Is Heavy Metal Rock'n'Roll?

Sometimes I think it's something entirely different. Rock'n'roll to me is a music breathing with raw energy, be it Elvis, Stones or E Street Band. It doesn't have to be heavy to rock. Brown Sugar and Born to Run are not heavy tracks yet nothing rocks more in my book. Metal relies on artificial heaviness and technical ability plus some where non-rock'n'roll roots like classical, european folk and other epic stuff which is completely alien to rock'n'roll tradition. Some would argue that early Motorhead are definitely rock'n'roll and I would argue with that but overall metal is just a very different beast. Charlie Watts drumming make me move in like 5 second, Lars Ulrich and the likes completely fail to do that. Elvis Costello's rendition of What's So Funny about Peace Love and Understanding fills me with energy like a batter charger while countless double bass drum driven metal puts me to sleep. But anyway, that's not the case of "if it doesn't rock me it's not rock'n'roll". It's just an observation. I know lots of great metal but to it's just not rock'n'roll, it's something else.

 

Heavy metal in what seems to be its purest form is pretty far removed from what we think of as rock n roll. You might be able to argue that it's an extreme, exaggerated, hyper-aggressive version of rock n roll.

 

Some metal, I would consider rock & roll. Some I would not.

Labels are weird and usually meaningless. Just enjoy the music.

 

Of course it is. It's just an evolved form of it. There would be no metal without rock n roll. This is like someone asking if John Coltrane is really Jazz, since he didn't sound like Jelly Roll Morton.

 

In this case, yes!

 

Heavy Metal puts the emphasis on the Rock at the expense of the Roll.

 

Of course they are. But still. Sometimes even within one band you may argue that, say, Dressed to Kill is rock'n'roll and Asylum is not. Or Running Free is rock'n'roll while The Trooper (not to mention the later day stuff) is not.

 

I consider most heavy metal -- w/the thud beat, relentlessly screeching vocals and guitars, as well as the big hair and viking/biker drag -- to be a parody of rock & roll.

R&R never really recovered from the rise of Zep

 

But if you take any modern euro power-sympho-prog metal band it just has NOTHING to do with rock'n'roll whatsoever.

 

Except for punk.

 

Is Heavy Metal Rock'n'Roll?

No, heavy metal is rock.

 

I don't just mean artistically. Metal took over the audience and refused to give it up. When punk came along (in the US) people expected it to be the next big thing and take over. But the US audience was quite happy w/their metal and AOR.

 

R&R was destined to be replaced by rock with or without Zep.

 

I say yes but I know a guy who disagrees...

 

This thread’ll get really interesting once the “heavy metal police” who enforce the metal-ness of everything sees it.

 

Of course it's rock and roll, constant genre-ifying is just semantical silliness. In the end it's all rock and roll.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by artificial heaviness ?

 

Since when does that describe "most metal?"

 

All Metal is Rock & Roll, but not all Rock & Roll is Metal.

Indeed.

 

Metal is a sub-genre of modern rock. To me the term "Rock and Roll" includes 50s on up and tends to be more blues based.

 

I suppose the answer depends on whether one differentiates between "rock" and "rock 'n' roll." So perhaps, or perhaps not. But that doesn't change what it is, so what's the point?

 

It is what you want it to be.

I don't put a lot of into genre and less so, sub-genres. This stuff is made up by pundits. They say stuff. And people just accept it. Pundits also make up terms like Alternative Rock. Which begs the question how is an alternative, if it's included within the larger set? It can't, it's a within a different set. Still this oxymoron exists. Heavy Metal is Heavy Metal. Punk is Punk.

The only thing that can be certain is that it's music.

 

To me the rhythm section tells the story. If it swings it's rocknroll, if it sounds like a jackhammer it ain't. The only heavy metal I know that swings is Black Sabbath.

 

Dunno about metal, but I don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band. That ain't what I call rock 'n' roll.

 

impossible to say really, just try and get a group of folks to agree on what bands are actually heavy metal and you'll know what I mean.

There are two genre's for me - 1.I like it. 2. I don't like it