By the late 1960s and early 1970s, heavy metal became an established genre of rock music with countries like the United Kingdom and United States paving the way for it to be a successful genre of rock music.
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple are known to be the pioneers of heavy metal. They were instrumental in spurring the evolution of this genre, and heavy metal gradually garnered the attention of the music industry. With the continuous rise of the genre and large audiences, people are left wondering the kind of impact heavy metal had on the world.
What is heavy metal about?
Heavy metal music is a sub-genre of rock music that includes different music styles. This type of music is known for its powerful rhythms, loud beats, heavy distortion and use of guitar and bass.
Although most of the songs under this genre tend to be loud, they are highly focused on their lyrics, and can be inspirational, celebratory, or even express dismay about various societal norms. In other words, heavy metal music tends to address topics of a dark nature like war, depression, and justice but it can also talk about lighter topics.
For example, Celtic metal and Power metal are two sub-genres of heavy metal that are typically concerned with mythology or fantasy and pass that through the lyrics of their songs. Heavy metal musicians also base their music on emotions that everyone has to deal with like anger, fear, sadness, and mistrust.
Heavy metal as a way of life
Because of its sound and sometimes aggressive lyrics, heavy metal has gotten a bad reputation over the years and is associated with rebellion and controversy but one aspect that no one can deny, is that it has a dedicated fan base. Metal fans otherwise known as metalheads, have developed a tight-knit community and subculture built around their love and appreciation for the genre of music.
They show their connection and love for heavy metal by massively attending metal concerts, and it is not surprising to see most metal head reflect the essence of the music through their clothing and general appearance.
In addition, the heavy metal subculture that has grown over the years, is characterized by reduced interest in material things, openness, and speaking out against the inadequacies of society. This means that people who live by this subculture, are usually known for their outspokenness and authenticity.
Its Aesthetic
Heavy metal music is associated with the typical heavy metal look with its leather jackets, black t-shirts, boots, sneakers, and other accessories, and this style combined with the popularity of heavy metal music raised a lot of curiosity about the genre from people.
The heavy metal music genre helped create an aesthetic identity of its own amongst artists and followers. Some of the iconic looks the genre gave birth to is one of the reasons why this genre is so popular. Take Rob Halford appearance at a concert in 1978 for example. Halford rode to the stage on top of a Harley in head-to-toe leather gear during the start of the concert and for years later it remained one of the most talked about fashion moments.
In addition, the ‘bad boy,’ ‘bad girl,’ look created by heavy metal was loved by many even by those who didn’t appreciate the genre. After all, who doesn’t like having a little bit of edge in their outfits.
Nowadays, you can find people wearing ripped jeans, t-shirts that we’re heavily inspired by heavy metal music and some designers fully embrace the theme in their collections. As an example, in 2016 during Paris Fashion Week, a designer called Denma Gvasalia released his collection that took heavy inspiration from heavy metal music. Also, bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath whose style are considered style icons by people who want to stay away from mainstream fashion.
Metal in Pop culture
Having been around since the 1960s, heavy metal was bound to have influence in different areas regardless of the public’s general opinion about it. For example, game developers have used heavy metal songs as soundtracks in many online video games and even in casino slot games, where you can play a heavy metal themed slot online game with a rocking soundtrack and amazing graphics.
In movies and books, there is no short supply of references to heavy metal as heavy metal songs are sometimes used as soundtracks in movies like Resident Evil. You can also see popular artists whose fashion sense, musical inspiration and stage designs have influence stemming from metal.
Conclusion
Although heavy metal music has been packed with controversies since it first burst onto the scene, there is no doubt that it has had a bit of influence in several areas like fashion and pop culture. As the popularity and influence of heavy metal continues to grow, we can only wait and see how much further this genre will evolve.
