Metalution Part 2: The Birth of Heavy Metal

Black Sabbath

To pick the exact birth date of heavy metal would be a difficult task, but on October 16th of 1969 Black Sabbath entered the studio and record their debut album. They simply played their set list which means they were obviously playing these songs live ahead of the recording. Compared to the future global audience, a relatively small number of people would have heard these songs before anyone else in the world.
Prior to the release of their first album one single was released. (Note: a single was released with “The Wizard” on the A-side, metal archives lists this as February but other sources list this as March. with contradictory information I am going to ignore this single for now.) The first single was released on January 9th of 1970 featuring “Evil Woman” a hard blues rock cover of a song from American blues rock band, Crow. Nothing revolutionary happening there but on the B-side was the song “Wicked World”.

“Wicked World” and The Birth of Early Heavy Metal

“Wicked World” is the first song ever released that would be properly categorized as metal. In this case more specifically Early Heavy Metal. Early Heavy Metal at its core is metal but is flavored by elements of older styles. Along with the elements of earlier styles, Early Heavy Metal may also make use of instruments that fall out of use in later metal (examples: harmonica, tambourine, hammond organ.) Early Heavy Metal can be seen as both a style and a period of metal. This doesn’t mean that a more modern band can’t play Early Heavy Metal. Generally such bands do so inspired by the earlier bands and their sound.
“Wicked World” opens with a jazzy swing rhythm on the hi-hats and and an equally jazzy section with a blues feel as both genres influenced Tony who is the writer of Sabbath’s songs. The core of the song uses distorted guitar with driving chords and chugging, but distinctive from blues rock bands these main sections are not played with any standard swing beat.
It is difficult to know when a new genre begins because any stylistic uniqueness could become a genre if it is distinct enough and then copied or replicated by others. It would be hard to say that Black Sabbath was doing anything resembling a new genre until others began to play similarly. With out a continuation of the stylistic characteristics first established by Black Sabbath their sound would otherwise merely be their own flavor of heavy rock which already existed.

The First Metal Album and Doom Metal Song
(Black Sabbath and “Black Sabbath)

Friday the 13th, February of 1970 the self titled album from Black Sabbath was the first heavy metal album containing the first recorded heavy metal songs. It was released in the United States later on June 1st. The versions are slightly different so we will go over the original version first.
The album opened with a song that was striking for its time or any time with the title track “Black Sabbath”. This song is not just a metal song, but more so the first ever Doom Metal song. Besides the normal elements of heavy metal, this song goes further with the use of tritonal note progressions and a general ominous feeling of doom that separates it from the standard metal track that at such time had yet to even been established. Helping with the feel of the song it can’t be understated how important to it Ozzy’s eerie vice combined with Geezer’s dark lyrics added to the song.

“The Wizard”

Following the earth shaking opening, the second track gets bluesy with Ozzy starting “The Wizard” with the harmonica. Until the main riff kicks in for the verse this song might be mistaken for any other blues track, but shifts into a heaviness unlike any blues rock before it. “The Wizard” like the previously discussed “Wicked World” is metal at its core, but this time with an even more blues flavoring.

“Behind The Wall of Sleep”

After this point, the album versions are slightly different. The US release combines the remainder of the A-side tracks into one where as the original marks the next song as “Behind the Wall of Sleep”. This song has a opening that is more rock sounding with an alternate picked riff with a bluesy feel which repeats later in the song, but the core of the song holds a chorus riff using a sliding power chord that would classify as driving metal chords. Using the dominance rule discussed in the previous section the intro section would be ignored favoring this song as metal, but given the bluesy rock nature of the intro it will mark this song as Early Heavy Metal like the previous couple of songs.

“N.I.B.”

Following the bass solo titled “Bassically” on the US version, the album breaks into one of Black Sabbath’s most iconic songs “N.I.B.” This song is a metal master piece and the first one to really show off the trademark riffing style of Tony used in so many others to come as well as really setting a standard for one of the primary riffing styles of the genre. Much of metal is dominated by riffs that are powerful yet have are melodic and “N.I.B.” is as great of an example of this as any. The use of the tambourine in this song is something that doesn’t get carried over in the future neither by Sabbath or other bands. It’s use here denotes “N.I.B.” as Early Heavy Metal.

“Sleeping Villiage”

Flipping over to the other side of the record, the album goes into previously discussed songs “Evil Woman” on the original version or “Wicked World” on the US version. Following this is “Sleeping Village” which starts very lightly but progresses to a very heavy riff, the whole song sprinkled with short licks throughout and an upbeat solo section for good measure. This one is another Early Heavy Metal song, like the last one a tambourine is played throughout the song. Even more odd but adding a unique flavor is a jaw harp being played in the first part of the song.

A Hard Blues Rock Closing to First Metal Album

Ending the album, Black Sabbath closes with “The Warning”, a cover from The Ansley Dunbar Retaliation. It is a hard blues rock close to the first every metal album. At the time I doubt anyone had any idea how important this album would be. In their debut album, Black Sabbath established Early Heavy Metal with multiple songs in that style and shook the world with the first every Doom Metal song “Black Sabbath”. The album originated an entire genre of music as well as two sub-genres within, pretty good for a first recording.

The First Metal Dabblers

Following the release of Black Sabbath two more bands would release heavy metal songs in June of 1970. These bands would never wholly embrace the metal sound in the way Sabbath or future bands would but several albums from both would have metal songs, some of which very important.

Deep Purple - Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple released their fourth album Deep Purple In Rock June 5th, of 1970. Of that seven track album, 3 songs would branch into a heavier sound and be their first metal songs. Because of their use of the hammond organ, all metal songs played by Deep Purple would be tagged as early metal

“Speed King”

“Speed King” opened the album fast and heavy. In the middle section they break in to a psychedelic sounding jam. They were no strangers to the psychedelic sound on earlier albums, but the heaviness of this song was something new for them.

“Bloodsucker”

Following, the second track keeps the heavy sound continuing their first foray into Early Heavy Metal

“Hard Lovin’ Man”

After the second track the album is filled with hard rock / psychedelic hard rock but ends with another Early Heavy Metal track. “Hard Lovin’ Man” opens with the first galloping guitar rhythm in heavy metal. Where the guitar is distinctively heavy metal, the psychedelic feel is strong from the hammond.

Uriah Heep - …Very ‘Eavy … Very ‘Umble

Uriah Heep evolve more and more into the progressive rock sound, but starting out they were among the select few to give the world some it’s first taste of Early Heavy Metal. They released …Very ‘Eavy … Very ‘Umble the 13th of June, 1970.

“Gypsy”

Uriah Heep opens their debut album with the heavy hammond organ laced Early Heavy Metal “Gypsy”

“Walking In Your Shadow”

“Walking In Your Shadow” is the second track on the album and although very reminiscent of a band like Cream, this song is distinctively Early Heavy Metal.

“Bird of Prey”

Bird of Prey was a killer track released August of 1970 on the US version of the album and later released on their second album the next year. It is an Early Heavy Metal song with some incredible vocal layering sounding fresh no matter what year you hear it. The opening riff is fast and exciting as much today as it must have been at the time people first heard it. It is a song that is deserving of far more attention than what it likely receives.

More to Come

In this section we witnessed the birth of Early Heavy Metal as well as the first Metal album, first Doom metal song, and the first to follow in its wake. In our next section we will witness the first Traditional Heavy Metal song as well as the first Epic Metal.

Metal Family Trees

As part of Metology (the study of metal), the influences of the bands named here can be found on the metal family tree.