Early Metal

Certif1ed · 09-09-2009, 05:49 AM

For the very earliest metal;

Hapshash and the Coloured Coat featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids (1967) - OK, it's not a metal album by any stretch, but the backing band, Art, made a superb heavy psych album called Supernatural Fairy Tales the same year, which has some very heavy riffing on it, given it's 1967.

Art went on to become Spooky Tooth - check out Spooky Two, which contains the original of "Better By You, Better Than Me", later covered by Judas Priest. It's one heavy song.

Also on that album you'll hear the riff to "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath, in the track "Evil Woman", and influences the band had on the likes of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.

Blue Cheer's "Vincebus Eruptum" and follow up "Outside Inside" are also contenders for earliest heavy metal albums, if only in terms of volume - if you don't play those suckers LOUD, you won't get what Blue Cheer were about.

Also in the running;

High Tide "Sea Shanties" (1969)

Skid Row (The original UK band featuring Gary Moore, not the much later US band who bought the name from him for $35000!) (1969)

Pink Fairies - Never Never Land (1971) and Kings of Oblivion (1972) - now this is metal, definitely not glam!

Necronomicon "Tips Zum Selbst Mord" (1972)

Despite the "Non-Glam" demand, The Sweet's impact on heavy metal shouldn't be overlooked, especially with tracks like "Blockbuster", "Hellraiser", "Action" and of course, "Ballroom Blitz" - and there is a close tie-in, as there was a mid 1970s band called The Heavy Metal Kids (who were glam and rubbish, but never mind. Recall also that AC/DCs first singer was a glam boy).

Talking of which, AC/DC not mentioned????? UFO, anyone??

OK, it's 1980s you want...

Satan "Court in the Act" - fantastic, one might say progressive metal, and very heavy.
Cirith Ungol "Frost and Fire" - legendary riffs
Celtic Frost - take your pick. These guys were/are very wierd, but very heavy.
Raven - my favourite is "All For One".
Saxon - their early output was phenomenal
Motorhead haven't been mentioned???????????????
Legend - From the Fjords (hard to come by, but oh boy!)
Scorpions (before they started churning out ballads) - "In Trance", "Virgin Killers", "Love Drive", "Animal Magnetism", "Blackout" - all classics from the metal innovators. Michael Schenker is the horrendously unsung hero of mad axemen of the late 1970s everywhere - they all used his licks alongside Hendrix's, even if they didn't know it.
Talking of whom - MSG.

Plenty more in the archives, especially obscure 1970s-80s metal (my favourite period!) - those should keep you going!

...and who would deny the metal rootsness of this...

OK, let's get really heavy!!!

Automatic Slim · 09-12-2009, 08:08 AM

How about:
1. Budgie: I guess you might call them proto-metal.
2. Blue Oyster Cult: close enough to metal for me, and awesome.

3. St. Vitus: doooom from the 80's

; Candlemass started back then as well.
4. Kreator: I don't think anyone else has mentioned this thrash band that started back in the 80's.
5. I will second someone else's suggestion of Cirith Ungol.

almauro · 09-12-2009, 08:58 AM

Nice thread...particularly casting a little light on UFO/Michael Schenker who was arguably the first shredder and had an enourmous impact on Eddy Van Halen's technique. Robin Trower was another pioneer, creating uber heavy doom riffs in the early 70s.

Certif1ed · 09-12-2009, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Automatic Slim

How about:
1. Budgie: I guess you might call them proto-metal.
2. Blue Oyster Cult: close enough to metal for me, and awesome.

3. St. Vitus: doooom from the 80's

; Candlemass started back then as well.
4. Kreator: I don't think anyone else has mentioned this thrash band that started back in the 80's.
5. I will second someone else's suggestion of Cirith Ungol.

Budgie are an interesting case - their impact on Metal before Metallica is questionable, as they always did their own thing, which tended toward meandering but very heavy riffs. Metal tends to be based on tightly focussed riffs - what Budgie did was somewhere between Prog and Metal, in their own territory. Great band for sure - and "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" is one heavy tune.

Again, Blue Oyster Cult pretty much carved out their own niche, in that Metal/Prog nomansland. Even though BOC were more tightly focussed than Budgie, they went off at wierd tangents, and the earlier albums were strongly rooted in rock and roll/blues. Amazing band.

Interestingly, both Budgie and BOC released some killer Metal in the early 1980s - "Power Supply" is a stomping metal classic, and "Fire of Unknown Origin" actually contains a track called "Heavy Metal"!

Another couple of great albums from 1980 that shouldn't be overlooked are "Angelwitch" by Angelwitch, and "Narita" by Riot. Starkly contrasting from each other, both somehow epitomise their own flavours of metal.

You've got me with St Vitus - nice one! I've heard of them, but never familiarised myself with their material. Time to fix that, methinks.

Kreator I held off on, since I don't really consider them "early".

My own yardstick is PM and AM - Pre Metallica and After Metallica (more accurately, after Master of Puppets, so Kreator would fit - as would Death).

Did anyone mention Venom, deceptively untalented yet god-like Creators of thrash metal?

Holocaust are another incredible band - metal from street level. "Small Hours" was made popular by Metallica, but "Smokin' Valves" and "Heavy Metal Mania" are more than worth a spin.

Then there's Dragonfly, if you can track their demo down, who liked to stick in as many solos as possible into a track. The title of their only demo, "Silent Nights" has 3 solos in it, all outstanding. Dragonfly began (and ended) their short career supporting Iron Maiden, and the mutual influences are quite clear.

I feel some more Youtubes coming on...

Gets whip prepared for self-flagellation...

DIAMOND HEAD.

'nuff said.

~~The Unfan~~ · 09-12-2009, 01:37 PM

This might be a bit of a stretch but I've always thought this song had a metal vibe to it.

jackhammer · 09-12-2009, 02:52 PM

80's albums?

Demon-The Unexpected Guest
Witchfinder General-S/T
Crimson Glory-Transcendence
King Diamond-Abigail
Pretty Maids-S/T
Tank-This Means War

All definitely worty of a listen.

Mojo · 09-12-2009, 08:21 PM

I assume you mean Death Penalty for Witchfinder General? It is most definitely worth a listen though. One of my favourite albums.

jackhammer · 09-12-2009, 08:38 PM

Yeah I did mean Death Penalty

Minus the awful cover though! If anything I recommend Demon and Tank as forgotten classics.

Mojo · 09-12-2009, 08:47 PM

I'm not sure what to make of those video's. I at least initially prefer the Tank one though. Not sure if either is my thing but i might give the albums a go sometime. Maybe when it's not nearly 3am

jackhammer · 09-12-2009, 08:53 PM

How can u not like Tank

This is a bona fide Metal classic:

09-12-2009, 08:08 AM	#12 (permalink)
Automatic Slim Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 92	How about: 1. Budgie: I guess you might call them proto-metal. 2. Blue Oyster Cult: close enough to metal for me, and awesome. 3. St. Vitus: doooom from the 80's ; Candlemass started back then as well. 4. Kreator: I don't think anyone else has mentioned this thrash band that started back in the 80's. 5. I will second someone else's suggestion of Cirith Ungol. __________________ "I say I can't but I really mean I won't."

09-12-2009, 08:58 AM	#13 (permalink)
almauro Way Out There Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 850	Nice thread...particularly casting a little light on UFO/Michael Schenker who was arguably the first shredder and had an enourmous impact on Eddy Van Halen's technique. Robin Trower was another pioneer, creating uber heavy doom riffs in the early 70s. __________________ rock n music blog

09-12-2009, 02:52 PM	#16 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	80's albums? Demon-The Unexpected Guest Witchfinder General-S/T Crimson Glory-Transcendence King Diamond-Abigail Pretty Maids-S/T Tank-This Means War All definitely worty of a listen. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

09-12-2009, 08:21 PM	#17 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	I assume you mean Death Penalty for Witchfinder General? It is most definitely worth a listen though. One of my favourite albums. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

09-12-2009, 08:38 PM	#18 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Yeah I did mean Death Penalty Minus the awful cover though! If anything I recommend Demon and Tank as forgotten classics. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

09-09-2009, 05:49 AM	#11 (permalink)
Certif1ed Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 194	For the very earliest metal; Hapshash and the Coloured Coat featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids (1967) - OK, it's not a metal album by any stretch, but the backing band, Art, made a superb heavy psych album called Supernatural Fairy Tales the same year, which has some very heavy riffing on it, given it's 1967. Art went on to become Spooky Tooth - check out Spooky Two, which contains the original of "Better By You, Better Than Me", later covered by Judas Priest. It's one heavy song. Also on that album you'll hear the riff to "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath, in the track "Evil Woman", and influences the band had on the likes of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Blue Cheer's "Vincebus Eruptum" and follow up "Outside Inside" are also contenders for earliest heavy metal albums, if only in terms of volume - if you don't play those suckers LOUD, you won't get what Blue Cheer were about. Also in the running; High Tide "Sea Shanties" (1969) Skid Row (The original UK band featuring Gary Moore, not the much later US band who bought the name from him for $35000!) (1969) Pink Fairies - Never Never Land (1971) and Kings of Oblivion (1972) - now this is metal, definitely not glam! Necronomicon "Tips Zum Selbst Mord" (1972) Despite the "Non-Glam" demand, The Sweet's impact on heavy metal shouldn't be overlooked, especially with tracks like "Blockbuster", "Hellraiser", "Action" and of course, "Ballroom Blitz" - and there is a close tie-in, as there was a mid 1970s band called The Heavy Metal Kids (who were glam and rubbish, but never mind. Recall also that AC/DCs first singer was a glam boy). Talking of which, AC/DC not mentioned????? UFO, anyone?? OK, it's 1980s you want... Satan "Court in the Act" - fantastic, one might say progressive metal, and very heavy. Cirith Ungol "Frost and Fire" - legendary riffs Celtic Frost - take your pick. These guys were/are very wierd, but very heavy. Raven - my favourite is "All For One". Saxon - their early output was phenomenal Motorhead haven't been mentioned??????????????? Legend - From the Fjords (hard to come by, but oh boy!) Scorpions (before they started churning out ballads) - "In Trance", "Virgin Killers", "Love Drive", "Animal Magnetism", "Blackout" - all classics from the metal innovators. Michael Schenker is the horrendously unsung hero of mad axemen of the late 1970s everywhere - they all used his licks alongside Hendrix's, even if they didn't know it. Talking of whom - MSG. Plenty more in the archives, especially obscure 1970s-80s metal (my favourite period!) - those should keep you going! ...and who would deny the metal rootsness of this... OK, let's get really heavy!!!

09-12-2009, 01:37 PM	#15 (permalink)
~~The Unfan~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Methville Posts: 2,116	This might be a bit of a stretch but I've always thought this song had a metal vibe to it.

09-12-2009, 08:47 PM	#19 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	I'm not sure what to make of those video's. I at least initially prefer the Tank one though. Not sure if either is my thing but i might give the albums a go sometime. Maybe when it's not nearly 3am __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

09-12-2009, 08:53 PM	#20 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	How can u not like Tank This is a bona fide Metal classic: __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”