"The Roots of Metal" Project (Shadowdoom9 redux)

With Daniel's "Roots of Metal" project going on, I decided that I'll go along for the ride, to explore the earliest releases of metal and see which one of them is metal's ground zero and which one goes over or under the 40% line of legit metal. However, I have a different approach in this project, and I don't want to interfere with Daniel's project, so I started my own thread. My goal is to explore the first couple metal albums from 5 bands from that made their metal debut in the early to mid-70s that are essential to heavy metal's development in that decade. Note that a few of these bands' albums are more hard rock than heavy metal, but I'll ask Ben to add them for the sake of this project because of their importance in shaping up heavy metal. These bands are:

Black Sabbath

Deep Purple

Judas Priest

Rainbow

Scorpions

So basically it's a throwback to most of the bands that made heavy metal big in the 70s. I'll also cross over to Daniel's thread for when a track-to-track album genre analysis is happening there. And if my project goes well, I'll also do a couple other classic heavy metal reviewing projects I have planned out. Onward!

Unlike most metalheads who start exploring heavy metal from the very first year, I chose Deep Purple in Rock as my starting point. Sure this album came out in the middle of the period between those two Black Sabbath albums' release, but you gotta acknowledge that Deep Purple came before Black Sabbath, releasing 3 psychedelic/prog-rock albums in the late 60s. Here are my thoughts:

When vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover stepped in, Deep Purple dumped most of their psychedelic roots in exchange for something heavier. Deep Purple in Rock is a true start to metal alongside those Black Sabbath albums (SIT DOWN, Led Zeppelin). Deep Purple's raw heavy formula is something that is hard to replicate in subsequent albums. And while this album can be considered hard rock/heavy metal, you might not agree with me here but a couple songs actually come out as practically proto-speed metal! Maybe close to speed rock? Another song even has a Sabbath-like direction, slower marching hard rock/heavy metal, coming close to proto-doom metal. Of course, we can't forget about the vocals, guitar riffing/soloing, and organ that make the magical combo the band is stylistically known for. Deep Purple in Rock offers a lot of tight heaviness and variety, and is the one Deep Purple album that truly does that. With that, it is an essential hard rock/heavy metal album and one of the true first of the latter genre. Practically any music lover should give this historical offering a listen!

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

So, this is where it all begins... The rock genre that has since spawned countless subgenres. The main topic of this site. HEAVY METAL. The quartet of guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne are who you gotta thank for starting this awesome genre. Here are my thoughts on this album:

One band decided to perform downtuned guitar and write horror film-inspired lyrics in scary atmosphere, all forming a revolutionary game-changer of a genre that is heavy metal. That band is... BLACK SABBATH! Earlier bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin (still not metal, SIT DOWN, guys) and The Who may have been known as noisy trailblazers, but Sabbath took the noisiness to a different heavier level. Right from the visual, you know what this band and album is gonna be about. A frightening yet intriguing cover art of a pale woman in a black cloak with a watermill in the bleak background. And when you start playing that record, you'll be entering the most spooky yet pleasant experience of your life, a stormy realm with church bells ringing from afar... And thus begins the big bang track of heavy metal, with that melodic doomy riff in dark atmosphere being as impactful as the actual Big Bang! Yes, that is the earliest example of doom metal, with the track ending with a minute and a half of faster hard rock/heavy metal. However, for the rest of the songs, expect a couple blues/hard rockers, stoner-ish hard rock/heavy metal songs, and even a couple progressive-sounding tracks. And many of them offer Iommi's powerful riffing/soloing, Butler's booming bass, Ward's mighty drumming, and Ozzy's strong versatile voice for a grand historical sound. I don't think any other album released in 1970 has ever been as historical as Black Sabbath's first two albums, with only Deep Purple in Rock being close to Black Sabbath's heavy greatness. Their debut is a revolutionary beginning of a new band, a new era, and a new genre. So put this record on and witness the birth of heavy metal!

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

With Black Sabbath's 1970 debut showing the first ever signs of the heavy metal genre, their second album Paranoid, released later that year, sealed the deal and solidified the genre, with most tracks stuck firmly in that category. Here are my thoughts:

What's jarring is, unlike most metalheads when they encounter Black Sabbath, I actually like Paranoid a half-star less than their debut. I would consider side A to be the more accessible side and side B to be the more serious side. This kind of balance is what makes the album the right place for some of the earliest full-on heavy metal. And despite their accessibility, the first two songs are true legendary hits and deserve their right as singles, a great one-two punch before going slightly downhill. The next tracks are pretty mundane, and this might get be hanged but "Iron Maiden" isn't all that great for me despite it being considered another essential hit for Black Sabbath and heavy metal, as well as an anthem for the Marvel superhero. I can't even get mad, I just feel bad. But the more serious second half gives the album great redemption in value. After that first half that had accessible heavy metal with one track having some doom and progressive tendencies and another being just poor psychedelic rock, the second half throws back deeply to the debut's main sound that is a blend of heavy metal, hard rock, and blues rock, with stoner rock and progressive rock as secondary genres. And the famous founding 4 continue to shine with their respective instruments. I hate to consider Paranoid not as legendary as their debut, but I gotta speak my true opinion. Still there's a lot to offer for any music fan. Anyone can enjoy the accessibility in the first half, and anyone can enjoy the depth of the second half. I enjoy this album, though I prefer the band's debut. Either way, you gotta be thankful for those legends....

4/5

Metal enough for my opinion: yes

And now to present the awards for that 1970 founding trio of heavy metal albums...

Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Rock - The Experimenter

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath - The Originator

Black Sabbath - Paranoid - True Ground Zero

Next up, I'll explore the first few albums from each of 3 bands that have contributed to heavy metal's development, even in their hard rock albums, those bands being Judas Priest, Rainbow, and Scorpions. The reviews for their non-metal albums will appear here, and if some of them are in fact metal enough to be included in this site, I'll let Ben know and ask him to add them in, and once they're in the site, I'll copy my review to an actual review. More reviews coming soon...

Y'know, I would've thought Judas Priest had made it big in their debut the way Black Sabbath did with theirs, but the divebomb dropped by Priest in Rocka Rolla didn't quite explode as much it should have. They have all their essential aspects, though in this album, they were mostly bottled up. I mean you can't deny the cool guitar dueling of Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing, but all we're getting is a blues/hard rock sound with some prog-rock, a bit like Wishbone Ash but without any folk.

The only songs that stand out for me are the ones with a metallic edge, which is present in the hard-rocking title track to a lesser extent. The other song, "Run of the Mill" roars out with a foreshadowing of their metallic sound. Rob Halford's vocals range from low to high, though he hadn't yet fully gained his melodic shrieking ability.

There's just not much compelling going on in this album when it sounds like the only Black Sabbath style they were following was that of "The Wizard" and "Evil Woman". It's not until their second album Sad Wings of Destiny when they finally go the proper Black Sabbath route of heavy metal with their own sound. And this debut would've actually sounded like that album if their label didn't insist on more commercial songs. So blame the label, not the band. Their second album would start a better age of metal....

Favorites (only songs I like and are metal enough): "Rocka Rolla", "Run of the Mill"

2.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: no

I actually love "Rocka Rolla" & think it's massively underrated. In fact, I'd take it over some of Judas Priest's most widely celebrated albums if I'm being honest. Interestingly, I've scored it the same as you have though Andi.

I meant to say "2.5/5", Daniel. Oops!

Judas Priest restored heavy metal and added more speed and energy in their second album Sad Wings of Destiny! Gone is the messy forgettable blues/hard rock of the 2.5-star debut Rocka Rolla. Instead, we have Rob Halford's aggressive singing shrieks and Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing's harmonic guitar melodies. Here are my thoughts:

Like Black Sabbath's debut, the visual is worth the price of admission. The dark cover (Why's the angel dude dabbing!?), the gothic band logo, the fierce song titles... Judas Priest wanted to let the world know that they're not the bluesy hippies producer Rodger Bain forced them to be, but rather a band who wants to be the next Black Sabbath, but in a more unique way. While Judas Priest's sound is heavier, they still don't mind composing soft and long songs, albeit with most of the progressive aspects taken out for something more commercial. Also, note that side A and side B were switched after the original pressing. I like the more well-known tracklisting better, because it gives the album a similar vibe to the order Black Sabbath's Paranoid (not including the middle "Prelude"); one long classic, one short classic, a soft mediocre song, a heavy mediocre song, an underrated classic, a not-too-great but still OK song, an experimental track, and a finale classic. And throughout these tracks in the Judas Priest album, Rob Halford shines with his melodious screams and the two guitarists shred with full power, and the rhythm section rules too. Sad Wings of Destiny is an amazing album that I recognize as a classic in early heavy metal. And as a young metalhead who's had much experience with the classic past as the modern present, I can really see the appeal. The few songs that don't reach true glory prevent the album from being totally perfect. Nonetheless, there are great treats in this heavy metal game-changer to behold!

4.5/5

Metal enough for my opinion: yes

That's the same rating I gave it.  It's a very cool 70's hard rock album, but at the time I heard it, I considered it light even for 70's metal standards.  Hell I don't even think of British Steel as that much metal.

Metal enough for you?

"Sad Wings of Destiny" certainly isn't a total metalfest. It's still a band in transition but I've always thought there was comfortably enough metal to qualify. Perhaps I'll get a chance to review that position a little later in this exercise.

"Sad Wings of Destiny" certainly isn't a total metalfest. It's still a band in transition but I've always thought there was comfortably enough metal to qualify. Perhaps I'll get a chance to review that position a little later in this exercise.

I think it's an essential to cover given its rep as a metal staple.  It's everywhere on those online lists of classic metal albums.

Well this next album is gonna cause some divisive discussion...

The most essential part of the history of Rainbow involves two members. First off, there's the band's main founder, ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. He and Deep Purple were touring with support from blues/hard rock band Elf. That band was known as an early one for the legendary Dio (RIP). Impressive by Dio's mighty magical voice, Blackmore invited him for a different project, one that would become a great success, resulting in Blackmore leaving Deep Purple and Dio disbanding Elf.

As you can hear in Rainbow's 1975 debut, their hard rock sound combines the blues of Elf with the early metal of Deep Purple. Yeah, I'm saying it, this album is metal! Though their metal side would be more pronounced in their second album. But with a large amount of blues/hard rock in the album as well, I say the rock/metal ratio is 50:50.

"Man on the Silver Mountain" is a classic opener, right from that memorable riff. It's the most metallic sound here while combining their heavy metal side with hard rock. And that's just the start of the variation that would occur in the rest of the album. What makes that track the fresh classic highlight is how guitar-driven it is, as Blackmore slides through his riffing and soloing. Dio's vocals help give that guitarwork more atmosphere. More of that top-notch guitar playing appears in "Self Portrait" which, I suppose you can consider a power ballad, but to me, it has more of a hard rock/proto-doom metal (doom rock?) song of early Black Sabbath. The bass can be heard greatly, and the lyrics have poetic appeal. "Black Sheep of the Family" has the nice prog-ish hard rock speed of the band whose song they were covering, Quatermass. Good, but not spectacular.

Then we have a more obscure yet underrated track in "Catch the Rainbow". This can work greatly live with the clean guitar and vocals of Ritchie and Dio, respectively. It's more effectively that way for a slow blues rock ballad. Would the band's later vocalists like Joe Lynn Turner and Ronnie Romero be able to master singing that song as greatly as Dio? Didn't think so... The more exotic hard rock/metal sound comes back in "Snake Charmer", with a serene guitar solo. "The Temple of the King" has cleaner mid-tempo blues rock that continues to have the torch carried by Dio's vocals and Blackmore's guitars.

"If You Don’t Like Rock ‘N Roll" is OK, but their attempt to push their usual hard rock back a couple decades into the rock 'n roll era just doesn't sound right for me, especially that annoying piano. They assumed right, I don't like early rock 'n roll. "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is a mid-tempo hard rock/heavy metal march. One more highlight is an upbeat instrumental cover of "Still I'm Sad" by The Yardbirds. They take that band's blues/hard rock sound and give it a more metallic edge.

Other than that "Rock 'N Roll" track detracted a half-star from what would've been a perfect 5-star rating for the album, the music for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is all in amazing performance and mood. Although it is a rock/metal album, the more metal fans might find the songs laid back. Despite that, the heavy energy is what keeps things rolling. I must admit, I wasn't expecting that kind of approach, so consider me surprised. I never usually enjoy 70s music, but the "Roots of Metal" project is going mostly smoothly for me so far. If you enjoy Dio and Deep Purple, you might get a great kick out of this as much as their second more solidifying album. Catch that rainbow!

Favorites: "Man on the Silver Mountain", "Self Portrait", "Catch the Rainbow", "Snake Charmer", "Still I'm Sad"

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

You're right Andi. That's certainly an interesting position. I'm across the entire Rainbow discography & would suggest that there isn't more than a couple of tracks that would qualify as metal across the whole lot to be honest.

That's interesting, Daniel. I can find some prominent metal in songs from the first two Rainbow albums, especially in...

Since this isn't an entirely American band, and there's more focus on epicness than speed, I can safely say that Rising is the first ever European-style power metal album right here, at least in half the amount of songs. Here are my thoughts:

Rising shows Rainbow... well, rising! And there are some aspects that are actually ahead of their time, like up to a decade ahead. They already have the melodic NWOBHM of Iron Maiden and even the epic-sounding power metal of Helloween, while a bit of their prog-ish hard rock is still around. There's practically no weakness in the group's talent. The late Ronnie James Dio sounds strong as always, especially when boosted by Ritchie Blackmore's background riffing. Only a couple small moments in the album show his vocals at fault, but he's still the lean mean singing machine that he was. I'm not kidding about the power metal sound in the songs that have it. They can range from mid-paced ("Tarot Woman") to slow and almost doomy ("Stargazer") and fast and speedy ("A Light in the Black"). But in between those songs are 3 more that are problematic and more boogie hard rock than anything, but they barely affect the album's classic status. Rising is the kind of album you should get if you're up for early melodic heavy metal, and perhaps the earliest power metal songs ever!

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

The final part of Rainbow's Dio trilogy that would never reach those amazing heights again after he left. Here are my thoughts:

It was after their strong classic Rising and their live album On Stage. The band planned to make one more album that would have the special delivery of Ritchie Blackmore's guitar and Ronnie James Dio's vocals and maintain the magic of Rising. And did they do it? Yes they did! Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll is another amazing addition to the band's discography and Dio's career. They expand their heavy focus in their songs, while at the same time, continuing the versatile experimentation. And most of the songs fit highly well with their respective sounds; hard rock, heavy metal, one more early power metal song, and even a medieval folk ballad. Only a couple hard rock songs are unsteady, but once again they're OK and the album's classic status is never highly detracted. Other members that have worked with Blackmore and Dio in this offering are keyboardists Tony Carey and David Stone with their magical synths, the late Cozy Powell with his devastating drums, and Bob Daisley with his booming bass. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is the final part of Rainbow's amazing trilogy, and is the second-best of the trilogy, with the band's debut in 3rd place and Rising winning the gold medal. Sadly, Blackmore planned to move to a more commercial sound after their 3rd album, and Dio, disapproving of that idea, left the band and joined Black Sabbath. And thus ended Rainbow's era of promising glory, with all hopes for Dio to reunite with Rainbow no longer possible. RIP... Long live their music!

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

OK, a couple things to be said here: 1. Scorpions' albums in the second half of the 70s have quite some metal going on with their hard rock sound, as my ears would hear it. 2. They're no stranger to controversial cover art, and if you see the censored versions of their cover art in this thread (like in this album cover in which the model originally had an exposed breast), you'll find out why when I review their next album that is the epicenter of that controversy.

In Trance may be Scorpions' third album, but it's the first one with their true sound! They've gone the Deep Purple route of releasing a couple progressive/psychedelic rock albums and then eliminated that sound for something new. Here we have hard rock/heavy metal anthems in furious glory, plus some power ballads.

The album opens with "Dark Lady", in which the guitar riffing fury of Ulrich Roth causes a great deal of aggression Scorpions hasn't had since. While vocalist Klaus Meine sings his usual vocals, you can also hear some singing from Roth which I enjoy. Meine can practically shatter glass with his melodic screams like Judas Priest' Rob Halford can. A ballad that's never lame at all is the title track. It's actually one of the best 70s hard rock ballads I've ever heard! Meine's vocals have so emotion, the chorus sounds powerful, and the song ends epically in the guitar leads. And don't forget a subtle reference to the Beatles. Continuing the sad balladry is "Life’s Like a River". It's about how fast growing up can seem, which is powerful, but any of the older Scorpions fans might feel sad for sure.

One song that's low on quality is "Top of the Bill". That hard rock/metal song sounds too straight in the Black Sabbath-like riff. It's fine, but would be better in a later album. Changing things up lighter but better is Living and Dying". Meine sings a soft verse before rising into a perfect chorus with guitar leads performed in true melancholy. "Robot Man" is another solid enjoyable rock/metal track with guitar Rudolf Schenker shuffling through a catchy riff rhythm. The lyrics are quite amusing, but they add to the song's charm, "I'm a robot man, I'm a loser." Another remorseful ballad is "Evening Wind". The Black Sabbath-esque riffing is performed much better along with the searing solo.

I should note that Roth's attempt at lead vocals in "Sun in My Hand" seems kinda poor. It's a great song with joyful soloing, but it would've been better with Meine. Should've stuck to just guitars, Mr. Roth! Another couple percentage points are knocked off from "Longing for Fire" which sounds like the band is getting tired out at that point from all that rock/metal. However, Schenker and Roth close the album with instrumental "Night Lights", performing beautiful leads and rhythms, ending the album smoothly.

With all that said, In Trance has amazing 70s hard rock/heavy metal going. You can sing along to the metallic anthems and cry tears of joy to the power ballads. I never realized how much potential Scorpions has greatly fulfilled until now, and they would continue that streak for a few years!

Favorites: "Dark Lady", "In Trance", "Living and Dying", "Robot Man", "Evening Wind"

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

You know you can't do a review on Virgin Killer without mentioning the elephant in the room. And by that I mean the naked pre-teen girl in the original album cover. Scorpions' record company RCA had that odd disturbing idea for that album cover and the guts to actually do it! Of course, the cover shown here is the replacement one with all the band members in it, as I don't dare share the original. I'm pretty sure laws against child porn in some places have become more stringent after what happened to Manowar's Karl Logan. So that's the major controversy, though a lesser-known controversy is how it inspired the name of a backless sweater often worn on its own. OK, moving on...

The hard rock/metal direction of In Trance continues in Virgin Killer. They still hadn't reached their breakthrough but they're already reaching the public, for both the right and wrong reasons. The progressive/psychedelic rock roots of their first two albums are much further out and unreachable. Virgin Killer has a more commercial sound in the midst of heaviness and balladry of In Trance. And although there's a slight drop in quality, they'll improve again later. Continuing this blend of heavy and soft, there are fast chargers and mellow ballads switching back and forth. All tracks are structurally simple and have a radio-friendly average length of 4 minutes. There's some more of the horrendous vocals from guitarist Ulrich Roth, but the strength of vocalist Klaus Meine almost never runs down, even when things get more mainstream.

"Pictured Life" is a good example of this more commercial take on hard rock/metal, but Meine's singing is a bit awkward, especially in the verses. "Catch Your Train" follows through with more of those catchy yet simple melodies, best found in the chorus. The band truly master their soft side with the first of a few ballads here, "In Your Park". It's quite appealing for rock/metal listeners who want to take things easy once in a while.

For the next track "Backstage Queen", the verses are kinda dull. It is forgettable, though there are other tracks that make up for it quite a lot, like this next one... The title track kicks up the metallic speed greatly. I can consider this song part of the proto-thrash trio, together with Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" and Black Sabbath's "Symptoms of the Universe". If you don't believe Scorpions has ever gone full-on metal, at least give that song a go. One of two Roth-led songs, "Hell-Cat" is more experimental track. His vocals sound like he's rapping! The first rap rock/metal track!? God forbid... Besides that, the guitars, bass, and drums are not that interesting. But the worst is yet to come...

One track that hasn't been talked about much is "Crying Days", one last song in the album to be written by Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker. Sticking an epic-sounding ballad right in the middle of those f***ing Roth-led tracks makes the order quite awkward. Still there's some great slow heavy metal power in that song. The worst track of the album has to be "Polar Nights", the other Roth-led song. It starts off promising with the awesome drumming, but Roth's awkwardly accented vocals ruin everything. Seriously, man! Meine is one of the most killer vocalists in 70s hard rock/metal, so why try to hijack the spotlight? Roth is an amazing guitar player, and THAT'S THAT. I can't handle any more of his annoying singing. "Yellow Raven" is one last memorable mind-blowing ballad to make sure the album ends smoothly.

All in all, Virgin Killer isn't really the best 70s hard rock/metal I've heard. Nonetheless, it's very enjoyable, despite a couple issues that they could've averted. This album is the second part of Roth's hard rock/heavy metal trilogy with the band (though he was also in their second album Fly to the Rainbow). His guitar work has been praised greatly, but certainly not his vocals, which is the album's biggest mistake besides the original album cover. The band will take on a better heavier sound in their next album Taken by Force, but Virgin Killer is still something to recommend for early hard rock/heavy metal fans. Quite underrated when you think of all the high points....

Favorites: "Catch Your Train", "In Your Park", "Virgin Killer", "Crying Days", "Yellow Raven"

4/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

I know I said I wouldn't use Scorpions' more controversial album covers, but this one's already in the site. And it isn't controversial in the sexual/nudity sense, but I'll just say, this is why you shouldn't let kids dress up as cowboy gunmen in a soldiers' graveyard. Anyway, here are my thoughts:

Taken by Force is another solid Scorpions album! The dark heaviness continues with a slight step up from their previous album. Although this is the final part of their Uli Jon Roth hard rock/metal trilogy, his lyrics shine as well as his guitarwork, and thank heavens there's none of his god-awful vocals. Vocalist Klaus Meine is the real singing star here, particularly in a few of the band's greatest 70s hits. And the dark lyrics in the Roth-written songs helps them shine as well. Most people who have heard of Scorpions only know them from their newer ballads. That's a shame because they don't know what they're missing out in Taken by Force. Forget about the band's material from the 80s and beyond for a while and check out their 70s era. This album is a total view-changer!

4.5/5

Metal enough in my opinion: yes

I was going to stop this project there, but now I've given myself two more tasks: 1. I plan to listen to and review the rest of the Scorpions albums that are up in this site and judge which of the albums are metal or not. 2. After experiencing the earliest European-style power metal ever in Rainbow's Rising, I plan to search for any albums that are stylistically similar to Rising released in the years between that album and Helloween's first releases (NOT from America, otherwise they would be considered US power metal which is a different genre/scene). Any suggestions for my second task are welcome. But for now, I'll be taking a break from this project for the weekend to focus on finishing and sending my clan playlists and feature releases, discover a few more bands of different genres, and other projects. More to explore on Monday! Stay tuned...

I would suggest that these records were influential on the early European power metal scene Andi:

Warlord - "Deliver Us" E.P. (1983)

Warlord - "And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun..." (1984)

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - "Marching Out" (1985)

Warlord are American but their sound was still influential on the European sound. For the record though, I consider "Walls of Jericho" to be the earliest true example of the genre.

Thanks, Daniel, but I've just cancelled my second task because I've realized that Rainbow's Rising is not as power metal as I thought, which I thought it was, because of the melodicism and the fantasy lyrics, but only "A Light in the Black" comes close to an important aspect of power metal, which is the speed.

I don't know how much influence it had on the sound overall, but Twilight Project's EP is very much an early example of power metal.