to me anyway, I thought Led Zeppelin was the ultimate HEAVY band. The band themselves can downplay it, and revisionist, rock journalists can downplay it too, Led Zeppelin was METAL. They became less metal as they progressed and developed but they were definitely Heavy Metal for a good portion of their career.

Salmacis said:

Metallica for me. It appealed to my testosterone fueled early teenage years, but as a testosterone fueled late teenager I've calmed slightly in music taste and dived into the weird and wonderful world of prog

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lol... for me it's kind of the opposite. I always kind of preferred the jazzy, fusion, proggish stuff. Especially in the begiining of this decade I was really into prog. Then I reached a point with prog/rock where I thought I didn't need to go further. I think I just got burnt out on Zeppelin and started getting into AC/DC, Halen and then eventually into Metallica and Iron Maiden. In fact, Iron Maiden is my favorite prog/metal band (and I really don't care for prog/metal much either, and I can't stand Dream Theater).

Cosmic Harmony said:

I'm in agreement with this. Sabbath is the first true metal band.

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I also agree,i'd say Black Sabbath
although it's not a term i ever use

I think Link Wray should get a mention He introduced power chords in his 1958 instrumental "Rumble". He also pioneered electric guitar distortions, like overdrive and fuzz, he was the first guitarist to use power chords to play a song's melody.

aeroplane said:

Without reading every single reply so far (yes I am that obtuse), I have to ask the "stupid" question of when the term heavy metal started being used as a style of music in the first place.

Since Steppenwolf is credited for using the terminology in a lot of sources and articles, I'll just give them the nod for the sake of answering the question. Sure, cynics will say John Kay was singing about a motorcycle but lyrics get misinterpreted all the time. Born in the USA is a bombastic, patriotic anthem, right?

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I'm gonna guess, based on reading old Creem magazines and stuff like that, that the term heavy metal was probably first used by Steppenwolf and that the term was gaining wider usage by 1972-74 as Led Zeppelin and other heavy rock bands were selling more and more records and getting increased attention. I think after a few years of Kiss being huge the term heavy metal was being used even more. By the time I entered middle school in 1980 heavy metal was almost considered its own genre, apart from regular rock.

Black Sabbath, hands down. Being metal isn't just the guitarwork. Metal is dark, gritty, gloomy, its not happy classic rock riffs, its the dark riffs with heavy bass and Ozzy's vocals, were dark as all hell. I mean, Led Zeppelin had guitars and stuff, but they weren't trying to be dark and gloomy. They may of influenced Metal, but they were definitely NOT metal. Its like saying the Clash were grunge. I mean, Kurt Cobain, was inspired by punk music, and he made a lot of punk sounding songs, but that does not mean that punk itself was grunge. I don't know just my opinion.

An old friend of mine posted a concert review from either 1968-69 about Sir Lord Baltimore, that called their music, "Heavy Metal". He swears that it was the first printed article to describe a band's music using that term, which soon was immortalized by Black Sabbath, who were no doubt the first Giant Heavy Metal band. While others flirted with the sound Sabbath embraced it and took it to a completely new level, and achieved everlasting fame as a result and for that I say "Thank You".