Heavy Metal

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Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre 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 psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo.

The first heavy metal bands (Proto) such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple attracted large audiences, though they were often critically reviled, a status common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970s Judas Priest helped spur the genre’s evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM) 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”.

Visit the NWoBHM sub-genre page for more details on this particular music movement.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Heavy_Metal

Inclusive Traditional Heavy Metal Genres

Melodic Metal is often short for Melodic Heavy Metal and as such is usually included under Traditional Heavy Metal on the MMA. On rare occasions Melodic Metal releases may also be included under Power Metal however, such as Arven's Black is the Colour (2013).

Sub-genre collaborators (+ child sub-genres & shared with Hard Rock and Glam Metal):

666sharon666 (Leader)

heavy metal top albums

Showing only albums and EPs | Based on members ratings & MMA custom algorithm | 24 hours caching

Paranoid
BLACK SABBATH
4.52 | 240 ratings

Powerslave
IRON MAIDEN
4.50 | 251 ratings

Rising
RAINBOW
4.50 | 167 ratings

JUDAS PRIEST Sad Wings Of Destiny Album Cover

Sad Wings Of Destiny
JUDAS PRIEST
4.46 | 167 ratings

IRON MAIDEN Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Album Cover

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
IRON MAIDEN
4.42 | 220 ratings

IRON MAIDEN The Number Of The Beast Album Cover

The Number Of The Beast
IRON MAIDEN
4.39 | 224 ratings

Curse & Chapter
HELL
4.74 | 18 ratings

BLACK SABBATH Master Of Reality Album Cover

Master Of Reality
BLACK SABBATH
4.38 | 199 ratings

BLACK SABBATH Heaven And Hell Album Cover

Heaven And Hell
BLACK SABBATH
4.37 | 165 ratings

IRON MAIDEN Somewhere In Time Album Cover

Somewhere In Time
IRON MAIDEN
4.36 | 193 ratings

Holy Diver
DIO
4.35 | 140 ratings

BLACK SABBATH Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Album Cover

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
BLACK SABBATH
4.34 | 170 ratings

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heavy metal online videos

W.A.S.P. – Live at The Lyceum 1984 Full Concert
W.A.S.P.
UMUR

Faceless Enemy - Voices [Official Video]
FACELESS ENEMY
Bosh66

Secret Society The Serpent Official Video (feat guest artists Mark Boals,Joe Basketts,Paul Sabu)
SECRET SOCIETY
Bosh66

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heavy metal New Releases

Here Be Dragons
Album
AVANTASIA

heavy metal Music Reviews

ABSOLUTE POWER Absolute Power

Album · 2011 · Heavy Metal

UMUR

"Absolute Power" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by UK heavy metal act Absolute Power. The album was released through FETO Records in May 2011. Absolute Power was formed in 2006 by a prolific bunch of UK heavy metal scene musicians/producers. It´s a supergroup featuring bassist Shane Embury (Napalm rhythm guitarist Mitch Harris (Napalm Death, Bent Sea, Brujeria, Venomous Concept...etc.), Brave the Cold, Defecation, Righteous Pigs...etc.), rhythm guitarst John Walker (Cancer, Liquid Graveyard), rhythm guitarist Russ Russell (Tronos), lead guitarist Paul Harrington (Danmaku, Terrible Claw...etc.), drummer Iean Treacy (Benediction, Meathook Seed), and lead vocalist Simon Efemey (producer & engineer who has worked with among others Napalm Death, Paradise Lost, and Pitchshifter).

Most of the guys involved are predominantly known for their involvement in the UK extreme metal scene and most of the above mentioned artists fall into that catagory, but "Absolute Power" is something far removed from the extreme metal scene, as it´s instead an old school 80s influenced heavy metal release greatly influenced by artists like Saxon and especially Judas Priest (take a listen to "Raging Pursuer", which could just as well have been a Judas Priest song). It´s all well performed and especially Efemey stands out as a capable vocalist performing raw heavy metal singing (and choirs/harmonies) and he is occasionally flanked by previous Judas Priest vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens who delivers high pitched screaming vocals. Harrington deserves a mention too for his blistering lead work.

The songwriting is solid and the listener is treated to both raging heavy metal tracks and heavier mid-paced epic tracks. You won´t hear anything here you haven´t heard before, but I´m pretty sure that´s part of the plan. These guys just wanted to make a traditional heavy metal album and if that was the purpose they succeed pretty well. To my ears the sound production is maybe a bit too polished and clear and some parts lacking a bit of power and rawness, but if you enjoy your traditional heavy metal with a clear and polished sound production and featuring a melodic orientation "Absolute Power" could be your poison. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

3 days ago
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Report #884101

W.A.S.P. Inside the Electric Circus

Album · 1986 · Heavy Metal

UMUR

"Inside the Electric Circus" is the third full-length studio album by US heavy metal act W.A.S.P.. The album was released through Capitol Records in November 1986. It´s the successor to "The Last Command" from November 1985 and features one lineup change as guitarist and founding member Randy Piper has left to join L.A. Guns. Lead vocalist Blackie Lawless has taken over the rhythm guitar role, giving up his bassist role to new member Johnny Rod.

Stylistically the material on "Inside the Electric Circus" are a direct successor the hard rock/heavy rock sound of the two preceding albums. Not much have been changed here and it´s still lead vocalist Blackie Lawless and his rough voice and screaming delivery which take center stage in the soundscape...and that´s a good thing, because the instrumental part of the music really isn´t that interesting. The hard rocking riffs are relatively uninspired and the vers/chorus format of the songs make them predictable and formulaic. That is not unusual for this type of music, but when the riffs aren´t more memorable and sharp than they are here, the vers/chorus format becomes tedious and the songs a little hard to get through. It has often been said by the band themselves that they were burnt out and not particularly inspired while writing and recording the material for "Inside the Electric Circus", but while it may not be their most inspired effort, the quality of this album isn´t far behind the two preceding albums. So that probably says more about the general quality of W.A.S.P.´s music from this era, than it does about this particular release.

For the time it was released "Inside the Electric Circus" features a relatively well sounding production job. It could have been more powerful and more heavy, and they could have chosen a better sounding drum production and less reverb on everything, but I write that down to the production choices of the day, as many other releases from this era sounds a lot like this one. So upon conclusion "Inside the Electric Circus" may be a bit of a run-of-the-mill type album from W.A.S.P., where they didn´t mess around with the successful formula of the first two albums, but it´s still a decent quality release and a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

8 days ago
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Report #884005

FOZZY Boombox

Album · 2022 · Heavy Metal

martindavey87

‘Boombox’ is the eighth studio album by American hard rockers Fozzy. Released in 2022 and coming off of the huge success of their 2017 release, ‘Judas’, the band, who have been on a constant upward trajectory since their 1999 conception, have played it pretty safe with this one, and followed in the same vein as their previous album.

The brainchild of wrestling superstar Chris Jericho (the best in the world at what he does), and Stuck Mojo mastermind (and my hetero man-crush) Rich Ward, I don’t think anyone back in 1999 would have expected the band to still be around doing this as long as they have been. But they’ve overcome comedy cover band antics, being named after one of the Muppets, and being more than simply “Chris Jericho’s band” to become a very legit, very authentic group of musicians.

But while the last few albums have been absolute bangers, it feels with ‘Boombox’ the songs just aren’t all up to par. And I don’t mean that to sound horrible (and I don’t want to make the list!!!), because Fozzy are one of my all-time favourite bands! Literally every album they’ve released has been of exceptional quality, and while this one certainly has its moments, I do find myself preferring to go back to any of their previous outings instead.

Still, the likes of ‘Sane’, ‘Nowhere to Run’, ‘I Still Burn’, ‘My Great Wall’ and ‘Purifier’ are all remarkable songs, and with an excellent production and a pretty sick sleeve artwork, this is still a very solid album. And while it may not their best, it’s still definitely worth owning for rock and metal fans, and plenty worthy of the name Fozzy.

18 days ago
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Report #883810

IRON MAIDEN Brave New World

Album · 2000 · Heavy Metal

SilentScream213

Like so many Metal bands that faced immense success in the 80’s, Iron Maiden fell victim to turmoil, stumbling and inconsistency in the 90’s. Lineup changes mixed with stylistic experimentation and lack of direction lead to one of the most legendary and beloved Metal bands falling to their knees, failing to keep up with trends while also failing to appease their own fanbase. It’s a story shared by many of the best bands from their era.

At the turn of the century, something changed in Metal. It seemed like older bands realized they don’t need to pretend anymore; they don’t need to chase trends or change styles to appease new crowds. They just need to be themselves and do what they do best. And Maiden were one of the very first bands to realize this, wasting no time in getting Bruce back, returning to their classic 80’s style, and dropping one of the very finest Heavy Metal albums in the first year of the new century.

Brave New World is an exceedingly epic affair with 3 tracks well over the 8-minute mark. And yet, it never overstays its welcome, never feels overlong. How do they manage this? Quite plainly, every minute of every song here is full of carefully crated instrumentation, with wonderful guitar lines weaving between rich and interesting rhythm lines, the only breaks in dense instrumentation being when Bruce’s voice is given center stage to belt out fantastic choruses. Most of the songs here have multiple passages, taking elements from their more Progressive era, but the instrumentation itself is not overly complex or technical; rather, the songs are progressive in that they take you on journeys through different scenes and landscapes, again maintaining a constant interest factor despite the long track lengths.

I have to give some credit to the previous effort, Virtual XI. Of course I have already claimed I find it to be quite an underrated piece on its own, but I think this album puts it into even greater context. Virtual XI was the band’s return to their pure Prog-tinged Heavy Metal after the inconsistency of the other 90’s records. For some reason, Iron Maiden seemed like they forgot how to properly write long songs or something on Virtual XI, but it was very clearly the first step in getting back to who they really were. Brave New World here was them re-finding themselves fully, in all their glory. And of course, a part of that success is the return of Bruce, who is just an absolute powerhouse of a vocalist, both in ability and in his skill of crafting fantastic vocal melodies. A magnificent return to form for the band.

19 days ago
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Report #883759

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Stronger Than Death

Album · 2000 · Heavy Metal

SilentScream213

An exemplary specimen of fully realized Southern Metal, embodying all the influences of the genre strongly. The eclectic nature of this album is its strongest suit, touching upon many different styles yet always within the singular umbrella of Southern Metal and keeping that sludgy, worn-out cowboy aesthetic integral to the genre.

The guitar playing stands out most, and the majority of the songs are entirely led by layered guitarwork, with rhythm and vocals playing second fiddle. There’s a good variety in guitar playing styles as well, with Southern Rock leads, Groove chugs, Heavy Metal riffs and nice acoustic finger plucking for the more somber cowboy numbers.

The huge problem with this album is the mood and actual melodies. The mood of this album can generally be described as “I’m a tough guy, watch out for me” and the melodies to these songs don’t evoke anything at all, they’re just stock riffs. The whole album gives me the sense that I would not enjoy spending time with people who write or enjoy this kind of music. The vocals have a really annoying southern drawl yarl to them as well, only adding insult to injury with the embarrassingly juvenile lyricism. The rhythm section never does anything interesting either, which is a big negative for me.

The tracks that evade those issues are best. “Rust” actually has some atmosphere to it, being a more somber, mostly acoustic track with some electric guitars adding very good underlying harmonies.

I can see it as a fun album with some tasty guitarwork, but it’s painfully shallow.

19 days ago
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Report #883703

heavy metal movie reviews

BLACK SABBATH Never Say Die: Live In 1978

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal

martindavey87

This DVD is basically a quick and easy, one hour run through of some of Sabbath’s biggest hits. Short and sweet. Originally filmed in 1978, and you can tell, the picture is rough around the edges, and the sound is audible, but certainly not great. Overall though, I find the band pretty boring live. Maybe it’s just that I didn’t grow up with Sabbath, but they literally play their hits and that’s the end of it. You don’t really see the audience, and the visuals are very dated. It’s cool to see them perform some classics though, such as ‘Snowblind’, ‘Paranoid, ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Black Sabbath’, but seeing as this is such a short performance and there’s no extras on the DVD, I’d say this is best left to the die-hard fans and collectors.

2 months ago
0 comments
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Report #882640

IRON MAIDEN Visions Of The Beast

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal

martindavey87

‘Visions of the Beast’ is a pretty extensive compilation of videos by British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden. Featuring over 30 music videos, as well as alternative, animated versions, and a number of interesting extras, there’s plenty of material here for fans to sink their teeth into.

Of course, the problem with such DVD’s is that they become outdated, with pretty much all of the material here being available on YouTube. But there’s no denying the quality of the music. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s Iron Maiden! One of the greatest metal bands of all time.

Featuring some classic metal anthems, such as ‘Run to the Hills’, ‘Aces High’, ‘The Trooper’, ‘Fear of the Dark’, ‘The Number of the Beast’, ‘Can I Play With Madness’, and countless others, despite being outdated, this is no-doubt a worthy addition to the collection.

3 months ago
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Report #882421

ANVIL Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Movie · 2009 · Heavy Metal

martindavey87

I can’t deny, I’d never heard of Anvil until this came out. Sure, okay, MAYBE I’d heard the name mentioned once or twice, without really giving it any attention. But regardless, this DVD was an eye-opener for me, and introduced me to one of the most influential, albeit, not very commercially successful, metal bands of the 1980’s.

Sadly, the tale of rock bands going from playing stadiums and arenas to working in school kitchens and call centres is commonplace these days. That’s just the sad reality of the music industry today. But with that said, this is a heartfelt story of a band, and in particular, a man (frontman Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow) who continues to persevere and not give up. Touring the world and playing to thous… well, dozens of people.

It’s this sincerity and persistence that makes this such an interesting, and heartbreaking, watch. I’ve since delved into the bands discography and would consider myself a fan, so the film has done its job, if nothing else, of getting the name Anvil out there to a wider audience.

3 months ago
3 comments
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Report #882243

FOZZY Unleashed, Uncensored, Unknown

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal

martindavey87

I’m totally unashamed about my love for this band and this DVD! Released in Fozzy’s early days when they were playing mostly covers, this is complete rock ‘n’ roll nonsense documenting how Fozzy created heavy metal and then signed a dodgy contract that left them stranded in Japan for twenty years!

The main documentary is hilarious. You can tell everyone is just having a blast filming it, and the added cameos from the likes of Zakk Wylde, Sebastian Bach and Mike Portnoy just add to this. And at barely a half an hour in duration, this main feature has plenty of replay value.

There’s an abundance of extras too, including more daft early Fozzy shenanigans as well as sincere and out-of-character footage too, showing that even in their early days this band possessed unlimited potential, but then, what would you expect when rap metal pioneers Stuck Mojo joined forces with wrestling icon Chris Jericho?

more than 2 years ago
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Report #623364

ACCEPT Restless & Live

Movie · 2017 · Heavy Metal

Kingcrimsonprog

Restless & Live is a concert release from the veteran German Heavy Metal legends Accept. It was released on Nuclear Blast Records in 2017 on several formats; such as a CD set with tracks taken from different concerts across the touring cycle for Blind Rage (their third studio album since being reinvigorated by the joining of new singer Mark Tornillo). It was also released as a Blu Ray of a single entire performance at 2015’s Bang Your Head Festival. If you’ve got a bit more money to splash out you can get a set with the Blu Ray and CD versions, or if you prefer DVDs that’s also an option.

My personal preference for concert movies or albums is that they come from on single concert not a mix of shows, and if available preferably on Blu Ray, so for me this was the version I went for and am most happy with. (which this review will be focusing on).

In terms of specs: The Blu Ray version is in 1080p with PCM Stereo and DTS HD Master 5.1 options, Region:All. There aren’t any bonus features. There’s a booklet with some photos but no linear notes.

So the main reason you are buying this disc is for the concert; which is about an hour and forty-five minutes of blistering classic Heavy Metal. The 18-song tracklisting is pretty heavily focused on the three Tornillo-era albums, with a few of the classic ’80s crowdpleasing tunes added in as well. So if you’ve already got the DVD that came with Blind Rage its still worth checking this out for the different tracklisting and higher production values. (The CD version of Restless & Wild contains 27 songs and more of a mix of material).

The tracklisting is: 1. Stampede 2. Stalingrad 3. London Leatherboys 4. Restless & Wild 5. Dying Breed 6. Final Journey 7. Shadow Soldiers 8. Losers & Winners 9. 200 Years 10. Midnite Mover 11. No Shelter 12. Princess Of The Dawn 14. Pandemic 15. Fast As A Shark 16. Metal Heart 17. Teutonic Terror 18. Balls To The Wall

The performance is tight and professional but still has that ‘live’ feeling and energy, it isn’t all sterile but it isn’t loose and sloppy either, its just right. They all give it gusto and look pretty into it. There’s no complaints on vocals, musicianship or song selection for me. Wolf Hoffman’s guitar solos are as entertaining as you would expect and there’s a fun bass versus guitar trade off section at one point. The camera work, editing, sound and mix are all solid. Nothing jarring or out of place, no sync issues, all instruments audible and in correct balance. The songs sound clear and yet muscular.

Its a pretty simple and honest affair. There’s no gimmicks here; no big show with giant robot crabs on stage or band members catching fire or shooting lazers out of their eyes, and there’s no life changing documentary, no animations weaved into the concert or anything… but if you want to buy an Accept live concert and watch songs like ‘Fast As A Shark’ and ‘Balls To The Wall’ played well by the new line-up and competently captured and prepared for home viewing then it is an absolutely fine product and I highly recommend it to fans of the band, especially to fans of the newer three albums. For me, watching songs like ‘No Shelter,’ ‘Stalingrad’ and ‘Pandemic’ belted out enthusiastically are worth the money.

If you are new to the band, this is a very strong starting place, (if not entirely representative of the overall discography) and if you are a fan already its a worthy addition to your collection.