Heavy Metals popularity is and has been on the rise due to its many bands and increased guitar technology. Since the mid 1960s, when heavy metal spread to the U. S. from England, it has grown in popularity. Many of the first bands that came from Europe came with two intentions; to spread heavy metal to other parts of the world, and to make it grow in popularity. (Ragland 1). Heavy metal is a form of rock n roll music played on electric guitars and amplified to unnatural volume levels. Such effects as feedback, distortion, reverb, and Wah Wah pedals are commonly added to the music.
These effects create completely new sounds, exploiting the possibilities of electric guitars. Most heavy metal music is based on death, Satanism, youth, and teenage rebellion. It is broken into three sub categories; speedcore, thrash metal, and death metal. Heavy metal is the general term for these three categories combined. It is often just called metal. Most heavy metal music is based around the electric guitar. (Ragland 1-2). Guitar technology has changed a lot since the beginning of the rock era. In the early 1950s electric guitars were very expensive and had few capabilities.
Inventions such as wah wah pedals, fuzz boxes, distortion, reverb, and amplifiers have increased the electric guitar’s capabilities of making new sounds and music. The new devices have also made rock music more popular. More among the heavy metal population than the many other branches of rock n roll. (Hewens). Heavy metal music grabs a hold of rocks most rudimentary elements; youth, rebellion, sex, fantasy, and a good time at all costs. It is directed towards the alienation and trauma that plagues adolescent life, particularly among the lives if teenage boys.
They tend to see their lives as controlled by parents and teachers. For many others, it is a way to release frustration and anger. For instance, a heavy metal concert to those who like heavy metal, is not just a musical performance, full of elaborate costumes and settings. It is a community of teenagers who participate in a shared celebration of youth. (Ragland 1-2). Heavy metal tends to be male-oriented, but metal is not exclusive to the male population. Its basic audiences are dominate by white, male teenagers from criminal backgrounds. Women in heavy metal are usually objects of lust.
They are visualized as mothers and teachers, those who torment the lives of young men. They had always been seen that way in heavy metal, since the beginning of the heavy metal era. (Ragland 2). Heavy metal emerged in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Rock music had begun to lose its popularity. It became less persuasive, and more boring than ever. The youth of America had lost its interest in the rock era. This was due to lack of technology and style in music. (Ragland 2-3). In the early 70s, bands started to emerge to America from Britain and some other parts of Europe.
They focused on the electric guitars central position in popular music. Bands such as The Beetles, The Rolling Stones, and Cream, became very popular in the U. S. Thanks to these bands, a rediscovery of the influence of the blues guitar style led to more advanced gadgets made for the guitar (Reverb, Fuzz Boxes, Echo), and a deeper emphasis on exploration and improvisation. (Milward 2). The Who, a band from Britain who came to the U. S. in the mid 1960s, helped create the Hard rock era. Lead guitar player, Pete Townshend, would assault his guitar in a circular motion, thus producing an ear-splitting, teeth grinding power chord.
Lead vocalist Roger Daltry darted like a madman across the stage while throwing his microphone in the air. The group assaulted its audiences with volume and distortion, and sometimes, violence. An example of violence is the act of smashing guitars and amplifiers. (Milward 2-3). The high decipal volume, and distortion of hard rock darkened the imagery of the vocalists. Black Sabbath was one of the very first bands to evolve from hard rock, to heavy metal. Their satanic and doom-like imagery virtually sold the group to millions of young fans. Death, black magic, and Devil worship gave to the youth of the mid 1970s, new behaviors towards music.
The style that Black Sabbath had created, brought fourth new bands, such as Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer. The style that Black Sabbath had created, was Heavy Metal. (Milward 3). Later in time, new metal bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden added more of a background to heavy metal. They wore leather jackets, and brought motorcycles on stage. They made the metal background more gloomy and mystical than ever. Today, there are hundreds of popular heavy metal bands. The most popular are bands such as Metallica, Nine inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth.
Some of these bands, such as Iron Maiden and Metallica have been around since the early 80s, and before. Other bands, such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails are fairly new. (Ragland 1-3). Metallica is one of the most popular heavy metal bands in the world. They formed in 1981, in California. Over the years, they have release 5 successful full-length albums. Their most successful album, Metallica (Commonly called the Black Album) sold over 7 million copies in the U. S. alone. In all, it sold a little over twelve million copies worldwide. It remained on the top 100 albums chart for over four years.
It has proved to be one of the most popular albums in the history of rock n roll. (Sunnerstan). Metallica was the first heavy metal band to win in the Grammy Awards. They won a Grammy for best metal performance from 1989 – 1992. Then at the next Grammy Awards, they won the best metal performance from 1992 – 1994. They helped change the style of heavy metal in 1996 with their release of Load. It brought more of an alternative look to heavy metal. Instead of playing very loudly, and grunting, they used more of a melodic approach to creating their songs. (Sunnerstan).
Iron Maiden was one of the first heavy metal bands to come to the U. S. They formed in London England, in 1976. They named their band after a medieval torture device. Their first album, Iron Maiden, made it to fourth on the charts in Britain. One of their later albums, Piece Of Mind (early 1980s), was very popular in the U. S. It hit number fourteen on the charts. After their tour of FEAR OF THE DARK, they became #1 on the charts in the UK.. Iron Maiden is one of the most popular metal bands. Their albums still battle on the top 100 charts, and they are still gaining popularity.
They are one of the most respected bands in the United Kingdom, and U. S. (Ragland 2-3). Marilyn Manson is one of the most popular heavy metal bands to date. They formed in 1990 with the intentions of exploring the limits of censorship. Their songs are based on anarchy, hate, cruelty, racism, discrimination, Satanism, and sex. Their first album, “Portrait of An American Family,” sold over five million copied worldwide, and 3 million copies in the U. S. alone. (Milward 3-4). Nine Inch Nails is another band with the intentions of exploring the limits of censorship.
They formed in 1988, by Trent Reznor, a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and creative force behind the band. In 1991, Nine Inch Nails released “Broken,” which hit the U. S. top ten, winning a Grammy for best Wish. Their album “Downward Spiral” made it to number ten on the U. S. top ten charts. They were asked to make the soundtrack for Oliver Stones film, “Natural Born Killers. ” Nine Inch Nails is one of the new heavy metal bands to succeed in the music business. (Nine Inch Nails). All of these heavy metal bands are a big reason why heavy metal is so popular today. They helped shape the style, and set the musical boundaries.
If it were not for popular bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden, heavy metal would probably not be as popular as it is right now. (Ragland 1-2). The heavy metal population has grown signifigantly due to its many bands and increased electric guitar technology. Without either of the two, heavy metal wouldnt be what it is today. It would be lacking its popularity. A rose without thorns is very pleasant and wonderful. A rose with thorns on it is beautiful to the eye, but try to take it and you get pricked. Estella is the same way to Pip; she is like a rose with thorns on it.
Though she is beautiful, she can harm others easily. Pip is fooled by her good looks, in fact Estella manages to prick him a lot because he is so attracted to her. Pip is very kind to Estella, even when she is selfish and acting like a snob. Estella is a wicked old thorn. She treats Pip as though he is her servant. When Pip is really nice to her, she pricks him. Estella pricks Pip when they are in the middle of a conversation that she had started. “Am I pretty? Yes, I think you are very pretty Am I insulting? Not as much as you were last time, said I. Not so much so? No. She slapped my face with such force as she had. ”
Estella politely asked Pip if she was pretty, and he answered her honestly and politely. Then she resented his answer and took her feelings out on him. In other words, she pricked him. This selfish snobby act, along with a whole lot of others, makes Pip realize that he is living in a society where people are judged by their wealth. He realizes that he is quite poor, and Estella is quite wealthy. He also begins to look at others the same way Estella looked at him, in fact, Pip wanting to be a gentleman was mostly Estellas fault. Estella becomes more like a rose with thorns on it when she decides to go even further than slapping poor Pip.
She had to make him feel much by asking him if he was going to cry. Even though he did not burst out into tears, he felt really bad within. “Now? said she. You little monster, what do you think of m now? I shall not tell you. Because you are going to tell upstairs. Is that it? No, thats not it. Why dont you cry again you little wretch? ” Estella acts like a 6 year old girl. She accuses Pip of being a tattle-tale and a baby. Pip stands up for himself just a little, but not enough. He was pricked again when Estella tried to make him cry, and acused him of being a tattle-tale.
Although Estella is beautiful to the naked eye, she is mean and selfish when met in person. Having money and everything that she wants makes her more of a witch. When Pip is around Estella, he is under a bad influence. She pricks him every time she gets a chance. Why couldnt she be more like a daisy or a daffodil? They dont have thorns. Great Expectations is the perfect example of what money can do. Money is one of the most powerful things in life. It can make distinctions in class, pervert virtue, sweeten manners, and open up new fields of enjoyment and suspicion.
Money is what makes the world turn round. ” Although that is just a saying, it is somewhat quite true. It brings happiness and misery into peoples lives. In Great Expectations, Pip proves to the reader that money can really make a difference in a person’s life. In the beginning of the story Pip was not wealthy, he was living in poverty. His manners were not as great as a rich person’s, he did not own much of anything, and he was treated poorly because of that. Joe was not wealthy, and nor was Mrs. Joe. They treated Pip like they would anyone else, as an equal.
When he went to Estellas house, she treated him like he was a laboring boy. Just by looking at him, she concluded that she was better than him because he looked poor, and she looked rich. That was the first time Pip didnt look at everyone as an equal. He looked at Estella as being rich, and him being poor. As Pip gets older, he becomes wealthy. He took this for granted and treated the poor as he was once treated so many years ago. He believed that money was power. Estella and Ms Havisham were powerful people through his eyes. He wanted to be more like them. As he became a gentleman, he became more like them.