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, and Deep Purple while keeping their melodic ideas. Speed Metal can find its significant beginnings with NWOBHM bands. 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... Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... 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. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Led Zeppelin were an English rock band that formed in September 1968. ... This article is about the rock band. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Many speed metal bands also ostensibly fall within the categories of other heavy metal sub-genres, typically Thrash metal and Power metal^[3]. This is mainly due to the influence speed metal had on the development of these genres, although it should also be mentioned that the term 'Speed metal' was used by some Glam metal and New Wave of British Heavy Metal groups during the 1980s. Many Japanese bands from the 1980s to the present can also be described as speed metal, largely due to the success of X Japan. 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. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... X Japan, or X which was their initial name, was a Japanese Visual kei band, the brainchild of Yoshiki (Yoshiki Hayashi). ...

History

Origins

The exact origin of speed metal is difficult to pinpoint mainly because it was never fully established as a sub-genre of heavy metal until the early 1980s. However, many consider the earliest speed metal song to be Deep Purple's Highway Star from their 1972 album Machine Head. This article is about the rock band. ... Highway Star is one of British rock group Deep Purples most famous songs. ... Machine Head is the third Mk II (sixth overall) Deep Purple studio album. ...

There were earlier efforts with a similar style including Black Sabbath's Paranoid from their 1970 album Paranoid and also Deep Purple's Speed King from their 1970 album In Rock and Fireball from their 1971 album Fireball. For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Paranoid is a song by Black Sabbath that appears on the bands breakthrough album Paranoid. ... Paranoid is the second album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and contains some of their most famous work, including the songs Iron Man, War Pigs, and the title track Paranoid. ... Deep Purple in Rock is a hard rock album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in 1970. ... Fireball is a hard rock album by Deep Purple. ...

However, it was Highway Star that introduced into heavy metal both the extreme speed of the single-note riffing and the complex guitar and keyboard solos (performed by Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord respectively) borrowed from progressive rock of the 1970s, but heavily influenced by classical music. These features commonly went on to be associated with more modern metal genres, but at the time, was typical of speed metal. Richard Hugh Blackmore, (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist. ... Jon Douglas Lord (born Leicester 9 June 1941) is an English composer, Hammond organ and piano player. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... A number of overlapping heavy metal genres have developed since the emergence of heavy metal in the late 1960s. ...

Evolution of speed metal

Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith

Although Judas Priest did not release a full on speed metal album until their 1990 album Painkiller, many of their early albums contained speed metal songs. One example is the song "Exciter" from their 1978 album Stained Class. These songs had tremendous impact on the speed metal explosion in the 1980s. File links The following pages link to this file: No Sleep til Hammersmith ... File links The following pages link to this file: No Sleep til Hammersmith ... Motörhead are a Grammy Award-winning British heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy (real name Ian Kilmister), who has remained the sole constant member. ... No Sleep til Hammersmith was Motörheads first live album. ... Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. ... Painkiller is a 1990 gold-certifed album of British heavy metal band Judas Priest. ... Stained Class is the fourth album by the British heavy metal group Judas Priest, released in 1978. ...

Motörhead added primitive speed metal elements to their brand of heavy metal since their inception in mid-1970s, later quickly evolving and developing their characteristic speed metal style with classic releases such as 1979 album Overkill and yet another one, Ace Of Spades, released the following year. Eponymous song "Overkill" from the former is among the first examples of steady and fast double bass drum track used in a metal song, with technique soon becoming common for diverse metal genres. Motörhead are a Grammy Award-winning British heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy (real name Ian Kilmister), who has remained the sole constant member. ... Overkill is the second album released by Motörhead, in 1979, and their first for Bronze Records. ... Ace of Spades is the fourth album by the British speed metal band Motörhead. ... Overkill is a song by the hevay metal band Motörhead. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bass drum. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ...

Newer bands also began to emerge on the scene. The NWOBHM movement had reached its zenith at this stage and many bands embraced speed metal, notably Venom, who combined Motörhead's style with a raw, harsh atmosphere. NWOBHM bands such as Iron Maiden and Raven produced a number of speed metal songs as well. In particular, "Aces High", and "Invaders" by the former. 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 or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Raven is a band associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, that formed in 1975. ... Aces High is a song written by Steve Harris. ...

The German heavy metal band Accept also introduced speed metal elements into their sound at the start of the decade. The song "Fast As A Shark" on their 1982 album Restless and Wild is an example of Accept's speed metal ideas, and is also notable for fast double bass drumming. Accept's influence on the German heavy metal scene was unquestionably huge. Bands such as Running Wild, Grave Digger, Helloween, Rage and Paradox built upon the fast tempos of Accept to form the foundations of German speed metal. Accept was a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled in the early 1970s by Udo Dirkschneider. ... Restless And Wild is the fourth album by the German metal band Accept, which was released in 1982. ... Running Wild is one of a few German heavy metal bands to emerge in the early/mid 1980s (along with Helloween, Gamma Ray, Rage, Blind Guardian, Grave Digger, etc). ... Grave Digger is a German power metal/speed metal band formed in the mid 1980s. ... Helloween is a German power/speed metal band founded in the early 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. ... Rage is a heavy metal band from Germany, currently consisting of Peter Peavy Wagner (Bass, Vocals), Victor Smolski (Guitar), and Mike Terrana (Drums). ...

Judas Priest – Painkiller

Bands who would later develop into thrash originally had their music deeply rooted in speed metal. Slayer’s debut album Show No Mercy, Metallica's debut album Kill 'Em All, Anthrax’s debut album Fistful of Metal, Megadeth's debut album Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! and Overkill’s debut album Feel the Fire, as well as many other early albums by thrash metal bands, contained speed metal elements (inspired by the NWOBHM) that were combined with archetypical thrash metal riffs. These bands would eventually allow thrash motifs to dominate their music resulting in the thrash metal explosion of the mid 80s. Cover of the Judas Priest album Painkiller (1990). ... Cover of the Judas Priest album Painkiller (1990). ... Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. ... Painkiller is a 1990 gold-certifed album of British heavy metal band Judas Priest. ... Slayer is an American thrash metal band founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. ... Show No Mercy is the debut album by the thrash metal band Slayer, which was released in December 1983 through Metal Blade Records. ... 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. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Fistful of Metal is the name of the debut album by the band Anthrax. ... Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... Killing Is My Business. ... Overkill is one of the first Thrash Metal bands, formed in the early 1980s in New Jersey (but often attributed to New York City), and very active ever since. ... Feel the Fire was an album by thrash metal legends Overkill, released by Megaforce records in 1985. ...

However, several bands concentrated on refining their speed metal sound instead of veering in this new musical direction. Notable examples include Agent Steel and Exciter, two bands who, at the time, chose to remain speed metal. Agent Steel are a speed metal band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1984 by the brazilian singer John Cyriis and the drummer Chuck Profus. ... Exciter is a heavy metal band from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ...

After their speed metal debut Walls of Jericho, Helloween slowly paved the way for what power metal would ultimately become with the release of the albums Keeper of the Seven Keys, Parts I and II, in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Modulation and tempo changes suddenly became prominent in several songs with alternations between fast dynamic sections and slower, and therefore more atmospheric, ones. Epic passages were introduced and the general intensity was toned down. Walls Of Jericho is the first full length album by the power metal band Helloween. ...

In 1990, Judas Priest released the album Painkiller, which served to epitomize the speed metal genre. Instead of blending together several different musical ideas, the band opted to create an entire album dedicated to speed metal. Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. ... Painkiller is a 1990 gold-certifed album of British heavy metal band Judas Priest. ...

Speed metal today

Today, speed metal is vastly less popular as an art form than it was in the 1980s. The most notable speed metal bands are those who have continued to produce speed metal to this day, and more modern bands who draw most of their influence from Judas Priest’s Painkiller album. Notable modern bands that play speed metal are Gamma Ray, releasing the album Powerplant in 1999, Iron Savior, Rage, Agent Steel, Cage, Temple of Blood, and Primal Fear. Gamma Ray is a power metal band from north of Germany, founded by former Helloween guitarist, singer and songwriter Kai Hansen. ... Powerplant is the 6th full-length album from the German power metal band, Gamma Ray, released in 1999. ... Iron Savior is a German power metal band formed by Piet Sielck, with a science-fiction theme to their writing. ... Rage is a heavy metal band from Germany, currently consisting of Peter Peavy Wagner (Bass, Vocals), Victor Smolski (Guitar), and Mike Terrana (Drums). ... Agent Steel are a speed metal band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1984 by the brazilian singer John Cyriis and the drummer Chuck Profus. ... Cage is an American heavy metal band from San Diego, California. ... Temple of Blood is an American Christian metal band. ... Primal Fear is a German power metal/heavy metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers (Vocals/Ex-Gamma Ray), Mat Sinner ( Bass and Vocals/SINNER), Stefan Leibing and Tom Naumann (Guitars). ...

As speed metal was the vanguard for what would eventually become power metal and thrash metal, significant overlap between genres is often encountered in bands that are said to be rooted predominantly in speed metal. This sometimes leads to confounding views with respect to the genre. The most common mistake is using the terms Speed metal and Thrash metal interchangeably. While the two are undeniably related to one another, both exhibit verifiable and definitive character traits that serve to differentiate them. 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 albums

Some examples of speed metal albums include:

• Accept's Breaker
• Agent Steel’s Unstoppable Force
• Anthrax’s Fistful of Metal
• Blind Guardian's Battalions of Fear
• Bulldozer’s The Day of Wrath
• Deliverance's Weapons of Our Warfare
• Exciter’s Heavy Metal Maniac
• Flotsam and Jetsam's Doomsday for the Deceiver
• Gamma Ray’s Powerplant
• Grave Digger’s The Reaper
• Helloween’s Walls Of Jericho
• Iced Earth's Iced Earth
• Iron Angel’s Hellish Crossfire
• Judas Priest's Painkiller
• Lamb of God's Ashes of the Wake
• Megadeth's Rust In Peace
• Metallica's Kill 'Em All
• Motörhead's Ace of Spades
• Rage’s Perfect Man
• Razor’s Executioner's Song
• Riot’s Thundersteel
• Running Wild’s Gates To Purgatory
• Savage Grace’s Master of Disguise
• Slayer's Show No Mercy
• S.D.I.'s ALL 3 ALBUMS
• Temple of Blood's Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
• X Japan’s Blue Blood

Accept was a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled in the early 1970s by Udo Dirkschneider. ... Breaker is the third album released by the Speed Metal band Accept. ... Agent Steel are a speed metal band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1984 by the brazilian singer John Cyriis and the drummer Chuck Profus. ... Unstoppable Force is the second album (and third release) from the US speed metal band Agent Steel. ... Fistful of Metal is the name of the debut album by the band Anthrax. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Battalions of Fear is the debut album by German metal band Blind Guardian. ... Bulldozer was a black metal / thrash metal band from Italy. ... The Exorcism Cut-throat Insurrection of the Living Damned Fallen Angel The Great Deceiver Mad Man Whisky Time Welcome Death Endless Funeral Categories: | | | | | | ... Deliverance is an American Christian Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, and Power Metal band which later shifted into more of a Progressive Metal outfit that is led and was founded by Jimmy P. Brown II in 1985. ... Weapons of Our Warfare is an album released by the Christian Speed/Thrash metal band Deliverance and is considered by many to be one of the best of their career. ... Exciter is a heavy metal band from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ... Flotsam and Jetsam is a thrash metal band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1983. ... Doomsday for the Deceiver is the debut album by Flotsam and Jetsam. ... Gamma Ray is a power metal band from north of Germany, founded by former Helloween guitarist, singer and songwriter Kai Hansen. ... Powerplant is the 6th full-length album from the German power metal band, Gamma Ray, released in 1999. ... Grave Digger is a German power metal/speed metal band formed in the mid 1980s. ... Grave Digger begun a new era, got new life with this album. ... Helloween is a German power/speed metal band founded in the early 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. ... Walls Of Jericho is the first full length album by the power metal band Helloween. ... Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band that combines influences from thrash metal, power metal, progressive 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. ... Iced Earth is the eponymous debut album by Iced Earth. ... Iron Angel is a speed metal band from Germany that was active during the mid 1980s. ... Hellish Crossfire is an album by the German musical group Iron Angel, released in 1985. ... Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. ... For other uses of painkiller, see painkiller (disambiguation) An analgesic (colloquially known as painkiller) is any member of the diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain. ... Brass Agnus Dei from altar-front in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville, Kentucky Lamb of God (Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian tradition. ... Ashes of the Wake is Lamb of Gods third full length studio recording, released in 2004, just one year after their previous release, As the Palaces Burn. ... Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... Rust in Peace is the fourth album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. ... 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. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motörhead are a Grammy Award-winning British heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy (real name Ian Kilmister), who has remained the sole constant member. ... Ace of Spades is the fourth album by the British speed metal band Motörhead. ... Rage is a heavy metal band from Germany, currently consisting of Peter Peavy Wagner (Bass, Vocals), Victor Smolski (Guitar), and Mike Terrana (Drums). ... The Razor logo Razor is a Canadian thrash metal band formed in 1984 at Guelph, Ontario The group shot music videos for songs such as Evil Invaders, Shotgun Justice, American Luck, and Sucker for Punishment. The band dissolved in 1992, but reformed in the late 1990s to record another album... Executioners Song is the first studio LP released by Canadian speed/thrash metal band Razor in 1985. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Riot discography. ... Running Wild is one of a few German heavy metal bands to emerge in the early/mid 1980s (along with Helloween, Gamma Ray, Rage, Blind Guardian, Grave Digger, etc). ... Gates to Purgatory is the first album by Running Wild. ... Savage Grace is a 2007 film starring Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane and Eddie Redmayne. ... Master of Disguise is a movie released in 2002 starring Dana Carvey, James Brolin and Brent Spiner. ... Slayer is an American thrash metal band founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. ... Show No Mercy is the debut album by the thrash metal band Slayer, which was released in December 1983 through Metal Blade Records. ... Should not be confused with Strategic Defense Initiative S.D.I. was a German speed metal band. ... Temple of Blood is an American Christian metal band. ... Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind is the 2005 debut album by the Christian Speed/Thrash metal band Temple of Blood. ... X Japan, or X which was their initial name, was a Japanese Visual kei band, the brainchild of Yoshiki (Yoshiki Hayashi). ... Blue Blood was the second album, and major label debut of the Japanese music band X Japan. ...

References

1. ^ Genres & Styles. www.antenna.nu. Retrieved on December 14, 2006..
2. ^ Speed metal rock history. www.silver-dragon-records.com. Retrieved on December 14, 2006..
3. ^ History of Power Metal. www.geocities.com. Retrieved on December 14, 2006..

is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of speed metal bands
• Thrash metal