Van Halen/Motley Crue Metal Bands?

Question

I watched Sam Dunn's History of Metal Documentary last night and was really surprised at some bands that were classified as a type of Metal. For example, I've always thought of Led Zeppelin as a Rock band. Van Halen & Motley Crue as Glam or Pop Rock bands, etc.

How is a band categorized Metal, Rock, Etc.?

Answer 1

Ok, first of all i'm a musician and a metalhead. I have been in recording bands and know the genre pretty well after 23 years. So here's the scoop.

At this point Zeppelin is more of a classic rock band, while Van Halen is a hard rock. But crue is still considered a metal band, in the same category as bands like Cinderella and even cheesy choreographed-headbanging bands like Firehouse and such. Why? Read on.

In the beginning there was rock. By definition rock 'n roll has always challenged conventional thought about the way music should sound and has always gotten a little wilder every year. In the mid-80's we had several different types of metal, mostly characterized by their musical style. There was party metal (def leppard), glam - hair (crue), thrash (anthrax-DRI), grunge (alice in chains), power metal (metallica - megadeth), death metal (cannibal corpse - cradle of filth), and so forth. Every different genre had its own distinct flavor.

Now we have more different types of metal than ever, with bands like Slipknot, Strapping Young Lad, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Atreyu, Pennywise, Drowning Pool, Killswitch Engage, and Gojira. And of course my band, which a lot of people know. They all have their own distinct sound and feel and all of these bands kick *** to a true metal fan.

But what it all boils down to is this: It's all about the music, not the labels. As long as it pushes the limits it will be called metal. And that's what it's all about.

Answer 2

I liked the above answers about all the sub-genre's of Metal and I'm an old timer and was listening when Heavy Metal music was born, in which it's own origin has been highly debatable! A lot of people think it was "Led Zeppelin", but I tend to disagree with that, because Zeppelin was part of the blues based rock movement. The would be accurately defined as very Heavy Blues Rock, just like ZZ Top is called Texas Blues Rock!

I truly believe that metal was born out of the hardened workers of the steel industrial city of Birmingham, England and the big contender was Black Sabbath and then later... Judas Priest

No one at the time, just said this is Heavy Metal, it took a lot of time to term it! It's birthplace may have aided the term, but also Steppenwolf on "Born to be wild" sings "Heavy Metal thunder" long before the new genre' also The Beatles have had their song "Helter Skelter" declared as a retro or Proto-Heavy Metal song, very long before the steel workers started grinding axes! Is there a Genre that The Beatles did not influence? How do you think Heavy Metal started?.......Will S

Answer 3

Wild Thing by the Troggs was considered one of the first "Heavy Metal" sounds as were many of the tracks on Led Zeppelin's first album. AC/DC was considered Heavy Metal in the 1970s as was ofcouse Van Halen.
Metallica, Megadeath and Motorhead led a new Heavy Metal sound in the 1980s and the purests redifined the genre to this more limited sound which was definitely more preferrable than Motley Crue and all the Hair metal bands around that time.

Answer 4

ok, no longer inevitably my determination so as, yet in accordance with their careers and effect on track... Judas Priest - Took what Black Sabbath did and prolonged on it to place the muse for thrash metallic, capability metallic, and the extreme metallic genres. additionally single handedly kick-began the hot Wave of British Heavy metallic. Van Halen - They laid the beginning up for the subsequent 15 years of bands that got here after them. weapons N' Roses - They have been a breath of unpolluted air interior the stagnant 80s hair metallic scene. They introduced decrease back approach pushed rock. Def Leppard - Very influential in shaping the sound of 80s problematical rock. Motley Crue - Took what replaced into already common and packaged it right into a very marketable product. The order of my own determination could be... Judas Priest weapons N Roses Def Leppard Van Halen Motley Crue

Answer 5

I think they categorize any Rock group that focuses much of its sound on electric guitars as being 'Metal'.

Like Motley Crue would be considered 'Metal' while Genesis, the Police, & U2 (80s examples) would be 'Rock'.

Answer 6

The term "Heavy Metal" is a very broad. There are many Subgenres of metal: classic, speed, death, doom, glam, pop, thrash, etc...