Hard Rock

Hard rock is notorious for often being cited as having started the entire metal genre. Though not a style of metal on its own, it undoubtedly developed many key characteristics that metal would subsequently base itself on: harshly distorted guitars, gruff lead vocalists, flair for theatrics and machismo, and an elevated sense of honesty, relatability, and an iconic identity.

Formed in the mid- to late-1960s, riding on the cusp of other genres such as blues rock (ie, the Rolling Stones), garage rock (ie, the Stooges), and psychedelic rock (ie, the Doors), hard rock began its progress into becoming a genre unto its own with the introduction of a single name: Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix's guitar playing exemplified everything that the rock scene needed at the time: blazing solos and heavy-hitting rhythms. Riding the high of the acid-fueled psych movement of the early '60s, artists like Hendrix, as well as Cream, Blue Cheer, and Vanilla Fudge pioneered a style known as heavy psych. Placing major emphasis on fuzzy, crunchy guitar and bass sounds, and drenching their music in layers of reverb and distortion, heavy psych paved the way for the hard rock that we know and love today.

Recommended heavy psych listening:
1. Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (1968)
2. Grand Funk - Grand Funk (1969)
3. T2 - It'll All Work Out in Boomland (1970
4. Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond (1972)
5. Buffalo - Volcanic Rock (1973)

A key band that found themselves taking the heavy psych formula and running with it was Steppenwolf, a quintet that came out swinging with their hit single "Born to Be Wild." This song in particular marks one of the first occasions where the term "heavy metal" was used in the context of music. After the appearance of Steppenwolf, hard rock truly began to take its form. Other bands would soon follow in their wake, turning their amps up to 11 and infusing a newfound sense of energy and bombast to the blues rock formula, such as Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, Jeff Beck, and a little-known band called Led Zeppelin.

Recommended '60s hard rock listening:
1. Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf (1968)
2. Jeff Beck - Truth (1968)
3. Gun - Gun (1968)
4. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin & Led Zeppelin II (1969)
5. Deep Purple - Deep Purple (1969)

As the '60s became the '70s, the golden age of hard rock flourished. Some of the biggest and most recognizable artists in all of rock history made their mark in this decade: Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Blue Öyster Cult, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Bad Company, Thin Lizzy, Boston, UFO, AC/DC, Queen, Rush... the list goes on. All of these artists took influence from the blues and psychedelic movements, but added that extra kick of grit that fans found so memorable. Some artists like Alice Cooper and Kiss showcased a more glam rock-inspired sound. Others like Rush and UFO pioneered a fusion between hard rock and progressive rock. Bands like Boston and Blue Öyster Cult started what would later be called AOR, or arena rock. Others still stuck with the classic "4-chords and a backbeat" formula, such as AC/DC and Aerosmith. Needless to say, the genre was thriving in the mainstream.

However, in the context of metal history, one band surpassed all the others in terms of sheer scope of influence, a band that's vision would prevail for the next five decades: Black Sabbath. Having released their first two albums (Black Sabbath and Paranoid) in 1970, their dark, evil atmosphere painted a picture that rock listeners had never heard before. From the very first notes on the title track "Black Sabbath" based on the tritone (known colloquially to musicians as the devil's interval), it was apparent that something truly innovative and timeless had begun.

Recommended '70s hard rock listening:
1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath & Paranoid (1970)
2. The Who - Who's Next (1971)
3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III (1971)
4. Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)
5. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (1976)

Hard rock in the 1980s upped its naturally bombastic nature, and subsequently shifted itself into a spectacle that was equally visual as it was aural. Arena rock was in full throttle, and as a result, many pop-infused bands such as Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Styx took rock radio by storm. Similarly, Black Sabbath's legacy continued and heavy metal became a major interest to the disenchanted youths. Thanks to this, other bands started fusing metal and hard rock, with bands such as Motörhead, Scorpions, Riot, and Ozzy Osbourne's solo material popularizing that style even further. AC/DC, with the unfortunate passing of Bon Scott, found a comfortable replacement (and massive success) with Brian Johnson. But most importantly for this era, bands like Van Halen and Guns 'n' Roses spearheaded the next movement of hard rock.

Recommended '80s hard rock listening:
1. AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)
2. Motörhead - Ace of Spades (1980)
3. Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)
4. Scorpions - Love at First Sting (1984)
5. Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)

When folks think about rock music from the 1980s, visions of fellas in makeup, neon spandex pants, and gigantic perms will undoubtedly come to mind. This is largely due to the rise of glam metal. Though ephemeral in nature, becoming obsolete after the '80s ended, its influence was absolutely massive. Bands exploded onto the scene, practically overnight. Artists like Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot initially showed up, combining the theatrics of glam rock artists Kiss and Alice Cooper with the heavy metal of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Soon after, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Cinderella, Ratt, Poison, W.A.S.P., Skid Row, White Lion, Dokken, Great White, and many others found incredible mainstream success. In combining catchy pop hooks with raw heavy metal sounds, glam metal skyrocketed in popularity over the duration of the decade.

Recommended glam metal listening:
1. Def Leppard - Pyromania (1983)
2 Mötley Crüe - Shout at the Devil (1983)
3. Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry (1984)
4. W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (1984)
5. Cinderella - Long Cold Winter (1988)

In the 1990s, attention shifted away from explosive live performances in favor of more stripped-back, angst-ridden music in the form of alternative rock and grunge. As a result, hard rock fell out of the public eye. Some grunge artists, such as Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots, took influence from the hard rock of prior decades, but infused it with the new, dirty-sounding musicianship that the '90s listening public craved. Other hard rock artists stayed more in the underground, such as the Wildhearts, the Tea Party, and King's X.

Recommended '90s hard rock listening:
1. Danzig - Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990)
2. Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)
3. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears (1991)
4. King's X - Dogman (1994)
5. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (1994)

Another form of hard rock that took form in the '90s was called stoner rock, also commonly known as desert rock. This movement was, in some ways, a throwback to hard rock's origins. Stoner rock bands took major influence from blues and psychedelic rock, just as their forefathers did. Stoner rock places major emphasis on bouncy, midtempo songs that are often bass-centric. Though not nearly as popular in the public eye as glam metal or even classic hard rock, stoner rock has nevertheless accumulated a cult following and established many successful artists in its own regard, such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, and Queens of the Stone Age. Kyuss would also spearhead the subsequent movement of stoner metal bands, which will be discussed later.

Recommended stoner rock listening:
1. Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley (1994)
2. Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity (1995)
3. Fu Manchu - Eatin' Dust (1999)
4. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (2002)
5. Clutch - Blast Tyrant (2004)

Hard rock in the 2000s took a backseat to other, more developed styles of rock. Older bands would often attempt comeback albums, but very rarely regained their creative success. A few bands such as Clutch, the Protomen, and Witchcraft took some influence from their predecessors, but only gained traction in circles that would already seek out this style of music. Post-grunge had taken hard rock's niche on rock radio, with (arguably terrible) bands like Creed, Puddle of Mudd, and Buckcherry filling its spot. It seemed that hard rock was doomed to fall out of relevancy, until the 2010s rolled around. With this new decade, nostalgia for the golden age of '70s hard rock ran rampant. Revival artists were galore, with the rising of Ghost, Greta Van Fleet, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Graveyard, Black Pistol Fire, Cleopatrick, and Rival Sons. Many post-grunge artists have also used this decade to shift towards a more grounded and focused hard rock style, such as Shinedown, Foo Fighters, and Alter Bridge. Even glam metal has seen a small resurgence with bands like Steel Panther.

Recommended '00s and '10s hard rock listening:
1. The Protomen - Act II: The Father of Death (2009)
2. Graveyard - Hisingen Blues (2011)
3. Rival Sons - Head Down (2012)
4. Alter Bridge - Fortress (2013)
5. Ghost - Meliora (2015)

Being the oldest genre in the history of metal, this is likely going to be the longest entry in this entire series. Most of the more niche genres will probably only be a fraction of the length of this entry. That stands as a testament to the longevity and scope of hard rock's influence over the entirety of metal history. Most of these artists, especially those from the '70s and '80s, are heralded as what is now considered "classic rock." There is certainly a reason that these artists and their innovations have gone down in music history. Stay tuned for weekly updates on more genres from metal's timeline!