A hard 5. The guitar borders on metallic at points but doesn't fully reach there.
Huh, apparently the lead singer of The Yardbirds was in this band. I guess all those 60s guys had to go somewhere in the 70s.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesday's Gone
At it's core, this song is a pretty basic rock ballad, but the expansive arrangement makes it harder for me to place.
2 - Too acoustic to really be even slightly tough.
Eskhaton - Abhorrent Primaeval Deity
edited 27th Oct '14 1:36:58 PM by StillbirthMachine
Only Death Is RealHard 10, bordering on 11. Absolutely insane. Ineresting stuff going on though, especially rhythmically- those blasts and rolls are nuts.
Also, it's well-produced. So, I like it...
Oh, and there's something vaguely Industrial about some of it, too.
More Proto-Metal, this time with lots of wah-wah! And organ! And more Psychedelic Rock and Progressive Rock influences...
It's pretty close to Stoner Metal a few decades early.
High Tide - "Futilist's Lament"
edited 28th Oct '14 3:37:05 AM by sharkcrap11
"This video is not available in your country."
If I'm correct that this
is the original recording, then I give it a 6. That intro is surprisingly heavy for its time. However, I feel like a lot of these "proto-metal" acts were lacking from a compositional standpoint and had a general lack of direction. It makes sense that Black Sabbath is the definitive band of early heavy metal, not just because of their sound but because they were one of the few acts that consistently had their shit together.
edited 28th Oct '14 8:43:13 AM by djbj
7.5 - A more metallic but interestingly enough, less intense Discharge.
Molested - The Usurper's Winterblood
Hard ten. Great stuff.
@Shark. The DTG example is even more impressive as it's a solo project, and not the main one either, he's more well-known for as a dub/noise producer.
7, I'd say.
Been on a Diamond Head kick lately.
edited 28th Oct '14 3:08:04 PM by djbj
@ darkabomination: I remember reading that on the wikipedia page. Weird background, but it works pretty damned well...
@ djbj: I dunno, personally, I like a lot of the Proto-Metal bands. I'd say Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult are on par with Black Sabbath quality-wise, though none of them were quite as consistently "heavy"- and yes, I consider those bands Proto-Metal, though Zep are also a Blues Rock band.
But even more obscure bands like Budgie and Uriah Heep are pretty solid, much of the time...
Anyways, The Diamond Head one's a 7 (or maybe 7.5), like much of their work (some goes a bit lower, though)...
And, on to mine:
Voivod - "Astronomy Domine"
: Here's Voivod's classic cover of the equally classic Syd Barret-era Pink Floyd tune... Enjoy.
A hard 5. They added a bit of metal edge to the song without going full metal.
My statement about "proto-metal" was actually a bit of a generalization, especially because the line between "hard rock" and "proto-metal" is kind of subjective (I wasn't factoring in Zeppelin or Purple). It's just that a few times (here and elsewhere) I've been linked to relatively obscure "proto-metal" bands that only seem noteworthy for their heavy sound as opposed to their actual music output, though I may feel differently if I were to re-listen.
Holocaust - The Small Hours
I don't know much about this band, but this song is pretty awesome.
edited 29th Oct '14 11:22:29 AM by djbj
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Fair enough. Good that you put Hard Rock in quotes, since it's kinda not a coherent genre, IMO, more of a vague category for bands who can usually be more precisely categorized- as Proto-Punk, Proto-Metal, Blues Rock, Southern Rock, Arena Rock, Power Pop, or sometimes as Progressive Rock or Psychedelic Rock.
Incidentally, that's a classic tune right there. They're a great underrated NWOBHM band, them.
That's a high 9, I'd say- the production's quite scuzzy, and it's very doomy and has very guttural vocals. Sounds like classic Deathdoom to me...
Love the climax, too- very heavy, and it suddenly ratchets up the intensity. I like it.
Immortal - "Withstand The Fall Of Time"
: I know this technically violates the "no songs longer than 8 minutes" rule, but I can't help myself!
Plus, the heaviness is pretty solid throughout, so if you're lazy, you don't need to listen to the last minute or so.
Though why wouldn't you?...
Mid 9. Always enjoy the more moody feel black metal can bring to the table.
Huh, I've never heard "Middle eastern metal" before. Despite my dislike of the vocal style, that was quite neat. It's kind of tough to rate, because the vocals and drums sounded like something you'd hear at Level 9 while the relatively melodic and low-mixed guitar sound is closer to Level 7. I'll split the different and give it an 8.
Solid 6, IMO- and the Metallica bumps it up a bit more. Classic tune, incidentally, Killing Joke are awesome- didn't know you liked 'em...
Anyways:
Godflesh - "Xynobis"
: Have some of the heavier Industrial Metal that's not too obviously Death Metal or Black Metal influenced.
Terrifying...
And great.
That's a 7, I'd say- lo-fi production and a relatively fast tempo (not to mention the vocals by the ever-impressive Glenn Danzig). It's a Hardcore Punk classic.
Play it loud!
On the subject of Danzig, and in honor of Halloween:
Danzig - "Twist Of Cain"
: One of my favorites by him.
6.5 - One of those bands that always skirted really close to the edges of earlier metal but never quite got there.
edited 2nd Nov '14 7:08:05 PM by StillbirthMachine
Only Death Is RealIt's a little hard to tell. It's melodic enough to be at a 9, but fast enough for a 10. I'd say 9½. Great song, BTW.
Danzig - Long Way Back From Hell
I keep a playlist of hard rock songs bordering on metal, and straight-up metal (which I'll allow to get down to a low 6 on the scale when it comes to older bands that still have a certain metallic edge to them). I'm not sure where to place this one (I stuck Am I Demon
on that list because of the riff being fast enough to count).
6.5 - Doesn't sound too far away from Witchfinder General or Trouble at points.
edited 3rd Nov '14 5:06:23 PM by StillbirthMachine
Only Death Is Real

I'd say a 4- they got a bit higher once they added the aforementioned twin leads. Still good stuff though...
Have some more 70s Proto-Metal stuff, this time an ubscure one:
Armageddon - "Paths and Planes And Future Gains"
: one of those Proto-Metal bands from the early 70s who only did one record (like Night Sun, Blackwater Park- who the Opeth album is named for- and Granicus), but it's a damn good one, IMO.