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Revision as of 23:21, 20 April 2006 by Wisdom89 (talk | contribs) (rv)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Speed metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | NWOBHM, Hard Rock |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s, United Kingdom |
| Typical instruments | Guitar – Bass guitar – Drums |
| Regional scenes | |
| United States, UK | |
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Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal which was key in the creation of the thrash metal and power metal subgenres. Speed metal has its roots in bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, but Motörhead and Venom are arguably the two bands that best exemplify the genre. Venom and Motörhead, who both predate thrash metal and power metal, played a faster form of heavy metal that was not as aggressive as the sound of modern thrash metal, but had a high tempo that differentiated it from classic heavy metal. The sound of these bands helped create both speed metal and thrash metal . Thundersteel by Riot (CBS/Sony 1988) is widely considered to be a seminal speed metal album. Bands such as Judas Priest (most notably the Painkiller era) and Accept, although not typically cited as speed metal bands, are usually considered to be the main developers of the faster tempos common amongst modern speed metal bands.
In many cases, bands that play 'speed metal' do not actually belong to the genre, as they play other styles of heavy metal/hard rock as well. For instance, some glam metal bands' and heavy metal bands' songs can also be classified as speed metal. Titles like "Queen of the Reich" (Queensrÿche), "Paris is Burning" (Dokken), "Live Wire" (Mötley Crüe), "Tear it Loose" by (Twisted Sister), "Be Quick or Be Dead" (Iron Maiden), "Hell to Eternity" (W.A.S.P.), "Badboys" (Whitesnake), "Kill the King"' (Rainbow) and "Scream of Anger" (Europe) are speed metal songs.
Two of the earliest speed metal songs are Deep Purple's "Highway Star" from their 1972 album Machine Head and Black Sabbath's "Into the Void", from their 1972 album Master of Reality. Earlier efforts with a similar style include Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (from the album of that name, 1970) and also Deep Purple's "Speed King" (from the 1970 In Rock LP) and "Fireball" (From the 1970 Fireball LP). However, it was "Highway Star" that introduced into heavy metal both the extreme speed of the single-note riffing and also the complex guitar and keyboard solos (performed by Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord, respectively), borrowed from progressive rock of the '70s, but heavily influenced by classical music. These features commonly went on to be associated with more modern heavy metal genres, but at the time, was typical of speed metal characteristics.
Later speed metal includes X Japan's I'll Kill You (1985), Helloween's Walls of Jericho (1985), Motörhead's live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981), and the band Megadeth, who consider themselves as the "World's State-of-the-Art Speed Metal Band". Prior to joining Megadeth, Marty Friedman collaborated with Jason Becker in the band Cacophony, who are often cited as a speed metal band.
The term "speed metal" is also used in cross-reference to bands that play a style that shares similarities to thrash metal and power metal. An example of this would be Megadeth, who play thrash metal that borders out into speed metal, or Helloween, who play power metal also bordering out into speed metal.
Some believe that Painkiller (1990), the last album Judas Priest released before the departure of singer Rob Halford (who would later return in 2004), has set a new standard for speed metal.
