Wednesday, 8 February 2017

Analysis of Music Videos: Heavy Metal Genre

History of Heavy Metal Music

Heavy Metal was developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's in the UK and USA. Bands that created heavy metal developed a 'thick', massive sound characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with masculinity, aggression and machismo.

Some of the first heavy metal bands ( Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple) attracted large audiences were made fun of by critics which typically seen throughout the entire history of this genre. The band Judas Priest helped change the genres evolution by discarding much of its blues influence in the mid 1970's and Motorhead introduced a punk rock sensibility - by the end of the 1970's, heavy metal fans became known as 'metal heads' or 'headbangers'. 

Heavy Metal Music Conventions

Similar to Rock music, Heavy Metal music is typically released in bands due to the use of many instruments; one of the most iconic instruments being an electric guitar which is one of the most vital parts of heavy metal music - alongside the singers vocals. Electric guitars allow musicians to create loud distorted sounds and sometimes, singers within heavy metal bands vocals usually include shouting and screaming as well as just loud singing.

The looks and styles within these sorts of bands usually have dark clothing, sometimes leather, and men with long hair - due to this genre being mostly a male musician genre. However, some bands such as Slipknot, have their own unique style where they then become known for their look. With this band, they are more stereo typically known for their elaborate and 'haunting' masks that they where on stage. 


Slipknot

Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Iowa and was founded in September 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray. The band went through many lineup changes in its early years before they settled on nine members for more than a decade; these members being Corey Taylor, Mick Thomson, Jim Root, Paul Gray, Craig Jones, Sid Wilson, Shawn Crahan, Chris Fehn and Joey Jordison.
 The band rose to success following the release o their debut album in 1999. The band is known for it's attention grabbing image, aggressive style of music and energetic and chaotic live shows. The bands early performances included extreme acts such as stage dives from high balconies and band members setting each other on fire.
 They refrain from these acts now due to receiving lawsuits and to avoid harming other people. Along with their energetic performances, Slipknot often use elaborate stage set ups that use pyrotechnics, elevated stage areas, hydraulic drum risers and computer screens.

'Duality' (2009)

The song was released as the first single from the bands album Vol 3: (The Subliminal Verses) in 2004. The music video was listed as Roadrunner Records' greatest video of all time. The video was shot on location at a fans house in Des Moines, Iowa which was due for renovation, the aftermath of which resuted in the family asking the band to replace an extensive list of objects and fittings which were damaged and destroyed during the video shoot - showing the bands nature of their energetic and unpredictable live performances.
The video starts with a large crowd of fans running towards the camera which is clearly behind a window. As the song switches in intensity the video cuts to shots inside the house of the band performing in very close quarters with the fans.The video constantly switches between clips of the band performing and fans destroying the house and the surrounding environment. 
With the use of cutting from shots of the fans within the video to the band performing, it shows the stereotype of heavy metal music videos, where they focus on more performance base videos rather than narrative videos. 

Iron Maiden

They are an English Heavy Metal band that formed in 1975 by Bassist and song writer Steve Harris. The band's discography has grown to thirty-eight albums, including sixteen studio albums, eleven live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations. They are considered to be one of the most successful Heavy Metal bands in history. Current members of the band include Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain and Janick Gers. 

'The Number of the Beast' 1982


The music video is also performance based, moving from the leader singer singing by himself to the whole band performing on stage as well as clips of old films being mixed in within these shots. This follows the stereotype of heavy metal music videos. 



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