History
Heavy metal started in 1964 in the United Kingdom and the United States. It developed out of blues rock and psychedelic rock. In the 1960s rock was more like jazz however. (The History of Heavy Metal Music and the Metal Subculture) It wasn’t until the 1970s when metal started to sound more like it does today. Rock bands started making a shift toward the loud, heavy distorted sound of the guitar. Some of the first popular heavy metal bands were Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Purple Haze. (Heavy Metal) It became mainstream in the late 1970s and in the 80s. As the years go on, heavy metal grew wilder like it is today and less like jazz. They gained more of a punk rock influence. The bands started adding theatrics to their style. They wore outrageous clothing, wild hair, and even makeup. This style is known as glam rock and was the style for many bands such as Kiss. In the mid-1980s and 1990s the heavy metal genre branched out into different metal genres. Heavy metal formed into five different subgenres: thrash metal, black metal, death metal, power metal, and doom/gothic metal. Each owns specific characteristics that separate them from one another.