HI Y’ALL GOOD FOLKS. HOW ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE? The CRAVEman bids you a warm welcome and hopes all is as well as it can be, wherever you are on our precious shared planet. It is kinda a rhetorical question intended to encourage one to consider, albeit very briefly, the importance of one’s own health and wellbeing. I am not expecting responses. Honest. Well, here we are, heading irretrievably towards winter in the northern hemisphere. Gracious greetings once again, it’s fab to have you along in the abstruse alliterative arena of CRAVE Vintage Guitar Gear. I thank you, sincerely, for your attendance – it is genuinely and humbly appreciated. I’m sure you probably have much better things to do than join me in my repetitively random rants and ramblings.
Just a short up‑front re‑statement in support of my on‑going cultural campaign to promote humanity’s desperate need to bring peace and harmony to our divided, embittered world. Amity is not only about stopping existing conflict but also about preventing future hostilities. True and lasting peace can only be achieved through unceasing efforts to stimulate genuine understanding, co‑operation and tolerance. Reconciliation and peaceful collaboration should be a collective imperative for everyone on our only world. War is ignorance. Peace is wisdom. Simple. Apologies but this is my only platform to disseminate that vital message.
“Authoritarian societies are inherently corrupt, and corrupt societies are inherently unstable” – William Gibson (1948‑)
Prelude
Last month’s article looked at ‘Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part I – CRAVE Guitars & CRAVE Basses’. This month, we have the sequel, based on CRAVE Effects, which delves into the weird, wonderful and occasionally wild dark side of vintage gear to explore what vintage effect pedals are, what they do and why they might be of interest. Vintage effects are a bit of a niche interest and can often be overlooked by the mainstream ‘collecterati’, so they are by default of interest to your humble host.
Upfront, I really love old analogue effect pedals. I’ve owned some of my favourite pedals since the late 1970s and they are still going strong. It is probably needless to say that modern digital effects provide pristine, crystal clear tones, low noise levels, consistent and reliable power supply, and feature seemingly limitless combinations of control. Call me old school but the excellent new models lack that grubby, grimy imperfectness that makes the oldies the goodies. Some manufacturers recognise this and, alongside their modern DSP (Digital Sound Processing) based ‘computers’, companies reissue and/or (try to) replicate the vintage classics. However, from my perspective, these modern effects can be considered ‘too good’ in comparison, lacking a bit of warmth, soul and charm. An analogy may be like comparing a clapped out old Citroën 2CV with a brand new Bentley Continental. I’d actually go for the cheaper and decidedly more eccentric Deux Chevaux.
As with last month, this article’s featured quotes bring a few carefully selected thoughts about human ‘perception’ to the proceedings. As usual, no AI was used in the writing of this article, just the tired and worn out brain cells of your mentally atrophied author. Apologies for intellectual standards falling short of real intelligence. I did, however, use AI image creation for The CRAVEman image towards the end of this article.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” – Henry David Thoreau (1817‑1862)
Previously… on Collections and Collections within a Collection
There is little point in reiterating the original idea on which this article is based. If you wish to view/review CRAVE Guitars articles on the compulsion of vintage gear collecting and guitar/bass collections within a collection, those blogs can be accessed by following the links below (each link opens a new browser tab).
Last month, guitars and basses were grouped by other criteria for an alternative perspective. Sadly, there aren’t enough CRAVE Amps to justify a similar treatment, so there won’t be a Part III. However, effect pedals just cry out for a different method for appreciating their vintage charm, hence this article.
“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is — infinite” – William Blake (1757‑1827)
Effect Brands
Since the 1990s and particularly since the beginning of the 21st Century, there has been an explosion of interest in, as well as supply of and demand for, effect pedals. The massive proliferation in effect pedals (way too many to mention here) is effectively excluded from this article on vintage pedals, as CRAVE Guitars has an arbitrary cut‑off of 1989. All the effect pedals featured herein all come under the heading of CRAVE Effects.
For the purpose of this article, a good starting point is to define the effect brands featured on the CRAVE Guitars’ web site. The ‘big four’ and ‘the rest’ are:
Electro‑Harmonix (EHX)
MXR
BOSS
Ibanez
Other – Colorsound, Dallas Arbiter, DOD, Dunlop, Jen, Marshall, Pro Co, Sola Sound, VOX
On the CRAVE Guitars’ web site (as CRAVE Effects), effect pedals are organised according to the de facto ‘standard’ way of cataloguing vintage gear brand. Like other vintage guitar gear, effects are usually referred to by brand, model and date. This is how effects are grouped on the web site features and galleries. It is also how I tend to keep track of the pedals in which I’m interested. Therefore, I am assuming that this standard methodology of curatorship is a given and I won’t expand on this further.
As mentioned on the web site, not all these brands are American. CRAVE Effects is the only part of the ‘collection’ where I extend the boundaries to include brands from across the globe. The reason is that these pedals were integral to the cultural zeitgeist of, particularly, American and British music from the 1960s onward, possibly more so than instruments. While I am usually pedantic about such things, I am flexible in this regard. ‘They’ say there is always an exception to a rule. ‘They’ also say that rules are there to be broken. ‘They’ should really make ‘their’ mind(s) up.
There are some notable effect brands missing from the above list, for instance Binson, Digitech, Maestro, Maxon (who made effects for Ibanez), Morley, Musitronics, Roland (who make BOSS), ROSS, Shin‑Ei, Thomas Organ, etc. The simple reason is that this article is focusing on CRAVE Effects and the ‘collection’ doesn’t have any of these effect brands (yet). As with instruments, the scope has to be limited, if only for my sanity. The point will, nevertheless, hopefully be made anyway.
For clarity, there are no rack effects featured here, even though some were common during the period covered (for instance from Roland and MXR). Also, there are no digital multi‑effect units or software effects, as these tended to appear more recently than vintage pedals.
“Everything hinges on how you look at things” – Henry Miller (1891‑1980)
Effect Types
The standard methodology, as you may have gleaned from last month’s article, isn’t the only way to look at things. Even more than instruments, effects fall relatively easily into an alternative, convenient set of groupings. It is this that I’ll be using for the rest of this article. This might prove interesting because it isn’t easy to view this perspective on the web site.
There are plenty of resources on the hinterwebby thingummy that suggest a variety of different effect types. I analysed these and I don’t necessarily agree with any of them. In the end, I went with my own intuition and came up with the following broad categories, noting that some pedals fall across or between these groups (for instance, compression and EQ often feature a clean boost and hybrid effects such as octave/fuzz, wah/fuzz and wah/volume pedals are commonplace). There are also some effects that could be classified entirely within a different category, for instance compression, which doesn’t easily fall within any category.
Gain Effects (e.g. clean/treble boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz)
Breaking the above groups down, there are around 30 different sub‑types, which provide a seemingly obvious way of looking at effects differently, something that I have not previously done with CRAVE Effects.
You may well argue that pedals grouped under #7 above aren’t effects at all and you’d be right. However, they are more or less, integral to many musician’s pedalboards, so for this article, they are included as an additional category. There are also some effects often used by guitarists/bassists that don’t fall into any of the above categories, for instance drum machines and loopers.
CRAVE Effects currently doesn’t have some effect sub‑types, for instance analogue synth, ring modulator, tremolo, limiter, noise gate, pitch shifter, etc. That means that there are some gaps at the time of writing. My aspiration is for the collection to become more comprehensive over time.
Phew! That’s even before we get started for real. Fewer words from here on in, mainly images – ‘they’ (again) say an image speaks a thousand words, so that’s what I’m banking on. Enjoy the colourful world of diminutive floor‑based stomp boxes with the following 7 headlines and 15 mini‑collections, each with an introductory section explaining what the grouping means for the sounds we hear.
“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality” – Tim Burton (1958‑)
Mini Collections 1 – Gain Effects (16)
Gain effects work by boosting the signal to varying degrees in certain ways. At its simplest, a clean boost will simply amplify a signal, making it stronger (louder). Used carefully, it can be used to overload the input stage of subsequent effects or (valve) amplifiers, causing then to start ‘clipping’ the signal – effectively flattening off a normal sine wave signal. In itself, an average clean boost doesn’t clip a signal. Overdrives take the principle a bit further by intentionally overloading circuits to force them into ‘clipping’, intended to produce a warm saturated valve‑like sound. Distortion effects inherently create a definite ‘clipping’ as an integral part of their circuits and present these already distorted sounds to whatever follows them. A good distortion effect will retain the core signature of the signal it receives. Fuzz pedals take the effect to logical extremes by forcing a sine wave signal into a brutal square wave signal, creating a wall of heavily distorted sound that can, if pushed, even obscure the original signal altogether.
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1980 BOSS OD‑1 Over Drive, 1985 BOSS SD‑1 Super Over Drive, 1981 Ibanez TS‑808 Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro, 1981 Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
DistortionEffect Pedals (7)
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1975 MXR Distortion +, 1981 BOSS DS‑1 Distortion, 1985 BOSS HM‑2 Heavy Metal, 1983 Ibanez SD9 Sonic Distortion, 1984 Ibanez SM9 Super Metal, 1989 Marshall The Guv’nor, 1988 Pro Co RAT
FuzzEffect Pedals (5)
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1977 Electro‑Harmonix Big Muff Pi, 1978 Electro‑Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, 1975 Colorsound Supa Tone Bender, 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, 1976 Sola Sound Tone‑Bender Fuzz
“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are” – C.S. Lewis (1898‑1963)
Mini Collections 2 – Modulation Effects (21)
Modulation relies, in theory, on a time‑based effect but they produce a distinctive sound. First of all, they retain the original signal. A phase effect will copy a signal and put it through an analogue delay circuit called a bucket brigade device (BBD). A BBD will store the original signal and delay it very slightly. Then it does the same again to the delayed signal and so on. This creates a delayed signal that is out of phase and mixed with the original signal – hence phasing. Controls usually feature rate and depth (strength). Flange takes the concept and extends it, producing a second audio signal and mixing it with the original, causing a swooshing or ‘airplane engine’ sweep across frequencies. Chorus works by layering multiple copies of the original signal and slightly detuning and delaying them, thereby creating what was intended to sound like multiple instruments. Chorus is often used to thicken and deepen the overall sound.
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are” – Anaïs Nin (1903‑1977)
Mini Collections 3 – Time‑Based Effects (8)
Delay effects fall broadly into two general types. The subtler of the two is reverb. It works by delaying the original signal very slightly so that the resulting sound creates a feeling of space, as if sound waves were reflecting of surfaces and gradually decaying. Reverb recreates sound wave reflections reaching the listener at slightly different times, for example in a large open space, such as a church, cathedral, cave, hall or empty venue. Echo effects basically do what they say on the tin. It copies the original signal and replays it one or more times with a delay that is sufficient for the brain to process it as a separate sound wave from the original. Originally tape loops were used to record, play back and then erase the signal. Solid state analogue BBD circuits superseded tape but are limited in clarity and the time between repeats. However digital delays can create very long delays with crystal clean echoes. The ultimate extreme of delays is used as the basis for modern looping effects.
Reverb & Delay/EchoEffect Pedals (8)
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1987 BOSS RV‑2 Digital Reverb, 1977 Electro‑Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, 1978 MXR Analog Delay, 1986 BOSS DD‑2 Digital Delay, 1982 BOSS DM‑2 Delay, 1984 BOSS DM 3 Delay, 1982 Ibanez AD9 Analog Delay, 1980 DOD Analog Delay 680,
“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty” – David Hume (1711‑1776)
Mini Collections 4 – Filter Effects (10)
Filter effects effectively add or remove certain frequencies within a signal thereby changing the tone of the signal. They generally do not affect the volume or pitch of a signal, just the amount of bass, middle or treble. The simplest of these is the equivalent of a passive tone pot on a guitar or bass being used to shape the sound. Putting a tone pot in a treadle and operating it with the foot creates a filtered tone sweep (the crying wah‑wah effect) when the signal is changed continuously or, if kept in a fixed position, create a sound with an emphasis either on bass or treble characteristics of the original signal. An envelope filter, derived from analogue synthesiser technology attempts to recreate the wah‑wah type sound electronically without the need for the player to control the signal manually. EQ (short for equalisation) can be a straightforward ‘graphic equalizer’ with different controls for different parts of the signal, meaning that the sound spectrum can be shaped very accurately. EQ can also be parametric, where one control selects a certain frequency and a second control varies the tone around that frequency (often found in recording studio desks). Counter‑intuitively, low cut filters preserve high frequencies and vice versa (also slightly more sensibly called high and low pass filters).
Wah‑WahEffect Pedals (3)
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1977 Colorsound Supa Wah‑Swell, 1980s Dunlop Original Cry Baby GCB‑95, 1980 Jen Cry Baby Super
Envelope FollowerEffect Pedals (5)
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1976 Electro‑Harmonix Doctor Q Envelope Follower, 1980 Electro‑Harmonix Zipper Envelope Follower, 1978 MXR Envelope Filter, 1985 BOSS TW‑1 T Wah, 1981 Ibanez AF 201 Auto Filter
EQEffect Pedals (2)
Left‑right: 1981 MXR Six Band Graphic Equalizer, 1981 Ibanez GE‑601 Graphic Equalizer
“Though we see the same world, we see it through different eyes” – Virginia Woolf (1882‑1941)
Mini Collections 5 – Amplitude Effects (7)
Put simply, amplitude effects change the volume of a signal. They generally do not affect the tone or pitch of signals. Amplitude and frequency affects are often confused, for instance, tremolo (affects the volume) and vibrato (affects the pitch). They are fundamentally very different things. At its simplest, a swell pedal puts a volume control in a treadle that can be foot operated, giving the same result as a volume control on a guitar or bass. A swell effect is actually very hard to replicate electronically. Tremolo provides a ‘throbbing’ or ‘pulsing’ sound by increasing and reducing volume in a predetermined cycle and was the first on‑board effects in vintage valve amps. Compression generally falls into this bracket and works by boosting low level signals and cutting (or limiting) high level signals thereby ‘compressing’ the dynamics of a signal that can vary from slight to significant. Compression can be used to smooth, warm, thicken and sustain a signal, often very useful for guitar signals that are usually dynamic with sharp attack, rapid decay and short sustain. Noise gates work in the opposite way, by eliminating low level signals including extraneous noise.
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1980 MXR Dyna Comp, 1980 BOSS CS‑1 Compression Sustainer, 1981 Ibanez CP‑835 Compressor II, 1982 Ibanez CP9 Compressor/Limiter
“There is no fixed physical reality, no single perception of the world, just numerous ways of interpreting world views” – Deepak Chopra (1946‑)
Mini Collections 6 – Pitch Effects (3)
Pitch effects do what they say, they affect the pitch of a signal without changing the tone, tempo or volume. Pitch effects can be used on their own, such as a simple octave generator which mixes the original signal with a tone that may be one or more octaves up or down. A harmonizer is more complex in being able to shift the pitch by degrees, e.g. thirds, or fifths up or down, creating a harmony that depends on the key of a piece of music. Some of the simpler pitch effects are often combined with other effects, particularly octave and fuzz being a popular option thanks to one James Marshall Hendrix. The MXR Blue Box below is an example of a combined fuzz/octave effect pedal.
OctaveEffect Pedals (3)
Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1976 Electro‑Harmonix Octave Multiplexer, 1975 MXR Blue Box, 1985 BOSS OC‑2 Octave
“Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic” – Edward de Bono (1933‑2021)
Mini Collections 7 – Speciality Pedals (2)
As mentioned above, speciality pedals may or may not affect the overall sound effect at all but can be vital for guitarists or bassists as an integral part of a pedalboard.
Channel SwitchPedals (2)
Left‑right: 1970s Electro‑Harmonix Switch Blade Channel Selector, 1986 BOSS PSM‑5 Power Supply & Master Switch
“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view” – George Eliot (1819‑1880)
Yet Another Alternative Perspective
As always, there are different ways of looking at ‘collections within a collection’. To be exhaustive would be gruelling and extraordinarily dull, so I will use just one example, grouping by model series, rather than effect.
During the early days of Ibanez pedals, they released a series of effect pedals commonly known as the Ibanez ‘0’ series pedals – with the ‘0’ being the middle number of the model designation (puzzlingly except for the CP‑835 Compressor II). The most famous of the Ibanez ‘0’ Series pedals was the iconic TS‑808 Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro. The ‘0’ series pedals were distinguished by the unique square footswitch.
Ibanez ‘0’ Series Effect Pedals
In reality, the ‘0’ series did not last long and was really a transitional model. It was replaced by the completely restyled Ibanez ‘9’ series pedals, with the ‘9’ being the last number of the model designation. For instance, the TS‑808 became the TS9. The most obvious design change is that the ‘9’ series pedals replaced the square footswitch with a more traditional large (BOSS‑style) treadle‑operated footswitch.
Ibanez ‘9’ Series Effect Pedals
These two ‘mini collections’ clearly show the evolution of effect pedals during a short and very prolific period for stomp boxes. While there are many other permutations, this comparison makes the point quite clearly that other approaches can be taken. Say no more.
“Perception and reality are two different things” – Tom Cruise (1962‑)
The CRAVEman’s Pedalboard
Many people get confused about the general sequence in which effects should be placed in the signal chain. ‘The conventional wisdom’ (NB. Commonplace beliefs that are generally accepted to be true without critical questioning – a term often credited to Canadian/American economist John Kenneth Galbraith in ‘The Affluent Society’ (1958), even though it might originally date back to c.1838) suggests the following sequence:
This sequence is only a guide, not a diktat. Many guitarists change it up to create a different type of soundscape that suits them. No surprise, I prefer a different effect pedal order that I developed over several years playing in a band. Even so, it still doesn’t mean that it’s fixed in perpetuity. What I learned was, ‘do your own thing’ to suit you and create your own signature sound.
“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else” – Fred Rogers (1928‑2003)
The CRAVEman’s favourite effect pedals, regardless of brand, represent a back‑to‑basics approach and may provoke a debate based on opinion. For me, in order of favourites, it was/is #1 echo, #2 fuzz, #3 flangers, #4 envelope followers. The CRAVEman’s least favourite effect pedals #1 phasers (too common), #2 chorus (ditto), #3 overdrive (others do it better), #4 pitch shifters (inconsistent tracking). May I be cast into the abyss of Tartarus in the underworld to suffer eternal torment, such is the extent of my judgemental wickedness! However, I stand by my heresy and shall not repent.
Unlike many contemporary musicians, my preferred pedal line‑up is very simplistic. I do play around with it but I keep coming back to a core that suit my playing style and musical leanings. They are all classics in their own right and are all very analogue. The creative possibilities with this set can be quite ‘out there’. It also has the advantage that pedals from the same manufacturer are also more likely to work together than a mix‑and‑match approach. Are there better examples of each effect from other brands? Undoubtedly, but not for me. Here’s my go‑to line up…
Electro‑Harmonix Big Muff Pi
Electro Harmonix Bad Stone
Electro‑Harmonix Electric Mistress
Electro‑Harmonix Zipper Envelope Follower
Electro‑Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
I also use a combined wah/volume pedal but no specific model. You notice I have a soft spot for EHX effect pedals. There is no particular reason, it’s just that they sound and behave the way I like. Admittedly, they were also the first serious pedals I used, alongside Dallas Arbiter/Colorsound/Sola Sound pedals. Others come close, for instance the MXR 100 phaser, as well as the MXR and DOD analogue delays. There are plenty of newer exceptional effect units (e.g. Line6) but this article is about vintage pedals, so that’s where I’m focused. While undoubtedly excellent, most Japanese pedals (e.g. BOSS/Ibanez) just don’t do it for me, which is a bit weird.
“All our knowledge is the offspring of our perceptions” – Leonardo da Vinci (1452‑1519)
Final Thoughts on Effect Collections within a Collection
I hope you enjoyed the colourful selection of CRAVE Effects’ stomp boxes viewed from a slightly different perspective. In one sense, they all look alike, while on closer inspection, they are all very different aesthetically. Although ‘new’ acquisitions are currently in abeyance, I have become besotted with vintage effect pedals, for better or worse. Vintage effect pedals represent quite a convoluted playground, fostering much confusion, misunderstanding, debate and conjecture.
I have finally given up the fight and I now concede that I am a small‑scale, limited ‘collector’ of vintage guitar gear. I think that this and the previous articles tend to cement this unfortunate conclusion. Yup, I have become something I have tried hard to avoid becoming. Darn it! I refuse, as far as I am able, to go full ‘collecterati’ though.
Even though a single effect pedal doesn’t take up much space, collectively, they do. The CRAVEcap (the constraint of space and funds) currently in place means that any ‘new’ acquisitions to CRAVE Effects may be a while off yet. It may come as a surprise that some rare effects can cost more than vintage guitars, basses or amps, including several pedals featured herein and on the web site.
“Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all” – Arthur C. Clarke (1917‑2008)
One thing, though, does ‘bother’ me about the whole world of vintage effect pedals. One of the fundamental principles of vintage guitar tone is to keep the signal chain as short and as direct as possible. Vintage gear enthusiasts will often spend (many) thousands of pounds/dollars on expensive vintage guitars, basses and amps because of their undeniably unique and attractive tonal characteristics.
Then what do we go and do? Those same enthusiasts buy a cheap little box crammed full of transistors, resistors, capacitors, pots, ICs, switches, circuit boards and wiring, and then we put them directly in the signal path. A few older effects may be passive, while most others are battery driven (usually one or two 9V 6LR61/MN1604/PP3 blocks), which has proved to be an unreliable power source dependent on charge levels. The alternative is to use AC power transformed into DC, often with variable voltages and currents as well as polarities. In addition cable attenuation is also a problem – lots of pedals use lots of interconnects. Pedal circuit boards, components and cables usually comprise budget items originally ordered in bulk quantities for mere cents/pennies per unit. Older circuits were often also hand assembled using whatever was lying around and often constructed with variable soldering quality. All things considered, consistency and quality control certainly weren’t manufacturing strong points in the 1960s and 1970s.
Open up some older pedals and one can be amazed at the crude nature of the assembly. Open some of the newer pedals and there are massive amounts of components, often with multiple IC (Integrated Circuit) chips suddenly placed directly into the signal chain, seemingly intent on corrupting it. When analysed, many electronic circuits are inherently ‘noisy’, often with unintended audio effects, which we can hear. There can be profound issues with mixing and matching ‘true bypass’ effects with buffered effects, as well as issues combining analogue with digital effects. A complex pedalboard can also be very sensitive to the order in which effects are used. Many modern amps have an effect send/return loop between pre and power stages, rather than the traditional method of effects feeding directly into the pre‑amp’s input stage.
Bottom line, there has really been nothing fundamentally new in the last 65 years of effect pedal development since the early days of innovation. Many modern pedals are copies of classic pedals or just variations of tried and tested themes. The old ways of specialist analogue pedals have been superseded by an overwhelming multiplicity of layered digital complexity. However, the principal aims and core characteristics have remained largely unchanged.
“Perception is a mirror not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803‑1882)
Nowadays, inline effects and amps are not always needed and guitarists rely on DI (Direct Input) into studio/stage digital audio processors, weirdly set to mimic vintage analogue gear. Then we also add in wireless signal transmission. All of these factors can affect the tone of the rest of the signal chain, often very significantly. Problems are frequent and often hard to identify and eradicate.
Yet, we continue to adore and admire these miniature miracles of electronic bits and pieces for destroying the very things we so desire from the rest of our vintage equipment. Go figure! This dilemma completely blows my mind when I stop and try to rationalise it objectively. Am I alone in contemplating this peculiar incongruity or is it a widespread understanding? I have absolutely no idea; the whole gamut of convolutions is not straightforward to resolve.
When I rejuvenated my guitar playing in the 1990s, I tried a multi‑effect unit but found I was spending more time working out how to use the seemingly unlimited and not very intuitive controls, rather than to focus on what mattered, playing guitar. The multi‑effect was soon ditched and I reverted back to a mix‑and‑match approach of separate pedals. This soon changed again, by replacing new effect pedals with vintage ones and the rest, as ‘they’ say, is history.
Believe it or not, digital effects started appearing in the early 1980s, supplementing rather than superseding analogue ones. Some of these early vintage digital stomp boxes are included here (I’m not prejudiced!). Digital processing started appearing, mainly in delay/echo pedals and reverb effects (reverb can’t easily be replicated using analogue circuits).
Another question. Are some effect reputations worthwhile? In my opinion, sometimes but not always. Some highly regarded pedals are good but overrated, often hyped by artist association, rather than by their inherent characteristics. Others can really surprise because they ‘fit’ with a particular situation. Some will swear that a script logo MXR Phase 90 sounds better than a block logo one, even when the internals are identical and the change is purely cosmetic. Some models will sound different from pedal to pedal, even if the circuit design is the same. Some circuits behave differently from pedal to pedal, for instance anything with an environmentally sensitive germanium resistor. Some seemingly identical pedals used different components from one to the next due to component availability and/or price at the time. Some commentators will also swear that component ‘a’ sounds great while component ‘b’ sounds like total garbage, while to the average user, the differences are so slight as to make no audible difference, especially in a band setting. Does it really matter or does snobbery fit the bill (again)?
What I’m really trying to say is, go with your ears and instincts, rather than brand name, effect specification and hype. The best way to sound unique is not to go with the flow but to do your own thing. Be creative and experiment not only with the pedals you use but also in the order they are used. It is way more fun creating the unique way you want to sound, rather than trying to sound like someone else. Inspiration can be found in these marvellous and magical miniscule machines (Ed: alliteration still alive and well then).
The effects featured here aren’t the only effects owned by CRAVE Guitars/Effects. I have a number of newer (i.e. non‑vintage) pedals, as well as a number of studio rack effects. Hunting down vintage effects, though, has become my main focus. The non‑vintage effects are excluded from this article.
“People only see what they are prepared to see” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803‑1882)
Some vintage effect pedals are ubiquitous and can be picked up for very little money. Others however can cost astronomically silly amounts. This may be because they are highly regarded and much in demand, for instance, early Dallas/Colorsound/Sola Sound Tone Benders, Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Faces, and Ibanez Tube Screamers. Others are just very hard to come by, especially in good condition (remember these things are used on the floor and tend to get a lot of physical abuse). Some others are pricey because they were niche products only produced either for a short time or in very small numbers (or both), for instance the BOSS Slow Gear featured.
One of the reasons I got into vintage pedals in the first place was during a period of austerity lasting many years. During that time, I couldn’t afford or accommodate guitars, basses and amps but effects were relatively cheap and didn’t take up much space. Thus, they became a serious part of the CRAVE Guitars/Basses/Effects/Amps family. The fascination with these little bits of gear heritage suffer from the same GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) that affects most guitarists. This means that ‘collecting’ vintage effect pedals can be seriously addictive – be warned!
Will traditional single‑effect pedals be replaced by modern digital modelling ones? Probably, but not just yet. Studio DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software has already gone a long way down that path in many home and pro studios and there is plenty of scope for further improvement. In fact, one might wonder where AI will take effect pedals and digital plug ins in the future. For many, the AI‑influenced future will look very bright. Me? I’m defo old skool. Personally, I think the archaic noisy, temperamental, analogue effects have a certain allure and charm that no end of digital meddling will ever be able to replace (a bit like our enduring love for real valve amps and vinyl records).
As of 2025, the effect industry is largely alive and well and still thriving (within the overall operating environment of a declining music industry), especially in the rarefied realms of boutique pedals. It seems that guitarists and bassists can’t get enough of these tone mangling monstrosities. Love ‘em. When it comes to the crunch, these are serious toys with which a creative musician can extract great fun and satisfaction in our own inventive sound pits. Enjoy.
“Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world” – Nikola Tesla (1856‑1943)
A Seasonal Message From The CRAVEman
This section has nothing to do with vintage guitars. However, it does take a brief look at a different aspect of western society’s cultural heritage. Apologies.
At the end of October each year, we tend to celebrate Halloween on the 31st of the month. The traditional roots of Halloween go back some 2,000 years ago (or more) with Irish and Scottish Celtic harvest festivals signifying the beginning of the dark half of the year and the onset of winter.
Celebrations around this time of the year and the origins of Halloween as a mystical event derive from the festival of Samhain (NB. translated as ‘summer’s end’ from Old Irish), with its roots in pagan custom for honouring dead ancestors. It was believed that the veil between the living and the dead of the Otherworld was at its weakest, allowing spirits to manifest and roam in the world of the living. Believers would set bonfires to ward off evil spirits and wear masks to avoid being recognised by ghosts.
In Christianity, All Hallows’ Eve (from where we get the word, ‘Halloween’) on 31 October is the holy day before All Hallows’ Day (All Saints’ Day) and All Souls’ Day on 1 and 2 November respectively (NB. The noun ‘hallow’ means a saint or holy person and the verb means to honour as holy). The relative timing of such festivities led to a blending of pagan, Roman and Christian traditions over the centuries.
In Mexico, ‘el dia de los muertos’ (literally, the day of the dead) festival coincides with the end of October/beginning of November every year, when families gather to remember and pay respect to those that have died. This suggests that paranormal revelries at this time of year have become widespread across many countries.
Incidentally, the film, ‘Halloween’ (1978) is one of the author’s favourite cinematic masterpieces, directed by the legendary John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis. A great horror film for a Halloween party/film night. Great soundtrack too.
It therefore seems appropriate to conclude this seasonal message with a fittingly festive “Happy Halloween” from your favourite Stone Age guitarist and founder of CRAVE Guitars, The CRAVEman. Rock On!
“There are misfortunes in life that no one will accept; people would rather believe in the supernatural and the impossible” – Alexander Dumas (1802‑1870)
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’
In keeping with the theme of this month’s article, I thought I’d delve into one of the landmark American bands that went to extreme lengths to introduce inventive soundscapes to their music. The band in question made extensive use of heavily modified guitars, alternative tunings and abused effect pedals to produce oodles of off‑the‑wall clamour. The band I’m talking about is Sonic Youth from New York who went out of their way to sound like no other band around at the time. They formed in 1980 and, sadly, after over 30 years, they disbanded in 2011. During those three decades, the main three audio terrorists of the band were Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo (both on guitar) and Kim Gordon (on bass). They had a string of highly regarded studio albums including ‘Evol’ (1986), ‘Sister’ (1987), ‘Daydream Nation’ (1988), ‘Goo’ (1990), ‘Dirty’ (1992) and ‘Washing Machine’ (1995). However, my choice is not one of these but it is a personal favourite…
Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse (2004): Sonic Nurse was Sonic Youth’s 13th studio album released in June 2004 on Geffen Records, comprising 10 tracks over an hour’s running time. The cover was designed by renowned American conceptual artist Richard Prince (1949‑). Despite being a lot less well known that their peak period albums, Sonic Nurse is close to where the band would eventually end up. This album was the middle one of a later career resurgance including, ‘Murray Street’ (2002) and ‘Rather Ripped’ (2006). Track one (6:33) is clearly influenced, fittingly so, by acclaimed American‑Canadian author, William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel, ‘Pattern Recognition’ (2003).
Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse (2004)
Basically, any of the albums mentioned here can provide a great insight into what the band could do and fans will all have their own favourite. It just so happens that Sonic Nurse is mine. Even their very early albums (not mentioned here) have a great deal going for them. Naturally, there are inconsistencies but, over their career, those lesser albums were also better than most others in the experimental alternative noise rock genre. Turn up the volume and listen to the aural mayhem on show at your peril.
Alas, Sonic Youth fell apart in October 2011 following the separation of Moore and Gordon, after 27 years of marriage. The band’s influence and legacy has been profound in modern rock music and they deserve to be admired and respected for ploughing their own unique furrow throughout their career, rather than capitulating to studio mundanity for the sake of commercial success. Despite the hopes of many loyal fans, the band has, to‑date, not reunited and its status is officially ‘in hiatus’.
BELIEVE IN MUSIC!
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses” – Abraham Lincoln (1809‑1865)
Tailpiece
As usual, I’m at a loss for what to do next month but I’m sure I’ll think of something. It is getting harder to come up with different material, so I hope you’ll bear with me. Once the quality starts dropping off, I’ll have to call it a day but I don’t think the time has come just yet. You may think otherwise, of course! I don’t want to outstay my welcome. That’s it. No more in the way of dreary diatribe for this month. The holidays are a‑comin’. Yay!
Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. The CRAVEman, signing off for now. Until next time…
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “Always have great first thoughts, then you’ll never need to have second thoughts”
BIENVENUE, WILLKOMMEN, BIENVENIDO, Velkommen, yokoso, huānyíng, welcome and a warm summer howdy one and all, as long as you come in the spirit of truth, peace, love and music. With escalating military tensions, political turmoil, economic volatility and social unrest rampant pretty much everywhere you look, this is one safe place where you can come as a sanctuary from the world’s ills and an oasis of positive karma.
It’s been a while since CRAVE Guitars has delved deeply into a specific modern musical genre, so I thought I’d have another go at one that interests me. This time, the focus is on Heavy Metal, or just Metal, as it is now known to cover all its various facets. Love or loathe the deep dark dungeons and ominous oubliettes of moody Metal mania, you can’t ignore it or its massive global appeal.
“Still heavy man!” Yup. Who would have thought that a casual throwaway remark from the beatnik and hippie counter‑cultures of the 1950s and 1960s would end up defining something so powerfully aggressive in the 1970s, eh? Although it may not seem like it, Heavy Metal is still a relatively new genre with only 50 or so years of history. Compare that with Classical, Blues, Jazz or Country and Metal really does seem like a new kid on the block.
Metal has generated many convoluted factions and divisions of opinion over time, which leads to some fascinating dynamics in this fledgling genre. Metal has also faced its fair share of controversy, criticism, and censorship over the years and has survived all the turbulence. While most of us thankfully live in the ‘free world’, spare a thought for those less fortunate. Metal music is either illegal or driven underground by state oppression in several countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, North Korea and China. Probably not surprisingly, these countries tend to be autocracies that reject any sort of assumed deviant subversion. Metal is seen as sacrilegious blasphemy to conservative religions and as insurrectionary, seditious propaganda to paranoid dictators. No real revelations there. To quote the Rolling Stones, “It’s only rock & roll but I like it” (1974).
Many readers will think that I’ve drawn the boundaries too broad (NB. it is to provide relevant context) while others will think the boundaries are too confining (NB. there is already way, way too much material to fit into a full‑blown encyclopaedia). Writing articles like this just proves you can’t please any of the people any of the time. The scope of the subject matter established c.1970 is extensive, so apologies upfront for another long but ultimately superficial article. Bear with me, though, it’s worth the effort.
“Heavy metal is a universal energy; it’s the sound of a volcano. It’s rock, it’s earth‑shattering. Somewhere in our primal being, we understand” – Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins, 1967‑)
At least Metal in its widest sense is mainly a guitar‑centric genre. CRAVE Guitars’ last two genre articles (Dub Reggae [August 2023] and Ambient Electronica [September 2023]) were less associated with guitar music. Guitars are great. Guitar music is more greaterer.
Although one may not consciously think too much about it, electric guitar (including bass) is really the only contemporary musical instrument that sounds spectacular when heavily distorted. Metal would certainly not be the same without it. Thankfully.
Judging by Kirk Hammett of Metallica’s purchase of Peter Green’s/Gary Moore’s vintage 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard, ‘Greeny’ in 2014, Metal also involves some serious vintage guitar tone. Let’s not forget why we’re here, after all.
After the three previous articles exploring Artificial Intelligence, I can state quite categorically that no AI was used in the research and writing of this piece of amateur, entirely biological indulgence. Enjoy.
“I associate heavy metal with fantasy because of the tremendous power that the music delivers” – Christopher Lee (actor, 1922‑2016)
It is Metal time
Yup, it is time to get down and dirty folks. Pile on the distortion and then pile on some more and, just for good measure, a sprinkling of yet more filthy fuzz on top. Actually, good recording engineers will tell guitarists to dial down the dirt and they will assert that it is surprising how little distortion you need to sound heavy. Studio producers stress that too much distortion makes the sound all mushy, loses definition and increases compression, resulting in the guitar’s sound getting lost in the mix. That’s all very well but just look at the sheer number of high gain guitar pickups, effect pedals and muscle amps out there. People love oodles of distorted guitar. Distortion isn’t just amorphous noise. Distortion adds texture, enhances sustain, and provides harmonic overtones that seem to resonate with primal human senses. Guitarists use distortion that cuts through the mix to express their power, passion and raw emotion.
Sadly, long gone are the days of multiple cooking 100W valve amps and stacks of 4×12” cabinets as a stage backline but perhaps that’s just me being old school. It’s now mostly digital processing and direct input (DI) into mixing desks, front‑of‑house PAs and in‑ear monitors. One might wonder what a modern ‘silent stage’ at a metal gig feels like. Mind you, there are many different types of distortion and many different ways to achieve the desired sound, anywhere from mild clean boost, through overdrive, to distortion and, finally, fuzz. I love fuzz! When you start to ‘stack’ (i.e. daisy chain) these demonic devices, things can get very interesting.
As a listener, Metal music really needs to be played LOUD to get the most out of the visceral impact – both aural and physical. Time to turn the volume up to 11. Some people might think all Metal music sounds the same; an auditory onslaught of cacophonous clatter and tumultuous pandemonium. However, Metal subverts expectation and is actually a highly nuanced and multi‑faceted genre, and far from any semblance of sameness.
“It’s a very empowering kind of music, heavy metal is” – Rob Halford (Judas Priest, 1951)
Metal is vast, and I mean VAST. It seems to me that Metal is unique in its proliferation of sub/micro‑genres and artists that makes it both confusing and intriguing. By its nature, Metal is inclusive, however, the complexity of its family tree and the social subculture, may make it seem to neophytes as intimidating and hard to access. So perhaps we need to try and understand what Metal is and where it came from.
“When life gets tough, I just turn up the volume and let the music take me away. I don’t believe in luck, I believe in hard work and determination. If it’s too loud, you’re too old” – Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead, 1945‑2015)
Some people take Metal far too seriously. There is a lighter side as well. While metalheads are protective, they generally don’t mind mocking their own lifestyle. Apart from the rock mockumentary antics of the film, ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984), there is the phenomenon of Air Guitar. Air guitar is defined as, “a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play an imaginary rock or heavy metal‑style electric guitar, including riffs and solos” (courtesy of Wikipedia). Performing air guitar is a fun diversion for many non‑guitarists, even fostering fiercely contested competition events. The technical pyrotechnics of real Metal music feeds quite well into excessive air guitar parody. Perhaps the less said about that the better.
CRAVE Guitars Vintage Air Guitar
Hee, hee!
Metal roots
First things first. Question. What exactly is Heavy Metal? Well, excluding scientific metallurgy, one definition among many that I came across was, “Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that is intense, virtuosic, and powerful, characterised by the aggressive sounds of the distorted electric guitar”.
Well that is not very helpful is it? Neither are more lengthy descriptions about what Metal is (or isn’t). Perhaps this inability to nail it down concisely is what creates the illusion of Metal mystery. Maybe you have to live Metal in order to understand Metal fully.
“It is just that heavy metal musicians write in minor keys, and when you do that, you frighten people” – Ronnie James Dio (1942‑2010)
There are many theories as to where the title Heavy Metal came from. Chemists have referred to the heavy metal elements of the periodic table for centuries. For information, the heavy metals include chromium, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, titanium, vanadium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel and bismuth. American author, William S. Burroughs used the term ‘heavy metal’ in his novels, ‘The Soft Machine’ (1961) and ‘Nova Express’ (1964). A rather obscure album, ‘Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids’ (1968) by an equally obscure British underground band, Hapshash and the Coloured Coat introduced the term to music. ‘Heavy metal’ was also used in the lyrics of Steppenwolf’s hit single, ‘Born To Be Wild’ (1968). Band names also referenced heavy metals including, Iron (Butterfly, Maiden), Le(a)d (Zeppelin), Steel (Panther) and, tangentially, Metallica. Over the years, the term ‘heavy metal’ has become so deeply embedded in the English language that we rarely stop to think about ‘why?’
For many metalheads, Metal is much more than mere music; it represents a prominent counter‑culture movement or at least a subcultural lifestyle choice. Symbols of the Metal subculture include identifiable fashion including jewellery, hairstyles and makeup, tattoos, gestures (the characteristic symbol hand sign of the ‘devil horns’), language, alcohol/drugs, behaviour, fiction, journalism (e.g. Kerrang! and Metal Hammer) and a somewhat high‑handed disregard for other musical genres. Metal wouldn’t be Metal without headbanging (typically, shaking one’s head up and down in rhythm with music – normally around the 145BPM mark. Origin 1969/1970) and mosh pits (areas close to the stage where participants ‘dance’, push or ‘slam’ into each other. Origin: late 1970s). For the uninitiated, both can prove harmful. Take care. You could end up like Beavis and Butt‑Head.
Metal Hand Gesture [courtesy inksyndromeartwork]
Personally, I like metal in many (but not all) of its various incarnations, especially having been a keen music‑mad pre‑teen when the revelatory and awesome ‘Black Sabbath’ by Black Sabbath was released in 1970 to an unprepared public. It may seem tame now but there was simply nothing else like it at the time. I firmly believe that the release of this classic studio album was the moment that the Heavy Metal maelstrom was born in all its gory, gothic splendour. There may be a lot of debate about who was ‘first’, although that really doesn’t actually matter here, as Black Sabbath provided the seminal moment for Metal’s ‘Big Bang’, from which today’s entire Metal landscape has been propagated. A bold but justifiable claim.
Scratching the Metal surface
No angle grinders here folks. The core of Heavy Metal music comprises guitar, bass, drums and vocals, often accompanied with keyboards and even orchestral backing. Guitar has been an essential element, in the front and centre of most Metal for over five decades. So, that makes it worth taking an in‑depth look, at least as far as I’m concerned.
“The same sensations that you get in heavy metal are in horror movies. Heavy metal sounds evil and horror movies are evil, ha ha!” – Kirk Hammett (Metallica, 1962‑)
While many perceive Metal as the music of choice for rebellious, alienated working‑class males, it is actually most popular in the advanced, tolerant, and technologically equipped countries in the world, often endowed with a significant degree of wealth, as well as personal and political freedoms. This suggests a degree of gentrification and intellectualisation of the genre over time. Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Sweden, are often cited as the happiest places to live (and also have relatively low suicide rates – Sweden had 14.7 suicides per 100,000 population in 2019). These countries also have the highest proportion of heavy metal bands per capita population. Some analysts have been led to suggest that there is a correlation between a country’s prevalence of Metal music and the happiness of its citizens. The cultural and social implications of Metal have therefore become of interest to sociologists and psychologists worldwide. On a wider scale, there are more metal bands per capita in Europe and North America than in other regions. Nowadays, Metal is a global phenomenon and unequivocally part of the mainstream music industry (even if bands and metalheads reject that suggestion on principle).
“Strange as it may seem, heavy metal springs not from the poisoned slag of alienation and despair but the loamy soil of post‑industrial prosperity” – Florida & Mellander 2014
Some may think that Metal music is violent, aggressive, nihilistic and confrontational. While some is undoubtedly challenging, intentionally so, many metalheads think otherwise (perhaps predictably). Psychologists, however, suggest that people who listen to Heavy Metal are actually pretty well balanced in the mental health stakes. Dr Nicole Andreoli PhD, a New York‑based clinical psychologist and therapist states that, “Heavy metal has been found to lessen negative emotions by reducing cortisol levels, which helps to lessen stress. Research has found that people who listen to heavy metal tend to think more logically and in more complex terms than those who don’t listen to heavy metal. Heavy metal has been found to help the most with focus.” And, “Now, lyrics in heavy metal do tend to focus on rage. But there is no research linking listening to heavy metal with a desensitisation to violence… Listening to heavy metal has been found to be a positive way to process anger safely.” So, there you have it, science says that the music behind head banging and mosh pits may be good for you.
“Why would heavy metal ever go away?” – Scott Ian (Anthrax, 1963‑)
Not only is Metal in its widest sense insanely popular, it is also commercially very successful. Studies have gone so far as to demonstrate that the number of heavy metal bands per capita is also an indicator of a country’s economic success. Metal certainly contributes to the global economy. Music distribution group TuneCore stated that Metal was the fastest growing music genre globally in 2019. According to Pollstar Boxoffice, Thrash Metal pioneers Metallica sold almost 22.1 million concert tickets and grossed around $1.4bn between 1982 and 2019. Not only that, Metallica’s 5th studio album, ‘Metallica’ (a.k.a. ‘The Black Album’, 1991) currently ranks as the highest selling Metal album of all time with over 31 million copies sold (not including streaming). It entered the Billboard 200 at number one, selling 598,000 copies in the first week and was certified platinum in two weeks. Not bad going.
“If heavy metal bands ruled the world, we’d be a lot better off” – Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden, 1958‑)
Digging deeper into Metal
Probably more than any other genre, Metal is an intricately complex web of influences, legacies, interactions, interdependencies, fusions and sub‑genre proliferation. However, in 2024, the multiplicity of Metal styles, sub‑genres and micro‑genres can be massively perplexing. So… I thought… perhaps foolishly, that I would try to make some sense of the Metal scene from its origins to the present day. This ‘rationalisation’ of the genre is intended to be informative, entertaining and accessible, such that newbies are able to learn about the subject while not totally alienating those already deeply inculcated in the genre. As usual, this is not an academic paper, it is intended purely as an enjoyable excursion. Experts on the subject are far more knowledgeable than I can ever be. Trying to achieve a fine balance is probably impossible but I’ve never been one to shy away from such a challenge. After all, impossible is only the possible that hasn’t been done yet. I recognise that by trying to simplify and reveal Metal’s charisma is potentially laying my proverbial sacrificial head on the chopping block (very metal, don’t you think?) and open to ridicule, criticism and rebuttal. So be it. Also, I admit that I did have another agenda in attempting to decipher Metal and that was to learn something more about it myself.
“The guitar influence that affected my songwriting came from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal” – Dave Mustaine (Megadeth, 1961‑)
The first step was to position the various Metal components into hypothetical chronological Metal Eras. These are largely of my own invention and are arbitrary, although fairly logical in my view. The next step was to position the various high‑level Metal genres into each of the Metal Eras under widely accepted genre/sub‑genre (and micro‑genre) titles. Finally, there was the monumental task of allocating artists into each genre/sub‑genre to complete the picture. None of this is easy, accurate or definitive and there are SO many exceptions to the Metal ‘rule book’ that various compromises have had to be made for the sake of ‘clarity’ and ‘simplicity’. At first this seemed undo‑able, like trying to film an un‑filmable novel. Forgive me, for I have sinned (also very metal) in doing so.
“Without metal, I don’t think I would be alive… Metal gave me a reason to live” – Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, 1948‑)
There are also many credible writings on the subject of Metal already out there that it would be easy simply to piggy back on those and to plagiarise the ‘facts’ with little additional effort. However, hopefully readers will know that I don’t take the easy route and simply copy what others have already done. In doing the research for this article, there seemed to be a huge number of sources but when I realised that many of them were simply clumsy regurgitations of someone else’s work (inexcusable in my view), I decided that I HAD to bring something new to the table, rather than just restate existing information. In doing so, I trust that readers will cut me some slack in attempting to provide a different slant on the subject matter that is both enlightening and engaging as well semi‑original (recognising that nothing in this world is entirely new).
“All that stuff about heavy metal and hard rock, I don’t subscribe to any of that. It’s all just music. I mean, the heavy metal from the Seventies sounds nothing like the stuff from the Eighties, and that sounds nothing like the stuff from the Nineties. Who’s to say what is and isn’t a certain type of music?” – Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, 1948‑)
Some care has to be taken with genre classification, which can be misleading. There are some inevitable generalisations. For instance, Extreme Metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a cluster of harder, more abrasive, less commercial sub‑genres including Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Speed Metal and Thrash Metal, rather than a discrete genre in itself. Therefore, at least for this article, the terms Metal and Extreme Metal are generally descriptive, rather than genres per se.
Another problem with Metal multiplicity is that any analysis can fall into the trap of meaningless long lists in a vain attempt to be comprehensive. Another impossibility therefore presents itself. Ultimately, this means that a great deal has had to be left out of this article. Even so, there is an annoying element of repetitiveness that cannot be avoided (sorry, it annoys me as much as I expect it will annoy you). Apologies to artists and readers for any unintentional but inevitable major omissions. I did my best. Honest.
“Heavy metal is immortal, but we’re not” – Rob Halford (Judas Priest, 1951)
Author’s note: Throughout this article, I have capitalised genres for consistency and to make it clear when I’m referring to a genre, sub‑genre or micro‑genre as opposed to more general musical terms.
Metal Eras
The result of my thought processes is a ‘Metal Framework’ (or Heavy Metal Periodic Table, as I like to think of it), resulting in five broad ‘Metal Eras’ along with the genres/sub‑genres that kinda fit into them as a sort of hierarchy. This, I think, provides a common sense structure for the rest of this article.
Pre History of Metal: 1960‑1969 a. Pre‑Metal Rock b. Psychedelic Rock c. Hard Rock d. Shock Rock
The Golden Era of Metal: 1970‑1979 a. Heavy Metal b. Progressive Rock c. Glam Metal d. Punk Rock e. Hardcore Punk f. Power Metal g. Pop Metal h. Gothic Rock
The Diversification of Metal: 1980‑1989 a. New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) b. Speed Metal c. Neo‑Classical Metal d. Stoner Metal e. Noise Rock f. Progressive Metal g. Alternative Rock h. Alternative Metal i. Thrash Metal j. Black Metal k. Death Metal l. Emo m. Funk Metal n. Grindcore o. Grunge p. Industrial Metal q. Sludge Metal r. Doom Metal
The Nu Nineties: 1990‑1999 a. Metalcore b. Gothic Metal c. Post Grunge d. Rap Metal e. Nu Metal f. Groove Metal g. Dark Ambient h. Folk Metal i. Symphonic Metal
Millennium Metal: 2000‑ a. New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) b. Blackgaze c. Djent
There, that amounts to 42 (NB. ‘The answer to life, the universe and everything’, from the novel, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ [1979] by author Douglas Adams) ‘top level’ Metal sub‑genres, more than enough to be getting on with. Then there are is the constantly changing elaborate rabbit warren of manifold micro‑genres (hundreds if not thousands of them).
Part of the difficulty with any formal categorised structure is that it is inherently a flawed and imperfect model. Genres don’t just have a clearly defined beginning and end or precise boundaries. One of the problems is genre fluidity. Once a (sub‑)genre has been established, sometimes it will fade away quickly, sometimes it will grow and endure, sometimes it will come and go repeatedly over time, and sometimes it will morph into something else altogether.
Another problem is slotting artists into either a period of time or a particular (sub‑)genre. Many artists are difficult to pin down to a discrete genre, as they may change style, crossover or fuse genres over time such that they may appear in multiple genres dependent on their stage of evolution. Genres are also not all the same; some (sub‑)genres are narrow (e.g. Kawaii Metal, a.k.a. Cute Metal or J‑Pop Metal), while others are very broad, (e.g. Alternative Rock/Alternative Metal); some are clearly delineated while others are more amorphous. I will do my level best to make some sense of it all as we go through it.
Right. Ready to dive in? Let’s rock…
Metal Era #1 – Pre‑History of Metal: 1960‑1970
Pre‑Metal Rock (‑1966)
In CRAVE Guitars’ 14‑part series of articles, ‘The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts’ (March 2019 to May 2020), I postulated in a very general sense that, after classical music, the vast majority of modern music originated from just the three founding pillars of Blues, Jazz and Country. A blending of these styles over several decades led to the emergence of Rock & Roll in the mid‑1950s and pretty much everything thereafter sprouted from that specific paradigm shift in popular music. From the 1950s onwards, modern popular music evolved and diversified at a tremendous rate. Moving forward a decade or so from rock & roll, the origins of Metal’s direct ancestors rose from vibrant sub‑genres such as Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Surf Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Jam Band and Pop.
Many commentators point to the Dave Davies’ distorted guitar riff on The Kinks, ‘You Really Got Me’ (1964) as the catalyst for guitar‑driven distorted rock music. Britain’s former colony, the United States of America (sorry dudes) might point to the king of Surf Rock, Dick Dale’s, ‘Misirlou’ (1963) as another fertile seed germinating in the growth of rock. Other notable claims might include Link Wray, ‘Rumble’ (1958), The Animals, ‘The House of the Rising Sun’ (1964), The Troggs, ‘Wild Thing’ (1966) and Steppenwolf, ‘Born to be Wild’ (1969).
Related Genres: Rock & Roll, Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Surf Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Jam Band, Pop, Pop‑Rock
Examples: Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Link Wray, The Animals, The Troggs, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, Cream, Groundhogs, MC5, The Stooges, Man, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Dick Dale, Rolling Stones, and many, many more.
Psychedelic Rock (1966‑1978)
Psychedelic Rock – or just Psych – is a style of Rock music that emerged in the mid‑1960s that often attempts to emulate or enhance the way music sounds to people while under the influence of psychedelic drugs such as LSD (a.k.a. acid) and ‘shrooms’ (a.k.a. psilocybin ‘magic’ mushrooms). Songs typically include heavily distorted, phased and reverb‑drenched electric guitars, extended guitar solos, effected vocals, and drug‑influenced lyrics. Other common characteristics include the use of keyboards and elaborate studio effects like backwards recording, echo, flanging and phasing. It is also not uncommon for Psychedelic Rock groups to incorporate prominent elements of other genres including Folk, Blues, Jazz, and South Asian/Far Eastern music.
The beginning of Psychedelic Rock is generally considered to be c.1966, with the release of The Byrds’ ‘Fifth Dimension’, notably their hit single, ‘Eight Miles High’, and ‘The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators’ (1966) by, erm, 13th Floor Elevators. NB. The 13th Floor Elevators were the first band to use the word, ‘psychedelic’ in relation to music.
Psychedelic Rock emerged alongside Psychedelic Pop and Pop Rock, especially in the UK. Many albums from the mid‑1960s incorporated elements of psychedelia, notably The Beatles’ 7th studio album, ‘Revolver’ (1966).
From 1967, the popularity of Psychedelic Rock expanded significantly and it became clearly differentiated from Psychedelic Pop by moving away from Pop‑oriented song structures. Psychedelic Rock incorporated elements of Garage Rock and Blues Rock, as well as the drug‑infused Acid Rock sub‑genre. The genre hit a peak in 1969 with the Woodstock Festival. However, it experienced a substantial decline in popularity by the start of the 1970s with the demise of the hippie counter‑culture. Psychedelic Rock played a big part in influencing many other genres, including Progressive Rock.
Related Genres: Acid Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Space Rock, Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, Jam Band, Pop, Pop Rock, Krautrock, Garage Rock, Blues, Blues Rock, Jazz, Folk, South Asian Music, Progressive Rock, Fractal Rock
Examples: The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Captain Beefheart, The Byrds, The 13th Floor Elevators, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Pink Fairies, Can, Love, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Eternal Tapestry, Loop
Hard Rock (1966‑)
Hard Rock is a sub‑genre of Rock music rooted in 1960s Blues Rock, Garage Rock and Psychedelic Rock (especially Acid Rock). Hard Rock features distorted guitars and power chords, and frequently includes Blues Rock‑inspired song structures and chord progressions. Flashy guitar solos were common and vocals are typically sung in a forward, forceful manner.
Hard Rock was pioneered in the late 1960s by British artists, who were connected to the British Blues scene. The fanatical popularity of The Beatles and the so‑called ‘British Invasion’ of the US opened up opportunities for experimentation and cross‑fertilisation. Early Blues‑influenced British Hard Rock bands cranked their amplifiers, using distorted guitar to provide the signature sounds of Hard Rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Cream. Many might suggest that these bands belong to Heavy Metal, although history will probably (properly) regard them as Hard Rock that influenced the development of Heavy Metal.
Hard Rock saw considerable commercial success during the 1970s, when American artists infused their songs with a more melodic style and radio‑friendly sound. The late 1970s saw the appearance of AOR (Adult‑Oriented Rock), a softer derivative of Hard Rock that proved both popular and commercial. AOR was characterised by slick studio production, prolific use of ballads, and a keen awareness of Pop as a vehicle for success.
Hard Rock focused on familiar Blues Rock composition. While Hard Rock’s original creative peak was in the 1970s, it continued to be popular, experiencing commercial success in the 1980s. Hard Rock has been reinvented and rejuvenated many times over the intervening decades, proving to be enduringly popular with consumers. The early 1990s saw many fans desert traditional Hard Rock music in favour of the edgier sounds of Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, Grunge and their associated sub‑genres, only for it to experience another Renaissance in the 21st Century. Hard Rock remains in vogue today and doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.
Related Genres: British Blues, Classic Rock, Heavy Rock, AOR, Heavy Metal, Grunge, Alternative Rock, Post‑Grunge, Glam Metal, Southern Metal
Examples: The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Steppenwolf, Pink Fairies, Blue Cheer, Grand Funk Railroad, Budgie, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream, UFO, Blue Oyster Cult, Mountain, Iron Butterfly, Free, Bad Company, Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy, KISS, AC/DC, Joe Satriani, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, The Darkness, Queens of the Stone Age, Audioslave, Shinedown, Alter Bridge, Aerosmith, Nazareth, Boston, Foreigner, Styx, Airbourne, Black Stone Cherry, Michael Schenker Group, Thunder, Wolfmother, Eagles of Death Metal
Shock Rock (1968‑1983)
Unlike any other genre, Shock Rock is defined by its extravagant visuals, gaudy showmanship and controversial public image, rather than by its musicianship and sound. The key thing is that it was intended to… well… shock and to stimulate a reaction. Shock Rock has its roots firmly in the edgier side of the 1960s expressive freedom, youthful rebellion, sexual liberation and a rejection of the west coast ‘love & peace’ hippie counter‑culture movement. Shock Rock was fuelled by pushing the boundaries of the genre through the use of disturbing, horrifying and sexual themes. Shock Rock was largely rejected by the conservative majority of Americans, which unwittingly fed its popularity, especially with alienated youths who didn’t buy into the previous generation’s conventional societal norms and values. Shock Rock influenced Glam Rock in the 1970s, Black Metal in the 1980s and to Industrial Rock and Industrial Metal in the 1990s. The ability of music to shock has significantly diminished in contemporary times. Desensitisation strikes again.
Shock rock is a combination of Hard Rock and/or Heavy Metal, often featuring highly stylised theatrical live performances emphasising over‑the‑top symbolism for effect. Shock Rock live performances included staged violence and provocative behaviour, the use of attention‑grabbing techniques such as costumes, masks, face paint and live animals, or special effects such as pyrotechnics and fake blood. Shock Rock also included lyrical references to literature, cinematic horror and pornography.
Related Genres: Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk Rock, Black Metal, Industrial Rock, Industrial Metal
Examples: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Arthur Brown, Alice Cooper, New York Dolls, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Venom, W.A.S.P., Gwar
Metal Era #2 – The Golden Era of Metal: 1970‑1980
Heavy Metal (1970‑1979)
Here we are at last. THE milestone moment in Metal. Also now known as ‘Classic’ Heavy Metal or Traditional Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal was a pivotal point in modern music that emerged first in the UK and then America. Today, the term Heavy Metal has become a generic retrospective term referring to a specific musical genre style from a specific time period.
Heavy metal is a direct descendant of Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock and Acid Rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Black Sabbath is widely considered to be the first and foremost band to establish Heavy Metal as a ‘thing’. However, Black Sabbath’s sound didn’t appear fully formed; the band was influenced by British Blues Rock and Garage Rock in its early days. Black Sabbath were responsible for the foundations of what would become an entire music genre. At first, many Heavy Metal bands didn’t identify themselves with the title, preferring to play it safe unless Heavy Metal failed. The prominent use of lead guitar and vocals over a solid bass and drum foundation was used to create an imposing, epic sound. The darker and more sinister aesthetic of Heavy Metal was influenced by Shock Rock artists including the use of satanic and occult imagery.
Heavy Metal is constructed around key components of Hard Rock such as power chords (NB. a dyad comprising the root note and the fifth note of a major or minor scale) and riffs (NB. a repeated chord progression). Heavy Metal tends to be played with greater intensity than Hard Rock and commonly uses heavy distortion (NB. intentional clipping and production of higher order harmonics created by overdriving the valves in an amplifier’s pre and/or power amp stages). Heavy Metal also tends to reject the Blues elements of its predecessors, giving it a distinct harder edged sound. Heavy Metal lyrics are generally darker than those of Hard Rock, featuring themes of war, death, loss, the supernatural, the occult and Gothic fantasy.
Another key feature of Heavy Metal is the widespread use of what is known as the dangerous ‘devil’s interval’, also called a tritone because it is a music interval of three whole tones. The Latin term ‘diabolus in musica’ (literally, the Devil in music) originated in the Middle Ages where the sinister dissonant use of the tritone was considered an offence against God and therefore must have come from hell. Just listen to the eponymous track, ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970) or Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ (1991) amongst many others and you’ll recognise it instantly. Unsettling, dark, powerful and scary? Absolutely.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Heavy Metal would take a back seat to rise of other forms of Metal. However, it remained influential, particularly with its influence on Doom Metal and Melodic Death Metal. Heavy Metal would also see a resurgence in popularity during the mid‑2000s with the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM) harking back to its original sound.
Related Genres: Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Acid Rock, Heavy Psych, NWOBHM, Doom Metal, Speed Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Glam Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Alternative Metal, Groove Metal, NWOTHM, Christian Metal, Latin Metal, Southern Metal
Examples: Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Budgie, Coven, Nazareth, Thin Lizzy, early Queen, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, Vanilla Fudge, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, MC5, The Stooges, Alice Cooper, KISS, ZZ Top, Blue Öyster Cult, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Van Halen, Black Label Society, King Diamond, Rob Zombie, Venom, Mercyful Fate
Progressive Rock (1970‑1976)
Traditional Progressive Rock – or simply just ‘Prog’ to its many admirers – is a genre associated with complex harmonies and technical virtuosity inspired by Classical Music and contemporary Jazz. Generally, song structures consist of multiple sections and typically feature shifts in intensity, mood, tempo, key and time signature. Prog also embraced broader instrumentation compared to other Rock genres, including keyboards, wind instruments, percussion and strings. Progressive Rock also tended to lessen the prominence of the guitar as the principal lead instrument. Progressive Rock bands are often known for releasing concept albums (often double albums), relating a story through cohesive connected song themes, and with longer track times than other genres. Songs often reflected subjects like history, science fiction, and fantasy, with lyrics drawing inspiration from poetry, literature, and cinema.
The roots of Progressive Rock date back to the innovations introduced by Psychedelic Rock and Baroque Pop sounds of the mid‑1960s, with groups using new recording techniques, lush orchestral arrangements, integrating broader more esoteric musical influences, and focusing on complex compositions. The earliest Progressive Rock bands emerged in the UK during the late 1960s, seeking to innovate and to push existing musical boundaries. Progressive Rock saw a massive rise in popularity during the early 1970s gaining considerable commercial success and critical acclaim.
Progressive Rock went on to achieve global interest and became particularly influential on other technical music genres. Many modern Metal bands continue to reference original Progressive Rock tropes. Some Jazz‑Rock fusion‑style musical developments such as the so‑called Canterbury Scene in the UK and the Paisley Underground in the US exhibited similarities to Progressive Rock from the 1970s onwards. Even in the late 1990s, Alternative Rock and Post‑Hardcore bands also adopted progressive characteristics, ultimately leading to Progressive Metal.
On reflection, many commentators use pejorative hyperbole like pretentious, pompous, self‑important, haughty, arrogant and conceited to describe the ‘highbrow attitude’ of Progressive Rock artists. Progressive Rock saw a rapid decline in the mid‑late 1970s when Punk Rock revolutionised popular music. Punk, in particular, was the antithesis of Progressive Rock, rejecting the corporate nature of the mainstream and, explicitly, the bloated, grandiose ostentatiousness of Prog.
Related Genres: Classical Music, Jazz, Jazz‑Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Canterbury Scene, Paisley Underground, Baroque Pop, Progressive Pop, Progressive Metal, Alternative Rock, Post‑Hardcore, Krautrock, Math Rock
Examples: The Nice, Soft Machine, Caravan, Procol Harum, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Moody Blues, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Van Der Graaf Generator, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Journey, Styx, Kansas, Rush, Gong, Goblin, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, The Mars Volta, The Aristocrats
Glam Metal (1973‑1990)
Glam Metal is a form of Hard Rock that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s, originating mainly from the fashionable club scene of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Glam Metal was characterised by arena anthems and flamboyant stage antics, along with the androgynous aesthetics of 1970s Glam Rock, Glam Pop and Hard Rock bands. The music placed an emphasis on catchy hooks and memorable guitar riffs, sing‑along choruses, and lyrics often glamorising the excesses of the ‘sex, drugs and rock & roll’ lifestyle. Power ballads also became very common to the genre. Glam Metal shares a lot of similarities with its direct predecessor Shock Rock.
Glam Metal hit the mainstream when the studio album, ‘Metal Health’ (1983) by Quiet Riot rose to number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Glam Metal coincided with the massive popularity of MTV (Music TeleVision) and rock radio at the time. The glossy visuals and showmanship of high‑budget music videos gave bands heavy rotation on MTV and the sound gradually became more polished and less Heavy Metal. The genre’s global popularity grew even further with established Rock artists adopting elements of the style. Exploiting the reputation of Shock Rock and Glam Metal, a basic raw, grubby sub‑genre known as Sleaze Rock also developed.
Rightly or wrongly, Glam Metal may well be remembered for artists’ rampant and unapologetic excesses more than the music. Many journalists criticised Glam Metal for reducing Metal to a caricature because of its combination of tired pop cliché, overtly immature misogyny and blatant sexual overtones.
By the early 1990s, the bubble had burst and the popularity of Glam Metal rapidly declined as the more ‘authentic’ genres of Grunge and Alternative Rock came to the fore. ‘Hair metal’ and ‘Cock Rock’ became common, often derogatory, terms to describe 1980s showmanship of Glam Metal bands. Nevertheless these genres have proved hard to kill off and fond reminiscence has led to continued popularity and rejuvenation of the music over time.
Related Genres: Hard Rock, Glam Rock, Shock Rock, Glam Pop, Sleaze Rock, Grunge, Alternative Rock
Punk Rock is a very important, although short‑lived genre originating from America and the UK in the mid‑1970s. Punk was a fierce rejection of progressive, commercial and sentimental mainstream rock music. In addition, the anger of Punk was fuelled by severe economic disadvantage and social change of the time. While Punk had its roots in America during the 1960s with Proto‑Punk and Garage Rock, it didn’t fully take off as Punk Rock until the mid‑1970s. Punk Rock’s initial success attracted a huge global underground and cult following before it erupted on the mainstream.
Punk rock is characterised by fast tempos, loud and distorted power chord guitar riffs, simple focused song structure, angry lyrics, and shouted vocals. Punk Rock is typically very antagonistic and confrontational, often dealing with topics considered forbidden in mainstream music. Anti‑establishment rants, anarchic behaviour and heated political protests feature strongly as an integral part of the Punk Rock scene.
Punk wasn’t just about the music, it generated a subculture that felt alienated, powerless and let down by ‘the system’. Punk attitude was also reflected in distinctive fashion, hairstyle, makeup, journalism, art and controversial attitudes. While Punk Rock didn’t outlive the 1970s and, while isn’t really Metal, it has been massively influential across many musical genres over the years particularly in Hardcore Punk and Post‑Hardcore.
“I always said punk was an attitude. It was never about having a Mohican haircut or wearing a ripped T‑shirt. It was all about destruction, and the creative potential within that” – Malcolm Mclaren (1946‑2010)
Related Genres: Proto‑Punk, Garage Rock, Hardcore Punk, Post‑Hardcore, Pop Punk, Post‑Punk, Anarcho‑Punk, Goth Rock, Goth Metal, New Wave
Examples: Ramones, The Stooges, Patti Smith, Blondie, New York Dolls, MC5, Monks, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, The Ruts, The Vibrators, UK Subs, Sham 69, The Stranglers, Generation X, Buzzcocks, The Jam, X‑Ray Spex, The Adverts, Television, The Slits, Rancid, T.S.O.L., NOFX
Hardcore Punk (1976‑1979)
Often just called ‘Hardcore’, Hardcore Punk initially borrowed much from Punk Rock’s original approach and has been associated with the releases of independently‑run record labels. As Punk Rock became moderated by the mainstream, Hardcore Punk took on the mantle and heaped on the frenetic energy, made it faster, heavier and more aggressive, while retaining Punk’s anti‑establishment attitude and lifestyle. Other common characteristics include an extensive use of shouted vocals, paired‑down production and the tendency towards short, gutsy, gritty songs. Hardcore Punk eventually dissipated into other sub‑genres and derivative forms in a similar way that Punk Rock fragmented and evolved into Post‑Punk and New Wave. Although not as influential as Punk Rock, Hardcore Punk contributed to the development of many other sub‑genres.
Related Genres: Punk Rock, Garage Rock, Melodic Hardcore, Grunge, Pop Punk, Sludge Metal, Riot Grrrl, Alternative Metal, Thrash Metal, Beatdown Hardcore
Examples: D.O.A., Dead Kennedys, Discharge, Black Flag, Napalm Death, Circle Jerks, The Exploited, Minor Threat, GBH, Misfits, Bad Brains, Cancer Bats, Agnostic Front, Fugazi, early Teddybears, Gallows, Girls In Synthesis
Power Metal (1976‑)
Power Metal is a sub‑genre of Heavy Metal, originated in the early 1980s in both Europe and America, as a response to NWOBHM. Basically, it adds more ‘power’ (duh!) to conventional Heavy Metal, aided by slick studio production. As it evolved, Power Metal combined elements of traditional Heavy Metal with Speed Metal, Glam Metal and Thrash Metal. Power Metal played down its Blues Rock roots and made distorted guitar riffs more aggressive and complex and the vocals were more forceful. Power Metal is distinguished by ‘more’ – more speed, more commercial appeal, more epic, more ‘powerful’ and a more uplifting sound, compared to its slower heavier counterparts. Over time, Power Metal adopted some of the distinctive dissonance of more extreme forms of Metal to give the music an edge, as well as Pop appeal to sell product in greater quantity. US Power Metal (USPM) uses the American prefix to differentiate it from its European Power Metal counterpart.
Related Genres: Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Blues Rock, US Power Metal (USPM), European Power Metal, Pirate Metal, Kawaii Metal, Pop
Pop Metal is a very close relation to Glam Metal and Power Metal and tends to be used as an umbrella term for the commercial combination of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock that feature prominent Pop music elements such as catchy hooks and arena‑friendly anthemic choruses, which became hugely popular in the 1980s. The genre is also applied to some mainstream bands and artists that have formed since the 1990s that blend the lighter, radio‑friendly aspects of Pop with the grittiness of Heavy Metal into their sound. Some of the Pop Metal artists are regarded by Metal purists and music critics alike as ‘sell outs’, putting fame, fortune and financial reward before Metal musical integrity.
Related Genres: Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Power Metal, Pop, Pop Punk
Examples: Quiet Riot, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Europe, Lita Ford, Guns N’ Roses, The Darkness, Bon Jovi, Architects, Bring Me the Horizon, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Halestorm, Ghost, In Flames, In This Moment, Lacuna Coil, Shinedown, The Pretty Reckless, We Are The Fallen, Weezer
Gothic Rock (1979‑1990)
Emerging from the smouldering ashes of Punk Rock, the British Post‑Punk movement took on the role of genre innovation, taking it in many different directions. While Gothic Rock was an offshoot of the broader Post‑Punk scene, it quickly became defined as a separate genre in the early 1980s. Gothic Rock is differentiated from other genres by dark and atmospheric songs, a heavily stylised Goth aesthetic and inspirations from Gothic art, literature and cinema. Gothic‑style lyrics reflected sadness, nihilism, dark romantic idealism, loss, tragedy, melancholy, mortality and the supernatural.
Gothic Rock heavily influenced the distinctive and popular Goth subculture and lifestyle that included Goth clubs, stylised fashion and publications. While it may not be considered as true Metal, it is a key stepping stone along the yew‑lined cemetery path to Gothic Metal.
Metal Trivia: Historically, the Goths were a Germanic tribe of barbarians that led the sack of Rome in 410CE. The roots of the modern Gothic aesthetic go to back to the European Middle Ages of the 12th‑16th Centuries with its distinctive ‘barbaric’ Gothic architecture, which was revived again in the 18th‑20th Centuries. The Medieval architectural style became the backdrop to popular atmospheric Gothic romantic, horror and fantasy literature of the 18th‑19th Centuries. The first Gothic novel was ‘The Castle of Otranto’ (1764) by Horace Walpole (1717‑1797).
Related Genres: Post‑Punk, Gothic Metal, Gothic Pop, Emo, Dark Wave, Ethereal Wave, Death Rock
Examples: Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Damned, The Cult, The Mission, Killing Joke, Sisters Of Mercy, Adam and the Ants, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, The Fall, Evanescence, All About Eve, The Twilight Sad, Alien Sex Fiend, Rome Burns, Southern Death Cult, This Mortal Coil, Pixies, Fields of the Nephilim
Metal Era #3 – The Diversification of Metal: 1980‑1989
New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) (1979‑1983)
NWOBHM is a clumsy acronym for ‘New Wave Of British Heavy Metal’. NWOBHM started off as an injection of fresh new ideas to slow and then reverse the decline of early British Traditional Heavy Metal as well as to adapt to the emergence of high‑energy Punk Rock. NWOBHM bands took some of the elements of Punk and merged it with Heavy Metal. Like Punk Rock, many NWOBHM bands funded and released their own records in the early days. While many Metal fans rejected Punk, it continued to influence Metal in a significant underground Metal scene that began to grow and gain momentum. Eventually, the media, record labels and consumers could no longer dismiss NWOBHM as a passing underground fad and it rapidly became a major force in modern Metal music. The primary band associated with the emergence of NWOBHM was Iron Maiden.
NWOBHM is very diverse and it didn’t tend have a signature ‘sound’ of its own. Instead, the genre is more focused on location and period (the UK in the 1980s). At its peak, it didn’t last long but it has had a lasting impact over the decades. By the early‑mid 1980s, NWOBHM came to define the global mainstream success of Heavy Metal. While predominantly British in origin, NWOBHM had a major global influence on later forms of Metal, including the inevitable American version (NWOAHM).
Related Genres: Heavy Metal, Punk Rock, Hardcore Punk, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, New Wave Of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM)
Examples: Motörhead, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Quartz, Saxon, Iron Maiden, Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Girlschool, Raven, Holocaust, Tank, Elixir, Praying Mantis, Blitzkrieg, Samson, Grim Reaper, Witchfinder General, Dragonslayer
Speed Metal (1981‑1993)
Speed metal is a bit of a minor but important transitional sub‑genre of Metal originating from NWOBHM and influenced by Hard Rock and Heavy Metal bands, as well as influencing early Thrash Metal.
Speed Metal is usually considered less abrasive and more melodic than Hardcore Punk before it or Thrash Metal after it. However, Speed Metal is usually faster (duh!) and more aggressive than traditional Heavy Metal. It also tends to feature incendiary virtuoso guitar solos and short instrumental passages between conventional verse and chorus song writing structure. While sounding relatively straightforward now, the studio album, ‘Welcome to Hell’ (1981) by British band Venom has been suggested as the first Extreme Metal release.
Related Genres: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Hardcore Punk, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal
Examples: Venom, Slayer, Motörhead, Exciter, DragonForce, Annihilator, Anvil, Heathen, Helloween, Piledriver, Racer X, Whiplash, Bewitched, Midnight, Annihilator, Children of Bodom
Neo‑Classical Metal (1983‑)
Neo‑Classical Metal is a niche, largely Instrumental Rock sub‑genre with its roots firmly in Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Speed Metal, while taking considerable inspiration from traditional acoustic instrumental Classical Music. The main characteristic of Neo‑Classical Metal is its highly technical virtuoso guitar playing and particularly the fast and complex ‘shredding’ techniques that became widely popular during the 1980s. Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was probably the pioneer of this particular style of guitar playing before that role was passed on to Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. The genre took its cues mainly from the Romantic and Baroque periods of 17th and 18th Century Classical Music. In turn, Neo‑Classical Metal influenced many genres including Progressive Metal.
Related Genres: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Classical Music, Instrumental Rock, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, Progressive Metal
Examples: Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads, Jason Becker, Uli Jon Roth, Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert
Stoner Metal (1982‑)
Stoner Metal is a sub‑genre of Metal that combines key components of Doom Metal with elements of Psychedelic Rock and Blues Rock to create a melodic yet heavy sound. Like Stoner Metal’s close genre relative Stoner Rock, heavily distorted guitar riffs feature strong grooves and psychedelic effect‑driven atmospheric sounds, while the tempo is generally slower than many other Metal genres. Guitars and basses are frequently down‑tuned with a particular emphasis on a solid, bass‑heavy sound.
Several Stoner Metal bands and fans shared a common use of marijuana, hence the genre name. The focus on weed can be found within the lyrics of many Stoner Metal tracks, combined with the heavy and psychedelic sound of the music. Due to the similarities in styles, some Stoner Metal bands also adopted and incorporated certain aspects of Sludge Metal and Heavy Psych.
Related Genres: Stoner Rock, Sludge Metal, Heavy Psych, Instrumental Rock, Doom Metal
Examples: Sleep, Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Cathedral, Down, Electric Wizard, Black Mountain, Corrosion of Conformity, Clutch, Karma to Burn, Saint Vitus, Orange Goblin, Pulled Apart by Horses, Royal Blood, Om, Madmess, My Sleeping Karma, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Melvins, High on Fire, Eternal Tapestry
Noise Rock (1983‑2010)
Noise Rock is a broad genre that arose from Punk Rock and Post‑Punk. Noise Rock artists incorporate a high degree of experimental sound manipulation, heavy distortion, guitar feedback, prominent use of effects, dissonant musical intervals and lo‑fi production. The most commonly used instruments are guitars, bass and drums, as well as extensive use of drum machines, guitar effects, studio electronics, tape‑manipulated soundscapes, and random industrial noises added to supplement the already‑abrasive core sound. Song structures defied convention and often rely on dirge, drone or discordant tonal textures. German Krautrock (a.k.a. Kosmiche Musik or Cosmic Music) also heavily influenced Noise Rock.
The first Noise Rock artists predated the genre, emerging in New York in the 1960s and the first Noise Rock studio album was arguably, ‘White Light/White Heat’ (1968) by The Velvet Underground. The tracks made extensive use of guitar feedback, distortion effects, simple recording, and unstructured Jam Band sessions. Noise Rock reached its peak in the 1990s with bands like Sonic Youth leading the evolution of the genre before they disbanded in 2011. Despite it seeming to be a musical dead end, Noise Rock influenced many future Metal sub‑genres, such as Industrial Metal.
Related Genres: Punk Rock, Post‑Punk, Jam Band, Sludge Rock, Drone Metal, Industrial Rock, Industrial Metal, Krautrock, Experimental Rock
Examples: The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, The Stooges, Sonic Youth, Big Black, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Membranes, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Black Midi, Deerhoof, Tropical Fuck Storm, Boris, SUNN O))), Melt‑Banana, Merzbow
Progressive Metal (1984‑)
Heavy Metal was influenced by Progressive Rock and, in turn contributed towards Progressive Metal. Today’s Progressive Metal continues to use the layered, textured sounds and intricate arrangements of Prog and combines it with heavier, more distorted sounds of Metal. The 1990s saw a rejuvenation of Progressive Rock and the emergence of Progressive Metal through a new generation of artists using innovative sounds and recording techniques.
Progressive metal is a genre that features Metal’s electric guitar‑driven sound and fuses it with technical proficiency and Progressive Rock‑inspired virtuosity. It uses unorthodox song writing featuring complex harmonies, long track times, multiple passages, shifts in mood, texture, tempo, key changes and uncommon time signatures. Like Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal frequently uses additional instrumentation such as keyboards, percussion, wind instruments and strings. Lyrics are often poetic, elegiac, melancholic, and introspective, and it tackles themes such as philosophy, science fiction, fantasy and politics. Progressive Metal is known for its high‑gain guitars and heavy guitar riffs. It is fair to say that Progressive Metal has heavily influenced many other forms of late 20th Century and early 21st Century Metal.
Related Genres: Progressive Rock, Heavy Metal, US Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Technical Death Metal, Black Metal, Metalcore, Djent, Avant‑Garde Metal, Experimental Metal, Post‑Metal
Examples: Rush, Savatage, Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Voivod, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Porcupine Tree, Tool, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Opeth, Gojira, Mastodon, Coheed and Cambria, Steve Vai, King’s X, Devin Townsend, Between the Buried and Me,
Alternative Rock (1985‑2010)
Alternative Rock (a.k.a. Alt‑Rock) is a massively diverse range of styles and has become regarded as a bit of an all‑encompassing umbrella term for a wide range of music that doesn’t easily fit elsewhere, almost to the point of not being a cohesive genre. Alternative Rock developed in the independent record label music scenes of the 1980s, being heavily influenced by Punk Rock, Post‑Punk and Hardcore. Common characteristics typically include a blend of melodic, traditional song writing with more eccentric sounds drawing from Punk, using idiosyncratic lyrics, as well as plentiful amounts of distortion.
In America, Alternative Rock bands combined Punk Rock and Post‑Hardcore with Folk Rock and Power Pop. Later groups took on a more raucous, jarring approach, influenced by Noise Rock and Experimental Rock.
Alternative Rock wasn’t met with a great deal of commercial success compared to some other forms of Metal and Rock because of its diversity. The term ‘College Rock’ was coined to describe many of the early Alternative Rock bands because they were popular on American college radio channels and, perhaps predictably, MTV.
By the start of the 1990s, several previously independent artists signed to major labels and the success of Grunge bands launched Alternative Rock along with Alternative Metal into mainstream popularity. Multiple other commercial offshoots and derivatives of Alternative Rock began to appear as either revivals of past genres or breakthroughs in new areas. A number of artists during this period exploited the creativity and experimentation of Alternative Rock to push the genre’s already nebulous boundaries. While Alternative Rock isn’t very Metal, Alternative Metal would not have evolved in the way it did without its direct forebear.
In the 2010s, Alternative Rock largely faded from the mainstream and returned to the underground. Indie Rock tended to take over from Alternative Rock and continued to enjoy moderate success until Indie also experienced a major decline by the 2020s.
Related Genres: Hard Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Garage Rock Punk Rock, Proto‑Punk, Post‑Punk, Pop Punk, Psychedelic Rock, Post‑Rock, Alternative Dance, Neo‑Psychedelia, Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Slacker Rock, Post‑Hardcore, Folk Rock, Power Pop, Experimental Rock, Britpop, Art Rock, Slacker Rock, Emo, Emo Rap, Electronica, Funk Rock, Ska Revival, Hip Hop, Pop Rap
Examples: R.E.M., Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Violent Femmes, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Pixies, The Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More, Jane’s Addiction, Living Colour, Sonic Youth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Flaming Lips, Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Wooden Shjips, Guided by Voices, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, TV on the Radio, Car Seat Headrest, Mitski, Courtney Barnett, Kid Cudi, Six By Seven, Stabbing Westward
Alternative Metal (1985‑)
Alternative Metal is another catch‑all sub‑genre of Metal music and a close relative of Alternative Rock that also emerged in the late‑1980s. Alternative Metal pushed the borders of Alt‑Rock, with a medium‑tempo similar to Groove Metal. Unlike other, more traditional Metal genres, Alternative Metal adopted a straight‑forward sound. Vocal styles vary hugely, depending on the band. Alternative Metal lyrics also focus on more prosaic, down‑to‑earth themes than many other Metal genres. Like its Rock counterpart, Alternative Metal is noted for its variety and a willingness to experiment with unconventional musical styles beyond the confines of straightforward Metal music.
Alternative Metal actually increased in popularity when Grunge took alternative music into the mainstream in the first half of the 1990s. The genre took another step forward with the emergence of Rap Metal, Nu Metal and Post‑Grunge in the mid‑1990s.
Alternative Metal’s popularity continued undiminished into the 21st Century and continued to evolve into the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAMH), which harked back to preceding Metal genres and built on them. The influence of Alternative Metal can clearly be heard in other Metal genres, such as Metalcore.
Related Genres: Heavy Metal, Alternative Rock, Groove Metal, Funk Metal, Grunge, Nu Metal, Post‑Grunge, NWOAMH, Metalcore
Examples: Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Prong, Living Colour, The Smashing Pumpkins, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Five Finger Death Punch, Architects, Bring Me the Horizon, Enter Shikari, John 5, Hundred Reasons
Thrash Metal (1983‑1995)
Thrash metal was, arguably, one of the first Extreme Metal genres characterised by fast tempos and an aggressive tonel. A new generation of American Metal bands emerged, headed up by ‘the big four’ Thrash Metal bands, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth. These four bands combined influences from classic Heavy Metal, NWOBHM and Speed Metal, developing them further to great success. Thrash Metal’s popularity peaked in the early 1990s before beginning to decline.
Thrash Metal frequently features tight rhythms, down‑tuned and palm‑muted heavily distorted guitar riffs. Talented Thrash Metal lead guitarists ably demonstrated highly technical ‘shred’ solos using two‑hand ‘tapping’, sweep picking and fast legato licks, along with unusual scales. Thrash drumming frequently uses rapid double‑bass drum patterns. Vocals range widely from melodic singing to angry shouting. Themes tackled by Thrash Metal include politics, war, socio‑political commentary, Satanism, science fiction, introspection and hedonistic lifestyles.
In America, two main Thrash Metal scenes developed; Bay Area Thrash and East Coast Thrash, eventually evolving into what is known as Crossover Thrash. In Germany, Teutonic Thrash Metal emerged in parallel. Thrash Metal heavily influenced Alternative Metal and Grunge, as well as Groove Metal. In the 2000s and 2010s, Thrash Metal saw a resurgence, with 1980s bands reuniting or returning to their original sound, alongside emerging new bands.
Related Genres: Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, NWOBHM, Bay Area Thrash, East Coast Thrash, Crossover Thrash, Teutonic Thrash Metal, Alternative Metal, Grunge, Groove Metal
Examples: Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth, Pantera, Anvil, Exodus, Overkill, Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Sepultura, Testament, Death Angel, Municipal Waste, Marty Friedman, Legion of the Damned
Black Metal (1984‑)
Black metal is a style of Extreme Metal typified by penetrating, distorted, trebly electric guitar riffs, screamed vocals, and double‑bass drum‑driven rhythms with a distinctively intense style called ‘blast beat’ (NB. a term coined by British Grindcore band, Napalm Death). Tempos can reach a potent 300bpm, roughly double the ‘norm’. Studio production features a raw, lo‑fi approach to mixing. Conventional song structures generally include strong ideological themes such as opposition to organised religion, devil worship, the occult, paganism, Satanism and neo‑Nazism. Lyrics were delivered by gruff, guttural vocals. Black Metal’s origins date back to 1980s Speed Metal with Venom’s 2nd studio album, ‘Black Metal’ (1982), which gave the genre its name. Black Metal aesthetics strongly reflect its overtly ominous lyrics and darkly deviant ideology, lashings of corpse paint included as standard.
Black Metal is widely regarded as comprising two distinct ‘waves’. The first wave established the genre’s prototypical roots, derived from a wide range of early Extreme Metal styles, particularly Thrash Metal and Germany’s Teutonic Thrash Metal scene. Support for the first wave declined by the end of the 1980s due to the rising popularity of other genres such as Death Metal.
The second wave of Black Metal arose during the 1990s, epitomised by Norwegian Black Metal and originating from the major cities of Oslo and Bergen. This wave was characterised by a more progressive, repetitive, riff‑driven style, less structured compositions and powerful instrumental passages. As its popularity increased, Black Metal spread out from Scandinavia and became an international phenomenon. Rather than pushing existing boundaries, Black Metal asserted that there were no boundaries, leading to an ever increasing spiral of destructive, aberrant excess.
By the 1990s, Black Metal had become dangerous and notorious, associated with very real events such as arson attacks on Christian churches, brutality, self‑harm, suicide and murders, rather than the music. Such was the controversy, the Hollywood film, ‘Lords Of Chaos’ was released in 2018. The film was a historical biographical horror/drama portrayal of the Norwegian Black Metal scene of the early 1990s and specifically focussing on the band Mayhem. The film was based on the book, ‘Lords Of Chaos: The Bloody Rise Of The Satanic Metal Underground’ (1998) by Michael J. Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind.
Metal Trivia: The notoriety surrounding the Black Metal band Mayhem was immense. Swedish vocalist ‘Dead’ (Per Ohlin) committed suicide in 1991, aged 22 (his corpse was pictued on an unofficially released Mayhem album cover). Norwegian guitarist ‘Euronymous’ (Øystein Aarseth) was murdered at the age of 25 in 1993 by former bandmate and rival ‘Varg’ (Kristian Vikernes), who was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 1994 for murder and arson (released after 15 years in 2009). Varg continues to make music under the name Burzum.
Metal Trivia: The term Kvlt (an alternative spelling of cult), referring to Nordic or pagan culture, is used by Black Metal fans to prove their knowledge of the obscure and to mock others’ ignorance. Ironically, the term has been turned around by followers of other Metal genres to provoke fans of Black Metal. Now you know.
Related Genres: Satanic Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Black Ambient, Norwegian Black Metal, Industrial Black Metal, Black Doom, Post‑Black Metal, Blackgaze, Pagan Metal
Along with Black Metal, Death metal is another style of Extreme Metal whose influences derive from the raw sound and inflammatory style of early 1980’s Speed Metal and Thrash Metal. Death Metal features heavily distorted, commonly down‑tuned guitars playing fast, palm‑muted riffs and double‑bass drum ‘blast beat’ rhythms. Chromatic chord progressions and abrupt changes in volume, tempo and time signature are also common. Vocalists adopt stressed, guttural vocal styles such as growling, squealing and grunting, with lyrics that emphasise aggression, violence, anti‑religion, politics, philosophy, science fiction, environmentalism and (unsurprisingly) mortality and death.
The first Death Metal bands emerged in America during the mid‑1980s, closely followed by the UK. This period is often now referred to as Old School Death Metal (OSDM). The guitarist with the band Death, Chuck Schuldiner, became known as ‘The Godfather of Death Metal’. A specific offshoot of Death Metal based around the Tampa Bay area formed the discrete Florida Death Metal scene.
During the early 1990s, Swedish Death Metal came to the fore, based around the country’s major cities of Gothenburg and Stockholm. The Swedish Death Metal band Entombed released their debut studio album, ‘Left Hand Path’ (1990), which established Death Metal’s signature ‘buzzsaw’ guitar tone by using the BOSS HM‑2 Heavy Metal effect pedal (see CRAVE Guitars’ feature). Rarely has a music genre been defined by a single guitar stomp box. Another offshoot, Melodic Death Metal, employs a highly melodic (duh!) style relying on guitar harmonies and vocals, often overlapping in style with Doom Metal. Another Scandinavian country also jumped on the bandwagon with the Finnish Death Metal sub‑genre, which flourished by using off‑kilter rhythms, guttural vocals and doom‑laden lyrics.
Further offshoot sub‑genres also emerged throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including Technical Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore. By the late 2010s, Death Metal bands went back to their roots and revived elements OSDM, including lo‑fi production, riff‑centric song writing, and resonant vocals.
Related Genres: Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Old School Death Metal, Swedish Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Deathcore, Industrial Death Metal, Finnish Death Metal, Florida Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Death ‘n’ Roll, Goregrind, Slam Death Metal, War Metal, Dissonant Death Metal, Death Doom Metal
Examples: Possessed, Tiamat, Death, Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Immolation, Vader, Six Feet Under, Kataklysm, Dying Fetus, Nile, Amon Amarth, At the Gates, In Flames, Hypocrisy, Dark Tranquillity, Entombed, Grave, Unleashed, Dismember, Demigod, Amorphis, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, The Haunted, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Carnifex, All Shall Perish, Necrophagist, Origin, Blood Incantation, Legion of the Damned, Children of Bodom, The Black Dahlia Murder
Emo (1987‑)
On first impression, one might think that Emo is an abbreviation for ‘emotional’. In fact, it stands for ‘Emotive Hardcore’, which originated in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1985 from the city’s Hardcore Punk scene, incorporating more melodic song writing, acoustic instrumentation, poetic lyrics, and highly expressive, passionate vocals. Since its inception, the genre has evolved substantially with a wide range of styles. The tortured soul of Emo is its heartfelt outpouring of emotion and sentiment. Emo artists attempt to build a strong emotional connection with their followers. Often seen as a subculture as well as a musical genre, Emo’s lifestyle influence extends to fashion, culture, and deeply felt introspective mind‑set. While the uninitiated may perceive Emo and Gothic as interchangeable, they are separate genres and subcultures, each vehemently defending their own territory and identity. Emo did however influence Gothic Rock/Metal and vice versa.
For a while in the early days, Emo was also known as Emocore, as a way of differentiating it from Hardcore Punk. Emo uses slower tempos with melodic lyrics that were more personal, thoughtful, allegorical and elegiac than its counterparts. Over time, the ‘core’ was dropped and there became a distinct split between old school Emo/Screamo and ‘modern’ Emo‑Pop.
Related Genres: Hardcore Punk, Screamo, Emo‑Pop, Emo‑Rap, Gothic Rock, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock
Examples: My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Alkaline Trio, All Time Low, Black Veil Brides, Bring Me the Horizon, Cute Is What we Aim For, Dashboard Confessional, Death Cab for Cutie, Embrace, Fall Out Boy, Funeral for a Friend, From Autumn to Ashes, HelloGoodbye, Jimmy Eat World, Lostprophets, Panic! At the Disco, Paramore, Pierce the Veil, The Promise Ring, Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, The Used
Funk Metal (1987‑2006)
Funk metal is a heavier take on Funk Rock born in the mid‑late‑1980s rising out of the Alternative Rock and Alternative Metal genre. It takes the complex dance rhythms of Funk and fuses it with a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal style. With heavy guitar riffs and strident guitar solos, the genre focuses on prominent funky slap‑style basslines and groovy drum rhythms. While Funk Metal blends Funk and Metal (duh!), it also includes other influences that were very un‑metal, such as Hip Hop, Punk and even Ska Revival. The focus of Funk Metal lyrics is diverse, ranging from decadent hedonistic celebrations to barbed political criticism.
The popularity of Funk Metal grew significantly in popularity by the turn of the 1990s, attracting a great deal of exposure on MTV playlists. A lot of artists from other genres experimented, crossed over or dabbled with Funk Metal, seeing it as the ‘in thing’. However, all good things come to an end and Funk metal saw a decline in popularity as Grunge, Alternative Rock and Pop Rock took firm hold of consumers’ precious lucre. It wasn’t all bad news, Funk Metal would go on to adapt and influence the emergence and development of Nu Metal and Rap Metal.
Related Genres: Funk, Alternative Metal, Rap Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal, Thrash Metal, Hip Hop, Punk, Ska Revival, Grunge, Nu Metal, Alternative Metal
Examples: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Brains, Living Colour, Jane’s Addiction, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More, Incubus, Extreme, Mordred
Grindcore (1987‑)
Grindcore was a sub‑genre of Extreme Metal and Hardcore Punk that emerged in the mid‑1980s. Grindcore features a highly aggressive and chaotic sound, such as intense sixteenth‑note ‘blast beat’ and ‘skank’ drum patterns, down‑tuned guitars alternating between tremolo‑picked power chords and groovier down‑picked techniques. Vocal styles ranged from shouts, barks and growls to grating screams and howled shrieks. Grindcore is known for its brutally short song structures, dubbed ‘microsongs’, where tracks regularly last for less than a minute.
Metal Trivia: English Grindcore band, Napalm Death holds the world record for the shortest song ever recorded with their track ‘You Suffer’ from their debut album, Scum (1987). The song is precisely just 1.316 seconds long.
Grindcore lyrics feature defiant and coarse language delivered with attitude and themes including anti‑establishment, anti‑religion, slasher‑inspired horror films and gratuitous sexual behaviour. While being fairly niche in Metal terms, Grindcore has influenced many related sub‑genres (often incorporating the word ‘grind’).
Related Genres: Hardcore Punk, Coregrind, Noisegrind, Deathgrind, Electrogrind, Goregrind, Pornogrind
Grunge, a.k.a. ‘the Seattle Sound’ arose from Washington State in the American Pacific North West. Grunge emerged primarily in the city of Seattle during the mid‑1980s and was closely associated with Alternative Rock. Grunge is generally characterised by moderate tempos, combining the anarchic energy of Punk Rock with the heavier guitar sounds of Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Classic Rock. Grunge’s mixture of many different styles and influences makes its status as a discrete genre in its own right subject to some debate. However, a shared dingy, dirty, messy sound and lifestyle aesthetic generally unites bands and fans under the ‘Grunge’ umbrella… at least to begin with. Grunge lyrics are noted for their anxiety‑induced themes, including troubled relationships, mental health struggles, drug addiction and social (in)justice. Lyrics were often delivered with a distinctively brash, angry, ‘raspy’ vocal style.
While Grunge was an underground genre from the outset, with music released on small, independent labels like Sub‑Pop Records, it wouldn’t stay that way for long, as it gradually rose in popularity towards the end of the 1980s. Grunge would burst into the mainstream, with the landmark commercial success of two studio albums, ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana and ‘Ten’ by Pearl Jam (both 1991). Grunge symbolised a major cultural shift and reflected the melancholic, angst, isolation and alienation felt by many young people at the time. However, pure Grunge didn’t last long and it declined rapidly after the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on 5th April 1994 at the age of 27 – forever immortalised as a member of the infamous ’27 Club’.
“I was looking for something a lot heavier, yet melodic at the same time. Something different from heavy metal, a different attitude” – Kurt Cobain (Nirvana, 1967‑1994)
Related Genres: Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, Post‑Grunge
Examples: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Tad, Screaming Trees, Melvins, Green River, Skin Yard, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, Stone Temple Pilots, Foo Fighters
Industrial Metal (1988‑)
Industrial Metal is a niche genre that fuses Heavy Metal and Noise Rock with elements from Industrial Rock and Post‑Industrial music. In addition to traditional Metal instrumentation, Industrial Metal adds electronic instruments such as synthesizers, samplers and sometimes drum machines. The distorted down‑tuned repetitive guitar riffs and dissonant noises give the genre a highly mechanical sounding quality. Other common characteristics include distorted vocals and a heavier, discordant abrasive sound.
The prominent influence of Industrial Metal generated popular sub‑genres through the 1990s such as Cyber Metal and Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness) which, in turn, influenced many other Extreme Metal artists.
Related Genres: Industrial Rock, Post‑Industrial, Cyber Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte, Teutonic Thrash Metal, Industrial Black Metal, Industrial Death Metal, Electro‑Industrial, Dungeon Synth, Dark Wave
Examples: Ministry, White Zombie, Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails, Fear Factory, Throbbing Gristle, Strapping Young Lad, Orgy, Static‑X, Rammstein, Blut Aus Nord, The Kovenant, Stabbing Westward, ohGr, Skinny Puppy, Mortiis
Sludge Metal (1989‑)
Sludge Metal is a genre of Metal that emerged in the early‑mid 1990s combining the slow, dark instrumentals and atmosphere of Doom Metal with the aggressive, harsh vocals reminiscent of Hardcore Punk. The word ‘sludge’ gives a sense of the sluggish, grubby atmosphere of the genre. Sludge Metal makes extensive use of guitar feedback, slow groovy distorted guitar riffs, and angry pained vocals. It is also common for Sludge Metal tracks to engage in occasional fast passages and technicality normally attributed to Hardcore. Lyrics borrow both from the angry social and political commentary of Punk and from the sad and melancholic themes of Doom Metal. This merging of styles results in frustrated and embittered messages, often directed either at society or, in a quirk of ironic self‑awareness, at itself.
Many Sludge Metal artists have attempted to experiment with a fusion of Doom Metal and Punk Rock. This includes Progressive Metal, Grindcore, and Crust Punk, among many others. A large number of bands combined the severe qualities of Sludge Metal with the psychedelic aspects and repetitive riffs of Stoner Metal and Heavy Psych.
Many artists have also fused elements of Sludge Metal with textures and stylings of other atmospheric genres like Post‑Rock, giving rise to Post‑Metal and Atmospheric Sludge Metal, so there are extensive genre crossovers muddying (sic!) the waters. Sludge Metal is also considered to be a major influence on other modern Extreme Metal genres.
Related Genres: Punk Rock, Hardcore Punk, Stoner Metal, Stoner Sludge, Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Progressive Metal, Grindcore, Crust Punk, Doom Metal, Powerviolence, Heavy Psych, Stoner Metal
Examples: Melvins, Black Flag, Sleep, Flipper, Neurosis, Acid Bath, Grief, early Mastodon, Dystopia, Godflesh, Cult of Luna, Bongzilla, Boris, Crowbar, Eyehategod, ISIS, Amenra, Rosetta
Doom Metal (1989‑)
The roots of Doom Metal are considered to have been planted in the early 1970s Traditional Heavy Metal and particularly early Black Sabbath. During the 1970s and most of the 1980s Doom wasn’t fully developed, although many observers now refer to this transitional period as ‘Traditional Doom Metal’. By the late 1980s, European artists had adopted the ‘Doom’ sound as a discrete genre. Doom Metal remained the standard until the early 1990s, when newcomers began to experiment in combining Doom Metal with several other Metal sub‑genres. Doom Metal has proven to be one of the most enduring and recognisable Metal genres, maintaining a relatively small but devoted fan base in many countries.
Wallowing in tension, despair and dread, Doom Metal emphasises an overbearing atmosphere more than many of Metal’s other primary sub‑genres. Doom Metal uses ponderous tempos, repeated chords, and dense, down‑tuned distorted guitars and basses intended to immerse the listener in a wash of desperate foreboding on tracks that commonly exceed the ten minute mark. Instruments generally retain the standard guitar, bass, and drums format, although it is not unusual to add keyboards to help create an ominous layer of atmosphere. Doom Metal stage decoration is usually dark, making good use of occult and Gothic aesthetics.
Doom Metal vocals can be in any of the predominant Metal styles, but all share a determined attempt to evoke a sense of emotional hopeless desperation, sadness and mental anguish. This is further augmented by lyrical themes of grief, depression, fear, resentment, and suffering that are all hallmarks of the genre.
Related Genres: Heavy Metal, Traditional Doom, Epic Doom Metal, Funeral Doom, Melodic Doom Metal, Death Doom Metal
Examples: Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass, Cathedral, Witchfinder General, Solitude Aeturnus, Sleep, Kyuss, My Dying Bride, Electric Wizard, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Type O Negative, Chelsea Wolfe, Goblin Cock, Esoteric, Shape of Despair, Bell Witch, Ahab, Evoken, Pallbearer
Metal Era #4 – The Nu Nineties: 1990‑1999
Metalcore (1990‑)
Metalcore is a relatively niche sub‑genre that combines elements of Hardcore Punk and Heavy Metal that began to take shape during the early 1990s. It features distorted, down‑tuned guitars, intense drumming using double bass drum techniques and varying tempos. Vocals are often delivered in a harsh screaming and shouting style. Later bands have incorporated clean sonorous vocals to contrast with the heavier elements of the songs. A distinctive feature of Metalcore is the use of breakdown passages, which emphasise a tight, percussive style rather than a focus on harmony and melody. The breakdown sections often feature half‑time tempos, with cymbal patterns and the snare drum on the third beat of the bar (reminiscent of reggae’s ‘one drop’ technique). Guitarists play slow ‘chugs’ in rhythm with the bass drum beats. Metalcore led to offshoot sub‑genres such as Melodic Metalcore.
Related Genres: Heavy Metal, Hardcore Punk, Melodic Metalcore, Electronicore, Nu Metalcore, Progressive Metalcore
Examples: Corrosion of Conformity, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, Suicidal Tendencies, Stormtroopers of Death, Cro‑Mags, Biohazard, Machine Head, Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Atreyu, Eighteen Visions, Converge, Architects, Bring Me The Horizon, Caliban
Gothic Metal (1990‑)
Gothic Metal is a genre derived directly from Gothic Rock in the UK in the early 1990s, retaining much of its predecessor’s Goth aesthetic and lifestyle subculture, and complementing them with heavier, more intense Metal sensibilities. Typical characteristics of the Gothic Metal sound include synthesisers and substantial use of guitar chorus, reverb and echo effects. Gothic Metal steers clear of some of Gothic Rock’s lighter, more commercial elements and tends to be heavier and slower than Goth Rock, featuring sombre, gloomy atmospherics with layered synth soundscapes and drone/dirge sequences. Vocals cover a wide range of styles, often plaintive, melodic or even spoken. Gothic Metal, like Gothic Rock, has remained popular with a dedicated core following.
Related Genres: Gothic Rock, Post‑Punk, Death Rock, Ethereal Wave, Progressive Gothic Metal, Dark Wave
Examples: Type O Negative, My Dying Bride, Fields of the Nephilim, Therion, The Gathering, Anathema, Katatonia, Theatre of Tragedy, Within Temptation, HIM, Lacuna Coil, Leaves’ Eyes, Danzig, Draconian, Paradise Lost, Witchbreed, Tristania, Moonspell
Post‑Grunge (1994‑2009)
Post‑Grunge is a direct derivative of Grunge (duh!) that takes the latter’s distorted guitar and grimy aesthetic fused with a more streamlined, groove‑based approach, often adopting a more refined sound compared to the harsh underground characteristics that shaped early Grunge. Post‑Grunge features a mellower, more melodic sound and more conventional song structures and arrangements when compared with its predecessor, though Grunge’s slow‑medium tempo remained. Both Grunge and Post‑Grunge (and much of Indie Rock) genres are known for the ‘yarling’ vocal style (NB. ‘yarling’ is a melodramatic deep, guttural vocal style with precise pronunciation). The combination of acoustic and electric guitars is particularly common in Post‑Grunge ballads. Post‑Grunge lyrics frequently dealt with mental health issues and included featured themes of fear, anxiety, melancholy and insecurity.
Emerging in conjunction with the decline of Grunge, Post‑Grunge’s early style rapidly became an indispensable feature of American commercial rock radio. Post Grunge attracted the disparaging name, ‘Butt Rock’ (NB. meaning lyrically devoid of artistic merit and reduced melodic complexity). A second wave of Post‑Grunge bands continued the genre’s popularity, though some well‑known bands began to attract a great deal of negative criticism, as bands veered more towards Hard Rock and further away from Metal. Post‑Grunge experienced a steep decline during the 2010s, as Rock generally became less popular and Indie Rock rose to prominence.
Related Genres: Grunge, Pop Rock, Arena Rock, Hard Rock
Examples: Stone Temple Pilots, Candlebox, Bush, Silverchair, Nickelback, Creed, Godsmack, Pearl Jam, Live, Foo Fighters, Staind, Candlebox, Everclear, Puddle of Mudd
Rap Metal (1992‑2006)
Rap metal is a form of Alternative Metal that features rapped Hip Hop‑style vocals. As a heavier and more aggressive offshoot of Rap Rock, Rap Metal tended to feature a greater proportion of aggressive Hip Hop electronic percussive beats incorporating Turntablism and ‘scratching’, and lesser emphasis on the highly technical shred guitar playing of other Metal genres. Lyrics also tended to draw themes from Hip Hop music, focusing on social consciousness, misanthropy, crime, gang culture, hedonism, sedition, anti‑authoritarianism and politics.
Rap Metal’s roots date back to the late 1980s when Hardcore Hip Hop groups ironically sampled Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, and Hip Hop artists collaborated with established Metal bands (e.g. Run‑DMC and Aerosmith). Rap Metal became highly popular with MTV audiences. Rap metal’s success closely paralleled that of Alternative Rock with key bands mixing Metal with Hip Hop rising to significance.
Rap metal experienced its peak in the late 1990s heavily influencing Nu Metal’s use of down‑tuned distorted guitar riffs and percussive syncopation. Along with Alternative Metal and Nu Metal, Rap Metal fell out of popularity by the 2000s, though it continued to inspire future crossovers and cross‑fertilisations between Metal and Hip Hop.
Related Genres: Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Rap Rock, Funk Metal, Nu Metal, Turntablism, Trap Metal
Examples: Rage Against the Machine, Skindred, Senser, Biohazard, Die Antwoord, Crazy Town, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Ice‑T, Run‑DMC, Public Enemy
Nu Metal (1994‑2000)
Nu Metal seemed to appear from nowhere in the late 1990s. Many of the elements that made Rap Metal popular where piled on in spades by Nu Metal artists, drawing a degree of satirical criticism in the process. Nu Metal arrangements included keyboards, turntable ‘scratching’ and Hip Hop‑style rapping. Early Nu Metal came from Metal bands collaborating with established Hip Hop artists. Nu Metal also influenced Groove Metal and Hard Rock.
The calamitous Woodstock ‘99 outdoor music festival held at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York State was tainted by difficult conditions, extortionate food prices, insufficient water supply, poor sanitation, substance abuse, sexual harassment, sexual violence, rape, rioting, looting, vandalism, arson and several deaths. This notoriety – far from the 1969 Festival’s air of peace & love 30 years earlier – directly impacted the careers of many of the Thrash Metal, Post‑Grunge, Hip Hop, Rap Metal and Nu Metal artists that appeared on the festival line up. In particular, Nu Metal’s popularity declined significantly overnight.
Related Genres: Thrash Metal, Rap Metal, Hip Hop, Groove Metal, Big Beat, Electropunk
Examples: Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, System of a Down, Kittie, Disturbed, Biohazard, Slipknot, Godsmack, Public Enemy, Faith No More, Otep
Groove Metal (1992‑)
Groove metal, a.k.a. Post‑Thrash, is a genre heavily influenced by Thrash Metal and Hardcore Punk that dates back to the early 1990s. The style is similar to Thrash Metal, but with distorted down‑tuned guitars and a tendency to focus more on syncopated rhythms and heaviness instead of speed. The focus on creating an infectious ‘groove’ gave the genre its descriptive name. Vocals typically consist of screaming, growling or guttural singing.
Groove Metal emerged in the early 1990s with key albums like Pantera’s 5th and 6th studio albums, ‘Cowboys From Hell’ (1990) and, ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ (1992), both of which helped to raise the band’s profile and cement their Groove Metal status. As a direct result of Pantera’s popularity, many Groove Metal bands quickly appeared on the scene hoping to imitate success. Some Thrash Metal bands also experimented with, and crossed over into, Groove Metal during the 1990s to give them an edge. With the start of the new millennium, a new wave of Groove Metal bands emerged, intending to keep the genre fresh and relevant.
Related Genres: Thrash Metal, Hardcore Punk, Nu Metal
Examples: Pantera, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Machine Head, Sepultura, Fear Factory, Skinlab, Prong, White Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Hellyeah, Demolition Hammer, Exodus, Exhorder, DevilDriver
Dark Ambient (1993‑)
Another seemingly unlikely fusing of contrasting genres. Dark ambient springs from an earlier form called Ambient Industrial in the 1980s until it was established as a separate sub‑genre in 1993. Dark Ambient’s evolution paralleled the popularity of Ambient Electronica and Ambient Dub genres. While Metal and Ambient seem to make for unlikely bedfellows, the post‑industrial drone and gloomy soundscapes were shaped by Ambient’s (lack of) structural composition, allied to Metal’s ominous and melodramatic overtones. The resulting slow, dark and menacing ambient soundscapes were intended to alienate and isolate the listener with disturbing dissonant tones and textures. While clearly not mainstream Metal, Dark Ambient has proved influential in some areas of the genre including, particularly, the emergence of Blackgaze.
Related Genres: Ambient, Industrial Metal, Ambient Industrial, Industrial Rock, Post‑Industrial, Noise Rock, Blackgaze
Examples: Deafheaven, Agalloch, Aphex Twin, Daniel Avery, Coil, William Basinski, Blut Aus Nord, Cabaret Voltaire, Ben Chatwin, Deathprod, Esoteric, Robert Fripp, Tim Hecker, David Lynch, Mortiis, Phil Niblock, Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor, NON, Burzum
Folk Metal (1994‑)
Folk Metal is a sub‑genre of Metal music that developed primarily in Europe throughout the early‑mid 1990s. As the name suggests, the music itself is a fusion of Traditional Folk Music with Metal, usually with prominent use of acoustic folk instruments such as the flute, acoustic guitar, violin, accordion, and various others. However, while retaining Folk’s musical inclinations, some bands excluded instruments usually associated with folk music, replacing traditional sounds with synthesisers. Lyrics are commonly related to Folk‑related themes such as nature, legends and mythology, paganism, new age philosophy, heroism, quests, community traditions and fantasy.
The first Folk Metal artists began to appear around 1990 and began to gain popularity throughout the decade. Since the genre’s origination, several regional styles of Folk Metal have arisen, including Celtic Metal, Viking Metal and Pirate Metal. In addition to geographical variations, Folk Metal is often integrated with other, more notable Metal genres.
Related Genres: Traditional Folk Music, Folk Rock, Viking Metal, Celtic Metal, Pirate Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, Power Metal
Examples: Primordial, Moonsorrow, Finntroll, Skyclad, Blackmore’s Night, Nokturnal Mortum, Turisas, Elvenking, Cruachan, Mägo de Oz, In Extremo, Subway to Sally, Agalloch, Korpiklaani, Amon Amarth, Alestorm
Symphonic Metal (1995‑)
Symphonic Metal is a sub‑genre of Metal that features elements of symphonic and classical orchestral music. In a similar vein to more conventional Symphonic Rock bands, Symphonic Metal artists frequently make use of choirs, orchestras, chamber music, strings or synthesisers to reproduce neo‑classical elements within a deliberate Metal setting. Symphonic Metal often employs female operatic‑style singing, as well as male growling vocals.
In the mid‑1990s, Swedish Death Metal band Therion (formerly Blitzkrieg) became one of the first Metal artists to switch to the Symphonic Metal sound by extensively incorporating orchestral and classical compositional techniques. European Symphonic Metal artists soon attained relative commercial success. A Black Metal version of the genre, known as Symphonic Black Metal, also developed simultaneously in the mid‑1990s.
Related Genres: Symphonic Black Metal, Symphonic Rock, Symphonic Death Metal, Gothic Metal, Neo‑Classical Metal, Power Metal
Examples: Celtic Frost, Therion, Nightwish, Epica, Dark Sarah, Within Temptation, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Avantasia, Rhapsody of Fire, Septicflesh, Apocalyptica
Metal Era #5 – Millennium Metal: 2000‑
New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) (2000‑)
The New Wave of American Heavy Metal also known as New Wave of American Metal, is a Heavy Metal genre that originated in the United States (duh!) during the early‑mid 1990s and expanded rapidly in the early to mid‑2000s. Some of the bands considered to be part of the movement had formed as early as the late 1980s but did not become influential or reach commercial popularity until the following decades. The term itself borrows from NWOBHM, also focusing on location and time period, rather than a distinctive sound. The term NWOAHM was reportedly coined in 2001 by Mark Hunter, vocalist of the American band Chimaira.
Related Genres: NWOBHM, Alternative Metal, Groove Metal, Industrial Metal, Nu Metal, Metalcore
Examples: Shadows Fall, Lamb of God, God Forbid, Darkest Hour, Killswitch Engage, Unearth, Chimaira, As I Lay Dying, Trivium, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead
Blackgaze (2005‑)
Blackgaze is one of the more recent Metal trends emerging since the start of the new millennium. Blackgaze seemingly represents another incongruous fusion between the harsh and aggressive sound of Norwegian Black Metal and the more introspective, atmospheric and melodic nature of British Shoegaze and Post‑Rock. Arguably, it might have resulted from Black Metal wanting to migrate from the exile of Extreme Metal into a more commercially acceptable mainstream. Alternatively, it has been suggested that it is a deliberate move to create something different by retaining the pagan and occult foundations of Black Metal while rejecting the offensive Neo‑Nazi leanings. Whether Blackgaze, as an engineered musical crossover, is a temporary niche fad or a serious attempt for discrete genre longevity has yet to be determined, although it has already been around for nearly two decades. Perhaps Blackgaze represents a quest to refresh and rejuvenate existing styles in a new and exciting way to attract a broader audience.
Related Genres: Black Metal, Shoegaze, Post‑Rock, Atmospheric Black Metal, Post Hardcore, Ambient Metal, Dark Ambient
Examples: Alcest, Møl, Agalloch, Deafheaven, Silvayne, Wolves in the Throne Room, Amesoeurs, Harakiri for the Sky, An Autumn for Crippled Children, Exclaim!
Djent (2008‑)
Djent (pronounced ‘jent’) is possibly the most recent primary sub‑genre of Metal at the time of writing, emerging from Sweden, the UK and America in the late 2000s. Djent is sometimes referred to as Math Metal, suggesting its roots lay in Mathcore and Metalcore. Djent is a style of Progressive Metal with syncopated rhythmic structures, angular melodies, and dissonant chords. The distinctive Djent guitar sound is often colloquially referred to as ‘chugga chugga’ and makes use of the same ‘buzzsaw’ BOSS HM‑2 Heavy Metal effect pedal so beloved by Death Metal bands. Typical traits of Djent include groovy polyrhythms (often 4/3 time signature), cycling patterns of varying length with more unusual and complex time signatures, a sporadic and relatively sparse use of snare drum, crash cymbals, and repetitive heavily distorted psychedelic‑style guitar riffs, to create a frenzied, chaotic atmosphere.
Related Genres: Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal, Death Metal, Math Rock, Mathcore, Metalcore
Examples: Meshuggah, Periphery, TesseracT, Animals as Leaders, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, After The Burial, Vildhjara, A Life Once Lost, Monuments
Final thoughts on Metal
Right, that’s it, in a pretty large nutshell. This has been a long article but it still only scratches the tip of the iceberg (regular readers will know that I like mixing metaphors!). It feels like I’ve done justice to what’s here while recognising that there is no way I could do justice to Metal as a whole. That would take an encyclopaedic tome and it is way beyond my area of expertise to accomplish.
Strangely for such a diverse and relatively youthful top‑tier genre, there hasn’t been much in the way of Metal genre innovation, development and evolution since c.2010. Most of the advancement has been around consolidating, reviving, rejuvenating, extending and expanding existing genres. That can’t be said for the bands or the music, only for the categories within which the bands and music ‘fit’. It will be interesting to see what direction(s) Metal might take for its next genetic mutation, whenever that may happen.
“The Force is strong with this one” – Darth Vader (from Star Wars IV: A New Hope, 1977)
A quick shout out to some independent Metal record labels that work hard outside the major studio system to bring Metal to consumers. Some of these labels include Nuclear Blast, Earache Records, Napalm Records, Noise Records, Sub Pop Records and Roadrunner Records, among many others. A large number of successful independent labels have routinely been swallowed up by the big corporate music businesses wanting to capture popular niches without having to build credibility and start from scratch.
Whether we like it or not, social diversity in Metal remains an issue. Inequality lies not necessarily with the audience or consumers but with the artists, which tend to remain stubbornly in the province of straight white males. Other than bands like Halestorm, Vixen, Burning Witches, Otep, Epica, Babymetal, Lovebites, Dark Sarah, Leaves’ Eyes, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Draconian and Evanescence, females are woefully underrepresented. Non‑white ethnicity of Metal artists also remain resolutely few and far between, bar bands like Living Colour, Sepultura, Alice in Chains, System of a Down, DragonForce and Skindred. Rob Halford, vocalist of Judas Priest became one of the first and most prominent openly gay Metal artist, helping to pave the way for greater openness regarding sexual orientation. There is, however, clearly still more to be done to level the playing field.
While writing this article, I was quite surprised at the number of artists listed that are part of my CD collection/iTunes library, with only a few omissions around the margins. There is also a surprisingly large number of Metal artists that I have on CD/iTunes that haven’t been mentioned here (e.g. Last House on the Left, 36 Crazyfists, The City Burns, Within the Ruins, Burning Skies, Iommi, Damageplan and Cave In). Writing the article has given me a very good reason to revisit many of the great Metal albums out there, as well as to check out new (to me) Metal artists. This venture has also spurred me onto new discoveries to add to my diverse, and sometimes guilty, listening pleasures.
Albums are one thing. Experiencing live music is another. There really is no substitute for seeing Metal played live, whether it’s in a local pub, a live music venue, a stadium arena, or a fully‑fledged open‑air festival. In the UK, annual Metal festivals include Download (which superseded the now‑defunct Monsters of Rock) and Bloodstock. In Germany, there is Wacken, while in France, there is Hellfest. Last but not least, there are Aftershock, Louder Than Life and Rockville in the US. These are just a few; there are numerous Metal Festivals in most countries around the globe if one is motivated to look for them. Keep Music Live.
Some of the most impressive and entertaining concerts the author has attended over the years have been Metal gigs, including German Industrial Metal band, Rammstein in 2022. Another great experience was seeing Black Sabbath’s penultimate gig of their ‘The End’ tour in 2017, concluding their long career (41 years after I first saw them play live). I also saw Metallica in 2009 and again headlining at Glastonbury Festival in 2014 (NB. the first Metal band to do so).
Rammstein Live 30-6-2022Black Sabbath Live – The End 31-1-2017Metallica Live – Glastonbury 28-6-14
Demonstrating that times have indeed changed, there is a growing acceptance of the global cultural importance of Metal. The Mongolian Heavy Metal band The HU (NB. Hu is the root of the word ‘human being’ in the Mongolian language) was named as a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2022. The Hu’s music addresses the themes of gender equality, respect for difference and the importance of protecting nature.
A Metal gear plug
No, not the prongy thingy that you insert into a wall socket for electrical power. Rather a bit of shameless, flagrant self‑promotion. Why not take a browse around CRAVE (Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric) Guitars’ web site for some Metal‑minded matters?
Possibly my favourite vintage guitar is the Gibson Explorer, which is an ideal axe for heavier types of Rock, such as Metal. The Explorer’s ‘Dirty Fingers’ humbucking pickups featured on all CRAVE’s Explorers are absolutely superb. Explorers are great guitars to play and sound great. That’s probably why CRAVE Guitars has five of them, ranging from 1979 to 1983. The Gibson Flying V is another Metal favourite, although I find them unwieldy in comparison. Then there is the Gibson SG, complete with its own ‘devil horns’. Interestingly, while the Gibson Les Paul is commonly used for hard rock, it doesn’t seem to be as favoured by Metal guitarists.
1984 Gibson Explorer Designer Series ‘Union Jack’1984 Gibson Flying V Designer Series1968 Gibson SG Standard
Most Fender guitars aren’t really suited to Metal and don’t tend to appear often in the hands of Metal guitarists, bar a few notable exceptions such as Iron Maiden and John 5. Fender, however, did inspire the slinky ‘Super Strats’ favoured by a large number of shred Metal guitarists from the 1980s onward.
Guitar Brands such as Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez, ESP/LTD, EVH, Schecter, BC Rich, Dean and latterly PRS are more likely to be seen on TV and Metal stages in the 21st Century. PRS in particular were associated with Nu‑Metal guitarists in the 1990s. Many modern shred‑style guitars use the popular and specialised EMG active pickups and Floyd Rose vibrato systems.
Fender Precision bass guitars with their solid, percussive fundamentals are well suited to Metal, as are basses from the likes of Music Man, Ibanez, Warwick, Lakland, Schecter, Rickenbacker and ESP/LTD.
As far as CRAVE Effects goes, there are some interesting metal‑oriented stomp boxes including the aforementioned legendary 1980s BOSS HM‑2 Heavy Metal. There is an original 1960s Dallas‑Arbiter Fuzz Face (think, Hendrix) and vintage Tone Benders from Sola Sound and Colorsound, an early English Marshall The Guv’nor and a filthy ProCo Rat. Then, from Japan, there are also the OTT Ibanez SD9 Sonic Distortion and SM9 Super Metal effects to really push an amp’s front end as well as the obligatory Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. Then there is my all‑time favourite, the Electro‑Harmonix Big Muff π fuzz pedal from 1977.
1985 BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal
CRAVE Amps are generally clean American low gain affairs (but great as a platform for pedals). There are plenty of high gain amps out there ideally suited for creating Metal mayhem, including Marshall, Peavey, Orange, Mesa Engineering, Friedman, Diezel, EVH Gear, PRS, Engel, Hiwatt, Hughes & Kettner, Bogner, Randall, BOSS and Soldano.
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’
For this article, there really can only be one logical choice. I mentioned at the top of this article that there was an identifiable moment that the Antichrist of Heavy Metal was born. While the Devil’s spawn may have been conceived earlier, there was nothing like it before and rock music changed forever after.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970) – Wow! What an entrance from four ordinary lads from Birmingham, England; Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drummer). From the now‑iconic, gothic and clearly occult‑ish cover to the dark and ominous musical content, this was one of those milestone studio albums that literally changed the musical zeitgeist. It isn’t the polished, glossily produced, technically proficient album of much 21st Century Metal but back in 1970 it hit hard and, more importantly, it brims with raw passion and emotion. Who knows what would have happened had it not been for Black Sabbath’s savage seven tracks spanning a mere 38 minutes. If it was released today, it probably wouldn’t make much of an impression. However, the ground‑breaking debut has stood the test of time over the last 54 years and will likely continue to impress open‑minded metalheads for the next 54.
So shocking to the conservative majority was this album’s release that it was received with hysterical claims of sinister satanic worship, panic‑stricken proclamations of occult practices and dire warnings of the adverse effect on disillusioned uneducated youths looking for an alternative way to express their suppressed inner angst. Media histrionics added fuel to the frantic fire and headlines’ disproportionate doom mongering perversely helped to cement Black Sabbath’s dark and broody reputation. That is irony. One wonders what those same critics would have made of today’s Extreme Metal. Thankfully, most of us now know much better. I think we can all agree that the real world dangers of today are far, far scarier.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)
[Image: Black Sabbath ‑ Black Sabbath (1970)]
While many fans might cite, ‘Paranoid’ (also 1970) as being the archetypal Sabbath studio album, particularly given the band’s signature title track, it remains a sophomore release that builds on and reinforces their stunning debut. Together, the two albums made 1970 a pivotal year for Rock and vital for the emergence and enduring popularity of Heavy Metal.
“As long as there are kids who are pissed off and have no real way in venting out that anger, heavy metal will live on” – Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, 1948‑)
Tailpiece
That’s it for this Magnificent Metal Masterpiece (conceited gratuitous alliteration as usual). I trust that it has been an interesting excursion into the heavier and darker side of modern music. I hope that newcomers to Metal found something worth extra exploration (there is plenty of further reading on the hinterwebby thingummy) and I hope readers already familiar with Metal found something enjoyable hidden in the deep dark depths of the discourse.
As a guitarist, the author has dabbled with Metal on and off over the years, although my leanings were more towards Psychedelic/Space Rock/Stoner Rock/Metal. Unfortunately, my limited abilities, poor technical skill and a complete lack of playing speed mean that I never felt confident trying to master it.
Time for a worthy acknowledgement. My son is a long-time confirmed metalhead and I sought his input when writing this article. Many thanks to him for his valuable insights and suggestions. The outcome is much better for it.
A quick, unrelated postscript. Apologies to recent visitors to the CRAVE Guitars website. There is a technical issue with the site’s theme and it is causing problems with both downtime and poor presentation of images. Hopefully, things should be resolved soon. It annoys me as much as it does everyone else.
Next month, we’ll be looking at… erm… err… I have absolutely no idea. One thing is for sure, though, it will be different, again. Watch for this cavernous space to be suitably filled in due course.
Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. Until next time…
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “If only I could forget much of what I remember and remember some of what I forgot”
GOOD DAY’S SALUTATIONS and seasonal best wishes to all you good folks out there in music land. Welcome to vintage gear aficionados and greetings to the conclusion of the year, two thousand and twenty three. There is no point in, and no good will come from, re‑hashing the journey over CRAVE Guitars’ 3‑year hiatus once again, so it is now officially behind us and a thing of the past. Gone. However, there may be merit in looking briefly at what CRAVE Guitars actually got up to behind the scenes during that time. It is the end of the year, so it’s kinda traditional for review anyway, as has been the practice in years past. This review, though, isn’t a single year but three years in retrospect. As it transpires, less has happened in those three years than would normally have occurred in one year prior to 2020’s global meltdown. Perhaps that is just as well. If the previous trend had continued unabated, CRAVE Guitars would have run out of space and funds a long time ago. I guess that there are silver linings at the end of the tunnel after all (I really must stop playing with mixed metaphors! Bad CRAVE!).
Well, there is no point in perpetuating petty procrastination, so let’s proceed with some prosaic pontification (nothing like a bit of CRAVE’s addictive affinity for asinine alliteration, again!). All text and images copyright of CRAVE Guitars. No AI used here.
‘New’ old gear over the past 3 years
The volume of acquisitions may not be great but the choices, I believe aren’t too shabby. I aim for variety and novelty in my quest for something a wee bit different to the norm, at least as far as the guitars are concerned. Here, there are two are from the 1960s, two from the 1970s and one from the 1980s. The effects are slightly more numerous and there is a little bit of gap‑filling going on here but variety is again a factor. Only 3 out of the 11 stomp boxes are ‘Made in USA’. Interesting. Right, here is the short shortlist…
Guitars and basses (5):
1963 Danelectro Pro 1 1989 Fender Jazz Bass American Standard Longhorn 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass 1979 Gibson Explorer E2 1964 National Glenwood 95
Effect pedals (11):
1985 BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal (distortion) 1984 BOSS SD-1 Super Over Drive 1979 BOSS SG-1 Slow Gear (auto swell) 1974 Colorsound Supa Tone Bender (fuzz) 1970s Colorsound Supa Wah-Swell 1970s DOD Analog Delay 680 (echo) 1980s Dunlop Original Cry Baby GCB-95 Wah 1970s Electro-Harmonix Switch Blade Channel Selector (A‑B switch) 1981 Ibanez CP-835 Compressor II 1984 Ibanez SM9 Super Metal (distortion) 1989 Marshall The Guv’nor (overdrive/distortion)
Over the last three years, there haven’t been any ‘new’ vintage valve amps. This is mainly due to space restrictions and the responsibility for maintaining these delicate electrical artefacts. They weren’t delicate when originally manufactured, they were built to go on the road and put up with punishment. However, after 60 or 70 years, they tend to get a bit temperamental. A bit like humans in fact. The last amp that joined the family was the fantastic little 1973 Fender Princeton Reverb ‘silverface’. Possibly my favourite amp.
There has been one notable departure from the CRAVE Guitars family. I was looking around for a Gibson Explorer E2 to partner the Gibson Flying V2. However, I couldn’t really justify yet another Explorer. Then, someone contacted me out of the blue enquiring about the black 1984 Gibson Explorer. If there was one guitar that I would let go to trade up, that was the one. It can be really strange how opportunity can present itself as coincidence. Eventually, deals were agreed and one came in while one went out. Serendipity and status quo. Result! I hope the 1984 Explorer is in a happy place.
Let’s take a closer look at the ‘new’ guitars – all of them exhibiting unusual construction and specification, making them exceptionally cool and rare (in my opinion). Right, here is the long shortlist…
1963 Danelectro Pro 1 – I first saw one of these a few years ago and was struck by its utter simplicity and quirky charm. Nothing fancy going on here. It is diminutive, dinky and hyper cute. It is, however not very practical. It has a short scale and upper fret access is awkward and only one pickup will limit it for some. However, it has all the usual Danelectro traits, including the unique construction and that classic lipstick pickup. It is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea but, for me, that’s a good reason to dig it. It is a genuinely unique instrument and SO cool that it hurts. It’s great fun to play too.
1989 Fender Jazz BassAmerican Standard Longhorn – I have long wanted a Fender Jazz Bass. The new CRAVE Basses has allowed me to indulge that luxury. However, this isn’t a Jazz Bass as you know it and definitely not in the long tradition of the J‑Bass. This lovely beast is a Longhorn, only made for five years, this one from the first year of production. The deep cutaways and 22 fret neck make it look, feel, play and sound different from a ‘normal’ Jazz Bass. The Longhorn nickname gained it an altogether humorously crude moniker of the ‘boner’ bass. Now this one lives with me, I actually now prefer the look of this unusual instrument over the one that defined the icon.
1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass – Another oddity and one of the ‘lost Fenders’. After the success of the Mustang Bass, Fender went on to release an even simpler budget model. The Musicmaster has the Mustang’s short scale but the pickup is actually a 6‑pole Mustang guitar pickup. The overall design and specification certainly alienated a whole bunch of players but that kind of misses the point. Snobs. Take the bass purely on face value and it’s actually a decent ‘student’ bass with great build quality and that offset body look that is currently very popular. Not one for the traditionalist. Note: Since the feature and photos were published, the original 2‑saddle bridge has been reinstated.
1979 Gibson Explorer E2 – Some people hate the Gibson Flying V2 and Explorer E2. I love them because of their unusual multi‑layered construction. As mentioned above, finding an E2 was a mission. Moreover, this one belonged to the lead singer of the band Go West, Peter Cox. Kudos and thanks Peter. I don’t usually go for provenance but in this case, it adds something significant to the guitar’s backstory. It’s the walnut‑faced model (some are maple‑faced) and in wonderful near‑original condition. While it’s not quite as whacky as the admittedly peculiar V2, it has plenty of character and charisma. The Gibson Explorer, I think, remains my overall favourite guitar model.
1964 National Glenwood 95 – Here’s a glorious instrument with another unusual type of construction. The body is moulded fibreglass, what the makers, Valco, called Res‑O‑Glas. I was expecting the material to be thin and plasticky. Instead, it is quite thick and solid. The two halves are screwed together leaving the interior hollow. It is very unique and an awesome entry in vintage guitar history. Not only is it well built, it is visually striking in just about every way. Whatever part you look at or whatever angle it is viewed from, it is a startlingly beautiful creation. Neither is it a case of style over substance, it plays very well and with an inimitable sound. I could go on and on but I’ll let it speak for itself.
… and, now moving on to the ‘new’ vintage effect pedals:
1985 BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal – A pedal renowned for creating a whole heavy metal sub‑genre thanks to Swedish death metal band Entombed and their debut studio album, ‘Left Hand Path’ (1990). Not many stomp boxes can claim that distinction. It is a monster. This one also comes with its original box and documentation. Very cool.
1984 BOSS SD-1 Super Over Drive – Considered by many as a classic in the BOSS overdrive tradition. The SD‑1 adds a Tone control to the existing BOSS OD‑1 Over Drive to give it more flexibility and to help BOSS compete with other brands’ overdrive pedals. The SD‑1 has been seen on pedalboards all over the world for decades, earning it its enviable reputation.
1979 BOSS SG-1 Slow Gear – This is one of the rarest, most collectable and misunderstood BOSS stomp boxes. The name gives nothing away. It acts a bit like a noise gate in reverse, the filter creating an auto swell effect. It is quite unique. After much experimentation, there is really only one sweet spot so, to be honest, sadly, it is a bit of a one‑trick pony, albeit an exclusive one.
1974 Colorsound Supa Tone Bender – The Supa Tone Bender is basically just a big box version of the original Colorsound fuzz. There is no room in this article to dive into the nerd zone and cover its origins or its similarities/differences to other models. The numerous gear obsessives out there will tell you at great length about all the geeky differences. Basically, it’s a great 1970s fuzz pedal. What more do you need to know?
1970s Colorsound Supa Wah-Swell – Another over‑sized ‘Supa’ version of a standard combination wah‑wah and swell pedal with a footswitch to go from one mode to the other. There’s very little on the inside other than empty space, indicating that the old marketing ploys of ‘more is more’ and ‘bigger is better’ played a part here. 1970s pedalboards weren’t as crowded as they are today, so pedals like this gained bragging rights. I can’t date this one accurately.
1970s DOD Analog Delay 680 – Here is a truly wonderful 1970s American echo pedal. It’s not quite up with the benchmark Electro‑Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man but it is still authentic and very musical. I love these old analogue delays. It’s great fun to use and sounds great. It may not be in great cosmetic condition on the outside but few are because they were well used, an indication of what really matters to working musicians.
1980s Dunlop Original Cry Baby GCB-95 Wah – Probably one of the most iconic wah‑wah pedals of all time. This one is a straightforward model from the 1980s. As classic as they come, you know exactly what you are going to get. The model has probably been used by most of the great guitarists at some point during their careers. The pot is a bit scratchy but I can’t bear to replace it, so it’s still original.
1970s Electro-Harmonix Switch Blade Channel Selector – Strictly this is not an effect, just an A‑B switch. Another ‘no bones’ pedal with nothing much inside the box. It has one input and two outputs (or vice versa if you wish). Not massively useful or flexible but it does what it needs to do in a simple set up. Typical 1970s EHX styling to boot.
1981 Ibanez CP-835 Compressor II – A pedal in the classic ‘square switch’ ‘0’‑series Ibanez effect pedal series (as is the most desirable TS‑808 Tube Screamer). The CD‑835 (catchy name, that. Not) is a perfectly capable pedalboard compressor. I still prefer the basic MXR Dyna Comp but this one will appeal to others. This one comes with its original box and documentation.
1984 Ibanez SM9 Super Metal – Part of Ibanez’s ‘9’‑series, the SM9 is a massively beefed up Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer but without the reputation of the latter, so it is a bit of a dark horse. Much more flexible and with a greater range of sounds available. It is a bit fiddly to recreate just the right tone but it is worth the effort involved in getting it tuned in. How far do you want to go? Pretty colour too.
1989 Marshall The Guv’nor – Way, way before the current fad of putting a guitar pre‑amp on a pedal board, Marshall basically came up with the idea back in the 1980s. For those wanting classic Marshall tones without a 100W head and two 4×12 cabs stacked as they should be, there is The Guv’nor. For a large box full of transistors, rather than baking hot valves, it does an impressive job. Not necessarily accurate but great distortion on tap nevertheless. This is the original ‘Made in England’ version, complete with its box.
There you have it, a brief rundown of 3 years’ collecting cool and rare vintage guitar gear in the background. Not a great deal to show for 36 months in terms of quantity but a nice range of quality. I am completely out of both storage space and funds, so any progress will be slow and steady for a while.
CRAVE Guitars’ website
The superficial sheen of the website hasn’t really changed much at all. However, there are technical changes beneath the surface that will hopefully keep it up‑to‑date and relevant. I’m no techno whizz, so CRAVE Guitars doesn’t appear on the prized ‘first page of Google’. Still, seeing as it is not a commercial enterprise, I’m not overly bothered. Overall viewing figures though have continued to increase year‑on‑year over the last seven years, even through the hiatus, which is a promising sign.
The web site’s beneath‑the‑radar positioning hasn’t stopped all the typical spammers inundating CRAVE’s e‑mail box with the usual promotional BS. It is absolutely clear that they don’t do their research, so every single one them gets summarily blocked and deleted without exception. I do, however, welcome genuine communications via the website, so long as they are sincere.
The biggest ‘news’ on the website is the addition of the all‑new CRAVE Basses pages. The web site originally started out just as CRAVE Guitars almost a decade ago now. Then it expanded to include CRAVE Effects and CRAVE Amps a few years ago, so CRAVE Basses is a logical extension. Even though I’m primarily a guitarist, I like the occasional dabble with the lower frequencies. The new sections of the website include features on CRAVE’s four vintage basses, as well as additions to the galleries.
The two ‘new’ CRAVE Basses covered above join a pair of existing vintage basses that I’ve owned since the 1970s…
Before Covid, the number of visitors to the site was steadily increasing and reaching peaks that I could only have dreamt about when I started. During Covid, things slowed dramatically, indicating that people, rightfully, had other things on their minds. This slow‑down was mirrored by consumer’s overall demand in the music equipment industry. Even after Covid, things have been slow. The so‑called cost‑of‑living‑crisis (thanks Putin et al), especially in the UK has hit most people (including me) hard and visits dropped right down to pre‑2020 levels. Other priorities rightly prevailed once again. Despite being generally subdued, visits seem to be gradually increasing again but it is way too early to call it a trend.
I actually have quite a bit more content already written for the site that I will get around to publishing at some point. It’s not super critical but it seems a shame not to use it.
CRAVE Guitars’ (un)social media
I really don’t have the resilience to return to social media to the same level as in the past. However, CRAVE Guitars is posting things irregularly on Musky old X (ex‑Twatter), Facebook and LinkedIn. I can’t respond to messages but I do review them every so often. That will have to do for now. My engagement with social media is not negotiable for now.
CRAVE Guitars’ database
There is not really a great deal to say about this other than I use it to catalogue all of CRAVE’s vintage guitars in some detail. In the case of catastrophe such as fire, flood, theft, cat, etc., at least the information should be safe and sound. A copy is saved in the cloud just in case the laptop goes the same way.
CRAVE Guitars Database
Brand augmentation
No, I’m not getting bigger brands for all you fetishists out there. CRAVE Guitars has been around since 2007. The short name is OK but it isn’t specific enough to identify that vintage guitars are the focus of the ‘brand’. The full name of CRAVE (Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric) Guitars is certainly specific enough although it is a bit of a mouthful when it comes to everyday use. Internet SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) also has some difficulty placing the CRAVE Guitars brand in the vintage guitar category. Type ‘CRAVE guitars’ into a search engine and the site appears straight away. Type in ‘vintage guitars’ and the site may eventually appear plenty of pages down.
So… In addition to the established short and full names used above, I will also be using the name CRAVE Vintage Guitars to help searchers and visitors to get a better understanding of what this strange entity is all about. It is a small but important change. It will take search engines a while to pick up on it but it might help people find the site. Future CRAVE Guitars merchandise is also likely to carry the updated branding as and when needed. As ‘they’ say, it does what it says on the tin (apart from the amps, effects and basses of course. Doh!).
Musical history update
It’s a while since the 14‑part CRAVE Guitars’ series of articles, ‘The Story of Modern Music in 1,500+ Facts’, culminated in May 2020. Sadly, we have lost far too many great music people since I published the last of the ‘Facts’ just 2½ years ago.
The inevitability of life is that it ends. RIP great men and women. This list picks up from where that last article on the subject left off. Here are just a few of them.
Day
Month
Year
Music Fact
4
June
2020
English bass guitarist, singer and founding member of glam pop/rock band The Sweet, Steve Priest died at the age of 72.
18
June
2020
English singer, songwriter and entertainer, nicknamed ‘The Forces’ Sweetheart’ during WWII, Dame Vera Lynn died at the age of 103.
6
July
2020
Italian composer, conductor and musician, who wrote hundreds of cinema and television scores, Ennio Morricone died of complications after breaking a leg in Rome at the age of 91.
13
January
2021
American guitarist with rock band New York Dolls, Sylvain Sylvain, died after a two-and-a-half year battle with cancer in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 69.
17
February
2021
Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of reggae ‘toasting’ U‑Roy (Ewart Beckford) died from complications following surgery in Kingston, Jamaica at the age of 78.
2
March
2021
Jamaican singer, songwriter, percussionist and original member of The Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer died from complications following a stroke in Kingston, Jamaica at the age of 73.
28
July
2021
American bass guitarist and long-term member of southern blues/rock band ZZ Top, Dusty Hill died at his home in Houston, Texas, at the age of 72.
13
August
2021
Celebrated American folk singer, guitarist, and songwriter Nanci Griffith died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 68.
24
August
2021
English drummer with rock band the Rolling Stones for over five decades, Charlie Watts died in hospital in London at the age of 80.
29
August
2021
Legendary Jamaican reggae and dub producer and recording artist, Lee “Scratch” Perry died of an undisclosed illness in hospital in Lucea, Jamaica at the age of 85.
26
September
2021
English bass guitarist and founding member of pop/rock band Status Quo from 1967-1985, Alan Lancaster died from complications of multiple sclerosis in Sydney, Australia at the age of 72.
8
December
2021
Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, Robbie Shakespeare, best known as half of the reggae duo Sly & Robbie, died following kidney surgery in Miami, Florida at the age of 68.
10
December
2021
American singer, guitarist and songwriter with TV pop band, the Monkees, Michael Nesmith died from heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California at the age of 78.
7
January
2022
Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and producer for Motown Records, R. Dean Taylor died at his home having contracted COVID‑19 (coronavirus) at the age of 82.
9
January
2022
American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, producer, and radio personality James Mtume died in South Orange, New Jersey at the age of 76.
12
January
2022
American singer, co-founder and member the Ronettes, nicknamed the ‘bad girl of rock and roll’, Ronnie Spector died from cancer in Danbury, Connecticut at the age of 78.
20
January
2022
American singer and actor Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, died from Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome in Nashville at the age of 74.
19
February
2022
English singer/songwriter, keyboard player and founder of the rock band Procol Harum, Gary Brooker MBE died from cancer at his home in Surrey at the age of 76.
22
February
2022
American singer/songwriter who worked with Isobel Campbell and Queens Of The Stone Age, in addition to a lengthy solo career, Mark Lanegan died at his home in Killarney, Kerry, Ireland at the age of 57.
25
March
2022
American rock drummer of the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins died of heart failure probably caused by a drug overdose in a hotel in Bogota, Colombia at the age of 50.
4
April
2022
American guitarist and member of Motown Records’ in‑house studio band, the Funk Brothers, Joe Messina died from kidney disease in Northville, Michigan at the age of 93.
26
April
2022
German electronic music innovator, producer, composer and former member of krautrock band Tangerine Dream, as well as solo artist, Klaus Schulze died following a long illness at the age of 74.
17
May
2022
Academy Award-winning Greek musician, composer and producer Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, better known as Vangelis died of heart failure in Paris at the age of 79.
26
May
2022
English keyboard player, DJ and founding member of electronica band Depeche Mode, Andrew Fletcher died of an aortic dissection at his home at the age of 60.
9
June
2022
American singer known for her collaborations with film director David Lynch, Julee Cruise committed suicide in Pittsfield, Massachusetts at the age of 65.
8
August
2022
British Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John died from breast cancer in Santa Ynez Valley, California at the age of 73.
28
September
2022
American rapper Artis Leon Ivey Jr., a.k.a. Coolio died from a heart attack caused by a drug overdose in Los Angeles, California at the age of 59.
4
October
2022
Highly acclaimed American country music singer and songwriter Loretta Lynn died from natural causes in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee at the age of 90.
28
October
2022
American rock ‘n’ roll pianist singer and songwriter, Jerry Lee Lewis died from natural causes in DeSoto County, Mississippi at the age of 87.
10
November
2022
English musician and key member of space rock band Hawkwind, Nik Turner died from unknown causes at the age of 82.
21
November
2022
English guitarist, singer, songwriter and one‑time member of pub rock band Dr. Feelgood, Wilko Johnson died from pancreatic cancer in Southend‑on‑Sea, England at the age of 75.
30
November
2022
English musician, singer and member of Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie died of Ischemic stroke and metastatic cancer in London, England at the age of 79.
4
December
2022
German musician, composer, member of Ash Ra Tempel and solo artist, Manuel Göttsching died from natural causes in Berlin at the age of 70.
11
December
2022
Acclaimed American composer of film and TV scores, Angelo Badalamenti died from natural causes in Lincoln Park, New Jersey at the age of 85.
18
December
2022
English musician, singer and member of The Specials and Fun Boy Three, Terry Hall died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 63.
23
December
2022
British musician, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ, front man of electronic band Faithless, Maxi Jazz (Maxwell Fraser) died from undisclosed causes in London England at the age of 65.
10
January
2023
English virtuoso guitarist and former member of the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck died from bacterial meningitis in East Sussex, England at the age of 78.
18
January
2023
Legendary American guitarist and singer, member of The Byrds and CSNY, David Crosby died from COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Santa Ynez, California at the age of 81.
28
January
2023
American singer, songwriter and guitarist with alternative rock band Television, Tom Verlaine died from prostate cancer in Manhattan, NYC at the age of 73.
8
March
2023
Legendary American composer, songwriter, producer and pianist, Burt Bacharach died from natural causes in Los Angeles, California at the age of 94,
5
March
2023
American guitarist and founding member of southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Rossington died from undisclosed causes in Milton, Georgia, USA, at the age of 71.
12
April
2023
Influential Jamaican dub reggae sound system and record label owner, renowned for his work in London, Jah Shaka died at the age of 75.
1
May
2023
Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist Gordon Lightfoot died from natural causes in Toronto at the age of 84.
24
May
2023
English bass player and member of post‑punk alternative rock band The Smiths, Andy Rourke died from pancreatic cancer in New York City at the age of 59.
25
May
2023
The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, American singer, songwriter and actress Tina Turner died after a long illness in Küsnacht, Switzerland at the age of 83.
6
June
2023
English guitarist, singer and founder of blues/rock band Groundhogs, Tony McPhee died from complications after a fall and a stroke at the age of 79.
20
June
2023
English guitarist with rock group The Pop Group, John Waddington died from undisclosed causes at the age of 63.
21
July
2023
Legendary American jazz and popular music crooner Tony Bennett died from Alzheimer’s disease in New York City at the age of 96.
26
July
2023
American musician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, Randy Meisner died from COPD in Los Angeles, California at the age of 77.
26
July
2023
Irish singer, songwriter and activist Sinéad O’Connor died from unknown causes in London, England at the age of 56.
9
August
2023
Canadian musician and guitarist for Bob Dylan and The Band, Robbie Robertson died from prostate cancer in Los Angeles, California at the age of 80.
24
August
2023
Renowned English rock guitarist with Whitesnake and UFO, Bernie Marsden died from bacterial meningitis at the age of 72.
27
August
2023
American musician best known for being one half of electronica duo Stars Of The Lid, Brian McBride died from undisclosed causes at the age of 53.
13
September
2023
British singer, songwriter and musician Roger Whittaker died from a stroke in France at the age of 87.
30
November
2023
British‑born Irish singer, songwriter, musician and frontman with Celtic punk rock band the Pogues, Shane MacGowan died from pneumonia and encephalitis in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 65.
5
December
2023
English guitarist and founding member of The Moody Blues and Wings, Denny Laine died from lung disease at the age of 79.
Music industry opinion
A lot has (or rather hasn’t) happened in the music industry over the 3 years since CRAVE Guitars suspended its main activities. First, there was the hangover from global economic recession/depression, then the coronageddon, then the cataclysmic geopolitical conflicts adversely affecting far too many innocent peoples around the globe. At best, the music industry at all levels could only hope to hold its own.
In reality, it has been a tumultuous few years, to say the least. Everyone from equipment manufacturers (including their supply chains), venues, artists, music recording and distribution, publicity and management have been hit hard. Every conceivable facet of the market has been decimated. While I haven’t been able to keep up with events in the industry as I normally would have done, it is clear that things are only now just beginning to get back to 2019 levels.
Who would have predicted three years ago, for instance, that British amp stalwart Marshall would have been acquired by the Swedish digital music company, Zound Industries. A sign of the times, I guess.
Strategically, it has been a nightmare where even the best scenario planning has failed to predict wildly off kilter outcomes. Vintage guitar prices seem to have kept up as the super‑rich collectors are basically unaffected by economic blips that are savage to the rest of us. I know that I am paying more now than I would have done in 2019 for the same thing. While I am not economically motivated and CRAVE Vintage Guitars is a non‑profit enterprise, it is a relief that the 3‑year hiatus hasn’t totally wiped out the value of CRAVE Guitars’ precious artefacts.
It will take a long time for things to settle down and start to grow again. It will be a challenge for everyone involved for some time to come. The last three years haven’t signalled the death throes of the guitar music community. Yet. It has, however been badly wounded, let us hope not mortally so.
The guitar book
A while back, I was contacted out of the blue by a book publisher wanting to use one of CRAVE Guitars’ vintage guitars in their author’s new book on the subject. After a bit of formal toing‑and‑froing, it all went ahead and the book was published earlier this year. I was happy to do this for no commercial gain and the only reward was a shiny copy of the final print version and a credit in the acknowledgement section. While it won’t make CRAVE Guitars famous, I am quite proud of this minor morsel of exposure and recognition.
The book in question is, ‘Guitar: The Shape Of Sound – 100 Iconic Designs’ by author Ultan Guilfoyle, published by Phaidon Press (ISBN: 978 183866 558 6) (2023).
The vintage guitar that was featured in the book is my lovely 1974 Ovation Breadwinner 1251 (see page 204‑205).
CRAVE Guitars Ovation Breadwinner
The pulp novel
As you may know, I have been writing on and off for some time, going back to the dim dark origins of CRAVE Guitars back in 2007. The main examples of this are the web site features and monthly articles on the CRAVE Guitars website over the last 9‑10 years or so, as well as the usual social media activity.
Very recently, I felt an irresistible urge to write a fiction novel. Its status is currently work‑in‑progress. It will be called, ‘The Distortion Diaries’ (remember, you read it here first). It started out as an amateur musician’s journal but the early content was clichéd, derivative and, frankly, very dull. It also wouldn’t fill a novel. So, I expanded the story to include a broader variety of situations and characters. The result will be, believe this or not, an eroti‑rom‑com with PARENTAL ADVISORY for Explicit Content. Even then, it isn’t at all what you might think or expect. Heck, how it turned out surprised me too! I don’t know if anyone will ever get to read it. It doesn’t matter. It is something creative that I had to do for myself. It isn’t good enough for a publisher to pick up and I have absolutely nil experience of self‑publishing, so it might never see the light of day. I have considered serialising it through the CRAVE Musings (i.e. the monthly blog articles) but I’m not sure the public is ready for some lovey‑dovey smut‑ridden muso pulp on a vintage guitar website though. The novel may end up just an aborted, ill‑advised, folly of an average superego’s gratuitous self‑indulgence. Thoughts on a postcard please.
Parental Advisory Label
Whether anything comes of this probably pointless fictional venture, I have no idea but it’s been addictive and fun to come up with something non‑factual for a change. And, no, it isn’t autobiographical, just in case you were wondering. Nor is it aspirational. Sadly, seeing as the protagonist has a ‘good time’ on the whole. Lucky git.
In truth, I would actually like to try and self‑publish the novel but I have no idea whatsoever about how to go about such an endeavour, so it will probably languish in long‑lasting literary limbo (stop it with the alliteration, already!).
New 2023 albums
As it’s the time of year for lists, here is a breakdown of 2023 album releases acquired during the year. As usual, these aren’t the only albums bought and neither will they be the only 2023 albums over time. Here are this year’s 33 purchases:
100 gecs – 10,000 gecs Alborosie – Shengen Dub/Embryonic Dub Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling Creation Rebel – Hostile Environment The Cure – Black Sessions: Maison De La Radio Paris 2004 (live broadcast) Depeche Mode – Memento Mori Don Letts – Outta Sync Dub Pistols – Frontline Everything But The Girl – Fuse Fred Again.. & Brian Eno – Secret Life Gentleman’s Dub Club – On A Mission… Hollie Cook – Happy Hour In Dub James Holden – Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities King Krule – Space Heavy King Tubby & The Observer All Stars – Dubbing With The Observer Kurt Vile – Back To Moon Beach Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Laurel Halo – Atlas Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery The Orb – Metallic Spheres In Colour (Feat. David Gilmour) The Orb – Prism Orbital – Optical Delusion Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Land Of Sleeper Queens Of The Stone Age – In Times New Roman… Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds Skindred – Smile Sleaford Mods – UK GRIM Slowdive – Everything Is Alive Steve Hillage – LA Forum 31.1.77 (live) X‑Press 2 – Thee Yeule – Softscars
Is there a favourite 2023 album out of that lot? Well, I keep coming back to British alternative/indie shoegaze/dream pop band, Slowdive and ‘Everything Is Alive’ more than once, so that’s a fair choice at the time of writing. The big disappointment was Don Letts’ ‘Outta Sync’. Sadly. It comprises many well-crafted pop songs but very little of what I, and I think many others, hoped for in the way of heavy dub reggae tracks.
An even bigger disappointment for me was what didn’t appear. The Cure had hinted that their first studio album since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’, heralded as, ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ would be released in 2022. It was notable by its absence and many enthusiasts were hoping that it would finally see the light of day in 2023. The band tempted fans by playing several of the new tracks during their live concerts during the year. However, still nothing tangible has appeared on record store shelves. Let’s hope Robert Smith & co. get around to letting us hear it in 2024. Sixteen years is a long time to wait for new material. C’mon Bob, don’t keep us waiting any longer.
Note: I haven’t gone back to cover 2020, 2021 and 2022 lists of those year’s album releases, as this article would become just a loooooong list.
Whazzup for CRAVE Guitars in 2024?
Before Covid, I used to include at the end of the ‘review of the year’, a shortlist of vintage guitar gear that I might try to acquire in the subsequent 12‑month period. Rarely were the predictions spot on, or even close. Given CRAVE Guitars’ limited activity, space and funds, there is little point in speculating other than in very broad terms.
While there is always a long list of ‘most wanted’ guitars, it’s unlikely to expand significantly in 2024. I am actually generally relatively content with my lot. For now. I am sure that GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) will strike again at some point.
Having launched CRAVE Basses in 2023, there are only four vintage bass guitars in the ‘collection’ thus far. There are a few I might be interested in looking for and which may improve diversity in this area.
There are no intentions for ‘new’ CRAVE Amps at the moment. But that can change, depending on opportunity.
I am also keeping an eye open for some interesting vintage stomp boxes for CRAVE Effects but it really depends on whether anything crops up at a reasonable market price.
The overall result is that there are no specific ambitions for 2024. Next year’s annual review will probably be very short and very dull! I have learned from past experience that predictions aren’t a good idea. Not only are they over‑ambitious but also they end up way wide of the mark. So, I will take things as they come and await any surprises with great anticipation. That sounds like it might be a bit more fun than reporting on yet another failed plan.
CRAVE Guitars ‘Record(s) of the Month’
It seems that this might become a regular feature. I listen to a lot of music (see last month’s article, ‘Music Machinations’ – November 2023). There are some albums that tend to stand out from the rest. There is no rhyme or reason why they do, they just do. Over the last month, I just can’t split two albums, which I’ve been enjoying amongst all the other great material out there. They both come under the general genre category of instrumental ‘stoner rock’ but that downplays their appeal. So, on account of there being SO much great music to discover, I’m going for the plural of ‘Record’ for December 2023. Let’s just call that extra little ‘(s)’ a Christmas/New Year treat for y’all. Enjoy
Eternal Tapestry – Beyond The 4th Door (2011) – First up is this strange thing of beauty. Eternal Tapestry is an American psych rock band based in Portland, Oregon. It may not be regarded by some as their best but it was their first ‘proper’ record label release, after several previous albums. It isn’t heavy. It sounds like a group of friends getting together for a jam session. To get that right is a LOT harder than people think. It is atmospheric, dreamy and so far out of this world that it leaves the sordid real world truly out of sight. Good. laid back, hypnotic, immersive, psychedelic and otherworldly experience.
My Sleeping Karma – Soma (2012) – Not the same as Eternal Tapestry but not too far off either. My Sleeping Karma is a German psych rock band from Aschaffenburg, Bayern and ‘Soma’ is their 4th studio album. The tracks are long, intentionally repetitive and with a gentle groove. It’s not quite an impromptu jam session but it has a distinctive psychedelic undercurrent that can be great for zoning out. I prefer this to other MSK studio albums, as it has a bit more variety within the confines of its moody origins. Emotional krautrock. Who’da thought?
Albums Of The Month – December 2023
Tailpiece
Good riddance to 2023. Funny (not) how I seem destined to repeat that same dreary sentiment every year. Ever hopeful and optimistically deluded, I have to remain confident that 2024 will be a bit better. Any improvement will be eagerly grasped. A new year, new opportunities.
My naïve wish and hope for 2024? Listen up all humans! Stop destroying our planet and stop killing each other. Then put all that wasted money to good use making a peaceful, sustainable civilisation, fare and just for all. A pipe dream, maybe, but one has to dream.
As far as articles for 2024 are concerned, I have a couple of ideas gestating, although nothing firmed up at this stage, Watch this space folks. Tune in, same time, same channel, next month. In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy New Year. Be good.
Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. Until next time…
CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “The best thing in life is freedom”
Hello again guitar fans and welcome to anyone else who may be curious about the big wide world of guitar addiction and obsession. As the great Jimi Hendrix once proclaimed, “Music is a safe kind of high”, so I’m happy to admit my perennial affliction. I trust that 2019 is treating you all well as we begin the move from dreary winter into nascent springtime.
I don’t have any particular theme for this month, so apologies in advance are probably due for what seems to be a generally incoherent rambling round up of various bits and pieces thrown together. One beneficial consequence is that this is a shorter tome than some.
State of Guitarville 2019
In the grand scheme of things, the guitar‑centric sector of the wider music industry is a relatively small but vibrant arena. While the general shrinking and decline of the ‘business’ continues well into the post‑recession era, the core elements seem in fairly good health overall. There is cautious optimism out there within the context of an unpredictable and challenging operating environment. There has been some progress since this time last year but not as much as many commentators might have wished.
Even though I wasn’t at the event, Winter NAMM 2019 held at the end of January in Anaheim, California saw a lot of activity and relatively good business was done. There were few ground‑shaking announcements at the convention but there was the usual excitement about shiny new gear from established brands. It was reassuring to see Gibson back at NAMM after their absence in 2018 and their new CEO is making all the right noises about what to expect from the company. Let’s hope that good intentions translate into achieving the right balance between quality and price, along with appropriate innovations alongside traditional instrument manufacturing. It is interesting that some of the more contentious technologies that were being used to reposition Gibson as a lifestyle company are now likely to be jettisoned in order to re‑establish confidence about, and a focus on, what really matters to their customers.
It is hardly a surprise that digital continues to make significant inroads into the analogue domain that has been the bedrock for so many generations of musicians across the globe. With the influx of ever more convincing digital inventions, one really does have to wonder how long analogue will remain the force it has been up to now. At some point, even the most hardened of luddites will be lured to make the jump either by the metaphorical lure of the carrot or the fear of the stick. There is still some way to go before all the components in a guitarist’s signal chain provide everything that the working professional musician needs for writing, rehearsal, live and recording settings.
The advantage for CRAVE Guitars and many other vintage enthusiasts is that we generally don’t need to worry about learning the operational demands and subtleties of this new‑fangled complex digital stuff and we can stick with what worked for us when we started out, complete with all its charming analogue idiosyncrasies (?!?!). One day, soon, digital will be the default and vintage gear will become a bit like vinyl records in there will be a market for it, even if it ultimately becomes a niche for nerdy specialists. For up‑and‑coming musicians who may not know any different, though, the current‑day smorgasbord of choice is phenomenal and, although the value‑for‑money equation on some equipment can be debated, the benefits are there to be discovered and exploited.
My sense, at the beginning of 2019 is that there is a degree of consolidation in design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution. The on‑going battleground between ‘brick & mortar’ retail and Internet business is still bitterly being fought out. At some point, an equilibrium will be reached where both channels will co‑exist, even if it means that the retail experience will be different from how it is now. Many consumers still greatly value going into a physical store, looking at, trying out and talking about equipment, so they will endure, even if those establishments have to offer other value‑added services on top of the traditional mainstay of shop floor sales. Companies that rely heavily on Internet operations will find overheads increasing, margins tightening and profitability harder to come by, thereby impacting sustainability and beginning to level the playing field a bit.
As far as guitars are concerned, as mentioned above, Gibson is poised for resurgence and Fender seem to be on their game and producing some very competent and attractive models at all price points. PRS are on a creative stretch of their own and doing OK judging by headlines. Gretsch, Rickenbacker and Danelectro also seem to be faring well, perhaps needing a bit of additional cool vibe to secure their future. Rejuvenated brands like Supro and Harmony are aiming to join the ranks as ‘go to’ guitars, while many other familiar names are managing to stay afloat. Acoustically, Martin and Taylor are both actively vying for top dog status with new innovations, which ultimately means some great guitars for the consumer. The last 12 months has seen some small‑scale luthiers go under or simply disappear, which is regrettable but, sadly, not surprising given the volatile international economics of the industry.
In the amp arena, there are three major directions of travel; a) the relentless digital onslaught from the likes of Fractal, Kemper and Line6 among others, b) ranges of very good valve and solid amps from the mainstream names such as Fender, Marshall, Vox, Orange and others, including some faithful reissues of classic models, and c) the continued rise of boutique builders catering for individual tastes in small numbers. We guitarists are, though, a conservative breed. It seems that the valve is dead, long live the valve!
One area where digital is revolutionising sound is on the pedalboard, which is a current ‘big thing’. There are some astoundingly inventive ways of mangling your guitar tone, both in variations of established FX types and some intriguing all‑new creations that take advantage of digital technology. Some exciting products are appearing from the likes of Catalinbread, Strymon, Eventide, Fulltone, Thorpy, Keeley, Electro‑Harmonix and Wampler, to name just a few. If you prefer multi‑effect pedals, then you are likely to have stalwarts like Line6, Boss and Zoom in your sights. Then there are pedalboard switching systems to help you organise your complex myriad of stompers, e.g. the Gig Rig 2 and Headrush. Likewise, the ever‑improving pedalboard power supplies derive from companies such as Truetone, Voodoo Labs and MXR. Looking from the outside, there are some tremendous bits of alluring kit becoming available, way beyond the vision of manufacturers and musicians back in the 20th Century when digital was just starting out. Whatever your budget, the choice, it seems, is yours.
Music publications across the board, including the trade press, are still suffering a seemingly unstoppable shrinkage of their market. Sales of paper magazines continue to dwindle and digital subscriptions are not filling the gap. As a result, high street transactions along with the advertising revenue streams they need to survive are decreasing. As the absolute size of the readership reduces, the risk of becoming uneconomic goes up disproportionately. Strategically, there are few options available and quite what will remain once an inevitable shake‑out occurs remains to be seen. The consequence of this is that the quality of content is likely to suffer in the long term. Music industry journalism needs to adapt, although there are major challenges ahead as people find alternative ways of acquiring the information they need (or, perhaps more worryingly, not bothering at all). Although referring to something slightly different, one is reminded of a whimsical quote from Frank Zappa who suggested that, “Most rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read.” Discuss…
Another area of stagnancy appears to be in the quality of music pervading distribution channels. Video/TV, radio and physical media sales are stagnant at best, while digital streaming is becoming the dominant force. This re‑jigging of supply channels, though, isn’t the issue. Although a sweeping generalisation, it seems that since the turn of the millennium music output has increased in volume and decreased in quality. While this is a highly subjective observation, it is borne out by (vaguely) reliable anecdote across generational divides. There is no doubt that there is some extremely good music being made. However, finding the glittering gems amongst the deluge of dross is difficult and, as a result, the good stuff is constantly battling to reach a mass market, thereby making success a tough task for genuine aspiring talent (rather than vacuous celebrity wannabees!). Financial rewards for artists from streaming services is a travesty and needs addressing before it’s too late. Quite how the tide can be turned to reveal new genre twists and identify the next swathe of outstanding musicians will be a challenge for the 2020s. One can hope that something will happen, as it has always has, it just remains to be seen who, what, when and where it will pop up. Another consequence of generic music produced by generic people is that the desire for genuine instruments will decrease, thereby ultimately affecting sales of guitars.
Getting back to the point, core consumer demand for music gear continues to be resilient, although customers are understandably more discerning and, as a result, potentially more fickle. Reliance on past sales and brand loyalty are continually being chipped away at by targeted marketing and tough rivalry. However, strong competition and the downward pressure on street prices can prove to be a double‑edged sword for price sensitive customers. On the whole, one thing I can easily predict is that the popularity of the guitar will persist no matter what, despite regular prognoses that ‘guitar music is dead’. Quite what the musical landscape will be like in years to come is best left for others to forecast. Whatever happens, it’s going to be an exciting time in Guitarville.
As CRAVE Guitars is based in the UK, it is incumbent on me to mention ‘Brexit’ at this point. There are NO scenarios where leaving the European Union can benefit the country or its citizens. Prices are already increasing, not only because of increased costs and perceptions of risk but also as a result of exploitative selling practices by the unscrupulous trying to secure and bank revenue before the catastrophe strikes. Things are bad enough as they are (remember ‘Rip off Britain’?) and we don’t need any further unnecessary pecuniary pressures. After the severance has occurred and whatever the outcome is of the disastrous ‘deal or no deal’ shenanigans, import barriers, tariffs and currency speculation will affect Britain’s international trade relationships without question. The risk of further recession and national isolation rank high on the concerns of many British businesses. Given the fragile nature of the UK music industry, any weaknesses and threats will be heightened and only those that are able to adapt will survive. Hypocritical UK politicians, pedalling their own prejudices while protecting their personal interests should be ashamed of the damage that will result in the short‑term and aftershocks will continue to impact on the prosperity of the country for generations to come. What is regrettable is that there will be recourse to hold the inept self‑seeking minority accountable for engineering this chaos in the first place and having no idea about how to deliver it successfully. On this basis, I am not optimistic in the slightest. I hope, however, that I am proved wrong. Personally, my view is that there can be no backtracking and we need to get on with making the most of a bad situation. End of whinge!
Repatriation Update
I covered the long‑overdue reunion of a significant proportion of CRAVE Guitars’ vintage instruments in the last article. What I didn’t do is say much about what actually came back. So… if only for completeness, here is the full list of the (42) returnees:
1966 Epiphone Olympic
1966 Fender Coronado II
1965 Fender Duo-Sonic II
1965 Fender Jaguar
1965 Fender Jazzmaster
1965 Fender Musicmaster II
1966 Fender Mustang
1972 Fender Mustang Competition
1977 Fender Precision Fretless Bass
1977 Fender Stratocaster
1983 Fender Stratocaster Dan Smith Era
1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline
1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe
1974 Fender Telecaster Custom
1988 Fender Telecaster
1983 Gibson Corvus II
1963 Gibson ES-330 TDC
1985 Gibson ES-335 Dot
1982 Gibson Explorer E2
1983 Gibson Explorer
1984 Gibson Explorer
1984 Gibson Explorer Custom Shop Edition
1984 Gibson Explorer ‘Union Jack’ Graphic
1966 Gibson Firebird III
1976 Gibson Firebird Bicentennial
1980 Gibson Flying V2
1975 Gibson Les Paul Standard
1977 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top
1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom
1998 Gibson Les Paul Standard DC
2002 Gibson Les Paul Standard
1961 Gibson Melody Maker D
1964 Gibson Melody Maker
1982 Gibson Moderne Korina Heritage
1981 Gibson RD Artist
1965 Gibson SG Junior
1968 Gibson SG Standard
1962 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins Double Cutaway Hollowbody
1965 Gretsch 6135 Corvette
1978 Music Man Stingray Bass
1974 Rickenbacker 480
1964 Silvertone 1449 ‘Amp in Case’
Some of the guitars have only been ‘stored’ for a short period of time but many have been incarcerated for nearly 8 years!!! It is these ‘long‑termers’ to which I will probably need to pay most attention in the coming weeks and months. While they were safe and secure, a domestic loft space is definitely not an ideal environment in which to keep vintage guitars for any length of time. The fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity over an extended period are far too great to do them any good at all. Given the circumstances at the time (back in 2011), it was a necessary urgent solution borne out of a severe predicament and I had no practical alternative. I never anticipated that it would take over 7 years to get them all back – I was clearly naïvely deluded in thinking that it would take ‘about’ 6 months at the most to sort things out! Essentially, completely rebuilding one’s entire life from scratch took considerably longer and it has been an extremely arduous journey. Still, we are where we are, none of us can turn the clock back, so one has to be positive, forward looking and take it from here. At least the precious cargo has been rescued and they are now finally back where they belong and, primarily, that is what really matters.
At the moment, the only tangible evidence of the little treasure trove listed above is several stacks of dusty guitar cases. Excitement about the potential is also tinged with an element of guarded apprehension about what will be found when the contents are properly ‘exhumed’ and examined for need of repair and sensitive renovation. If at all possible, any replacement parts needed during restoration will be of the appropriate vintage. That presents a major quandary in 2019-2020. For instance, finding and procuring period‑correct components will be both time consuming and costly. While one could be practical and use modern replacement parts, I prefer to conserve these precious historically significant instruments with genuine components that are as close as possible to the originals as I can find (and afford). Only if that approach fails will I resort to pragmatic use of new stock items. Back in the pre‑recession boom, there was little difficulty in sourcing these useful bits and pieces. Now, however, it has become considerably more difficult.
Not only are vintage spare parts and accessories hard enough to find on the usual hinterwebby platforms, decent vintage guitars and amps also seem to be increasingly scarce, at least in the UK. I’m not sure why this should be. Perhaps people are hanging onto their instruments, perhaps there’s a mistrust/dislike of the usual web sites and the way they are run, or perhaps the post‑recession/pre‑Brexit uncertainty is still suppressing supply. The laws of economics dictate that continued demand combined with a shortage of (finite) supply means only one thing… increased prices. Wading through eBay is bad enough at the best of times but UK sourcing is particularly hard work at the moment. Disadvantageous exchange rates with the USA now seem to be a permanent fixture and, on top of that, CITES is a real bane. In addition, eBay searches are flooded with Japanese items that you just know are bogus. All round it’s not much as much fun as it should be when hunting down scarce ‘most wanted’ artefacts.
I am not treating the repatriation project with any sort of hysterical urgency. The guitars have been exiled for so long that a few more weeks in their new home before I get round to them won’t do any harm. In the first month, I have only attended to 2 out of 42 guitars (1964 Gibson Melody Maker and 1966 Fender Coronado) and I have to be cautiously optimistic that there is no lasting compromise to their integrity. Phew! I hope I don’t get any nasty surprises lurking in the remaining 40 to be uncovered.
Vintage guitars really need to be played. That may be ‘stating the bleeding obvious’ but the difference after a bit of TLC and playing for a few days is phenomenal. There is a transformational change in their playability, sound, feel and looks. I wonder if this may be one reason why some people pick up a (possibly neglected) vintage guitar and find it dull, lifeless and uninspiring. When they magically come back to life again, it is both a relief and a delight. The journey of rediscovering these instruments may well explain why I’m taking my time and not getting very far very quickly. Well, that and the fact that there isn’t a local guitar tech on whom I can rely when more extensive remedial works are required. I know my limitations and any attempt on my part to mess around with repairs and adjustments that are best left to experts would almost certainly be a regrettable mistake.
Another interesting observation is that, while I wasn’t overly attached to some of the guitars all that time ago – a proportion were originally intended to become the staple of a start‑up business – I have now developed an emotional connection to them because of everything I and they have been through over the intervening years. That may be a good thing because I now value them more for what they are than what they may be worth. Also, I simply wouldn’t be able to afford many of them on today’s market, so I’m just glad to have them now. However, it means that I may well have a struggle with my conscience if CRAVE Guitars does become an economic entity and I have to break those newfound relationships. Until that time, the guitar ‘collection’ is an integral part of the family and they are definitely not for sale in the short to medium‑term. My philosophy and attitude mean that the guitars still represent a not‑for‑profit conservation of the musical heritage, rather than any sort of potential gold mine.
As previously mentioned, a pressing priority over the next few months is to provide them with proper accommodation. This means that I need a competent builder to ‘tank’ the cellar and make a suitable home for the guitars. After that, I can possibly start thinking positively about what the future of CRAVE Guitars might one day become. One step at a time.
New in at CRAVE Guitars
So that I don’t fall into the same trap as last year, here’s a quick ‘new arrival’ section. As I predicted back in December 2018, things got off to a slow start this year. In fact, there has been only one purchase in the first 2 months of 2019. Surprisingly, it was an item that was actually on the ‘wanted in 2019’ shortlist.
CRAVE Effects is a relatively modest side venture that runs alongside the guitars and amps. The Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric’ acronym doesn’t actually work 100% in this context because CRAVE Effects comprises a diverse selection of stomp boxes from around the world. Whatevs! I can break my own rules.
One of the ‘classic’ effect pedals that was notably absent was the venerable Ibanez TS‑808 Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro from Japan. This was partly because availability of both the right pedal and the resources needed to acquire it were in short supply. Good ones are few and far between and, when they do come up, they go for silly money. So when an original 1981 TS‑808 turned up on eBay UK for an aforementioned silly price, but arguably not exorbitantly so, it had to be pounced upon. Thus, the notable gap has at long last been duly filled. To think that I could have added another ‘budget’ vintage guitar for the same price as the Tube Screamer puts things into perspective.
As is often the case with vintage Tube Screamers, this example shows typical signs of use (good) but not abuse (bad), so it has just the right amount of mojo, otherwise known as ‘wear and tear’, needed to be confident that it was a safe purchase. Thankfully, apart from a replacement battery snap, it is in all‑original condition and it works very well indeed for a 38‑year old pedal, which is testament to their durability.
As anyone acquainted with my opinionated drivel (or should that be overdrivel in this case?) will know, my heretical views don’t always accord with those of the self‑appointed ‘establishment’. The original TS‑808 is good but I don’t believe it really deserves its insanely elevated and almost mythological status in the minds of many guitarists. Like numerous effects from the late 1970s and early 1980s, it can sound great or grim depending on how it’s used. It is player, guitar, effect and amp dependent, so it needs to be carefully matched in order to make it sound its best. Although new TS‑808 and TS9 reissues are not the same as the old ones, they are still very good overdrive effects. Therein lies a fundamental truth that applies equally for any stomp box made at any time – you pays your money and make your choice. Regardless of my biased view, the much‑imitated and often re‑issued Tube Screamer has become the de facto benchmark for overdrive pedals and there is no getting away from it.
The web site feature on the TS‑808 has already been prepared but, like most gear purchases over the last year, it hasn’t yet been published on the web site. Sigh! Yet another job waiting in the pipeline. Watch this space…
Sign‑off
That’s about it for February 2019. This has been a necessarily short soliloquy compared to many of my verbose outpourings. Inspiration, motivation and time have been in limited supply so far this year and articulating much of any interest at all has been a bit like hard work. Therefore, there is no point in proverbially flagellating a deceased dobbin and it is probably best to stop here for now.
That means that I can get back to the immediate task in hand, which is looking after a few vintage guitars and, hopefully, playing some of them along the way. I’m sure there will be more on this particular topic in coming months. Until next time…
CRAVE Guitars ‘Quote of the Month’:“Conscience dictates that we understand right from wrong. Imagine what mankind might achieve if we could work together rather than conflict, and what good could be done if we stopped the immense and irreparable harm we cause.”
