Your body contracts. Breathing deepens and speeds, sweat plunging to the ground below. You take a look at the mobile clock hugged to your wrist, at your legs as they drive you forward. The track in front of you lengthens, you think about stopping. However, before you can think, your attention swerves to your sense of hearing, as you hear a wall of electric-guitar twirls and rapid thumping upon drums to mirror your steady heartbeat. The sounds inspire you to finish one more lap.
I'm an avid listener of music, a divisive and dedicated medium filled with rich, almost cultural levels of regard. Casual listeners and fans alike all seem to be able to appreciate music; whether it be from bumping and catchy lyrics, beautiful violin harmonies, savory beats to swing your hips to: Music seems to make us move.
Like many aspects of life, music is a highly subjective, artistic outlet with heaps musicians and producers who craft visions and channel energy or emotion through their songs, albums, or even catalogs. The amount of music available has led to the creation of genres, and ways for listeners to categorize the music they enjoy based on the sound itself and how it's delivered. Heavy metal is one of these genres.
Unfortunately, heavy metal is one of those genres that has been arguably oppressed in today's moneymaking market found in popular, "radio" music, and has been barred by stereotypes and drowsy ignorance: the variety found in this genre and its many branching limbs is enriching enough and inclusive to broaden someone's musical tastes as a whole. Sub-genres contain anything from the soaring vocals of European Opera, to the homely feeling of a southern banjo, to even the zany spirals found in older progressive or classic rock.
Heavy metal is my go to for exercise. My first pick for a long car ride. An instinctual response to times where I'm in tears. It's beautiful, energetic, melodic, dreary, and often aggressive. And that's not a bad thing. Music is cathartic. Heavy metal can transpose all the negative emotions that pest humans and create something positive, something constructive. However, the genre isn't the most inviting of the audible bunch. Vocals are the aspect of music that people tend to gravitate towards, as it's something that your own mouth serves as the instrument for, allowing you to sing-along and interact as a song progresses. Heavy metal vocals are a taste acquired, and they are a taste that you must let salivate. Although the delivery isn't always easily-accessible and discernible on the surface, that doesn't make the lyrics any less powerful or emotional; heavy metal is more that just noise, more than just screaming.
Here are nine albums to introduce a casual listener to the genre, call them "gateway" albums which feature "clean" vocals most of the time, memorable guitar riffs and blasting drum beats. This list is in no particular order, and the picks were made to give small flickers and tastes of the genre. If you happen to enjoy an album in particular, I encourage breaking comfortability and checking out more songs or albums by each artist. You may just be pleasantly surprised.
Ride The Lightning by Metallica
Ride The Lightning is the second studio album by one of the most recognizable bands in heavy metal: Metallica. Released in 1984-- one year after the group's debut-- this album was the first metal CD that I had ever received and listened to. The first minute or so lulls you into a comforting feeling of the serene, until a blisteringly quick guitar riff interrupts to give a glimpse into the "thrashy" nature of early Metallica. Most of the stuff on this disc is a bit "standard", but is a great splash and first impression into the band and thrash metal as a sub-genre. Brisk guitar riffs, supporting bass lines and leads, and memorable guitar solos are found throughout; you may recognize some of the songs from prior listening as they are played quite a bit today. Songs like "Fade to Black", "Ride the Lightning" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" are both concert and radio staples. Oh, and the vocals from James Hetfield aren't anything to marvel at, but they fit the pummeling soundscape accordingly. There is also an instrumental epic to close out the album, inspired by Lovecraft Mythology.
Highlights: "Creeping Death", "Fade to Black", "The Call of Ktulu"
Most Accessible Songs: "Fade to Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Ride the Lightning"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhT0g9jULpw
Meliora by Ghost
Ghost is a band that attempts to create a bridge between early-70s occult rock (see bands like the Blue Oyster Cult) and some perimeter elements found in the sub-genre of doom metal. Songs which stir on by backing bass lines and menacing vocals, but are also catchy enough to coax a listener to sing-along. Although this album signifies the shift towards a more "commercial" sound for the band, I also believe it is their best. Sinister acoustic guitar parts, as well diabolical guitar dotting leads this album to its manageable listening length of about 40 minutes. If you're a fan of darker lyrical themes such as devilry in the soul, avarice, and unmitigated worship then this album should satisfy. Apart from one song, all of the vocals are conducted cleanly while remaining "evil" through the other instruments.
Highlights: "Cirice", "He is", "Absolution"
Most Accessible Songs: "From the Pinnacle to the Pit", "He is", "Cirice"
Powerslave by Iron Maiden
A classic from the 1980s, Iron Maiden being one of the bands in metal that are just as recognizable as Metallica. Iron Maiden were one of the first metal bands labeled as being members of the overseas "New Wave of British Heavy Metal", inspiring artists in the United States who also began to shift towards faster guitar playing and multiple guitar players (modern Iron Maiden features 3 electric guitar players). This album is a bit straightforward and culminates with a thirteen-minute epic titled "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", titled after the poem of the same name. Vocals here tend to accompany the clean guitars through a more rising, and almost operatic style. Bruce Dickinson's voice is both snappy and soaring, while Steve Harris' bass galloping bass playing and songwriting is tenacious. Out of all the albums on this list, this one probably features the tightest guitar playing for riffs and especially solos. If you enjoy guitars over anything else, I'd recommend this album.
Highlights: "Aces High", "Powerslave", 2 Minutes to Midnight"
Most Accessible songs: "Aces High", "Flash of the Blade", "2 Minutes to Midnight"
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) by Slipknot
Slipknot is one of those bands that you tend to hear about, while not really exploring their music, and make assumptions and/or rely on stereotypes when thinking about them. Yes, Slipknot members do wear costumes when performing. Yes, Slipknot lyricism can seem overtly violent and abhorrent. No, Slipknot is not "satanic" (as is the case with all of the artists on this list). The third album by the band is one that is laced with subdued aggression, like it's holding itself back and is on the brink of exploding into an emotional bomb. This album features a good amount of clean singing, deviating from the typical, harsher screams of Corey Taylor; and that distinction makes this album stick out from the rest of their work. Taylor's almost rap-like delivery of some of the lyrics in a virulent nature makes their poeticism even more digestible. The guitar playing is admittedly simple, while the drumming remains chaotic. The mix of this album (that is, how the album actually sounds) is extremely unique, allowing for an unspotted sound to carry the distortion and contorting vocals forward. I definitely advise a good pair of headphones for this one, there's a lot going on below the front line of sound.
Highlights: "Opium of the People", "Circle", "The Blister Exists"
Most Accessible Songs: "Before I Forget", "Duality", "Vermilion Pt. 2"
Sky Blue by Devin Townsend Project
Defiantly the most obscure entry, Sky Blue is a feature from the countless works of musician Devin Townsend. Don't let the obscurity fool you, this album is arguably the most accessible overall out of all the albums listed: featuring beautiful and commanding singing from both a female and male voice, alongside electronic hints mixed in with chopping riffs. The songwriting is definitely more focused on the vocals, with the other instruments taking the backseat for most of the time (though they do take the wheel superbly at various points), and is probably the most "poppy" out of all these entries. Devin Townsend is just one of those artists who seems to not write anything horrid, and this album stands out among his many musical iterations as being the funnest to sit around and sing to. If you enjoy a sliver of the bizarre, channeled forward exceptionally and indelibly, then I cannot recommend this disc enough.
Highlights: "Fallout", "A New Reign", "Silent Militia"
Most Accessible Songs: "Silent Militia", "Sky Blue", "Universal Flame"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCNx6vs7c2Y&list=P...
Mezmerize by System of a Down
This album was one that made me really start to like heavy metal in terms of catchiness and tightness. SOAD's crazy and surreal lyricism is ever prevalent on this album, taking nonsensical sentences and mashing them together to create something unforgettable. Like the previous entry, I cannot help singing along to most of the tracks on this disc, and this is aided by the more traditional verse-chorus-verse structure followed more so than the other entries. If you are a fan of alternative, or pop punk, odds are you will find something to love on this album (as I did).
Highlights: "Question!", "Radio/Video", "Lost in Hollywood"
Most Accessible Songs: "Old School Hollywood", "B.Y.O.B.", "Question!"
Magma by Gojira
Magma is a record that I didn't like at first. I had been introduced to Gojira through their prior albums (especially having an affinity for From Mars to Sirius) and preferred the sound of those earlier works to this latest entry. Only after multiple listenings did I start to get a grasp for what this albums sets out to do: to create a a shorter, cohesive punch of emotion which had gutted two of the band members after the passing of their mother. Gojira is one of those bands which to the unfamiliar, the vocals will be the largest barrier for entry. The vocals on this album are a bit lighter compared to previous works by the group, but still exhibit the enraged and contained style through which the words are "sung". The turmoil and turbulence of this delivery is aided by a dense bass sound and heavy drum waves, observed especially at early points on the album. If you want to relieve some pent-up frustration or nagging sadness I would suggest giving this album a chance.
Highlights: "The Cell", "Pray", "Silvera"
Most Accessible Songs: "Stranded", The Shooting Star", "Silvera"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9DXpsjbqA0&list=P...
Imaginaerum by Nightwish
Short and simply, if you have a natural liking for female voices in singing over their male counterparts, this album while please. Nightwish is a band branded as being symphonic metal, combining the landscapes of orchestras and choirs with the raw impetus of heavy metal. This album is lead by both guitar and piano, drum and choir, soft singing and bombastic proclamations. An element of folk music can also be found which is good for admirers of music of the cultures found in older Europe near the North and Baltic Seas. Wonder and childhood endearment are two overarching themes for this album, as it is one that is also theatrical and poetic. Diversity is constantly thrown around on this album, shifting from a highway-riding tune, to a spoken word-led epic, to an instrumental middle-eastern slice that could be found straight out of an action flick. If you enjoy film soundtracks, plays, and/or musicals then this album is a no brainer.
Highlights: "Song of Myself", "The Crow, The Owl, and The Dove", "Scaretale"
Most Accessible Songs: "Storytime", "I Want My Tears Back", "Turn Loose The Mermaids"
Images and Words by Dream Theater
Ironically Dream Theater is a band which I would dub as being towards the opposite of accessible, but this early effort by them is a gateway album for people to both progressive rock and progressive metal. Think of bands like Yes, Rush, or Genesis blended together superbly with groups like Metallica or Twisted Sister: Dream Theater is essentially the result of those two influences in progressive rock and traditional heavy metal. If you love piano then this is an album for you, as the guitar sections are mirrored and accompanied by the softer piano melodies. If you enjoy clean singing then this album is for you. If you want a bit more out of your common ballad, this album will provide. A word of warning, some of the instrumental sections become a bit draining to follow along with, as they bend and twist into directions you couldn't possibly predict (a hallmark of more "progressive" styles of music). Musical motifs are also an important implementation on this work.
Highlights: "Another Day", "Under a Glass Moon", "Learning to Live"
Most Accessible Songs: "Another Day", "Pull Me Under", "Wait for Sleep"
