Unit 2 – Heavy Metal

WALT – to identify and describe the musical characteristics of heavy metal in order to analyse how Music Technology is used in this genre.

Definitionheavy metal, - genre of rock music that includes a group of related styles that are intense, virtuosic, and powerful. Driven by the aggressive sounds of the distorted electric guitar.

• WALT – to identify and describe the musical characteristics of heavy metal in order to analyse how Music Technology is used in this genre.

Rhythm & Tempo

• WALT – to identify and describe the musical characteristics of heavy metal in order to analyse how Music Technology is used in this genre.

In many heavy metal songs, the main groove is characterized by short, two-note or three-note rhythmic figures—generally made up of 8th or 16th notes. These rhythmic figures are usually performed with a staccato attack created by using a palm-muted technique on the rhythm guitar

The tempos in early heavy metal music tended to be "slow, even ponderous.“ By the late 1970s, however, metal bands were employing a wide variety of tempos. In the 2000s decade, metal tempos range from slow ballad tempos (quarter note = 60 beats per minute) to extremely fast blast beat tempos (quarter note = 350 beats per minute).

• WALT – to identify and describe the musical characteristics of heavy metal in order to analyse how Music Technology is used in this genre.

HarmonyThe Power Chord –A two note chord, usually a major or minor chord minus the third leaving a Perfect 5th.

In heavy metal other ‘crunchy’ dissonant sounding intervals also used to leave a more dark sound.

These are great because they can be played with a consistent finger arrangement so you can slide the whole shape up and down the neck of the guitar.

• WALT – to identify and describe the musical characteristics of heavy metal in order to analyse how Music Technology is used in this genre.

Lyrical ContentFantasy/ MythologyThrough the late 1970s and early 1980s, pioneering heavy metal bands often included outlandish and fantasy-inspired lyrics, giving them an escapist quality. Iron Maiden frequently based songs on mythology, fiction and poetry, like in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (based on the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem of the same name), or the majority of their 1982 release Piece of Mind. Other examples include Black Sabbath's "Fairies Wear Boots" and "The Wizard," Megadeth's "The Conjuring" and "Five Magics," and Judas Priest's "Dreamer Deceiver."

Teenage Life/ Social IssuesWar

Nuclear annihilation, environmental issues, and political or religious propaganda, like Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", Ozzy Osbourne's "Killer of Giants", Metallica's ...And Justice for All, Iron Maiden's" 2 Minutes to Midnight", Accept's "Balls to the Wall" and Rage Against the Machine's entire catalog.

Bye Bye Hippies!!The themes of darkness, evil, power and apocalypse are language components for addressing the reality of life's problems.

Imagery

Uniform!