Disparate artists across Europe and the Americas, growing up on a strict diet of Motorhead, punk, NWOBHM, and even some classical music, were in turn picking up guitars themselves (often for the first time) to emulate these musicians and hopefully surpass them, pushing the boundaries of just how noisy guitar music could be. This abrasive... Continue Reading →

With most histories tracing the line from Black Sabbath through to the extreme metal of the late 1980s and early 1990s, it’s easy to forget those artists that held on to one of the original credos of old school heavy metal, the slow droning powerchords and apocalyptic lyrics that led to what would be known... Continue Reading →

I can ignore Iron Maiden for the purposes of this feature. I can ignore Metallica. I can ignore Manowar, Megadeth, Anthrax, Queensryche, and that other band what got pretty famous. Enough has been written about these artists by fans far more familiar than myself. Enough has been written about Slayer, but so pivotal were they... Continue Reading →

Listening to classic thrash metal of the mid 1980s, it becomes apparent that it really had more in common with punk artists like D.R.I. than it did with the heavy metal of the previous decade. The aggression, the speed, the atonal riffs formed exclusively from power chords with frantic structureless soloing, the socially conscious lyrics,... Continue Reading →

And its discontents Any semi functioning society enshrines a fundamental respect for the individual in law, it is enshrined through the intuitions of its individual members (the majority at least), it pumps through the veins of its institutions and culture. This could be a respect for the individual’s need to fulfill short and long term... Continue Reading →

By the mid-1980s heavy metal had become a legitimate global phenomena, and like any other counter culture, when its appeal stretches too far, it simply becomes culture. At this point there was a clear distinction between heavy metal artists who made no secret of their aim to garner as much fandom as possible - the... Continue Reading →

If the original explosion of punk in 1977 gave NWOBHM a renewed energy and zeal, then the punk-plus versions that followed in the form of thrash and hardcore punk from both sides of the Atlantic would prove to be an essential element in crafting extreme metal of the 1980s. Add the hyper speed and aggression... Continue Reading →

The year is 1982. Heavy metal has taken over the world, Iron Maiden are about to blossom into the well-oiled global touring machine we know and love today. The original impetuous of punk may have run out of steam, but the music and ideas have morphed into new and unexpected forms; from post punk, to... Continue Reading →

By 1980 some interesting developments had occurred, developments that were to prove to be essential for heavy metal to stay relevant and fresh into the new decade. The most important external factor was punk. I often view the punk movement as a catalyst of sorts. Whatever value it held in its own right, as protest... Continue Reading →

In recent months the temptation to do a self-indulgent top 100 list has become overwhelming. The problem with lists is that they either become a musical biography of the writer, based mostly on albums that were significant to them at the time with anecdotal tales related to the music, the appeal of which depends completely... Continue Reading →