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Classic metal is a term used to refer to heavy metal bands from the 1970s and 1980s who peaked later than the late 1960s and early 1970s pioneers of the genre, yet before the era when mainstream and underground heavy metal became seriously divided. Classic metal bands are typically characterised by thumping fast basslines, prominent guitar riffs, extended lead guitar solos, high pitched vocals and anthemic choruses. Classic metal is quite a loosely defined genre, and includes everything from pop-based glam metal bands (Mötley Crüe, Kiss), aggressive speed/thrash metal (Metallica), power metal (Helloween) and NWOBHM (Iron Maiden, Motörhead). Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... “Heavy metal” redirects here. ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. ... Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin A drum is a musical instrument in the percussion group that can be large, technically classified as a membranophone. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an epic feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ... Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When Speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... This is a timeline of heavy metal and hard rock, from its beginnings in the mid 1960s to the present time. ... “Heavy metal” redirects here. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Mötley Crüe (pronounced Motley Crew) is an American Hard Rock band from Los Angeles, California. ... Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1972 (see 1972 in music). ... Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When Speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an epic feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. ... This article is about the power metal band. ... The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) emerged in the late 70s, in part a reaction to the contemporary decline of traditional heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, all three of which had been submerged by a mixture of personal problems, tiredness and... This article is about the band. ... This article is about the band. ...

History

Classic metal artists were heavily influenced by hard rock and metal artists of the same period. Artists like Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Van Halen, U.F.O. and Led Zeppelin were seminal influences. “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... “Heavy metal” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Alice Cooper (born February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... This article is about the rock band. ... This article is about the band Van Halen. ... This article is about the rock band. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ...

Classic metal was also influenced by 70s punk rock although the punk influences diminished over time. For example, Iron Maiden had many punk elements in their first two albums but then moved away from punk rock to embrace and define New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article is about the band. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Classic metal enjoyed great worldwide success. Iron Maiden sold in excess of 58 million albums during the 80s^{[citation needed]} and Dokken sold more than 16 million in the US alone. Scorpions and Judas Priest sold out big arenas around the world. Some classic metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest still release successful new albums and tour world wide to this day. This is a testament to the influence that the bands still exert and their ability to keep old fans interested and attract new ones. This article is about the band. ... Dokken is an American metal band which was formed in 1976. ... For other bands named The Scorpions or other meanings of scorpion, see scorpion. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... This article is about the band. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ...

Classic metal bands influenced many metal genres including glam metal, thrash metal, and power metal. Classic metal bands were not as loud and had a greater sense of melody than the thrash metal bands such as Metallica and Anthrax that they influenced. Often considered by some fans as the 'purest' form of metal, classic metal was popular for its combination of melody and aggression. Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an epic feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ...

Characteristics

Classic metal evolved from varied genres like traditional metal, punk rock, hard rock, and classic rock. The genre is related to heavy metal, NWOBHM and speed metal, and to a lesser extent glam metal and thrash metal. The wide variety of influences and similarities to other genres gives it a very wide appeal to many fans of heavy metal, but the genre still got quite a distinguishable sound. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... For the magazine, see Classic Rock (magazine). ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) emerged in the late 70s, in part a reaction to the contemporary decline of traditional heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, all three of which had been submerged by a mixture of personal problems, tiredness and... Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When Speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ...

Classic metal is typically characterised by thumping fast basslines, fast and crunchy riffs, extended lead guitar solos, clean, often high-pitched vocals and anthemic choruses. One of the most important and innovative concepts of classic metal was the use of the double lead guitar pioneered by classic metal bands like Scorpions and Judas Priest. And although, this concept was sparingly used by earlier hard rock bands like Uriah Heep and UFO, it was wholly developed as a heavy metal element during the classic metal era. This concept of dual lead guitars would reach more profound heights during the late 1980s when other bands like Megadeth and Slayer would also use it. Another musical concept that evolved during the Classic metal era was that of the supposedly galloping basslines. Although, this bass style had its inception into music in the earlier rock n' roll era, it became highly evident in the Classic metal era, and was extensively used by Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, Dokken's Jeff Pilson and others. For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... For other bands named The Scorpions or other meanings of scorpion, see scorpion. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... Uriah Heep are an English rock band, formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously a member of The Gods and Toe Fat) to join Spice, a band signed to his own Bronze Records label. ... UFO are an English rock band formed in 1969. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... For other uses, see Slayer (disambiguation). ... This article is about the band. ... Stephen Percy Harris (born March 12, 1956 in Leytonstone, London, England) is the bassist and primary composer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. ... Dokken is an American metal band which was formed in 1976. ... Jeff Pilson (born January 19th, 1958, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA) is an American bass guitarist specializing in heavy metal music. ...

Lyrical theme

Classic metal is lyrically diverse, with a wide variety of lyrical themes being written by the bands without a centralised prerequisite such as glam metal's lyrics about love, sex, girls, and metal, thrash metal's heavy political and war themes, and power metal's high fantasy themed imagery. The themes in classic metal include: the occult, party and fun, fantasy, social themes, drug themes, and war themes. A single band can write songs based on various themes. For instance, Judas Priest writes songs on party (Living After Midnight), social themes (Victim Of Changes), love songs (Prisoner of Your Eyes) and fantasy/fiction (Painkiller). The classic metal bands who crossover with pop metal almost exclusively write about party, sex, love and drugs, while bands who overlap with 'heavier' metal (such as Iron Maiden) having war, history, culture, violence, fantasy and religion as recurring themes. Lyrics are the words in songs. ... In literature, a theme is a broad idea in a story, or a message or lesson conveyed by a work. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an epic feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fiction (disambiguation). ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ... History studies time in human terms. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Violence (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ...

Decline

Dokken's Back for the Attack was one of the few classic metal albums to go platinum in the late 80s. Classic metal's position as a popular time in metal music's history withered away in the late 1980s, especially in the 1986-1989 period. At this time newer bands emerged to extend thrash metal and glam metal, with each genre taking a quite different approach to their music. Gradually, public interest drifted away from classic metal onto the newer genres. Due to the hierarchy of classic metal splitting into individual parts and drifting away from each other, many classic metal bands came to their end at this time. Some joined one of the newly founded or extended genres, (Motörhead), while some bands experimented with aspects of other genres (Scorpions), leaving others to carry on with typical classic metal stylings (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dokken, Dio). Dokken is an American metal band which was formed in 1976. ... Back for the Attack is the 4th album by heavy metal band Dokken, released on November 27, 1987. ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Standard atomic weight 195. ... Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century Decades: 30s - 40s - 50s - 60s - 70s - 80s - 90s - 100s - 110s - 120s - 130s 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 Note: Sometimes 80s is used as shorthand for the 1980s, the 1880s, or other such decades in different centuries. ... This article is about the band. ... For other bands named The Scorpions or other meanings of scorpion, see scorpion. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... This article is about the band. ... Dokken is an American metal band which was formed in 1976. ... Dio is a heavy metal band led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who formed it in October 1982 after leaving Black Sabbath. ...

Revival and influence

Although classic metal went into regression as a commercially viable entity in the late 90s, there has been several bands who have tried to revive the feeling of the era, or alternatively have incorporated elements of classic metal into their music. Many bands, who came after the classic metal era had ended, played music akin to one genre, with heavy influence from classic metal. Iced Earth, Warrior Soul and Stratovarius being prominent among them. Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band that combines influences from thrash metal, power metal, progressive metal, opera, Speed metal and NWOBHM. In 1999 their leader and songwriter Jon Schaffer teamed up with Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kürsch to form a side project called Demons & Wizards. ... Warrior Soul is an American hard rock / punk band formed in 1988 by lead singer Kory Clarke, guitarist John Ricco, bassist Pete McLanahan, and drummer Paul Ferguson (later replaced by Mark Evans and then Scott Duboys). ... Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band, formed in 1984, still active today. ...

Classic metal artists

Accept was a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled in the early 1970s by Udo Dirkschneider. ... Alice Cooper (born February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed in 1967 and still active in 2007. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Def Leppard are an English hard rock band from Sheffield who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. ... Diamond Head Diamond Head are a British heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. ... Dio is a heavy metal band led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who formed it in October 1982 after leaving Black Sabbath. ... This article is about the band. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1972 (see 1972 in music). ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York, which formed in 1980. ... Michael Schenker (born January 10, 1955) is a German hard rock and heavy metal guitarist and former member of UFO and a founding member of Scorpions and the Michael Schenker Group (M.S.G). ... This article is about the band. ... Ozzy redirects here. ... Queensrÿche (pronounced IPA: ) is a heavy/progressive metal band formed in 1981 in Bellevue, Washington, near Seattle. ... This article is about Ritchie Blackmores band. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Savatage is a progressive heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979. ... Saxon are a British heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. ... For other bands named The Scorpions or other meanings of scorpion, see scorpion. ... Thin Lizzy are a hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. ... Bernie Bonvoisin (left) and Norbert Krief (right) Trust was a famous hard rock band seen by many in its early years as the French AC/DC. // Band history Trust was founded in 1977 by: Bernard Bernie Bonvoisin (vocals, lyricist) Norbert Nono Krief (guitar, composer) Raymond Ray Manna (bass guitar) Jean... Trouble is an American (proto) Doom Metal band noted for their slow (by 80s standards), heavy albums such as their 1984 debut Trouble (later Psalm 9) The Skull (1985) and others. ... This article is about the rock band. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (IPA pronunciation: //) (born Lars Johann Yngve Lannerbäck, June 30, 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, composer and bandleader. ...

Related genres

• Heavy metal
• Hard rock
• Power metal
• NWOBHM
• Speed metal
• Glam metal
• Thrash metal

“Heavy metal” redirects here. ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an epic feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. ... The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) emerged in the late 70s, in part a reaction to the contemporary decline of traditional heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, all three of which had been submerged by a mixture of personal problems, tiredness and... Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When Speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ...

See also

• Timeline of heavy metal