Metal Monarchy
HISTORY OF METAL: 1977 - MOTORHEAD IGNITE A REVOLUTION; JUDAS PRIEST STAY TRUE TO THEIR ROOTS
Metal took an interesting turn in 1977 as it inherited influence from another popular new genre.
You guessed it. 1977 was the year that our beloved punk rock took the U.K. by storm. It was the year of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and The Stranglers. Punk was essentially rock music stripped to its barest elements and given a major dose of social angst and unrest. It arised in resistance to the "overproduced arena rock" of the day, which, in their minds, included heavy metal.
All of a sudden, heavy metal and hard rock bands were forced to take a back seat. There was one band, however, that emerged from the punk explosion with a distinctly metal edge. That band was Motörhead. They released their self-titled debut album in '77. Taking the speed and attitude of punk and infusing it with the technical ability and heaviness of metal, Motörhead married the two genres and served as the catalyst for a new wave that would truly take off 3 years later, and would redefine metal.
"Motörhead" live:
On the other side of the spectrum - in keeping with their lifelong commitment to pure heavy metal - Judas Priest released Sin After Sin which saw them move into significantly darker territory. The music and lyrics both became more sinister than on its predecessors, with Priest deeply delving into topics of the occult variety. "Dissident Aggressor" is an all-time classic track, which rivalled the heaviness of anything Black Sabbath had recorded to date. The song would later be covered by Slayer, who were almost single-handedly inspired to start their band by the '70s output of Priest.
"Dissident Aggressor" live, 2008:
You guessed it. 1977 was the year that our beloved punk rock took the U.K. by storm. It was the year of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and The Stranglers. Punk was essentially rock music stripped to its barest elements and given a major dose of social angst and unrest. It arised in resistance to the "overproduced arena rock" of the day, which, in their minds, included heavy metal.
All of a sudden, heavy metal and hard rock bands were forced to take a back seat. There was one band, however, that emerged from the punk explosion with a distinctly metal edge. That band was Motörhead. They released their self-titled debut album in '77. Taking the speed and attitude of punk and infusing it with the technical ability and heaviness of metal, Motörhead married the two genres and served as the catalyst for a new wave that would truly take off 3 years later, and would redefine metal.
"Motörhead" live:
On the other side of the spectrum - in keeping with their lifelong commitment to pure heavy metal - Judas Priest released Sin After Sin which saw them move into significantly darker territory. The music and lyrics both became more sinister than on its predecessors, with Priest deeply delving into topics of the occult variety. "Dissident Aggressor" is an all-time classic track, which rivalled the heaviness of anything Black Sabbath had recorded to date. The song would later be covered by Slayer, who were almost single-handedly inspired to start their band by the '70s output of Priest.
"Dissident Aggressor" live, 2008:
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