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The lead role of the guitar in heavy metal often collides with the traditional "frontman" or bandleader role of the vocalist, creating a musical tension as the two "contend for dominance" in a spirit of "affectionate rivalry". Palm muting creates a tighter, more precise sound and it emphasizes the low end. palm muting" the strings with the picking hand and using distortion. With rhythm guitar parts, the "heavy crunch sound in heavy metal . Some exceptions are nu metal and grindcore bands, which tend to omit guitar solos. Most heavy metal songs "feature at least one guitar solo", which is "a primary means through which the heavy metal performer expresses virtuosity". that underscores the significance of the guitar" to the genre. Guitar solos are "an essential element of the heavy metal code . Thrash metal guitar tone has scooped mid-frequencies and tightly compressed sound with multiple bass frequencies. For classic heavy metal guitar tone, guitarists maintain gain at moderate levels, without excessive preamp or pedal distortion, to retain open spaces and air in the music the guitar amplifier is turned up loud to produce the characteristic "punch and grind". The heavy metal guitar sound comes from a combined use of high volumes and heavy fuzz. The electric guitar and the sonic power that it projects through amplification has historically been the key element in heavy metal. In 1970, John Paul Jones used a Moog synthesizer on Led Zeppelin III by the 1990s, in "almost every subgenre of heavy metal" synthesizers were used. Deep Purple's Jon Lord played an overdriven Hammond organ. Keyboard instruments are sometimes used to enhance the fullness of the sound. The New York Times critic Jon Pareles writes, "In the taxonomy of popular music, heavy metal is a major subspecies of hard-rock-the breed with less syncopation, less blues, more showmanship and more brute force." The typical band lineup includes a drummer, a bassist, a rhythm guitarist, a lead guitarist, and a singer, who may or may not be an instrumentalist. Heavy metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these attributes. Heavy metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals.
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These include groove metal and nu metal, the latter of which often incorporates elements of grunge and hip hop.
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Since the mid-1990s, popular styles have expanded the definition of the genre. Meanwhile, however, underground scenes produced an array of more aggressive styles: thrash metal broke into the mainstream with bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, while other extreme subgenres such as death metal and black metal remain subcultural phenomena. The lyrics and performances are usually associated with aggression and machismo, an issue that has sometimes led to accusations of misogyny.ĭuring the 1980s, glam metal became popular with groups such as Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe and Poison. By the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as " metalheads" or " headbangers". Beginning in the late 1970s, bands in the new wave of British heavy metal such as Iron Maiden and Saxon followed in a similar vein. During the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence, while Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Several American bands modified heavy metal into more accessible forms during the 1970s: the raw, sleazy sound and shock rock of Alice Cooper and Kiss the blues-rooted rock of Aerosmith and the flashy guitar leads and party rock of Van Halen. Though they came to attract wide audiences, they were often derided by critics. In 1968, three of the genre's most famous pioneers, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, were founded. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and loudness.
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Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. Late 1960s, United Kingdom and United States
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