154-436: The Sword is an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas . Formed in 2003, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise , guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III for most of its tenure. Originally signed to Kemado Records , the group released their debut album Age of Winters in 2006, the material for which had been largely written by Cronise (who also produced
308-819: A MTV Europe Music Award . They won the 2012 Metal Female Voices Fest Award for the Best Album, the 2016 Metal Hammer Award for the Best International Band, and the 2018 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Live Act. The band's 2012 release, Dark Adrenaline , peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 . As of March 2012, Lacuna Coil have sold over two million albums worldwide. Vocalist Andrea Ferro and bassist/composer Marco Coti Zelati formed Sleep of Right in Milan, Italy, 1994, and recruited Raffaele Zagaria on guitars, and Michaelangelo Algardi on
462-558: A staccato attack created by using a palm-muted technique on the rhythm guitar. Brief, abrupt and detached rhythmic cells are joined into rhythmic phrases with a distinctive, often jerky texture. These phrases are used to create rhythmic accompaniment and melodic figures called riffs , which help to establish thematic hooks . Heavy metal songs also use longer rhythmic figures such as whole note - or dotted quarter note-length chords in slow-tempo power ballads . The tempos in early heavy metal music tended to be "slow, even ponderous". By
616-469: A "huge influence." In an interview with entertainment newspaper The A.V. Club , Cronise also revealed that local metal band HRM, rock musician Bob Seger and R&B singer Michael Jackson have been influences on the Sword's sound. Current members Former members Former touring musicians Heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal ) is a genre of rock music that developed in
770-568: A Lie" won in The 4th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Hard Rock/Metal Song. The beginning of this song was also used as the introduction music for the audio podcast novel The Rookie by Scott Sigler . The second single, " Swamped ", was played in heavy rotation and used in the video game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines . It also appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse . Videos were filmed for both songs and broadcast on MTV2 's Headbangers Ball , which also saw
924-529: A board game project. Zombicide: White Death is a cooperative survival board game set in the Arctic in the midst of a zombie outbreak. Lacuna Coil released a full version of their single "Never Dawn" on June 2. On 19 April 2024, the band released their latest single, "In the Mean Time," featuring guest vocals by Ash Costello of New Years Day . According to the band, the track's message reflects concerns about
1078-492: A drummer, a bassist, a rhythm guitarist, a lead guitarist and a singer, who may or may not be an instrumentalist. Keyboard instruments are sometimes used to enhance the fullness of the sound. Deep Purple 's Jon Lord played an overdriven Hammond organ . In 1970, John Paul Jones used a Moog synthesizer on Led Zeppelin III ; by the 1990s, synthesizers were used in "almost every subgenre of heavy metal". The electric guitar and
1232-535: A four-piece at Austin's Sound on Sound Records on March 17, 2004, the band released a self-titled second demo, which was followed the next year by an extended play (EP) entitled Freya . After performing at the 2005 South by Southwest festival, the Sword was signed by New York-based record label Kemado Records , following a recommendation by Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton . The band released its debut album Age of Winters in February 2006, for which much of
1386-473: A heavy metal direction. A few commentators – mainly American – argue for other groups, including Iron Butterfly , Steppenwolf , Blue Cheer , or Vanilla Fudge , as the first to play heavy metal. In 1968, the sound that would become known as heavy metal began to coalesce. That January, San Francisco band Blue Cheer released a cover of Eddie Cochran 's classic " Summertime Blues " as a part of their debut album, Vincebus Eruptum , and many consider it to be
1540-527: A heavy-metals blues sound". In January 1970, Lucian K. Truscott IV , reviewing Led Zeppelin II for the Village Voice , described the sound as "heavy" and made comparisons with Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge . Other early documented uses of the phrase are from reviews by critic Metal Mike Saunders . In the 12 November 1970 issue of Rolling Stone , he commented on an album put out the previous year by
1694-525: A live show in their home city of Milan, where they were to perform their latest album Black Anima in full for the first time, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2021, the band announced the release of a new live album on 25 June 2021, to be called Live from the Apocalypse . The album included the track "Bad Things", which previously was an Amazon exclusive. On 15 July 2022, it was announced that
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#17327757940401848-596: A lot with Don Gilmore on the pronunciation of the words in English, so people really understand the meanings of the words. There are strong choruses, where people can relate and really understand what we mean." On 13 December 2008, it was revealed that the new album would be titled Shallow Life . The album was released in Europe on 20 April 2009 and in the United States on 21 April 2009. It debuted at number 16 on
2002-428: A major influence on heavy metal since the genre's earliest days, and that metal's "most influential musicians have been guitar players who have also studied classical music. Their appropriation and adaptation of classical models sparked the development of a new kind of guitar virtuosity [and] changes in the harmonic and melodic language of heavy metal." In an article written for Grove Music Online , Walser stated that
2156-514: A major influence, in addition to doom trio Sleep , sludge band the Melvins , thrash veterans Slayer , and heavy metal icons Iron Maiden and Deep Purple , among others. The band's guitarists, in discussions of their musical influences, have identified 'classic' metal guitar players such as James Hetfield of Metallica, Pantera 's Dimebag Darrell and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, and Cronise has also described Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top ) as
2310-491: A massive, heavy sound from unison riffing between guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce , as well as Ginger Baker 's double bass drumming. Their first two LPs – Fresh Cream (1966) and Disraeli Gears (1967) – are regarded as essential prototypes for the future style of heavy metal. The Jimi Hendrix Experience 's debut album, Are You Experienced (1967), was also highly influential. Hendrix 's virtuosic technique would be emulated by many metal guitarists, and
2464-755: A music video produced for it. The song was featured on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack and entered the top forty on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in the United States. The band toured extensively to support the album throughout 2007. This included the Jägermeister Music Tour , The Hottest Chicks in Metal Tour 2007, Loudpark Festival '07 in Saitama City 's Saitama Super Arena , and
2618-408: A new Christmas-themed song titled "Naughty Christmas" as a stand-alone single. On 14 January 2016, Lacuna Coil announced the amicable departure of longtime guitarist Marco Biazzi. On 11 April 2016, during an Italian press tour, Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro presented Diego Cavallotti as the new live guitarist for the forthcoming tour. On 15 July 2019, Ryan Folden announced via social-media that he
2772-504: A new chart record for the band. The promotional Apocryphon Tour commenced the following week in the US, and continued across the world throughout the rest of 2012 and 2013. 2012 and 2013 also saw the Sword expanding into business ventures outside of music, beginning in September 2012 with the release of the band's own brand of hot sauce called Tears of Fire . The sauce, which is made with
2926-671: A party without limits ... [T]he bulk of the music is stylized and formulaic." Music critics have often deemed metal lyrics juvenile and banal, and others have objected to what they see as advocacy of misogyny and the occult. During the 1980s, the Parents Music Resource Center petitioned the U.S. Congress to regulate the popular music industry due to what the group asserted were objectionable lyrics, particularly those in heavy metal songs. Andrew Cope stated that claims that heavy metal lyrics are misogynistic are "clearly misguided" as these critics have "overlook[ed]
3080-577: A projected late-2012 release. In May the band released the single " Hammer of Heaven ", a song originally recorded in 2003 for the Age of Winters demo and later submitted for inclusion on the soundtrack to the film The Avengers . In the run-up to the recording of their next album, the group only played a few shows in 2012, most notably the Metallica-curated festival Orion Music + More in June, where
3234-501: A result, guitarist Cristiano Migliore and drummer Cristiano Mozzati were recruited officially. At this point, the band was touring with Moonspell after the release of the Lacuna Coil EP . Following a second European tour, the band recorded their debut full-length album In a Reverie and added second guitarist Marco Biazzi. The band supported the album with another European tour, co-headlining with Skyclad . Allmusic rated
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#17327757940403388-462: A set of 7" vinyl singles, with electronic remixes of each song by artist Dylan C (Dylan Cameron). Later that year the band collaborated with BMX bike company Subrosa Brand on their own branded BMX model, featuring artwork by Apocryphon artist J. H. Williams III and named "The Stormwitch" after the song, "Eyes of the Stormwitch". Writing for the Sword's fifth album began in late 2014, which
3542-419: A spirit of "affectionate rivalry". Heavy metal "demands the subordination of the voice" to the overall sound of the band. Reflecting metal's roots in the 1960s counterculture, an "explicit display of emotion" is required from the vocals as a sign of authenticity. Critic Simon Frith claims that the metal singer's "tone of voice" is more important than the lyrics. The prominent role of the bass is also key to
3696-422: A topic in his lyrics, notably in the song " Freya ", but cites literature as his main influence, identifying such authors as George R. R. Martin , Robert E. Howard , H. P. Lovecraft and Arthur C. Clarke as inspirations. On Warp Riders , Cronise was again credited for writing all the lyrics, and only guitarist Kyle Shutt was added to the credits for the musical compositions. The band has cited Black Sabbath as
3850-642: A tour in the United Kingdom and Ireland called "In the Meantime," scheduled from 15 October 2024 to 26 October 2024 with support from Finnish nu metal band, Blind Channel . On October 2, 2024, Lacuna Coil released their latest single, "Oxygen," which will be part of their upcoming tenth studio album, Sleepless Empire . The album is set to release on February 14, 2025, through Century Media Records . Lacuna Coil's music has been described as being "heavy, melodic, and relentlessly melodramatic". Inspired by
4004-516: A tour in tribute to progressive rock band Rush , which featured the Sword alongside Wolfmother and Battles as support. On October 20, 2022, John D. Cronise announced the band was splitting up after 19 years. On June 27, 2024, the band announced they would reunite for a one-off on November 3 at the Levitation Festival . On November 13, 2024, the band released a single covering Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull. Two weeks later,
4158-794: A trippy, distorted haze". During the late 1960s, many psychedelic singers, such as Arthur Brown , began to create outlandish, theatrical, and often macabre performances that influenced many metal acts. The American psychedelic rock band Coven , who opened for early heavy metal influencers such as Vanilla Fudge and the Yardbirds, portrayed themselves as practitioners of witchcraft or black magic , using dark – Satanic or occult – imagery in their lyrics, album art and live performances, which consisted of elaborate, theatrical " Satanic rites ". Coven's 1969 debut album, Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls , featured imagery of skulls, black masses , inverted crosses , and Satan worship, and both
4312-429: A video clip. The reworked track was also played live for the first time at US music festival; INKcarceration a week prior. On 1 April 2023, the band announced their contribution of a new song titled 'Never Dawn' to 'Zombicide: White Death', the latest board game Kickstarter project by game designer Nicolas Raoult and publisher CMON . The song is featured in the game's soundtrack and is the band's first involvement in
4466-434: A wide range of fellow rock and metal artists since its formation, including Metallica , Lamb of God and Clutch , and in recent years also headlined its own tours. After writing and recording music on his own for "a few years", vocalist and guitarist John D. "J.D." Cronise formed The Sword in 2003 with guitarist Kyle Shutt and drummer Trivett Wingo. Speaking about choosing the band's name, Cronise claims that he researched
4620-506: Is considered vital. In his book, Metalheads , psychologist Jeffrey Arnett refers to heavy metal concerts as "the sensory equivalent of war". Following the lead set by Jimi Hendrix , Cream and the Who , early heavy metal acts such as Blue Cheer set new benchmarks for volume. As Blue Cheer's Dick Peterson put it, "All we knew was we wanted more power." A 1977 review of a Motörhead concert noted how "excessive volume in particular figured into
4774-426: Is emphatic, with deliberate stresses. Weinstein observes that the wide array of sonic effects available to metal drummers enables the "rhythmic pattern to take on a complexity within its elemental drive and insistency". In many heavy metal songs, the main groove is characterized by short, two- or three-note rhythmic figures – generally made up of eighth or 16th notes . These rhythmic figures are usually performed with
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4928-557: Is speculation as to who started the phenomenon. Attendees of metal concerts do not dance in the usual sense. It has been argued that this is due to the music's largely male audience and "extreme heterosexualist ideology". Two primary body movements used are headbanging and an arm thrust that is both a sign of appreciation and a rhythmic gesture. The performance of air guitar is popular among metal fans both at concerts and listening to records at home. According to Deena Weinstein , thrash metal concerts have two elements that are not part of
5082-485: Is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound and vigorous vocals. Heavy metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter or omit one or more of these attributes. In a 1988 article, The New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote, "In the taxonomy of popular music, heavy metal is a major subspecies of hard-rock—the breed with less syncopation , less blues, more showmanship and more brute force." The typical band lineup includes
5236-604: The Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, and became Lacuna Coil's first Top 20 album in the U.S. As of September 2009 , it has sold nearly 70,000 copies in the United States. In February and March 2009, Lacuna Coil played at the Australian music festival Soundwave alongside metal acts including DevilDriver , In Flames , Lamb of God , and Nine Inch Nails . The festival spanned five capital cities, at which they performed their single " Spellbound " from Shallow Life for
5390-663: The High Times Doobie Award and the Austin Music Award for Best Metal Artist. The Sword spent the rest of 2009 writing material for their third album, which took the form of "a concept album centered around an original science fiction narrative", and had more of a hard rock sound than the band's previous releases. Some of the new songs were debuted at the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest in November, and were also played on "a short regional tour showcasing
5544-439: The 13th Floor Elevators epitomized the frenetic, heavier, darker, and more psychotic psychedelic rock sound known as acid rock, a sound characterized by droning guitar riffs, amplified feedback, and guitar distortion, while the 13th Floor Elevators' sound in particular featured yelping vocals and "occasionally demented" lyrics. Frank Hoffman noted that "[Psychedelic rock] was sometimes referred to as 'acid rock'. The latter label
5698-724: The Aeolian and Phrygian modes . Harmonically speaking, this means the genre typically incorporates modal chord progressions such as the Aeolian progressions I-♭VI-♭VII, I-♭VII-(♭VI), or I-♭VI-IV-♭VII and Phrygian progressions implying the relation between I and ♭II (I-♭II-I, I-♭II-III, or I-♭II-VII for example). Tense-sounding chromatic or tritone relationships are used in a number of metal chord progressions. In addition to using modal harmonic relationships, heavy metal also uses " pentatonic and blues-derived features". The tritone, an interval spanning three whole tones – such as C to F# –
5852-458: The minor third , major third , perfect fourth , diminished fifth or minor sixth . Most power chords are also played with a consistent finger arrangement that can be slid easily up and down the fretboard . Heavy metal is usually based on riffs created with three main harmonic traits: modal scale progressions, tritone and chromatic progressions, and the use of pedal points . Traditional heavy metal tends to employ modal scales, in particular
6006-443: The perfect fifth , though an octave may be added as a doubling of the root . When power chords are played on the lower strings at high volumes and with distortion, additional low-frequency sounds are created, which add to the "weight of the sound" and create an effect of "overwhelming power". Although the perfect fifth interval is the most common basis for the power chord, power chords are also based on different intervals such as
6160-485: The "1980s brought on ... the widespread adaptation of chord progressions and virtuosic practices from 18th-century European models, especially Bach and Antonio Vivaldi , by influential guitarists such as Ritchie Blackmore , Marty Friedman , Jason Becker , Uli Jon Roth , Eddie Van Halen , Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen ." Kurt Bachmann of Believer has stated that "if done correctly, metal and classical fit quite well together. Classical and metal are probably
6314-410: The "heavy crunch sound in heavy metal ... [is created by] palm muting " the strings with the picking hand and using distortion. Palm muting creates a tighter, more precise sound and it emphasizes the low end. The lead role of the guitar in heavy metal often collides with the traditional "frontman" or bandleader role of the vocalist, creating a musical tension as the two "contend for dominance" in
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6468-434: The "holiest of heavy metal communions". The metal scene has been characterized as a "subculture of alienation" with its own code of authenticity. This code puts several demands on performers: they must appear both completely devoted to their music and loyal to the subculture that supports it; they must appear uninterested in mainstream appeal and radio hits; and they must never " sell out ". Deena Weinstein stated that for
6622-555: The "punch and grind" characteristic. Thrash metal guitar tone has scooped mid-frequencies and tightly compressed sound with multiple bass frequencies. Guitar solos are "an essential element of the heavy metal code ... that underscores the significance of the guitar" to the genre. Most heavy metal songs "feature at least one guitar solo", which is "a primary means through which the heavy metal performer expresses virtuosity". Some exceptions are nu metal and grindcore bands, which tend to omit guitar solos. With rhythm guitar parts,
6776-842: The 'ghost pepper' Bhut Jolokia , was first announced and revealed on the Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on September 3, before going on sale to the public the following day. This was followed in October by the release of the band's first line of beer , Winter's Wolves Beer , produced by Baltimore, Maryland -based brewery Oliver Ales, and in July 2013 by a second line of beer, Iron Swan Ale , produced by Texas-based Real Ale Brewing Co. A series of release shows for "Iron Swan Ale" were held in Texas. In 2014, "The Hidden Masters" and "Arcane Montane" were released together as
6930-400: The 1970s: the raw, sleazy sound and shock rock of Alice Cooper and Kiss ; the blues-rooted rock of Aerosmith ; and the flashy guitar leads and party rock of Van Halen . During the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence, while Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Beginning in
7084-510: The 1980s and 1990s, heavy metal hair "symbolised the hate, angst and disenchantment of a generation that seemingly never felt at home", according to journalist Nader Rahman. Long hair gave members of the metal community "the power they needed to rebel against nothing in general". The classic uniform of heavy metal fans consists of light-colored, ripped, frayed or torn blue jeans, black T-shirts, boots, and black leather or denim jackets. Deena Weinstein wrote, "T-shirts are generally emblazoned with
7238-464: The 2001 album Unleashed Memories . While the studio album contained 10 songs, later re-releases included the Halflife EP. That same year, the band toured the United States for the first time, supporting Moonspell . The band's breakthrough album Comalies was released in 2002. A significant player on Europe's metal scene for nearly a decade at this point, the band was virtually unknown in
7392-627: The Australian leg of Megadeth 's Gigantour . Lacuna Coil's first live DVD was released in November 2008, entitled Visual Karma (Body, Mind and Soul) . The CD/DVD package is a retrospective of all things from the band's Karmacode album cycle. The set list features concerts filmed at Germany's Wacken Festival and at the Japanese Loudpark Festival in 2007. In 2008, it was announced that Lacuna Coil's fifth studio album would be produced by Don Gilmore and would include some Arabic influences. Cristina Scabbia explained in
7546-466: The British band Humble Pie : " Safe as Yesterday Is , their first American release, proved that Humble Pie could be boring in lots of different ways. Here they were a noisy, unmelodic, heavy metal-leaden shit-rock band with the loud and noisy parts beyond doubt. There were a couple of nice songs ... and one monumental pile of refuse." He described the band's latest, self-titled release as "more of
7700-416: The British bands Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath , with American commentators tending to favour Led Zeppelin and British commentators tending to favour Black Sabbath, though many give equal credit to both. Deep Purple , the third band in what is sometimes considered the "unholy trinity" of heavy metal along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, fluctuated between many rock styles until late 1969 when they took
7854-702: The British record label Earache Records , in an "unsuccessful attempt to prosecute the label for obscenity". In some predominantly Muslim countries, heavy metal has been officially denounced as a threat to traditional values, and in countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and Malaysia, there have been incidents of heavy metal musicians and fans being arrested and incarcerated. In 1997, the Egyptian police jailed many young metal fans, and they were accused of "devil worship" and blasphemy after police found metal recordings during searches of their homes. In 2013, Malaysia banned Lamb of God from performing in their country, on
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#17327757940408008-455: The United States on 4 April 2006. During their 2005 European Tour, Lacuna Coil debuted two new songs from Karmacode at selected concerts: "Our Truth" and "Fragile" under the working titles "Antonio" and "A2" respectively. Karmacode debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200 . Considered by Billboard to be "the biggest album in the history of Century Media Records", it was acclaimed by music critics and magazines. Corresponding with
8162-447: The United States. The TV series Uranium gave the band some of its earliest US exposure; over a year later, the first single from Comalies , " Heaven's a Lie ", began to receive radio and media attention, pulling the band into North America's musical mainstream. They kicked off their first headlining U.S. tour in 2003, supported by Dog Fashion Disco . Networks such as Fuse played the song's video, for example. In early 2005, "Heaven's
8316-524: The Warp Riders Tour, the Sword was forced to postpone all dates due to the departure of drummer Trivett Wingo. Explaining his decision to leave, Wingo commented that he felt "physically and emotionally unable to continue on as part of [the band]", and later revealed that he had predicted he would eventually leave the band for "probably a couple of years", justifying his decision by explaining that "my level of anxiety pertaining to being on tour got to
8470-545: The album A Long Time Comin' by U.S. band Electric Flag : "Nobody who's been listening to Mike Bloomfield —either talking or playing—in the last few years could have expected this. This is the new soul music, the synthesis of white blues and heavy metal rock." In the 7 September 1968 edition of the Seattle Daily Times , reviewer Susan Schwartz wrote that the Jimi Hendrix Experience "has
8624-470: The album 4 stars, saying it was "a fine debut by a band that bears watching." The band toured mostly around Europe, generally as a support act. Following their debut, In a Reverie , the EP Half-Life was released in 2000 with five songs: "Half Life", "Hyperfast", "Stars" (a cover of a Dubstar single), "Trance Awake" and a demo version of "Senzafine". The final version of the latter was included in
8778-418: The album artwork and the band's live performances marked the first appearances in rock music of the sign of the horns , which would later become an important gesture in heavy metal culture. Coven's lyrical and thematic influences on heavy metal were quickly overshadowed by the darker and heavier sounds of Black Sabbath . Critics disagree over who can be thought of as the first heavy metal band. Most credit
8932-526: The album's most successful single, " Purple Haze ", is identified by some as the first heavy metal hit. Vanilla Fudge , whose first album also came out in 1967, has been called "one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal," and the band has been cited as an early American heavy metal group. On their self-titled debut album, Vanilla Fudge created "loud, heavy, slowed-down arrangements" of contemporary hit songs, blowing these songs up to "epic proportions" and "bathing them in
9086-524: The album) prior to the band's formation. Gods of the Earth (which was also produced by the band's frontman) was released two years later, giving the group its first entry on the US Billboard 200 chart when it reached number 102. In 2010, the band released Warp Riders , a concept album centered on an original science fiction narrative written primarily by Cronise, which marked the first time
9240-434: The audience for whom they're playing – engage in headbanging , which involves rhythmically beating time with the head, often emphasized by long hair. The il cornuto , or "devil horns", hand gesture was popularized by vocalist Ronnie James Dio during his time with the bands Black Sabbath and Dio . Although Gene Simmons of Kiss claims to have been the first to make the gesture on the 1977 Love Gun album cover, there
9394-545: The band announced a New Year’s Eve show in Austin, Texas. The Sword has been categorised as doom metal and identified as an example of the 'classic metal' movement of stoner rock artists influenced by early metal bands such as Black Sabbath , Led Zeppelin and Blue Cheer . With the release of Warp Riders , members of the band acknowledged that fans with a more "narrow-minded" view of heavy metal may feel alienated by stylistic changes. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic described
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#17327757940409548-417: The band changed their name to Ethereal , and signed to Century Media at the end of 1997. Finding that the name Ethereal was already taken by a Greek band, they changed their name to Lacuna Coil (meaning "empty spiral", which reflected the band's vision on life). Lacuna Coil released a self-titled EP through Century Media in 1998, shortly after Raffaele Zagaria, Claudio Leo, and Leonardo Forti departed. As
9702-400: The band move away from their distinctive sound in favor of a nu metal sound. Sputnikmusic staff writer Trey wrote that the album "presented a band struggling to move beyond minor league success even if it meant losing their own individuality". The band's follow-up, Shallow Life , was described by AllMusic as a "deliberately commercial effort with strong pop-metal influences". Following
9856-429: The band on Age of Winters as being "at the forefront of … the 'heritage' or 'retro metal' movement," comparing their style to that of heavy metal veterans Black Sabbath and vocalist Cronise to Ozzy Osbourne . Rolling Stone has also likened the band to Sabbath. While every member of the band contributes to the musical compositions, Cronise is the primary writer of the band's lyrics. He often uses Norse mythology as
10010-582: The band perform an acoustic rendition of "Heaven's a Lie" live. By 2004, Comalies had become the best-selling CD in Century Media 's history. The band appeared at Ozzfest in between headlining club tours in the United States and Europe. A bonus, extended version of Comalies was released both in stores and on iTunes. This version consisted of both live and acoustic versions of the songs "Heaven's A Lie", "Swamped", "Unspoken", "Aeon" and "Senzafine" from Unleashed Memories . The band and label postponed
10164-469: The band was introduced by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo . Working with producer J. Robbins , the group recorded the follow-up to Warp Riders at Magpie Cage Studios in Baltimore, Maryland between June and July 2012. The resulting album, Apocryphon , was released in October 2012 and debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 16,000 copies in its first week and providing
10318-547: The band were recording a new album, titled Delirium , produced by Marco Coti Zelati and mixed by Marco Barusso. On 8 April 2016, Lacuna Coil premiered the song "The House of Shame" and announced the release of the album on 27 May 2016. On 21 July 2016, Lacuna Coil presented the album's second single "Delirium" as a music video, followed by their third single "Blood, Tears, Dust", as a music-action video on 22 March 2017, and their fourth single, "You Love Me 'Cause I Hate You" on 15 May 2017. On 9 December 2016, Lacuna Coil premiered
10472-555: The band with its first Billboard 200 chart entry, reaching number 102. In support of the album, the band completed the Gods of the Earth Tour supported by artists such as Machine Head , Lamb of God and Clutch; the quartet also supported heavy metal veterans Metallica on their 2008 European Vacation Tour in July, and returned as the opening act for a number of legs on their 2009 World Magnetic Tour . A two-disc box set containing
10626-451: The band would release an LP titled Comalies XX , with "deconstructed and transported" versions of original songs from their 2002 release, Comalies . It is scheduled to be released on 14 October 2022. Andrea Ferro stated that this would be considered a special project rather than their 10th studio album. On 19 July 2022 the band released the first single for the LP, "Tight Rope XX" along with
10780-480: The band's first two albums Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth was released on November 25, 2008, and the song "The Black River" from Gods of the Earth was later included on the 2009 video game Guitar Hero: Metallica . The band's music was also featured in the 2009 films Jennifer's Body ("Celestial Crown") and Horsemen ("Maiden, Mother & Crone"), and in March 2009, the Sword won two local music awards:
10934-426: The band's impact". Weinstein makes the case that in the same way that melody is the main element of pop and rhythm is the main focus of house music , powerful sound, timbre and volume are the key elements of metal. She argues that the loudness is designed to "sweep the listener into the sound" and to provide a "shot of youthful vitality". Heavy metal performers tended to be almost exclusively male until at least
11088-572: The bass as a lead instrument, an approach popularized by Metallica 's Cliff Burton with his heavy emphasis on bass solos and use of chords while playing the bass in the early 1980s. Lemmy of Motörhead often played overdriven power chords in his bass lines. The essence of heavy metal drumming is creating a loud, constant beat for the band using the "trifecta of speed, power, and precision". Heavy metal drumming "requires an exceptional amount of endurance", and drummers have to develop "considerable speed, coordination, and dexterity ... to play
11242-466: The blues rock drumming style started out largely as simple shuffle beats on small kits, drummers began using a more muscular, complex and amplified approach to match and be heard against the increasingly loud guitar. Vocalists similarly modified their technique and increased their reliance on amplification, often becoming more stylized and dramatic. In terms of sheer volume, especially in live performance, The Who's "bigger-louder-wall-of- Marshalls " approach
11396-409: The combination of gothic imagery and music, the members have been known, musically, for composing mid-tempo songs consisting of prominent guitar lines and contrasting dual female/male vocal harmonies to help create a melodic, detached sound. Much of the band's recent material, however, sees a heavier and more down-tuned style, featuring a more distinct bass line and a higher mixing of the guitars within
11550-514: The commercial performance of Gods of the Earth when it debuted at number 47 on the Billboard 200, selling almost 9,000 copies in the first week of its release. The band supported Metallica again on a series of September tour dates in Australia, New Zealand and Japan as warm-up for their own Warp Riders Tour , which began the following month. Five shows into the opening North American leg of
11704-429: The components of the term mean in " hippiespeak ": "heavy" is roughly synonymous with "potent" or "profound", and "metal" designates a certain type of mood, grinding and weighted as with metal. The word "heavy" in this sense was a basic element of beatnik and later countercultural hippie slang , and references to "heavy music" – typically slower, more amplified variations of standard pop fare – were already common by
11858-439: The diminishing civility evident in contemporary society: "We're navigating through a tumultuous era where many seem to have lost their way. Our world is marred by strife and sorrow, with individuals grappling with feelings of isolation, anxiety, and despair. The external pressures bear down heavily, obscuring our vision and clouding our judgment." A music video directed by Patric Ullaeus and starring Andreas Barås accompanied
12012-453: The drums. After recording a song titled "Bleeding Souls" for the Noise of Bolgia compilation in 1995, Claudio Leo became the band's second guitarist, and Leonardo Forti replaced Michaelangelo on the drums after his departure. The band asked Cristina Scabbia , a friend and girlfriend of Marco at the time, to sing background vocals briefly, which led to her officially joining the band. Soon after,
12166-536: The emergence of an intense, exclusionary and strongly masculine subculture. While the metal fan base is largely young, white, male and blue-collar, the group is "tolerant of those outside its core demographic base who follow its codes of dress, appearance, and behavior". Identification with the subculture is strengthened not only by the group experience of concert-going and shared elements of fashion, but also by contributing to metal magazines and, more recently, websites. Attending live concerts in particular has been called
12320-549: The end of the year. Bassist Bryan Richie completed the four-piece lineup in early 2004. Prior to the formation of the Sword, Cronise and Wingo had performed together in the group Ultimate Dragons in Richmond, Virginia , while Shutt and Richie had worked with multiple bands in Texas "united by a love of Led Zeppelin ". Cronise had also performed with a local band called Those Peabodys, but left as he felt he "needed to do something heavier". After their first live performance together as
12474-651: The era. Bands like The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds developed blues rock by recording covers of classic blues songs, often speeding up the tempos . As they experimented with the music, the U.K. blues-based bands – and in turn the U.S. acts they influenced – developed what would become the hallmarks of heavy metal (in particular, the loud, distorted guitar sound). The Kinks played a major role in popularising this sound with their 1964 hit " You Really Got Me ". In addition to The Kinks' Dave Davies , other guitarists such as The Who 's Pete Townshend and The Yardbirds' Jeff Beck were experimenting with feedback. Where
12628-418: The fans themselves, the code promotes "opposition to established authority, and separateness from the rest of society". Musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie observed, "Most of the kids who come to my shows seem like really imaginative kids with a lot of creative energy they don't know what to do with" and that metal is "outsider music for outsiders. Nobody wants to be the weird kid; you just somehow end up being
12782-426: The first time, to have the incredible opportunity to lend my guest vocals to a new track and appear in the music video. Working alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cristina has been a privilege, and I may be biased in saying that 'In the Mean Time' has quickly become my favorite by Lacuna Coil. Its message about embracing individuality and not conforming deeply resonates with me." On the same day, Lacuna Coil announced
12936-526: The first time. Early June saw them play in the UK at Download Festival. Their set was scheduled for the opening day, where they would play on the second stage just before Opeth and later Mötley Crüe. Later in July 2009, Lacuna Coil embarked on the American Spellbound Tour, alongside Kill Hannah , Seventh Void , and Dommin . This was Lacuna Coil's first U.S. headlining run in over two years and
13090-564: The first tour the band has been on since the Music as a Weapon Tour IV alongside Disturbed , Killswitch Engage , and Chimaira in early 2009. During Early 2010 (Jan/Feb) the band came to the United Kingdom to do a Headline "Shallow Life" tour with their support acts Dommin and Dirty Little Rabbits . They then returned to the UK again in September/October 2010 headlining the "Survive" tour, this time at more intimate/VIP venues, with
13244-825: The first true heavy metal recording. The same month, Steppenwolf released their self-titled debut album , on which the track " Born to Be Wild " refers to "heavy metal thunder" in describing a motorcycle. In July, the Jeff Beck Group , whose leader had preceded Page as The Yardbirds' guitarist, released its debut record, Truth , which featured some of the "most molten, barbed, downright funny noises of all time", breaking ground for generations of metal ax-slingers. In September, Page's new band, Led Zeppelin , made its live debut in Denmark (but were billed as The New Yardbirds). The Beatles ' self-titled double album , released in November, included " Helter Skelter ", then one of
13398-402: The following month. The album was released on March 23, 2018, and reached number 104 on the Billboard 200 – the lowest position for a studio release in the band's career since Age of Winters failed to chart. On September 6, 2018, the band announced via Facebook that they would be going on hiatus, cancelling a subsequent Australian tour. In February 2020, funk metal band Primus announced
13552-544: The foundation of heavy metal and greatly influential in the transformation of acid rock into heavy metal. Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan . Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal , and they have recorded nine studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums, two compilation albums, one video album, and sixteen singles and music videos. They have toured internationally and were nominated in 2006 for
13706-413: The general population. For many artists and bands, visual imagery plays a large role in heavy metal. In addition to its sound and lyrics, a heavy metal band's image is expressed in album cover art, logos, stage sets, clothing, design of instruments and music videos . Down-the-back long hair is the "most crucial distinguishing feature of metal fashion". Originally adopted from the hippie subculture, by
13860-517: The ground opening up and little dwarves coming out riding dragons! You know, like bad Dio records." Heavy metal's quintessential guitar style, which is built around distortion-heavy riffs and power chords, traces its roots to early 1950s Memphis blues guitarists such as Joe Hill Louis , Willie Johnson and particularly Pat Hare , who captured a "grittier, nastier, more ferocious electric guitar sound" on records such as James Cotton 's " Cotton Crop Blues " (1954). Other early influences include
14014-429: The grounds that the "band's lyrics could be interpreted as being religiously insensitive" and blasphemous. Some people consider heavy metal music to be a leading factor for mental health disorders, and that heavy metal fans are more likely to suffer poor mental health, but a study from 2009 suggests that this is not true and that fans of heavy metal music suffer from poor mental health at a similar or lower rate compared to
14168-598: The group had enlisted an external producer in Matt Bayles . Original drummer Trivett Wingo left the group later in the year and was replaced briefly by Kevin Fender, before Vela joined in late 2011. After signing with Razor & Tie in early 2012, the group released its fourth album Apocryphon later in the year, which was promoted worldwide on the Apocryphon Tour . The band's fifth studio album High Country
14322-413: The harmonic analysis done by metal players and teachers is "often very sophisticated". In the study of heavy metal chord structures, it has been concluded that "heavy metal music has proved to be far more complicated" than other music researchers had realized. Robert Walser stated that, alongside blues and R&B, the "assemblage of disparate musical styles known ... as ' classical music '" has been
14476-610: The heaviest-sounding songs ever released by a major band. The Pretty Things ' rock opera S.F. Sorrow , released in December, featured "proto heavy metal" songs such as "Old Man Going" and "I See You". Iron Butterfly 's 1968 song " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida " is sometimes described as an example of the transition between acid rock and heavy metal or the turning point in which acid rock became "heavy metal", and both Iron Butterfly's 1968 album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and Blue Cheer's 1968 album Vincebus Eruptum have been described as laying
14630-403: The influence of 'art traditions.' An example is Walser's linkage of heavy metal music with the ideologies and even some of the performance practices of nineteenth-century Romanticism . However, it would be clearly wrong to claim that traditions such as blues, rock, heavy metal, rap or dance music derive primarily from "art music.'" According to David Hatch and Stephen Millward, Black Sabbath and
14784-605: The intricate patterns" used in heavy metal. A characteristic metal drumming technique is the cymbal choke , which consists of striking a cymbal and then immediately silencing it by grabbing it with the other hand (or, in some cases, the same striking hand), producing a burst of sound. The metal drum setup is generally much larger than those employed in other forms of rock music. Black metal, death metal and some "mainstream metal" bands "all depend upon double-kicks and blast beats ". In live performance, loudness – an "onslaught of sound", in sociologist Deena Weinstein 's description –
14938-423: The late 1950s instrumentals of Link Wray , particularly " Rumble " (1958); the early 1960s surf rock of Dick Dale , including " Let's Go Trippin' " (1961) and " Misirlou " (1962); and The Kingsmen 's version of " Louie Louie " (1963), which became a garage rock standard. However, the genre's direct lineage begins in the mid-1960s. American blues music was a major influence on the early British rockers of
15092-589: The late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock , psychedelic rock and acid rock , heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos , emphatic beats and loudness . In 1968, three of the genre's most famous pioneers – British bands Led Zeppelin , Black Sabbath and Deep Purple – were founded. Though they came to attract wide audiences, they were often derided by critics. Several American bands modified heavy metal into more accessible forms during
15246-580: The late 1970s, bands in the new wave of British heavy metal such as Iron Maiden and Saxon followed in a similar vein. By the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as " metalheads " or " headbangers ". The lyrics of some metal genres became associated with aggression and machismo , an issue that has at times led to accusations of misogyny. During the 1980s, glam metal became popular with groups such as Bon Jovi , Mötley Crüe and Poison . Meanwhile, however, underground scenes produced an array of more aggressive styles: thrash metal broke into
15400-438: The late 1970s, however, metal bands were employing a wide variety of tempos, and as recently as the 2000s, metal tempos range from slow ballad tempos (quarter note = 60 beats per minute ) to extremely fast blast beat tempos (quarter note = 350 beats per minute). One of the signatures of the genre is the guitar power chord. In technical terms, the power chord is relatively simple: it involves just one main interval , generally
15554-471: The logos or other visual representations of favorite metal bands." In the 1980s, a range of sources – from punk rock and goth music to horror films – influenced metal fashion. Many metal performers of the 1970s and 1980s used radically shaped and brightly colored instruments to enhance their stage appearance. Fashion and personal style was especially important for glam metal bands of the era. Performers typically wore long, dyed, hairspray-teased hair (hence
15708-432: The magazine Rock Sound : "It's different, but it's our style. We haven't done anything absolutely different from our style, because that wouldn't be natural, that would be weird - it wouldn't be us. The songs are definitely more powerful, more complete, more intense, more straight-to-the-point." Andrea Ferro said: "We've put more attention on the real meaning of the songs, so the vocals are a bit more prominent. We've worked
15862-414: The mainstream with bands such as Metallica , Slayer , Megadeth and Anthrax , while other extreme subgenres such as death metal and black metal became – and remain – subcultural phenomena. Since the mid-1990s, popular styles have expanded the definition of the genre. These include groove metal and nu metal , the latter of which often incorporates elements of grunge and hip-hop . Heavy metal
16016-456: The material had been written by Cronise before the band's formation and featured on the band's early demos. In support of the album the band toured throughout 2006 and 2007, with support acts including Lacuna Coil and Trivium in the United States, Nebula and Clutch in Europe, and Lamb of God in Japan. In November 2006 a cover version of the song " Freya " was featured as a playable track on
16170-432: The metal sound, and the interplay of bass and guitar is a central element. The bass provides the low-end sound crucial to making the music "heavy". The bass plays a "more important role in heavy metal than in any other genre of rock". Metal basslines vary widely in complexity, from holding down a low pedal point as a foundation to doubling complex riffs and licks along with the lead or rhythm guitars. Some bands feature
16324-491: The mid-1960s, such as in reference to Vanilla Fudge . Iron Butterfly 's debut album, which was released in early 1968, was titled Heavy . The first use of "heavy metal" in a song lyric is in reference to a motorcycle in the Steppenwolf song " Born to Be Wild ", also released that year: "I like smoke and lightning / Heavy metal thunder / Racin' with the wind / And the feelin' that I'm under". An early documented use of
16478-468: The mid-1980s, with some exceptions such as Girlschool . However, by the 2010s, women were making more of an impact, and PopMatters' Craig Hayes argues that metal "clearly empowers women". In the power metal and symphonic metal subgenres, there has been a sizable number of bands that have had women as the lead singers, such as Nightwish , Delain and Within Temptation . The rhythm in metal songs
16632-456: The mid-Seventies". "The term 'heavy metal' is self-defeating," remarked Kiss bassist Gene Simmons . "When I think of heavy metal, I've always thought of elves and evil dwarves and evil princes and princesses. A lot of the Maiden and Priest records were real metal records. I sure as hell don't think Metallica 's metal, or Guns N' Roses is metal, or Kiss is metal. It just doesn't deal with
16786-471: The moniker first and found it "unbelievable" that it hadn't already been used; however, two other bands did already have the name Sword, including a Canadian heavy metal band , and the frontman states he "narrowly escaped litigation hell" before the Sword was finalised. The trio played their first show together on June 19, 2003, at the Beerland in Austin, and released their first demo Age of Winters before
16940-468: The month the video for "Lawless Lands" – part two of the Warp Riders trilogy – was released online. A number of European dates were rescheduled for May 2011, and the third and final Warp Riders music video "Night City" was released in March. The band toured with Kyuss Lives! and MonstrO in the summer of 2011. In October 2011, Fender was replaced with Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III, and the band saw out
17094-502: The more extreme side of the psychedelic rock genre, frequently containing a loud, improvised, and heavily distorted, guitar-centered sound. Acid rock has been described as psychedelic rock at its "rawest and most intense", emphasizing the heavier qualities associated with both the positive and negative extremes of the psychedelic experience rather than only the idyllic side of psychedelia. In contrast to more idyllic or whimsical pop psychedelic rock, American acid rock garage bands such as
17248-472: The most distinctive and dynamic male-female vocal duo in contemporary hard-and-heavy music making: Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia, respectively". AllMusic's Mike DaRonco said, "With Ferro's tortured screams and Scabbia's ethereal range, the group attracted a devoted following that soon spread outside of Italy and throughout Europe before they broke into the U.S. market". AllMusic's Andy Hinds wrote, "Rarely succumbing to heavy-handedness, Lacuna Coil escapes
17402-458: The new songs" in January. Recording for the follow-up to Gods of the Earth began in February 2010 with Matt Bayles , marking the first time the band had worked with an external producer or engineer (the first two albums were produced by Cronise and engineered by Richie). Recording of the album, titled Warp Riders , was completed by April. In May, the band contributed to a split release for
17556-535: The nickname "hair metal"); makeup such as lipstick and eyeliner; gaudy clothing, including leopard-skin-printed shirts or vests and tight denim, leather or spandex pants; and accessories such as headbands and jewelry. Pioneered by the heavy metal act X Japan in the late 1980s, bands in the Japanese movement known as visual kei , which includes many non-metal groups, emphasize elaborate costumes, hair and makeup. When performing live, many metal musicians – as well as
17710-456: The numerous heavy metal bands that they inspired have concentrated lyrically "on dark and depressing subject matter to an extent hitherto unprecedented in any form of pop music." They take as an example Black Sabbath's second album, Paranoid (1970), which "included songs dealing with personal trauma—' Paranoid ' and ' Fairies Wear Boots ' (which described the unsavoury side effects of drug-taking)—as well as those confronting wider issues, such as
17864-431: The other metal genres: moshing and stage diving , which "were imported from the punk/hardcore subculture ". Weinstein states that moshing participants bump and jostle each other as they move in a circle in an area called the "pit" near the stage. Stage divers climb onto the stage with the band and then jump "back into the audience". It has been argued that heavy metal has outlasted many other rock genres largely due to
18018-430: The overwhelming evidence that suggests otherwise". Music critic Robert Christgau called metal "an expressive mode [that] it sometimes seems will be with us for as long as ordinary white boys fear girls, pity themselves, and are permitted to rage against a world they'll never beat". Heavy metal artists have had to defend their lyrics in front of the U.S. Senate and in court. In 1985, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider
18172-727: The periodic table organizes elements of both light and heavy metals (e.g., uranium). An early use of the term in modern popular culture was by countercultural writer William S. Burroughs . His 1961 novel The Soft Machine includes a character known as "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". Burroughs' next novel, Nova Express (1964), develops the theme, using "heavy metal" as a metaphor for addictive drugs: "With their diseases and orgasm drugs and their sexless parasite life forms—Heavy Metal People of Uranus wrapped in cool blue mist of vaporized bank notes—And The Insect People of Minraud with metal music." Inspired by Burroughs' novels,
18326-592: The phrase in rock criticism appears in Sandy Pearlman's February 1967 Crawdaddy review of the Rolling Stones ' Got Live If You Want It (1966), albeit as a description of the sound rather than as a genre: "On this album the Stones go metal. Technology is in the saddle—as an ideal and as a method." Another appears in the 11 May 1968 issue of Rolling Stone , in which Barry Gifford wrote about
18480-427: The point where medication was not the answer." Upon Wingo's departure from the Sword, the remaining members of the band released the following statement: We wish Trivett nothing but the best, and it is with heavy hearts that we bid him farewell ... We wish he could continue the adventure with us, but we understand that the life of a touring musician is not for everyone ... The show must go on, though, and will be back on
18634-587: The release of the new album, Lacuna Coil toured with Rob Zombie throughout North America in early 2006. After their tour with Zombie, they performed main stage at Ozzfest 2006 along with System of a Down , Ozzy Osbourne , and Hatebreed , becoming the first female-fronted band to co-headline the heavy-metal festival. That summer they also played on the main stage of the Download Festival (a three-day music festival in England's Donington Park ), which
18788-436: The release of their follow-up to Comalies , Karmacode , to early 2006. According to the band's website, this made it possible for more time to be spent on production and to avoid the crowded summer 2005 release schedule for metal albums. On 23 December 2005 the band announced on their web site that all recording, mixing, and mastering on Karmacode had been completed. It was then announced that Karmacode would be released in
18942-638: The release. The single was already available on all digital platforms before the release of the music video. The song and video are released shortly before Lacuna Coil heads out on a headline US tour with special guests New Years Day and additional support coming from Oceans Of Slumber . The band will be hitting big festival stages at Rockville, Sonic Temple, and the Milwaukee Metal Festival. Costello expressed gratitude, stating, "I am deeply honored to join Lacuna Coil on tour for
19096-443: The rest of 2011 touring in the US. Guitarist Kyle Shutt later spoke about the drummer changes in an interview in 2012, claiming that Wingo "took a shit all over [the band]" when he left and that Fender was chosen as he already knew how to play the group's songs. In March 2012, it was announced that the Sword had signed a worldwide deal with record label Razor & Tie , with plans for a fourth album starting with recording in June and
19250-478: The road as soon as humanly possible. For the later rescheduled tour dates, Austin-based drummer Kevin Fender, formerly of Employer, Employee, was enlisted as a temporary touring member. The second single from Warp Riders , "(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire", was released as a limited edition picture disc at the beginning of November backed with previously unreleased B-side "Farstar", and later in
19404-473: The same 27th-rate heavy metal crap". In a review of Sir Lord Baltimore 's Kingdom Come in the May 1971 edition of Creem , Saunders wrote, "Sir Lord Baltimore seems to have down pat most all the best heavy metal tricks in the book." Creem critic Lester Bangs is credited with popularizing the term via his early 1970s essays on bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Through the decade, "heavy metal"
19558-667: The same day. The album was the band's first to chart outside of the US and UK, reaching number 74 on the Australian Albums Chart and number 91 on the German Albums Chart . It reached number 30 on the US Billboard 200. In April 2016, the band released a cover of Son House 's " John the Revelator " for Record Store Day . In September, a collection of acoustic recordings of High Country songs
19712-650: The second time, covering Thin Lizzy 's " Cold Sweat " for a Volcom Entertainment Vinyl Club release with Year Long Disaster , who covered the Sword's own track "Maiden, Mother & Crone". In July, Warp Riders lead single "Tres Brujas" was released as a digital download , and a live EP entitled iTunes Festival: London 2010 (recorded at the iTunes Festival in London on July 3) was also released as an iTunes -exclusive download. Released in August, Warp Riders surpassed
19866-499: The self-explanatory ' War Pigs ' and ' Hand of Doom .'" Deriving from the genre's roots in blues music, sex is another important topic – a thread running from Led Zeppelin's suggestive lyrics to the more explicit references of glam metal and nu metal bands. The thematic content of heavy metal has long been a target of criticism. According to Jon Pareles , "Heavy metal's main subject matter is simple and virtually universal. With grunts, moans and subliterary lyrics, it celebrates ...
20020-455: The songs. Lacuna Coil's music is mainly regarded as gothic metal and alternative metal . AllMusic 's Steve Huey said that "Lacuna Coil aren't always the doomiest of progressive goth metal bands; in fact, they sometimes sound like a heavier version of Heart ". AllMusic said that the band "distinguished themselves with orchestral arrangements and dual vocalists." According to VH1 , "Goth-spooked Italian maestros Lacuna Coil boasts
20174-421: The sonic power that it projects through amplification has historically been the key element in heavy metal. The heavy metal guitar sound comes from a combined use of high volumes and heavy fuzz . For classic heavy metal guitar tone, guitarists maintain gain at moderate levels, without excessive preamp or pedal distortion, to retain open spaces and air in the music; the guitar amplifier is turned up loud to produce
20328-582: The stylistic straitjacket of the goth/metal formula, making them more accessible than many of their peers." Comalies marked the beginning of a shift in the band's sound, as their "early repurposing of gothic metal evolved into something bigger, heavier and more accessible, it turned them into major players". According to Blabbermouth , "the band's mastery of a certain strain of highly melodic but intermittently brutal gothic metal [on Comalies ] enabled them to streak ahead of their peers" The band subsequently shifted to an alternative metal sound. Karmacode saw
20482-536: The support act Slaves to Gravity . A new album that was in the works since the first quarter of 2011 was confirmed with its title later being revealed as Dark Adrenaline . Produced by Don Gilmore and mixed by Marco Barusso. On 2 September 2011, it was announced that the first single from the record, titled " Trip the Darkness ", was released digitally on 17 October 2011, with the album's release following on 24 January 2012. The album's third single, " End of Time ",
20636-714: The term was used in the title of the 1967 album Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids by Hapshash and the Coloured Coat , which has been claimed to be its first use in the context of music. The phrase was later lifted by Sandy Pearlman , who used the term to describe the Byrds for their supposed "aluminium style of context and effect", particularly on their album The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). Metal historian Ian Christe describes what
20790-478: The terms "heavy metal" and "hard rock" have often been used interchangeably, particularly in discussing bands of the 1970s, a period when the terms were largely synonymous. For example, the 1983 edition of the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll includes the following passage: "Known for its aggressive blues-based hard-rock style, Aerosmith was the top American heavy-metal band of
20944-434: The two genres that have the most in common when it comes to feel, texture, creativity." Although a number of metal musicians cite classical composers as inspiration, classical and metal are rooted in different cultural traditions and practices – classical in the art music tradition, metal in the popular music tradition. As musicologists Nicolas Cook and Nicola Dibben note: "Analyses of popular music also sometimes reveal
21098-463: The video game Guitar Hero II , and the original track was later released as the band's first single in September 2007. Age of Winters did not chart, but received widely positive reviews from critics including AllMusic 's Eduardo Rivadavia, who described the album as "remarkably well-balanced and almost suspiciously immediate". In June 2007, the band contributed a new song, "Under the Boughs" (which
21252-475: The weird kid. It's kind of like that, but with metal you have all the weird kids in one place." Scholars of metal have noted the tendency of fans to classify and reject some performers (and some other fans) as " poseurs " "who pretended to be part of the subculture, but who were deemed to lack authenticity and sincerity". The origin of the term "heavy metal" in a musical context is uncertain. The phrase has been used for centuries in chemistry and metallurgy, where
21406-406: Was applied to a pounding, hard rock variant that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage-punk movement. ... When rock began turning back to softer, roots-oriented sounds in late 1968, acid-rock bands mutated into heavy metal acts." One of the most influential bands in forging the merger of psychedelic rock and acid rock with the blues rock genre was the British power trio Cream , who derived
21560-586: Was asked to defend his song " Under the Blade " at a U.S. Senate hearing. At the hearing, the PMRC alleged that the song was about sadomasochism and rape ; Snider stated that the song was about his bandmate's throat surgery. In 1986, Ozzy Osbourne was sued over the lyrics of his song " Suicide Solution ". A lawsuit against Osbourne was filed by the parents of John McCollum, a depressed teenager who committed suicide allegedly after listening to Osbourne's song. Osbourne
21714-493: Was considered extremely dissonant and unstable by medieval and Renaissance music theorists. It was nicknamed the diabolus in musica – "the devil in music". Heavy metal songs often make extensive use of pedal point as a harmonic basis. A pedal point is a sustained tone, typically in the bass range, during which at least one foreign (i.e., dissonant) harmony is sounded in the other parts. According to Robert Walser, heavy metal harmonic relationships are "often quite complex" and
21868-559: Was headlined by Metallica , Tool , and Guns N' Roses . That December, Lacuna Coil teamed up with In Flames, The Sword and Seemless for a US tour, as well as The Blackest of the Black 2006 Tour. Four singles were officially released from Karmacode : " Our Truth ", " Closer ", " Within Me " and a cover of Depeche Mode 's " Enjoy the Silence ". " Our Truth " was the first single released and had
22022-508: Was later included on their second album), to the Kemado compilation Invaders . The group also released a split EP with Swedish doom metal band Witchcraft the same month, contributing new track "Sea of Spears" and a cover of Led Zeppelin's " Immigrant Song " to the record. Gods of the Earth was the band's second album, released on April 1, 2008. The album, which is much more of a collaborative writing effort than its predecessor, provided
22176-501: Was not found to be responsible for the teen's death. In 1990, Judas Priest was sued in American court by the parents of two young men who had shot themselves five years earlier, allegedly after hearing the subliminal statement "do it" in the band's cover of the song " Better by You, Better than Me ". While the case attracted a great deal of media attention, it was ultimately dismissed. In 1991, U.K. police seized death metal records from
22330-410: Was often used interchangeably with "heavy metal" and " hard rock ". "Acid rock" generally describes heavy, hard or raw psychedelic rock. Musicologist Steve Waksman stated that "the distinction between acid rock, hard rock, and heavy metal can at some point never be more than tenuous", while percussionist John Beck defined "acid rock" as synonymous with hard rock and heavy metal. Apart from "acid rock",
22484-419: Was one of the earliest terms used to describe this style of music and was applied to acts such as Sabbath and Bloodrock . Classic Rock magazine described the downer rock culture revolving around the use of Quaaludes and the drinking of wine. The term would later be replaced by "heavy metal". Earlier on, as "heavy metal" emerged partially from heavy psychedelic rock, also known as acid rock , "acid rock"
22638-405: Was premiered online. On 14 February 2014, the band announced via their Facebook page that their guitarist Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore and drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati decided to retire from the band after 16 years, citing personal reasons. Ryan Folden ( The Agony Scene , Burn Halo , Enterprise Earth , After Midnight Project ) has since joined the band. On 8 December 2015, it was announced that
22792-488: Was released as Low Country . The following May saw the release of the group's first live album, Greetings From... , recorded during late 2016 on tour with Opeth. The Sword began recording its sixth studio album Used Future in October 2017, working in Portland, Oregon with producer Tucker Martine . "Deadly Nightshade" was released as the lead single from the album on January 26, 2018, followed by "Twilight Sunrise"
22946-427: Was released in August 2015, followed by their sixth Used Future in March 2018. The Sword disbanded in October 2022. During its early career, the Sword was categorized primarily as a doom metal band, with the group's members citing bands including Black Sabbath and Sleep as influences. In more recent years, the group's style had generally been classified as hard rock or stoner rock . The Sword has toured with
23100-528: Was released on 12 December 2012; the music video for the song was shot in Italy on 17 October 2012. In September 2013, the band announced the start of recording their new album with the producer Jay Baumgardner . Lacuna Coil announced the title of their upcoming album, Broken Crown Halo , due for release 1 April in North America. The first track of their new album called "Nothing Stands In Our Way"
23254-435: Was seminal to the development of the later heavy metal sound. The combination of this loud and heavy blues rock with psychedelic rock and acid rock formed much of the original basis for heavy metal. The variant or subgenre of psychedelic rock often known as "acid rock" was particularly influential on heavy metal and its development; acid rock is often defined as a heavier, louder, or harder variant of psychedelic rock, or
23408-405: Was stepping back as a full time member, adding that he did not work on Black Anima . The band has been working with drummer Richard Meiz of Genus Ordinis Dei until a permanent replacement is named On 11 October 2019 the band released the album Black Anima , containing the singles " Layers of Time ", "Reckless" and "Save Me". In July 2020, it was announced that Lacuna Coil had plans to stream
23562-585: Was then recorded between March and April 2015 at Church House Studio in Austin Texas with former Grupo Fantasma guitarist Adrian Quesada as producer. Prior to starting recording, the group also embarked on a short tour between March 11 and 14, visiting four cities in Louisiana , Tennessee and Oklahoma . High Country was released on August 21 and the High Country Tour began in Europe on
23716-413: Was used by certain critics as a virtually automatic putdown. In 1979, lead New York Times popular music critic John Rockwell described what he called "heavy-metal rock" as "brutally aggressive music played mostly for minds clouded by drugs" and, in a different article, as "a crude exaggeration of rock basics that appeals to white teenagers". Coined by Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward , "downer rock"
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