Classic rock and heavy metal bands do not belong to the same genre of music but they share similar characteristics in terms of sound and lyrics. The genres – classic rock and heavy metal – emerged in the late 60s and early 70s. Acid rock, blues, country music, psychedelic rock and blues rock are the musical foundations on which these genres were built.
The quintessential piece of music that can be categorized as classic rock and heavy metal are usually songs that feature a long guitar solo – done with an electric guitar, coupled with distortion of amplified sounds, tiring vocals that sound like screaming on key with elaborate drumming and lyrics steeped in angry angst. In the early days of these genres, especially heavy metal, they were heavily criticized.
Classic rock and heavy metal music was mostly consumed by UK fans and created by English bands. Music of any genre is nothing without the musicians who create and perform the music and in the case of classic rock and heavy metal the music is usually created by bands and not by solo artists. Here is a list of the ten most famous classic rock and heavy metal bands.
Famous classic rock and heavy metal bands
1. Black Sabbath
In the battle for the offspring of heavy metal, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are the main contenders. Black Sabbath is an English group formed in 1968 in Birmingham. The band’s pioneer was Tony Iommi, lead guitarist, Ozzy Osbourne, lead vocalist, Bill Ward on drums and Geezer Butler on bass and the band’s lyricist. In 2017, they were officially disbanded, but before that, the group members had moved on several times, with Iommi being the only consistent member of the group.
Black Sabbath was originally called Polka Tulk Blues Band, but they went through a few changes including the kind of music they played until they switched to rock. Their second album Paranoiac has been described as setting the tone for what metal music is as we know it today. They are ranked as the greatest rock band of all time and boast a record number of records sold – 70 million – to back that up.
2. Led Zeppelin
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham came together to create one of the greatest classic rock and heavy metal bands in musical history. The band is part of the holy trinity of heavy metal and has served as an inspiration for young heavy metal bands. Led Zeppelin is an English metal band born in 1968 in London. The band was originally called New Yardbirds, and after many failed attempts, as well as the departure and replacement of some band members, Led Zeppelin was finally able to break into the music scene with their first album, released in 1969, Led Zeppelin. Their song ‘Stairway to Heaven’ ranks third on VH1’s list of 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time.
3. Iron Maiden
On December 25, 1975, Iron Maiden was formed. As with most bands, many personnel changes had to be made before the perfect mix was achieved. In Iron Maiden’s case, personnel changes meant a year-long hiatus, and by 1977 they were back. together once again. Steve Harris who formed the group is the only member of the group who stayed the longest. Their first work was a four-song demo, which had the song Prowler that was widely received by audiences and critics around the world. In 1980, their first album Iron Maiden was released but it was not until 1982, with the album The Number of the Beast,that they topped the UK Albums Chart. This album was also what introduced them to fans outside of the UK and US.
4. queen
Bohemian Rhapsody can be described as not only the Magnus Opus of this band’s discography but of rock music in general. 1970 was the year the band Smile had just lost their bassist, Tim Staffell, to another band. Farrokh “Freddie” Bulsara who was a fan of Smile suggested that they experiment with new sounds and change the name of the group, with him leading the group, and thus the group, Queen, was created. Although their early songs were in the classicism of classic rock, the growth of the group pushed their spirit to create songs that could appeal to a wider audience. The band is down to just two members, but the songs they’ve created are notable for their timelessness and universality.We’ll rock you, we’re the champions, and One more bites the dust
5. Metallica
As mentioned earlier, heavy metal originated from the UK music scene resulting in a decrease in the number of American rock bands in the early days of the genre. One of the few American heavy metal and classic rock bands of this era was Metallic. In 1981, Lars Ulrich placed a newspaper ad for people to join a drummer to form a band. Five months after the announcement was posted, the group was formed. The only two people who have always been in the band are Lars Ulrich – the founder and James Hetfield – the lead singer. Cliff Burton, the band’s bassist, died following an accident involving other band members while on tour. His death almost led to the split of the group but they decided otherwise.
Metallica have sold over one hundred million albums and are best remembered for being the progenitors of the Thrash Metal subgenre.
6. Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 by Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, Richie Sambora, Alec John and Dave Sabo. Of the six, the first three are the only remaining members of the group. Their style of music has been categorized as pop rock, arena rock, hard rock, and glam metal. On their 2007 album, Lost Highway, the band incorporated elements of country rock and country pop; it is their only album where they deviated from the fundamental characteristics of heavy metal or classic rock.
It was not until two years after its formation that the band achieved musical success; with the album, Slippery When Wet. This album has one of their most popular songs to date – Living on a Prayer. The reason for this success is due to the song’s wide reach, which appealed not only to rock fans, but also to pop fans.
7. Parkway Drive
The origins of heavy metal and classic rock lie in American and British music, but as these genres of music began to develop, heavy metal and classic rock bands from other parts of the world began to spring up. , and one such band is Australian heavy metal band Parkway Drive. The band was formed in 2003 by Winston McCall at a time when the genre was not a widely accepted type of music in Australia. The members of the group have remained almost the same since its formation in 2003, only having to change bassist. From the start, Parkway Drive has been hugely successful with six albums and an EP. They have also received numerous awards that testify to the mastery of their art.
8. August Burns Red
Jon Hershey, John Benjamin “JB” Brubaker, BrentRambler, Jordan Tuscan and Matt Greiner were all in high school when they decided to come together to form the music group August Burns Red in March 2003. Their debut album, Seeking Thrills was released in 2005 while signed to Solid State Records. The majority of the band members are practicing Christians, which made them reveal whether the band is a Christian band or not to journalists and fans. There have been several arguments between band members who think the band should identify as a Christian band and other band members who have opposing ideas about it.
9. Of Mice and Men
Formed in 2009 by Austin Carlile and Jaxin Hall, Of Mice and Men has since gone through many changes. One of these changes is the exunt of founding members Carlile and Hall for different reasons. The group has released five studio albums and each of them has been well received by critics. They’re a newer band compared to other members of this list and may not have achieved iconic status like their older counterparts, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t left behind. brand on the genre and in the industry in general.
10. Baby Metal
A very large percentage of heavy metal and classic rock bands are made up of men and the few bands that have women are generally more masculine. One heavy metal band that doesn’t fit this description is Japanese band Babymetal. The group was formed in 2010 by Suzuka Nakamoto, the lead singer. The other band members are Moa Kikuchi, who is on vocals. Yui Mizuno plays instruments. The Japanese music scene isn’t very receptive to metal music, but this band found a way to incorporate elements of pop and metal into their music and it’s one of the things that brought them international fame.