MetalTalk.com

Heavy metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals. Metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these tropes. The typical band lineup includes a drummer, a bassist, a rhythm guitarist, a lead guitarist, and a singer, who may or may not be an instrumentalist. Acoustic keyboards were popular with early metal bands—especially the organ and occasionally the mellotron—but they are now uncommon. Electronic keyboards are often featured today by bands in a variety of styles, including progressive metal, power metal, and symphonic metal.

The electric guitar and the sonic power that it projects through amplification is historically the key element in heavy metal.[3] Guitars are often played with distortion pedals through heavily overdriven tube amplifiers to create a thick, powerful, “heavy’” sound. In the early 1970s, some popular metal groups began cofeaturing two guitarists. Leading bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden followed this pattern of having two or three guitarists share the roles of both lead and rhythm guitar. A central element of much heavy metal is the guitar solo, a form of cadenza. As the genre developed, more intricate solos and riffs became an integral part of the style. Guitarists use sweep-picking, tapping, and other advanced techniques for rapid playing, and many subgenres emphasize virtuosic displays.

The lead role of the guitar in heavy metal often collides with the traditional “frontman” or bandleader role of the vocalist, creating a musical tension. Metal vocals vary widely in style, from the multioctave, theatrical manner of Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, to the intentionally gruff approach of Motörhead’s Lemmy and Metallica’s James Hetfield, to the straight-out screaming of Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and At the Gates’ Tomas Lindberg, to the phlegm-clogged, possessed style of black metal singers such as Cradle of Filth’s Dani Filth. The bass guitar plays an important role in most metal bands, providing the low-end sound crucial to making the music “heavy.”[4] In addition, the bass is often distorted and modified by a variety of effects pedals. Metal bassists frequently use picks instead of their fingers to get a stronger articulation. Metal songs are more likely than those of other rock genres to employ bass solos, particularly in the first few bars. The drum setup is generally much larger than with other forms of rock music.[5] Aside from the standard toms, bass drum, snare, and hi-hat, ride, and crash cymbals, there is often a double bass drum, additional toms and cymbals (e.g., “splash” cymbals), and other instruments such as a cowbell.

In terms of live sound, volume is considered vital.[6] Following the lead set by Jimi Hendrix and The Who—which once held the distinction of “World’s Loudest Band” in the Guinness Book Of World Records—early heavy metal bands set new benchmarks for volume. Dick Peterson of Blue Cheer says, “We had a place in forming that heavy-metal sound. Although I’m not saying we knew what we were doing, ’cause we didn’t. All we knew was we wanted more power.”[7] Tony Iommi, guitarist for the pioneering Black Sabbath, is among the numerous heavy metal musicians to suffer substantial hearing loss due to the volume of their live performances. Heavy metal’s volume fixation was mocked in the rockumentary spoof This Is Spinal Tap in which guitarist “Nigel Tufnel” reveals that his Marshall amplifiers have been modified to “go to eleven.”