Heavy Metal

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is agenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and pschydelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by high amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity as machismo.

The first heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, BlackSabath and Deep Purple attracted large audiences, though they were often critically reviled, a status common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970sJudas Pries helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its Blues influence; motorhead introducted a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the New Wafe Of Heavy Metal such as iron maiden followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal had attracted a worldwide following of fans known as "metalheads" or "headbangers".

In the 1980s, glam metal became a major commercial force with groups like motleycrue. Underground scenes produced an array of more extreme, aggressive styles: trash metal broke into the mainstream with bands such as Metallica and Megadeath, while other styles like black metal and black metal remain, subcultural phenomena. Since the mid-1990s, popular styles such as nu metal, which often incorporates elements of grunge and hip hop; and metalcore, which blends extreme metal with hardcore punk, have further expanded the definition of the genre.