Heavy Metal – Before It Was Heavy Metal
Toward the end of the 60s, a louder, more discordant, fuzzed-out electric-guitar dominated propulsion of sound emerged from the haze:
The ear-splitting shock wave of what was labeled psychedelic rock, acid rock, or the more nebulous hard rock was a fresh hell for many of the older generation, who were just getting over the Beatles and the Stones.
Beginning around 1970, some of these bands developed a sound that would later crystalize into what came to be known as heavy metal.
The term existed at the time, but was used by rock critics to describe a variety of different sounds that were not always related.
It was not yet in reference to a genre or specific style of music. This would occur more toward the mid-to-late 70s.
I have been listening to a lot of early 70s hard rock lately: Some well-known, some obscure, and I can hear a good amount of it moving toward what we could come to know as heavy metal, even while the residue of psychedelia often lingered. Even if it wasn’t called metal in its day, many have considered it as such in retrospect.
Debates about whether or not something is metal or hard rock rage on.
But a number of critics and rock historians consider Black Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut album to be the first heavy metal album, and the band itself as ground zero for the birth of metal.
On its list of the 100 greatest metal albums of all time, Rolling Stone has the band’s second album, Paranoid, also released in 1970, at the very top of the unruly pile.
Join me as I dig deeper into hard rock songs from the early 70s that can be considered either flat-out metal – or at the very least, proto metal.
“Paranoid“
Black Sabbath
(1970)
Let’s start with the title track of the aforementioned Paranoid. I’m not going to say another word about it. It speaks for itself.
“Immigrant Song”
Led Zeppelin
(1970)
Though their influence on metal is undeniable, most wouldn’t think of Zeppelin themselves as a metal band. But maybe for this two minutes and twenty-six seconds, they were. Not only do the churning guitars and piercing vocals point straight to it, but thematically, it could be said that the entire sub-genre of Viking metal can trace its origins back to this song.
“We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming”
“Ride the Sky”
Lucifer’s Friend
(1971)
Just about everything about this immediately presented as metal to me when I heard it for the first time recently:
- The name of the band
- The title of the song
- The menacing fury of the guitars
- The wailing vocals
- The ferocious sound of…
French horns?
Okay, not so metal. But just listen to them blasting out like the elephants’ military drills from The Jungle Book if the elephants had somehow snorted copious amounts of cocaine and the march erupted into a raging stampede. Somehow, they just fit.
And yes, that French horn line is melodically nearly identical to Plant’s vocal howl on “Immigrant Song:”
Being that the Zeppelin album came out a month before Lucifer’s Friend would have recorded “Ride the Sky”, it’s possible that LF heard it and lifted it from LZ, but that’s not much time in between the two events…. and who knows when “Ride the Sky” was actually written?
I say it’s inconclusive that anyone took from anyone, and I’m going to go back to this beast of a song. If I keep up this pace, it could very well end up #1 on my Spotify Wrapped.
“Crash Course In Brain Surgery”
Budgie
(1971)
Regarding the “hard rock or heavy metal” debate, this could go either way. In the end, the driving beat, the stripped down, relentless guitar-bass unison line with occasional open 5ths, and the searing vocals all help it land with a loud thud just inside metal territory.
Originating in Cardiff, Wales, Budgie was not a big name in heavy music at the time, but they eventually became a huge influence on many prominent metal bands, as well as grunge bands in the decades to come. Listening to this, it’s easy to see why Metallica covered it.
“Space Station #5”
Montrose
(1973)
It exudes Led Zeppelin for sure. But trippy intro and bridge aside, you get the sense that it’s leaving behind the acid and entering into a new realm. If Sammy Hagar’s terror-inducing scream near the beginning doesn’t seal it, then the tight, pragmatic, driving rhythm and the way the guitars puncture through the speakers just might.
“Hard Rain Fallin’“
Sir Lord Baltimore
(1970)
The fact that this band rocked faster and harder than most, with thicker levels of distortion and an alarming amount of aggression, has led some to deem them to be the first heavy metal band. I’m not there on that declaration, but these guys at the very least helped pave the way. I also think there’s a bit of proto punk happening here too, but I’ll let others parse that out.
“Forever My Queen”
Pentagram
(1973)
Wikipedia simply classifies them as “doom metal,” and they are considered pioneers of that sound. This early release of the band finds the vocals nodding to the late 60s, but the guitars conversely belong to a future when the chord progressions and distortion they are using will be commonplace. It’s mind blowing to hear it.
There was a time I would have thought I’d be heading straight to hell for listening to a band called Pentagram, but here we are.
I’ve included a Spotify playlist that includes these selections, plus a few more, some being more of the hard rock/acid rock variety.
Just to confuse everybody.
Or how about the Scorpions from their 1972 debut, sounding downright prog-rock, or as if Deep Purple and Sugarloaf had a baby? That’s not going to mess with anyone’s head or muddy the waters. No, I expanded the playlist beyond what I would consider metal, to include enough early 70s blistering, fist-pumping jams to get me from here to there in the car, when coffee just won’t do. And did I mention that I love this stuff?
***UPDATE***
It’s a few days after I submitted this article. Earlier today, I was in my car in the parking lot of a Johnnie’s Italian Beef, cranking some Budgie. I was vaguely aware of some commotion nearby, and then suddenly there was a young guy standing in front of my car, excitedly pointing to the t-shirt he was wearing. I got out of the car. He said:
“Are you seriously playing Budgie right now? I can’t believe this!
“Check out my t-shirt!”
It was a Budgie t-shirt.
Budgie is not a well-known band in the U.S. to put it mildly, especially nowadays. The chances of us being parked next to each other with him wearing a Budgie t-shirt and me listening to Budgie in my car are practically nil. And we both knew it.
He showed me his incredibly cool jean vest with patches and pins of various hard rock and metal bands on it, along with a giant Thin Lizzy logo on the back. I let him know that I was writing this article and gave him the website information, and my hope is that he will see this and maybe even comment.
Before today, I was wondering how many people would want to deep dive with me into this music and it just felt so good to talk to a young person with such a passion for it.
Ryan, if you’re reading this? I am glad to have met you.
And I do not believe it was by chance.
Rock on!
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Sir Lord Baltimore? Pentagram? Totally new to me, and they rock! But Lucifer’s Friend and Budgie (Hi, Ryan!) should be well known to any early Metal fan. I used to cover “I Got The Fire” by Montrose in my college band. It’s good to see Bang in the playlist, too.
Good stuff, rb, When you listen to these bands, it’s obvious they’re what Rush was listening to in high school.
Trivia time:
Ronnie Montrose is the guitar player on a number one record, but just before the band toured to support the single and its album, he was replaced.
– What song?
– What band?
– Who replaced him?
No clue. Frankenstein? Probably not.
Ding ding!
Wow, wasn’t expecting to be right! I do not know the guitarist that replaced him. Rick Derringer?
Exactly.
And speaking of, can you name Rick’s first Billboard appearance, singing and playing guitar on a record that made it up to #36 in 1965 ?
I used to know this when I wore a younger man’s clothes. Cannot recall now. My impressive streak of not thinking I knew the answer but actually did, over.
😪
“Hang On Sloopy” by The McCoys?
Yes! Using his birth name, Rick Zehringer!
It popped into my head, but I thought it would have charted much higher so I dismissed it. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Good point. I sometimes forget that everything comes from something.I am amazed when listening to these bands of just how many later metal bands, grunge bands, art-rock bands and others have traces of this music in them, sometimes obviously so. Yep, someone was listening. Listening to that Bang song made me think that rap-metal owes a lot to that band, whether it realizes it or not.
Great article brother. I love discovering Budgie and that once in a lifetime experience w the guy in the parking lot!! LF song is waaay too reminiscent of Immigrant Song to be unrelated. Not sure if we will ever know who came first. I cannot wait to see the new Zeppelin documentary coming out!!
I do remember when Metal was called “Acid Rock”. I always thought it was because of drugs, but now with your reference to the older generation, I’m thinking it caused acid reflux in their systems lol
Lastly, I take great exception to the omission of Highway Star by Deep Purple. But I guess I’ll keep reading your stuff because you are my brother 🙂
Gotcha, sis! Highway Star has been added to the playlist, as part of the hard rock wing. I wouldn’t consider them metal, but without them, metal doesn’t sound like it does, so they need to be included. If you didn’t say anything, Greg would have. He wore that album out.
Acid reflux. Amen to that.
“Metalheads Choose Omeprazole!”
Hahah! Well played sir
Needs more vibraphone.
But seriously, I could never make a steady diet of these songs, but I do recognize the primal hunger this kind of music satisfies. And I don’t mind hearing it here and there. Admittedly, later metal got darker and scarier, and less pleasant to my ears.
Did I drive you back to the elevator music playlist again? Sorry about that. Primal hunger is a good description. I do have this innate need to rock out, especially in the car, on occasion. It does come from a deep, essential place within me. I can feel it.
I would not recommend listening to Venom.
I get it. The car is the most common place I feel the need rock out. Sometimes I’ll play my “Five Star” playlist in the car and I have to keep skipping Neil Sedaka or Perry Como or Sade until I finally reach “Stay with Me” by the Faces, or something like that.
I love that Perry Como and Faces are on the same playlist.
Vibraphone is essential to life in general.
❤
RIP Roy Ayers
If Lucifer’s Friend were influenced by Immigrant Song it’s only fair given Led Zeps habit of lifting old blues songs and not giving them credit.
Is Budgie the least metal band name in the entire genre? It was the early days of heavy metal so they hadn’t yet worked out the need for a name that carries a threat or suggests foreboding.
Crash Course In Brain Surgery nails it though. Especially when backed up with ‘Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman’.
Yes, the name is odd. Out of curiosity, I looked it up. They were going to originally name themselves “Six Ton Budgie” but shortened it to Budgie because they liked having a name that was completely opposite of the style of music they were playing.
Those Lucifer’s Claw & Focus songs RULE (heard both for the first time today). Great article!
2 of my favorites on that playlist.
Thanks b_c
Love, love, love this music. Yet, even though I have been listening to it since the beginning, you found new stuff for me. Can’t wait to dig into another Rollerboogie playlist. Always a pleasure to look forward to.
That makes me happy! Enjoy!
LOVE this! Especially the early Black Sabbath. Have you ever listened to Jazz Sabbath? It blends my two favorite genres 😃.
I have not heard Jazz Sabbath, Mike. Listening now. Inventive stuff!
I once played a jazz lounge version of “No One Like You” by the Scorpions with a trio at a priest’s anniversary reception, but it wasn’t quite this complex.
And now I am seeing that I “liked” their version of Fairies Wear Boots back in 2022, so I apparently had heard them before!
That’s the song that hooked me 😄.