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The Evolution of instruments in Metal Music 



     Metal music in the twenty-first century has vastly changed since the start of metal. The Metal genre mainly began in the 70s with a band called Black Sabbath including the members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Lommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. Though other bands were considered 'rock', the low and dark tuning of the guitar providing in Black Sabaths songs began a new world of sound for other bands to explore. Many fans were interested in this new genre which was unlike anything they've ever heard. Black Sabbath is one of the first ever true metal bands and helped influence the upcoming future of music. In the 80s, many new bands formed taking on the sound and tone of Black Sabbath like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Because of Black Sabbath, metal expanded using heavier sounds, heavier vocals, and different stage performance. 

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (HQ) - YouTube   'Paranoid' -Black Sabbath Released in Uk, 1970

Beat

    The beat in the song Paranoid is 164 BPM. Many songs of Black sabbath used a beat tempo around 100-200. Though, compared to many newer metal bands, the beat is slower and softer sounding. Around the first 10 seconds you can hear the guitar aligning with the drums creating a small interval of no notes being played. Attempting to compare Black Sabath to any other bands before them, you can almost clearly hear the heavier distortion in the guitars and steady beat that also syncs with the guitar. Black Sabbath helped create a whole new way of playing guitar. 

Lyrics

    The difference in lyrics and vocals brought much change to the metal industry. Black Sabbath commonly spoke on war, love, and religion which truly showed other bands that they can also sing what they desire. Black Sabbath revolutionized all aspects of metal by being different from other well-known bands. Most metal bands today adopted screaming as a way of expressing their lyrics. In the song Paranoid, Ozzy speaks simply on a man being paranoid in life. 






    In the 90s is where metal bands truly started to arise. A band called Death is considered one of the first ever bands to adapt to screaming/growl in their vocals. Around this time is when metal really continued into a variation of change. Once singers realized you don't just need to sing vocals but can use gutturals, fry screams, pig squeals, and growls is when metal truly began to change. The tone of distortion and guitar became deeper, and the beat of the drums became faster. 


Killswitch Engage - In Due Time [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - YouTube     'In due time' -Killswitch Engage Released in Massachusetts, 2013


   Lyrics

    There are now different types of classifications for metal bands to establish their sound tone and lyrics. Bands can be titled Black metal, death metal, white metal, prog metal etc. The song In Due Time embraces the scream vocals of Jesse Leach. The vocals in this song compared to 'Paranoid' is completely different. Ozzy maintains the steady singing voice while Jesse is using screams. The intensity of metal kept advancing which shows the impact Black Sabbath had on being responsible for the start of metal. 

   Range

    A major difference in both these songs is the range of instruments. The tone and sound of the distortion guitar in Black Sabbath has a lighter sound compared to Killswitch Engage. The range tends to sound darker and deeper but there are still some bands that use the lighter distortion. The goal for the more common metal is to be heavier and more sinister sounding. The range from the decades of metal has drastically changed through bands attempt to create something new. 




    

    In my opinion, I am grateful for the drastic change in music because it provides a broad variety for listeners to enjoy. I am not surprised that metal has changed so much through the years, mainly for the reason of increase in technology and new sound discovrery. Metal started from normal singing and electric guitars to become screaming with heavy distortion guitarists and fast double kicking drums. 



'The History of Heavy Metal Guitar' - Marko Jovanovik, 2020
'A brief History of Metal' - Jeffrey Pearlin, 2014











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