Who was the first heavy metal band?

Question

I got my opinion (i'm keeping it to my self) I want in your opinion your views on this subject.

Cooz apparently you can read. I state ive got my opinion(i'm keeping it to myself. I was asking on opinions not answers

Answer 1

Black Sabbath, hands down, Tony Iommi owns "that sound"

The Beatles "Helter Skelter" is the first metal song, ever, I'll argue that ALL day....they had at least one song for every pop/rock genre we know today, except hip hop

Juda Priest helped break metal into a massive movement and stage/wardrobe style

I don't care what wacko-pedia claims, I'm 44 years old and live for rock music and heard it all unfold and develope.

Sabbath was first, Deep Purple was second, and Zeppelin is not metal.

Answer 2

I've always considered Black Sabbath to be the first metal band. However, you could make a case for a band like The Kinks, who essentially "invented" guitar distortion.

Also, I believe Steppenwolf first coined the phrase "heavy metal" in "Born to Be Wild" -- "heavy metal thunder" was a lyric in the song. Not really sure that song is very metal, but it's a cool tune nonetheless.

Some people consider Blue Cheer to be the first metal band, but they were basically a one-hit wonder that had no staying power whatsoever. I'd have to put my money on Sabbath...

Answer 3

Every band prior to 1970 was either Hard Rock or experimental in Metal
The first "true" Heavy Metal band was Black Sabbath, circa 1970.
The first Queen album didn't come out till '73, I never have thought of them as Heavy Metal in the first place, more like Hard Rock than anything else.
Judas Priest's first album "Rocka Rolla" was released in '74, and it was barely Hard Rock to begin with. It wasn't until when "Sad Wings Of Destiny" was released in '76 that they broke into the Heavy Metal realm.

Answer 4

Actually, there were 3 major pioneers of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. I think Sabbath was the first true metal band, though all 3 bands laid the foundations of metal.

Most fans will agree that LZ was more hard rock and less of a metal band.

Answer 5

Well, The Who, Beatles and Kinks created the seeds for the genre, but the first real metal band is definitely Black Sabbath. I mean, listen to the song Black Sabbath, the very first song on the very first album. It's right there!

Also, while Alice Cooper remains my favourite band, they were never really metal. Alice (the man) only really performed metal in the late 80s onwards.

Answer 6

Well, Steppinwolf coined the term in the song "Born to be Wild", a song made popular by the movie "Easy Rider". Many credit Led Zepplin with being the first, even though most of their catalog is acoustic. But I don't know if I could definitely pick the true "first" heavy metal band. Everyone has a different definition of what "metal" music is. I would have to credit Black Sabbath or Motorhead with that title, since they are the earliest bands that have the sound closest to what I define "metal" music to be (Metallica, Megadeath, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc).

I'm interested to see what everyone else thinks. . .

Answer 7

I say Black Sabbath coz they had heavy riffs and dark lyrics. The album Master of Reality was way ahead of its time. Alice Cooper did not have heavy riffs and led zeppelin or deep purple did not have a evil dark lyrics so that is why I say Sabbath is the first true heavy metal band.

Answer 8

THE BLACK SABBATH


Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[1] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion and fast guitar solos. The All Music Guide states that "of all rock & roll's myriad forms, heavy metal is the most extreme in terms of volume, machismo, and theatricality."[2]

Heavy metal has long had a worldwide following of fans known as "metalheads" or "headbangers". Although early heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple attracted large audiences, they were often critically reviled at the time, a status common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; the New Wave of British Heavy Metal followed in a similar vein, fusing the music with a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed.

Heavy metal became broadly popular during the 1980s, when many now-widespread subgenres first evolved. Variations more aggressive and extreme than metal music of the past were mostly restricted to an underground audience; others, including glam metal and, to a lesser extent, thrash metal went on to mainstream commercial success. In recent years, styles such as nu metal have further expanded the definition of the genre.

Answer 9

In 1968, the sound that would become known as heavy metal began to coalesce. Many scholars and fans point to Blue Cheer's cover of Eddie Cochran's classic "Summertime Blues," released in January 1968, as the first true heavy metal song.[39] That same month, Steppenwolf released its self-titled debut album, including "Born to Be Wild," with its "heavy metal" lyric

Answer 10

(the first song I ever heard referred to as Heavy Metal was)

WILD THING by the Troggs

it was also one of the first music videos (1966)

it was also the opening song played by the Jimi Hendrix Experience a year later at the Monterey Pop Festival

(I trust my memory-not Wikipedia!)

But, yes as many here have said Black Sabbath was the first Heavy Metal Band. Led Zeppelin touched on it in their first two albums but were more of a blues based hard rock band.