Dadsplaining Dad-Rock, Part II – The Metal Years

Part of “an incomplete history of hard rock, heavy metal, and punk rock music”, continued from here.

I am going to dispense with most of the commentary and concentrate on simply listing things. Otherwise I will never actually finish any of these posts. As with part 1, videos disappearing off of youtube is a constant threat to the usefulness of these links. Ye have been warned.

Heavy Metal – the NWOBHM and its fellow travelers

Many of the bands here were part of the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” (NWOBHM) circa 1979-1982. Confusingly but predictably, this music is now referred to as Traditional Heavy Metal.

NHOBHM wasn’t so much a single musical style as a cultural movement, and elements of later genres can already be heard.

Glam Metal and its strange bedfellows

Glam Metal (also known as “Hair Metal”) was not so much a musical fusion of Heavy Metal with Glam Rock, as the adoption of Glam Rock hair and clothing by hard rock and metal bands. The earliest Glam Metal was, musically speaking, almost indistinguishable from the Heavy Metal listed above. But these similarities faded fast.

By the late 80s, Glam Metal was so popular that it was the “default” style of hard rock in the popular mind. The genre nearly vanished from public view during the 90s.

Speed Metal

Accept
- Fast as a Shark (1982)
- Balls to the Wall (1983)
Exciter
- Heavy Metal Maniac (1983)
- Violence and Force (1984)
Helloween
- Ride the Sky (1985)
- Metal Invaders (1985)

Neoclassical Metal and other “shred” artists

Yngwie Malmsteen
Steve Vai
- Flex-Able (1984)
- The Audience Is Listening (1990) – music starts around 1:08 if you want to skip the spoken intro
Racer X
- Y.R.O. (1986)
- Hammer Away (1987)
Joe Satrianni
Tony McAlpine
- No Place in Time (1986)
- Tears of Sahara (1987)
Vinnie Moore
- In Control (1986)
- Morning Star (1988)
Cacophony
- Savage (1987)
- Go Off! (1988)
Jason Becker
- Altitudes (1989)
- Temple of the Absurd (1989)

Thrash Metal

The darker, edgier, heavier Metal of the mid to late 80s. The sonic characteristics that defined Thrash have become so widely diffused, in the 21st century to say that a band or genre is influenced by “metal” is mostly synonymous with saying they have a Thrash influence.

Etc.

Stuff that simply has to be listed but doesn’t fit elsewhere on the page.

The Cult
Samhain – since both the Misfits and Danzig are on these lists, kind of have to include Samhain somewhere
- Samhain (1984)
- Mother of Mercy (1986)
Danzig
Drivin N Cryin
The Black Crowes
- Twice as Hard (1990)
- Hard to Handle (1990)

Coming in part 3: 80s hardcore, crossover thrash, alternative metal, etc etc