Overview

Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving everything else for everyone else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.

Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music — and, soon enough, within Metal there were "tribes." If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.

In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more. 

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Lessons

lesson:
The Roots of Heavy Metal

Grades: High
Subjects: ELA, General Music

What are the musical and cultural roots of Heavy Metal?

lesson:
Mainstream Metal, Parental Advisories, and Censorship

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: ELA, General Music, Social Studies/History

How was Heavy Metal involved in the 1980s controversy surrounding the creation of parental advisories for “offensive” music?

Featured Resources

Video

video:
Communication Breakdown

<p>Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving every<em>thing</em> else for every<em>one</em> else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.</p> <p>Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music -- and, soon enough, within Metal there were &quot;tribes.&quot; If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.</p> <p>In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more.&nbsp;</p>

video:
Purple Haze

<p>Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving every<em>thing</em> else for every<em>one</em> else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.</p> <p>Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music -- and, soon enough, within Metal there were &quot;tribes.&quot; If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.</p> <p>In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more.&nbsp;</p>

video:
Garage Days

<p>Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving every<em>thing</em> else for every<em>one</em> else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.</p> <p>Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music -- and, soon enough, within Metal there were &quot;tribes.&quot; If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.</p> <p>In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more.&nbsp;</p>

video:
War Pigs

<p>Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving every<em>thing</em> else for every<em>one</em> else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.</p> <p>Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music -- and, soon enough, within Metal there were &quot;tribes.&quot; If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.</p> <p>In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more.&nbsp;</p>

video:
I’m Eighteen

<p>Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving every<em>thing</em> else for every<em>one</em> else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.</p> <p>Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music -- and, soon enough, within Metal there were &quot;tribes.&quot; If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.</p> <p>In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more.&nbsp;</p>

video:
The Children of Heavy Metal

<p>Heavy Metal was, at first, a fringe genre. It was, in some ways, a part of what this curriculum refers to as the 1970s Fragmentation. Fans of Heavy Metal were often wholly dedicated to the genre, identifying themselves as Metal fans and leaving every<em>thing</em> else for every<em>one</em> else. Belonging to the Metal community meant leaving all else behind. The inclusive 1960s, for this crowd, were over.</p> <p>Few saw what was coming. Together with Hip Hop, Heavy Metal became one of the biggest things to hit popular music in the latter part of the 20th century. By the late 1970s, Metal was not a thing of the fringes. What it carried forward, however, was its sense of community. The audience often lived its commitment to Metal by avoiding other music -- and, soon enough, within Metal there were &quot;tribes.&quot; If you were into Metallica, chances were pretty good that Van Halen was nothing you wanted to find in your car stereo.</p> <p>In this chapter, Heavy Metal is explored as a kind of technological inevitability, an example of a genre becoming the basis for a community and a lifestyle, and as a musical territory surprisingly rich in its possibilities. Lessons will explore the roots of Heavy Metal in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, the example of Black Sabbath as a force of change, and more.&nbsp;</p>

Print Journalism

article:
I Confronted Metallica On Their Own Terms!

METALLICA. YOU KNOW the story. Those that don't are doomed to have me repeat it. Early '80s, a metal brat and a friend not ashamed to look like Frank Marina come crashing out of the Ulrich family garage in tree-lined Norwalk, California, and into the L.A. metal scene proper, only to be kicked in the corner by a batallion of stilettos. Not that there's anything wrong with stilettos, nor make-up nor spandex nor hairspray for that matter; all have been a better friend to me than any dog I've known. What was wrong, in the metal sense, was the behavior of...

article:
Kiss: Los Angeles Forum, LA

'LOS ANGELES Police Department reminds you the use of fire works is illegal,' warned the notice outside the Los Angeles Forum. With all the bravado of rock'n'roll rebels, Kiss set up the whole stage with firecrackers, furnaces, Roman candles and what can only be described as exploding waste-paper bins. What Kiss lack in musical subtlety, they more than make up for in special effects. Gone are the days when a band would go on tour with one transit van, a few instruments, a roadie and a groupie or two. The Kiss set-up boasted five truck-sized trailers, necessary when you're lugging...