IoMP 157: The Birth of Heavy Metal: The Bands That Defined the 1970s
Every monster has an origin story.
Before metal had hundreds of subgenres, before there were death metal growls, thrash riffs, black metal tremolos, or djent guitars that sound like industrial machinery fighting a robot dinosaur… there was the 1970s.
The newest series on Influencers of Metal begins at the very beginning: the decade where heavy music started transforming from blues-based rock into something darker, heavier, and far more dangerous.
Collin and Tom jump into the 1970s to explore the bands that helped create the foundation of heavy metal — starting with the obvious kings of darkness: Black Sabbath.
From their self-titled debut through albums like Paranoid, Master of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabbath didn’t just release music — they created an entirely new feeling. The heaviness, the atmosphere, and the darkness they brought to rock music changed everything.
But Sabbath wasn’t alone.
The decade was filled with artists experimenting with heavier sounds, including Deep Purple, Rainbow, Rush, Judas Priest, and many others who helped push rock toward the future.
The guys also dive into how the late 70s started laying the groundwork for what would explode in the 1980s — the decade where metal truly became the global beast we know today.
Because every riff has a history.
And every metalhead has to know where the madness began…
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