Heavy traditional metal

The term Heavy metal can have several directions according to the context in which it is employed.

  1. In an original context, it is used like a synonym of Hard-rock

  2. In a second direction, the term indicates the esthetic tendency which, during the Seventies and Eighties, dissociated Hard rock, while moving away from its blues roots. This kind gave rise to the metal kind as a whole.
  3. In a direction generalized the heavy metal or metal indicates all the musics which go down from the heavy metal (direction second) and from the hard rock.

The term heavy traditional metal (or classic metal , or simply heavy metal with the restricted direction) refers to the second direction. One uses this term to avoid confusions with the other directions, but in the courrant use one speaks about heavy metal (very short) for this precise kind and rather about " metal" to speak about the heavy metal in the general direction.

It thus indicates the groups which following Black Sabbath developed an esthetics plus incisor compared to the original Hard-rock, while moving away from the blues and while also drawing from the punk one. It is the style which is at the origin of all shapes of metal derived thereafter.

The pioneers of the kind are unquestionably Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest. Black Sabbath developed a new way starting from the bases of the original hard rock, while Judas Priest, according to the musicologist Robert Walser, spent the decade “to complete the definition heavy metal”. Esthetics incisor and more radical which emerged from their music, will be taken again and developed at the end of the Seventies by the groups of NWOBHM and various other groups groups of heavy metal of the Eighties.

History

The artists of heavy traditional metal were largely influenced by the references of the Hard rock like Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Van Halen, U.F.O, Queen and Led Zeppelin, Rainbow.

The heavy metal was influenced also thereafter at the end of the Seventies by the Punk rock'n'roll, well that the influences ended up decreasing with time. For example, at the beginning of their career Iron Maiden and Trust had many elements punks in their albums.

This type heavy metal was a great success on a world level. Iron Maiden sold more than 58 million albums in the Eighties. Judas Priest filled of the arenas at the time of their concerts. And even nowadays of the groups like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest continue to record albums which are a success resounding with the international level.

The heavy original metal influenced good number of kinds in particular the Glam metal, the Speed Metal, the Thrash metal and the Power metal. The groups of heavy metal of the time were not as aggressifs as the thrash and put a more important emphase on the melody as this last.

This type of metal, being the original form is often regarded as the purest shape of metal, that certain groups as Manowar also call “true Metal”

Characteristics

Traditional metal is characterized by lines of low doors, fronts with dynamic and jerked texture, an average tempo (mid-tempo) in the neighborhoods of 100/120 bpm on average, a generalization of the solos of guitars virtuosos and a song perched often high and refrains entêtants with the paces of anthems. The style is also characterized with the difference in the Hard rock by a distance of the blues roots and privileges the cold atmospheres of the modal harmonies minor.

One of the new concepts in the heavy traditional metal was to introduce two guitars. Idea generalized as of the Seventies by groups like Scorpions and Judas Priest in particular. And although the concept was already adopted sometimes at certain groups of Hard rock like Uriah Heep and UFO, It is with the heavy traditional metal that this instrumental provision spread like element characteristic taken again by all the sub-genera of metal. This concept will develop during the Eighties with groups like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden or Accept which will make duel of guitars an element emblematic of their music.

Rate/rhythm and groove

In rhythmic term of , the heavy metal is characterized by:

  • a specific Groove being frequently based on rhythmic sentences in Staccato passage (through a broad use of the Palm transfers ). Rhythmic sentences being based on short binary or ternary equal figures rhythmic (generally in eighth note or Double eighth note) in measurement 4/4 generally. In metaphorical terms, that wants to say that metal is characterized often as a whole by the rhythmic dynamic ones and jerked, realized starting from small juxtaposed dry rhythmic cells the ones with the others. Many groups take again then this basic screen by decorating it of various variations through melody ornaments or syncopes.

  • a recurring use of long rhythmic values (in Round, even extending on several measurements), in the songs with slow Tempo: in other words, of the oppressive agreements which resound lengthily thanks to the amplification.

Agreements

One of the characteristics of the heavy metal resides in its great use of the Power chord , and particularly of the agreements being based on the relation Fondamentale/Quinte, which by far are used of all. One meets sometimes other types of power chords :

Typical harmonic relations

The heavy metal rests by nature on the front, the fundamental base of the kind. The fronts are often built around a certain number of milked harmonic particular:

Modal harmonies

The heavy metal generally privileges the minor modes which are culturally associated with the darker and sadder connotations. It makes a broad use of progressions of agreements resulting from modal harmonies

the mode of the (mode known as “wind”) is particularly privileged in the heavy metal tradtionnel. Typical progressions of the mode of are: I-VI - VII, I VII (VI), I-VI - IV VII or sometimes I V (minor) - I.

Examples:

  • Judas Priest - Breaking the Law (principal front: I VI-VII)
  • Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be thy Name (principal front and sentences of verse: I VI-VII)
  • Accept - Princess off the Dawn (principal front: I VI-VII)

the mode of semi (mode known as “Phrygian”) is also largely used in metal. In which the harmonic progressions of type III (flat) are privileged.

Examples:

  • Mercyful Fate - Gypsy (front principal I-II-I-VI-V)
  • Megadeth - Symphony off Destruction (principal front articulating itself on succession III)

the harmonic minor mode can also be sometimes used (often in reference to traditional). This range is indeed the typical minor range of the traditional one. Certain guitarist virtuosos as Yngwie Malmsteen were made the specialists in his employment. Its use remains however relatively minority compared to the mode of, semi or of the tended harmonic relations.

Tended harmonic relations and dissonant intervals
One of the harmonic features most frequent in the various sub-genera of the heavy metal is the use of harmonic relations tended being based on the chromatism, the triton or others dissonant intervals and various tonal instabilities, like the loan of agreements to distant tonalities in same a sentence.

Several musicologists and musicians noted the role of the triton in the heavy metal, a dissonant interval resulting from the addition of a Fondamentale at a increased quad (C-Fa# example). The use of this interval had been excluded from the medieval music because of its character considered to be not very melody in the Plain-chant. The monks baptized it besides “ Diabolus In Musica ” (literally, “the Diable in the music”) so much because of their scorn in his connection than by association symbolic system between good taste musical and moral Christian. Because of this association original symbolic system, sonorities of the interval were, in unconscious popular, the culturally comparable ones with something of diabolic. Also, nowadays, the use of the triton often tends to connote an “unhealthy” feeling or “malefic”, especially when its dissonance is used without tonal functionality. This interval is particularly employed in the solos and especially in the very harmonic structures, for example at the beginning of the song Black Sabbath of the group of the same name.

Pedal of harmony
The heavy metal makes also a broad use of the pedals of harmony as bases of the fronts. A pedal of harmony is generally a note which is held, in the low register (often the tonic , i.e. the most important note of the passage) over which follow one another various foreign agreements this note (i.e. dissonant). The pedals often create effects of tension and waitings. In the heavy metal, the fronts are often built starting from agreements or of reasons evolving/moving around a note engraves continuously repeated (a pedal), most frequently out of open string on the serious cords the Semi one, It or D with the guitar or low.

An example more speaking and most representative is that of the front of opening of " You've Got Another Thing Comin'" of Judas Priest. In this case of figure, a guitar plays the pedal in F # engraves uninterrupted while the second guitar makes resound three power chords different successive (mid 5, if 5 and fa#5) over.

Differences between hard rock and heavy metal as regards harmony
Because of these particular features, a specific distinction slowly took shape between heavy metal and Hard rock. If both are based on the setting in front of the guitars and a structure containing fronts, the heavy metal differs particularly from the hard rock in the fact that the harmonic and melody structures of the Blues are replaced by modal progressions and unstable tonal relations (chromatism, dissonant intervals, progressions of agreement drowning tonal orthodoxy ).

Thus, the harmonies of the heavy metal are generally colder and darker than those of the hard rock.

Important artists

Associated kinds

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