Angel Black wrote:
Eyesore wrote:
I've always viewed those bands as being more rock than metal. I've always thought even Maiden had a good amount of rock there as well.
It's stupid to argue it, but that's what I think.
I see. But you know, those band were called Heavy Metal in the 70s and their songs have Heavy Metal structures and so on, only the heaviness isn't as big as it has been later. I use the the term "70s Heavy Metal" very carefully, and perhaps not so often as Thrash or Power, but I just want to mention some ideas, processes and genres that were present in the 70s and weren't far from what was done in the 80s as there were something like proto-heavy

Ufff...

I don't think what we think of as "Heavy Metal" really came about until Metallica released Kill'em All in 1983. Up until then, most heavy metal was more along the lines of what we now call "classic rock."
Exhibit A: Blizzard Of Ozz - That album really doesn't sound much different from a traditional seventies rock album. Yet, it's still considered heavy metal.
Exhibit B: Motorhead - In 1980 (when Ace Of Spades was released), they were considered both the loudest and fastest band on the planet. Yet, listen to AOS today and you'll notice the surprisingly raw and "un-metal" sound of the guitars. As well as how slow it really is compared to later metal albums (these aren't knocks against Ace Of Spades, by the way, it's an excellent album).
Exhibit C: Aerosmith - They were actually considered a metal band back in the 70s.
Anyway, as for the article, it was interesting. Though I must say, I'm surprised with what the author said about metal being "easy to learn." I always figured metal was actually one of the most difficult forms of music to really master, because of all the riff playing, technical drum work, etc.