1970: Also known as “the beginning”. Sure, there were bands who explored harder and heavier sounds throughout the late 60s. Many appear on this list. But it was the distant sound of church bells through a raging thunderstorm which signaled the birth of heavy metal proper (February 13, 1970 to be exact). In today’s top 10, we examine Black Sabbath (spoiler alert) and eight other bands whose musical contributions got the metallic wheels turning. “Oh lord yeah!”
10. Sir Lord Baltimore – Kingdom Come
Combining the thick, doom-laden riffs of Black Sabbath and primal, punkish fury of The Stooges, Sir Lord Baltimore cemented their reputation as the first true American metal band. There’s nothing bluesy on here. Nothing psychedelic. Nothing you can dance to, unless you’re a mental patient. Perhaps that’s why they never caught on with the general public. Kingdom Come is equal parts savage and schizophrenic, a musical diamond in the rough. While its place in metal history can’t be overstated, this album is for experienced freakers only. Sir Lord Baltimore would release a self titled follow up in 1971, before breaking up in 1972. There was a brief attempt at resurrection in the mid 2000s that was met by little fanfare. Unfortunately, co-founding members John Garner (vocals, drums) and Louis Dambra (guitars) have since passed away. Had they reunited a few years later alongside fellow pioneers Pentagram and Bang, who knows the reception they would’ve received?
9. Cactus – Cactus
What do you do after three years of performing psychedelic, acid soaked, half speed covers of Top 40 hits? If you’re Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, you start anew with a loud, sweaty, balls out blues rock band, Cactus. Their self titled debut features two amped up blues standards (“Parchman Farm”, “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover”) and six all original barn burners. The riffs are infectious, the bass is rumbling, the drums are explosive, and singer Rusty Day screams his heart out from beginning to end, sounding like America’s answer to Steve Marriott. 50 years on and we’re still vibing to the grooves of Cactus.
8. Lucifer’s Friend – Lucifer’s Friend
Of the three organ driven bands on this list (more on the other two later), none were as dark, sinister, and outright metal than Lucifer’s Friend. The band’s name alone is enough to send shivers down your spine. If Sir Lord Baltimore is the first American metal band, Lucifer’s Friend is the first German metal band (sorry Scorpions). You can’t help but do some double takes while listening to this Teutonic masterpiece. “Ride the Sky” features guitar work more in line with the NWOBHM, which was nearly a decade down the pipeline. And maybe it’s me, but the riffs on “Lucifer’s Friend” sound just a bit similar to Judas Priest’s “Victim of Changes”. Coincidence? In the words of William Shakespeare, “Greatness knows itself.”
7. Mountain – Climbing!
I know what you’re thinking. “Really? The “Mississippi Queen” guys?” If that’s the first thing you thought, do yourself a favor and listen to the other 7 tracks that make up Climbing! Do you really think Leslie West earned the nickname “The Great Fatsby” off his large stature alone? Listen to that tone! Where Cream left off, their kid American cousins Mountain picked up. Climbing! is a full blown fuzz fiesta. To this day, scientists are trying to figure out the exact weight of the riff to “Never in My Life”. It may very well be the heaviest object in the universe. Far out dude!
6. Grand Funk Railroad – Closer to Home
When Grand Funk Railroad released their third album, Closer to Home, they were the biggest band on the planet. In a world fresh without John, Paul, George and Ringo, a lost generation clung on to Mark, Don, and Mel. From the shrapnel burst of “Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother” (the greatest riff Iommi never wrote), to the closing, symphonic bombast of the Vietnam anthem, “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”, Closer to Home is a lean, “Mean Mistreater” of a heavy rock album with no filler in sight. It’s no wonder Grand Funk gained the rabid following they did. Here were three guys from Flint, Michigan, armed with only their instruments and their words, speaking truth to a country who desperately needed it. Preachers and politicians be damned.
5. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin III
I debated adding this. For one, there’s only two legitimate metal songs (“Immigrant Song”, “Out on the Tiles”). The others range from passionate blues rock to acoustic folk meanderings. That said, you can’t talk about 1970 without talking about Led Zeppelin III. The last album to so effortlessly interlock rock and folk music was The Beatles’ Rubber Soul (1965). III displays a side of the band that was not only unheard of, but unimaginable. Could the gentle, soothing voice on “That’s the Way” really belong to the same man who a year earlier told us, “I’m gonna give ya every inch of my love.”? Alas, it took just one album for Robert Plant to go from one citrus fruit (“The Lemon Song”) to another (“Tangerine”). Only this time, the lyrics weren’t nearly as overt and obscene.
4. Uriah Heep – …Very ‘eavy …Very ‘umble
It’s easy to draw comparisons between Uriah Heep and Deep Purple. Both bands made heavy use of organs, were led by enigmatic guitar wizards, and boasted singers equipped with multi-octave ranges. However, there’s a difference. Deep Purple had one singer. Uriah Heep had five. The ghoulish choir heard on “Gypsy” and “Bird of Prey” added an extra layer of heaviness to the already deadly combination of organ and guitars. Heep would find their footing on future releases, exploring more progressive and acoustic territory. But its the untamed beast heard on …Very ‘eavy that won the hearts of headbangers all over the globe.
3. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
By the time Black Sabbath released Paranoid in September of 1970, any blues or jam rock tendencies heard on the debut were gone. Sabbath had fully accepted and assumed their status as the de facto godfathers of metal. Iommi’s riffs are much more metallic in nature, reflecting the doom and gloom explored in the lyrics. From the Vietnam War (“War Pigs”), to drugs (“Fairies Wear Boots”, to depression (“Iron Man”), to all three combined in one song (“Hand of Doom”), Paranoid left no stone unturned. It was glimpse into the dark underbelly that was (and in some areas, still is) post-WW2 England: steel factory smog and all.
2. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
While Paranoid is the heavier of the two Sabbath albums released in 1970, I feel their self titled debut is more consistent. Black Sabbath was recorded in a day. These four lads from Birmingham were under insurmountable pressure to get their point across. And boy did they get it across. Humanity as a whole pales in the shadow cast by Iommi’s opening riff to “Black Sabbath”. No matter how extreme and brutal metal has become in its half century long evolution, it all comes back to this album. It’s got the riffs, the lyrics, and the imagery that would become synonymous with the genre. Black Sabbath is undisputedly heavy metal ground zero.
- Deep Purple – Deep Purple in Rock
Sabbath may have been the first to do it, but they weren’t the finest of 1970. No, that title belongs to the freshly revamped psychedelic rock outfit, Deep Purple. Purple spent the better part of the late 60s as England’s answer to Vanilla Fudge, dishing out psychedelic covers of Top 40 hits. But a new decade signaled the arrival of a new band with a new sound. I could only imagine the look of shock upon the faces of the flower children who picked up in Rock the day it came out. Goodbye “Hush”. Hello “Speed King”. If Black Sabbath laid the groundwork for the stoner/doom scene, Deep Purple laid the groundwork for the traditional metal band as we know it.
The ferocious riffing and soloing heard on “Bloodsucker”, “Into the Fire”, and “Hard Lovin’ Man” would be imitated by guitarists from the NWOBHM to thrash and beyond. Ian Gillan’s eardrum shattering screams tear through the speakers, beating, battering, and bloodying us eight ways to Sunday. And like almost every album on this list, in Rock wouldn’t be complete without an ode to the war. Clocking in at a little over 10 minutes, “Child in Time” is arguably the first metal epic, paving the way for “Beyond the Realms of Death”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Melissa”, and countless other opuses. 50 years later, we’re still closing our eyes and bowing our heads at the magnificence of Deep Purple in Rock.
Honorable Mentions
- Frijid Pink – Frijid Pink
- Humble Pie – Humble Pie
- Mott the Hoople – Mad Shadows
- Trapeze – Medusa
- Wishbone Ash – Wishbone Ash