F E A T U R E

New Maximum Metal Column: Reminiscing on The Golden Age of Heavy Metal
1/26/2015 6:17:12 PM by Frank Hill






Heavy metal cut its teeth (and fingers) in the steel mills and factories of Birmingham, England in the 60s. Metal clanging and hammers banging echoed through the industrial parks and streets as our godfather, Tony Iommi, created and perfected metallic excellence in one fell swoop.

Out of the 60s, the highway star burned, elevated by the sad wings of destiny on through the night. From the mid-70s, bands like Saxon, Maiden and Raven etched their hallowed names in that NWOBHM movement. The 80s beckoned big hair and loud mouths, the prerequisite for anyone patrolling downtown Strips at Sunset. It's so easy to place bands, styles and movements in little baskets through metal's first three decades. Anyone can do it; create charts and graphs and even documentaries about metal's triumphant decades of decadence.

But the 90s...oh the dreadful 90s…that is when things got extremely dense. Gone are the easy categories, metal's Dewey Decimal System of easily finding rock, metal, country and pop in the record and CD bins under said genre. The insurgence of grunge and alternative superimposed itself on metal's OCD grouping of the denims, leathers and polyesters. Now we have a whole new level of excitement, along with a new level of groans from the die-hard traditionalists.

Metal wasn't so easy now.

Read Eric's thoughts on 40+ years of metal here…[Full Column Link]



<< back >>






RANDOM ACTS OF METAL
· Cathedral· The Kovenant
· Scanner· The Great Deceiver
· Vehemence· Grave
· Children Of Bodom· Immolation
· Disturbed· Twelfth Gate
· Stratovarius· Machine Head
· Norma Jean· Vaginal Carnage
· Agoraphobic Nosebleed· Masterplan
· Firewind· Wizard
· Powergod· Dr. Butcher
· Cage· Alchemy X
· Johnny Lokke· Endless Time
· Saint· Iced Earth
· The Graveyard Boulevard· Wycked Synn
· Morbid Angel· Sludge!
· Mnemic· Vhaldemar
· Silent Scythe· Hypocrisy
· Pink Cream 69· Brides of Destruction
· Asperity· Hard Echo
· Tesla· Fear Factory
· Funerus· Construcdead
· Bang The Union· Leash Law
· David Shankle Group· Metalium
· Gary Moore· Skeletonwitch
· Saxon· I.C.E.
· Conquestador· Within Temptation
· Angra· Avenue F
· Rush· Twisted Sister
· Of Infinity· Audiovision
· Lost Soul· Requiem Aeternam
· Soilwork· Hibria
· Tarot· Diecast
· Kaamos· Severe Torture
· Oathean· Bleed The Sky
· Soul SirkUS· Operatika
· Swallow The Sun· Strapping Young Lad
· Ignitor· Callenish Circle
· Sinisthra· Babylon
· Grand Magus· Ivory Knight
· Agents Of Man· Dynamic Lights
· Secrets She Kept· Nightvision
· Fates Warning· Devil Lee Rot
· Love Forsaken· Impaled Nazarene
· Sheavy· Morgana Lefay
· Edenbridge· Scar Symmetry
· Octavia Sperati· Redemption
· Dirty Americans· The Firstborn
· Arthemis· Paths Of Possession
· Damnation· Urizen
· Midnight Idols· Detonation
· Taunusheim· Insense
· Grimfist· Brother Hawk
· Mental Care Foundation· Thryfing
· Blackmore's Night· Poison
· Ephel Duath· 286
· Daylight Dies· Valhalla
· Vore· Silver Dirt
· Candlemass· Bludgeon
· Stormcrow· Before Silence
· Suzukiton· Dendura
· Mouth of the Architect· Woodtemple
· Hurt· Death Breath
· Jeff Walker und Die Fluffers· Abominant
· Pretty Maids· Belphegor
· Zoroaster· Semargl
· Isis· Mastodon
· Teeth of the Hydra· Eighteen Visions
· Cult of Daath· Cheva
· Starkweather· Centinex
· Phazm· Twisted Into Form
· Warmachine· With Passion
· Omnium Gatherum· Incrave
· White Wizzard· Satariel
· Hacride· Nominon
· Wuthering Heights· Malevolent Creation
· Faith And Fire· Pathosray
· Glenn Hughes· Orthodox
· Ride The Sky· Rosetta
· Virgin Black· Iron Fire
· UFOmammut· Faded Hope
· Eighteen Wheels Burning· Something Beautiful
· Battleroar· Suffocation
· Dark Castle