No one likes being misjudged; with some context, we can all understand each other a bit better. So, if someone mentions metal music and your mind jumps to hair spray abuses or evil clown lookalikes, join me as we discuss its rich history—really! We'll start with its influences (like Celtic folk and classical music), discuss its cultural and religious roots (not as terrifying as you might think), and see how 40+ years of success and misconception have led to a rich musical tapestry. You might not become a fan, but you'll definitely understand the world you live in just a bit more.

1. a brief history of
metal

2. musicaltradition

3. oldestsongever
Text
1400 B.C.
(Syria)

4. singlenotes
(rituals & drone)
harmony&melody
(scales & tonality)
dissonance&chords

5. Classical (Art) Music “Celtic” Music
Storytelling
(& Drinking Songs)

6. return date(“Y”) + 500;

7. distortionriffs&chords

8. distortionriffs&chords
Blind Willie Johnson Pat Hare
The Kingsmen
(Howlin’ Wolf) (Muddy Waters) Dick Dale
“Louie, Louie”
“How Many More “I’m Gonna Murder “Misirlou”
(by Richard Berry)
Years” My Baby”
50‘sblues&60‘sgarage

9. distortionriffs&chords
The Rolling Stones The Yardbirds The Kinks The Who
Keith Richards Jimmy Page Dave Davies Pete Townshend
60‘sbritishrock

10. distortionriffs&chords
The Jimi Hendrix
Cream MC5 Iron Butterfly
Experience
(Rhythm) (Feel) (Pace)
(Virtuosity)
60‘ssongwriting

11. distortionriffs&chords
Led Zeppelin Black Sabbath Deep Purple AC/DC
70‘sgodfathers

12. mostmeta(l)thingever

13. mostmeta(l)thingever
Lost middle and ring Listened to Django Adapted by making
fingertips of fretting Reinhardt (played thimbles, using light
hand in a metal with two fingers on strings, and
factory accident the fretboard) downtuning
tonyiommi

14. andthenthishappened

15. return date(“Y”) - 20;

16. 50s&60s

17. counterculture

18. andthenthishappened

19. andthenthishappened
Renamed band from First song employs Inspired by Geezer
Earth to Black the tritone (diabolus Butler’s encounter
Sabbath as homage in musica) with a with a witchcraft
to a ‘63 horror film diminished fith book-stealing shadow
blacksabbath

20. if ( in_array( “Satan”, $counterculture) ) {
$counterculture = “Satan”;
exit;
}

21. #amirite?

22. andthenwhathappened

23. counterculture

24. subculture

25. andthenwhathappened
Black Sabbath King Crimson Judas Priest Motörhead
AC/DC Uriah Heep Scorpions Misfits
Led Zeppelin Rush Saxon Iron Maiden
70sdivergence(oversimplified)

26. 2
briefasides

27. Kiss was less metal,
more shock/glam rock.

28. Ozzy ate a bat by accident.
He was also an addict.
Also weird. But, not satanic.

29. andthenwhathappened

30. counterculture(again)

31. andthenwhathappened
American Hard Rock Big Four: Thrash Hair Metal
Metallica Mötley Crüe
Van Halen
Megadeth Bon Jovi
Guns N’ Roses
Slayer Poison
Iron Maiden
Anthrax Def Leppard
80sacceleration(oversimplified)

32. andthenwhathappened
Black Metal Hardcore Punk Death Metal Industrial Metal Doom Metal
Hellhammer Black Flag
Death Ministry Candlemass
Celtic Frost Bad Brains
Morbid Angel Godflesh Pagan Alter
Bathory Minor Threat
Napalm Death Nine Inch Nails Pentagram
Venom Misfits
80sacceleration(oversimplified)

33. andthenwhathappened

34. well,
now’s a good time to note:
unfortunately,

35. somestufflikethis :(

36. norwegianblackmetal
cool tunes. weird scene.

37. mostly anti-religious,
not always satanic.

38. wait.
what’s with the face paint?
and all the anger?

39. complex historical
reactions
+
herd mentality
+
other crimes
=
some pretty bad PR

40. anyway

41. andthenwhathappened
Black Nu/Rap Death / Grind Industrial Groove
Cannibal Corpse
Mayhem Rage Against the Marilyn Manson
Suffocation Pantera
Burzum Machine Fear Factory
At the Gates White Zombie
Darkthrone Korn Nine Inch Nails
Napalm Death Machine Head
Gorgoroth Slipknot Rammstein
Brutal Truth
90sbranching(oversimplified)

42. andthenwhathappened
Alternative Stoner & Sludge Metallic Hardcore Mathcore Hardcore Punk
Kyuss Coalesce
Tool Converge Refused
Sleep Botch
Alice in Chains Shai Hulud Born Against
Melvins Dillinger Escape
Deftones Hatebreed Battery
Neurosis Plan
90sbranching(oversimplified)

43. Gwar should be
mentioned somewhere.

44. andthenwhathappened

46. andthenwhathappened
New American Progressive Death “Djent” Black
Mastodon
Lamb of God Nile Wolves in the
Between the Buried Meshuggah
Shadows Fall Atheist Throne Room
and Me SikTh
Killswitch Engage Decapitated Liturgy
Cynic TesseracT
Unearth Autopsy Behemoth
Dream Theater
00sbranching(oversimplified)

47. andthenwhathappened
Post-Hardcore Metal/Deathcore Noise / Grind Post-Metal Drone
Thursday
Despised Icon
Circle Takes the Cephalic Carnage Isis Sunn O)))
As I Lay Dying
Square Pig Destroyer Pelican Earth
Suffocation
Thrice The Locust Cult of Luna Jesu
Converge
Underoath
00sbranching(oversimplified)

48. 2
briefasides

49. Bands like Attack
Attack! are less metal,
more electronica with
hardcore influences.

50. Bands like Emmure
are less metal,
more hardcore with
hip-hop influnces.

51. culturalassociations

52. The origin of the
“Sign of the Horns” is in
dispute, but it likely
doesn’t refer to Satan.

53. The origin of
headbanging
is also in
dispute and
old.

54. Moshing, pit dancing,
crowd surfing, stage
diving, wall of death.

55. questions?

56. bit.ly/historyofmetal