In Flames

Sweden has consistently provided the world with exemplary music. Even better, the music isn’t restricted to a single genre but can vary in its forms: from the Swedish House Mafia and Avicii who provide the soundtracks to major dance music festivals, to ABBA, the sensational pop music band that took the world by storm in the ’70s, to lesser-known Swedish folk genres like polka, schottische, waltz, Polska and mazurka.

Who Are In Flames?

Not only are they Swedish, but also, they are legendary alternative metal musicians who churned out the first Melodic Death Metal hits. What you may be most familiar with is Come Clarity, a 2006 ballad that peaked at No.67 on the charts. The band is currently composed of 5 members: Bjorn Gelotte the lead guitarist, Anders Friden who could charm a snake with his vocals, Niklas Engelin, Bryce Paul and Tanner Wayne on the drums.

A Little In Flames History

You can’t get more death metal than hailing from a place called Gothenburg! Yes, that’s where the band’s members come from, in Sweden, for those who are looking for an out-of-body escapade! This band was responsible for the offset of the Melodic Death Metal genre along with two other bands, Dark Tranquillity, and At the Gates. Interestingly, they were all band members in one band at some point.

Are In Flames Worth Listening To?

Yes. The band released an album on the 1st of March 2019 named, “I, the Mask”. Before it, they released 2 songs that were to be in the album itself named, “I Am Above” and “(This Is Our) House”. You would do yourself a favor listening to “I, The Mask”, seeing as it’s better acclaimed than “(This Is Our) House” which, apparently, is too Metalcore. Fans say their best work is, “The Jester Race” from 1995.

Nightwish

Symphonic metal music doesn’t get any better than that played by the Finnish group Nightwish. The group was formed in 1996; it took a little time to become recognised outside of Finland but their success was guaranteed from the second album, Oceanborn, onward. Read on to discover more about this intriguing band and their different genre of music.

Symphonic Metal Music

Nightwish, one of the best selling bands in Finland, has produced 14 albums, six live and 8 in the studio. Their genre of music is a sub-genre of traditional heavy metal. Here, the drums and guitars of heavy metal are combined with aspects of orchestral music. Nightwish tends to use female operatic voices and keyboards to create their epic music, a style that is complex and layered as well as theatrical.

The Band Today

The band members have changed over the years, but the originator of the band, Tuomas Holopainen, remains with Nightwish as the keyboardist and songwriter. Dutch soprano Floor Jansen performs lead vocals. The guitarist is Emppu Vuorinen, and bass guitar is provided by Marco Hietala, who also provides vocals. Drumbeats are sounded out by Kai Hahto. The distinctive uilleann pipes are played by Troy Donockley.

A Different Sound

Nightwish has had their music describe as symphonic metal, folk metal, power metal and gothic metal. Whatever genre you care to name their music its haunting yet dramatic presentation remains in with you long after the playing has stopped. Their trademark use of female vocalists and the distinctive keyboard and pipes sounds have helped sell over 9 million records making them Finland’s most successful band worldwide.

Heavy Metal Music for Scientific Thinking

Ever thought that heavy Metal music could promote or even wire your thinking in a scientific way? Well, professors from the University of Canada think so. In a recently published article by Prof Rodney Schmaltz- Department of Psychology at McMaster University, he urges that disturbing images and graphic featured predominantly in heavy Metal music could challenge the students way of thinking to a more scientific one.

Music Preference And Problematic Behavior

In his research, the good professor digs into some earlier crime cases where criminals had a liking for this type of music and their crimes linked to it. In his submissions, Schmaltz finds biases in thinking in almost every case he does an analysis on. He advocates for scientific thinking in the handling of the cases and dismisses that their music preference could have had an influence on the crimes they committed.

Using Cialadini Approach

Applying the Cialadini approach in solving this mystery, educators and care givers can, therefore, frame a discussion around the music and dismiss several fallacies that have previously been floated. For instance, it is believed that there is a casual link between harm and metal music. This could be discussed in terms of the antiquitatem and argumentum fallacy.

Final Thoughts – Heavy Metal Music

Taking the scholar’s school of thought to consideration, it would be correct to say that heavy metal music does not poison one’s mind. Instead, it promotes a scientific way of thinking in the way they view issues. Further to this, there is no direct correlation between a criminally inclined mind and Heavy Metal Music.

Who Invented Heavy Metal?

Heavy metal started as a new age type of rock music. It brought a whole new look, sound, and feel to rock. This music genre increased the tempo and played drums faster, making it a little different from rock music. Heavy metal started to develop in the 1960s primarily in the United Kingdom. The pioneers of heavy metal are believed to be Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath bands.

The Spread of Heavy Metal

The three band groups were created in 1968 and soon after being formed, they attracted a wide audience, most of whom were fascinated by the new genre. In the 1970s, after the impressive blueprint that was laid down by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, American bands joined the industry and modified heavy metal, making it more accessible to a broader audience. The typical instruments used in heavy metal are electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums.

Heavy Metal Use in Song Lyrics

The word heavy metal was first used in a song lyric as a reference to a motorcycle present in the Steppenwolf song titled “Born to Be Wild.” The lyrics read “I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder.” Since then, the word has been used in several contexts. The number of people who love this music has also increased.

Heavy Metal Continues to Thrive

Heavy metal is a music genre that developed from rock music in the United Kingdom before it spread to other parts of the world. The UK and the US remain the largest makers of heavy metal music. They are also the regions where the music is more popular. Fans of heavy metal use different names to refer to themselves, including headbanger, hesher, and metal head.

Keep Calm And Listen To Heavy Metal

Extreme heavy music can calm your soul. Studies indicate that metal music can go a long way in influencing you positively and inspiring calmness rather than eliciting anger. Lyrical themes of isolation, anxiety and depression may be very instrumental in processing negative feelings as well as assisting you in getting a positive state of mind.

Heavy Metal Music Makes You Calmer

Researchers from Australia’s University of Queensland, subjected 39 lovers of extreme metal music to a lab experiment. By asking them about the types of frustrations they underwent, the scientists measured their heart rates. On the other hand, another group was subjected to extreme music. Instead of increasing anger, it was noted that the music inspired and calmed them to a large extent since their heart rates were relatively slower.

Metal Music Regulates Sadness

From this research activity, it was found that the music regulated sadness and consequently enhanced positive feelings as well. In her report of the research, Leah Sharman notes that music helped the participants to explore the gamut of their emotion fully while leaving them highly inspired and calmed. Sharman and her co-researcher continue to make strides in seeking more positive angles of heavy metal music.

Playlists Chosen by Participants

One interesting thing that the researchers found was that participants in the study chose music that had a heavy theme as opposed to soft metal music. This is an indication that more and more people find heavy metal music soothing. Notably, this music enhanced their happiness and reduced stress and anger in most of the participants.

Judas Priest

judas priest leather jacket picture

Judas Priest, with Rob Halford as frontman, is a heavy metal band from the UK. The Metal God, with his bald head and a lightning bolt tattooed on one side, is easily recognizable with his black leathers. This is the classic attire of Judas Priest, complete with a long leather coat designed by Ray Brown, the creator of most of the band’s stage clothes.

A Classic Heavy Metal Band

The English heavy metal band was formed in West Bromwich way back in the year1969, and this means that they have celebrated their 50th anniversary to date and have also sold over 50 million copies of their albums. Screaming for Vengeance was their 8th studio album and this alone sold in excess of 5 million units around the world and double platinum in the USA.

Judas Priest’s Popularity Surges

Since its formation, Judas Priest has seen many band members come and go and their popularity grow. The band originally had 4 members – guitarist Ernest Chataway, John Partridge on drums, Al Atkins as the vocalist and Bruno Stapenhill as bassist. Black Sabbath producer Rodger Bain saw their debut album being released in February 1970 and their Paranoid album written about the same time.

Fifty Years and Still Rockin’

Judas Priest had a time of lean years and then in 1996 they came back into circulation. Unfortunately, in 2011 the founding member Downing left the band and was replaced by Richie Faulkner. There has been friction in the bank and now current guitarist, Glenn Tipton, diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease wouldn’t be touring with the band with their Firepower World Tour.

Slayer

Slayer scream pictureSlayer is an American thrash metal band which came into the existence in 1981. Three thrash metal enthusiasts, Tom Araya, Kerry King, and Jeff Hanneman were responsible for the band’s formation. Slayer’s had a dynamic music style which made it one of the “big four” founders of metal thrash bands along with Anthrax, Metallica and Megadeth. Slayer’s band presently comprises of King, Tom Araya, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt.

Controversial Thrash Metal Legends

Slayer had its fair share of controversies, lawsuits and criticism owing to its aggressive musical style. The band’s themes often revolved around sensitive issues like murders, necrophilia, Satanism, Nazism, human experimentation, etc. In 1996, a lawsuit was filed against the band and its dangerous lyrics by the parents of a teen named Elyse Marie Pahler, who was raped and murdered by three fans of Slayer in the name of sacrifice to the devil. However, the lawsuit was dismissed.

Slayer – Early Days

During the Slayer’s early days, the band had no funds to support its recording budget. Tom Araya, one of the two permanent members of the Slayer’s till date, gave-up his savings while Kerry King’s father provided the rest for their first recording. Their first album, “Show No Mercy,” was released in December 1983, generating huge underground buzz with its aggressive musical style.

Rising To Fame

Since its formation, Slayer’s has released over 12 studio albums, one cover album, 2 extended plays, 2 live albums, and 6 music videos. The band has received five Grammy nominations and four US Golden Certifications till date. Slayer’s fame in thrash metal certainly rose to new highs after it won two Grammy Awards in the category of “Best Metal Performance” for “Eyes of the Insane” and “Final Six,” both written for the album “Christ Illusion,” in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Deep Purple

Heavy metal music has been around for decades, and its gradual shaping was largely influenced by the Deep Purple band. Formed in the 1970’s, this band prides itself in having shaped the rock and metal music industry and has won several accolades in the same respect. In 1975, the band went into the Guinness book of records as the most powerful band ever.

Deep Purple all Five

History of Deep Purple Band

Official records indicate the band members first came together in 1968 in Herford. They later joined to form a band in 1970. The band did heavy metal performances and with time they changed their musical style to modern rock. Chris Curtis, a professional drummer is said to have been the first member to come up with the initiative. His initiative materialised after contacting a local businessman who would later bring other band members together. Most members have since passed on.

Most Influential Band

Having been in the industry for decades, and made several debuts too, this band has been ranked as one of the most influential bands ever formed on the planet. Highly recognized for the electrifying heavy metal performances, the group received the Legend Award in 2008. Members present during the award included Coverdale, Evans, Hughes, Blackmore, Lord, Paice and Glover.

Other Deep Purple Awards

Success is always rewarding and after decades of toiling, the band was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the year 2016. The band also received the Innovator Award in 2011 at the Classic Rock Awards in the UK. In 2012, the group’s Made in Japan album was ranked as the sixth best live music album of all time.

History of the Black Sabbath

This was a heavy metal band founded in Birmingham. The band was created in 1968 by a group of people; Ozzy Osbourne(singer), Bill Ward(drummer), Tony Iommi(songwriter) and Geezer Butler (lyricist). They are quoted as innovators of heavy metal music.The band started as Polka Tulk Blues then they changed their name to Earth. Later Earth g developed problems and the members parted ways.In 1969 Earth reformed as Black Sabbath.

Ozzy Osbourne’s History

Ozzy Osbourne is originally known as John Michael. He was an English writer and songwriter. In 1970’s he was recognised as the head vocalist of Heavy Metal Band due to his legendary skills. Around 1979 he lost his job and went on to develop his music alone. Ozzy Osbourne made 11music albums, of which 7 were recognised and awarded in the USA. Osbourne later joined the Black Sabbath band again on several instances and recorded album 13.

Ozzy Osbourne’s Achievements

Ozzy Osbourne made a lot of millions from selling albums in Black Sabbath and albums from his own singles.He also took advantage of his Brummie accent to develop an acting career and received awards and recognitions from Holywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham Walk of Stars.In 2002 Osbourne and his family started a reality on MTV, popularly known as the ”The Osbournes”

What Other Achievements Did Ozzy Make?

Osbourne received several awards for his great contribution to music. In I994, he received a Grammy award for the track “I Don’t Want to Change the World”.He received the award for Godlike Genius during the 2004 NME Awards.In 2008 he was crowned the most prestigious Living Legend. In 2010 he won the Literary Achievement honour for his memoir, ”I Am Ozzy”.He is really a legend as Black Sabbath Member and at the face of the world.

Guns N’ Roses – Unknown Facts

Guns N’ Roses is an American band that shook the world in 80’s with their music. They had more than 100 million records sold worldwide and were named as the most dangerous band in the world by their fans. The name itself was formed by the amalgamation of two previous bands, Axl Rose’s called Hollywood Rose and Tracii’s L.A. Guns, hence the name Guns N Roses.

Axl Rose – The Legend

Axl Rose (the lead singer) was born as William Bruse Rose Jr. He was born in Indiana but moved to Los Angeles in the 80’s to proceed with his music career, and he for sure did! Did you know that while shooting ”November Rain” he made everyone leave the studio? He spent 8 days creating the song, living on pizza, and sleeping. Dedication at its finest!

Did You Know?

Before being a Los Angeles music star, did you know that Axl used to be broke? He used to be a part of a medical study where he would smoke cigarettes and get paid $8. In time he became lucky and found his true calling. But was not so brilliant at picking names. Did you know that GnR was super close to being named AIDS and Heads of Amazon?

Guns N Roses – Legendary Band

Being a hardcore rock band back in the 80’s was tough, but it all turned out right for Guns N Roses. If it wasn’t for Axl who quit the medical job and his dedication to November Rain, would they be even big as they are right now? Also, let’s not forget that the band’s infamous name could have been ruined if they went with those less fancy options.

Guns N Roses the Online Casino Slot Machine

As soon as last year, the game provider Net Entertainment bought the rights to release a slot machine based on the legendary band. The Slot machine was an instant hit, there had not been any slot created that had a rock-theme before them and the casino players really loved it. According to the website casivo.co.uk the slot is stated as one of the best casino games of all times, especially when played on a mobile platform. You can try out the game for yourself on any of the gambling sites in the uk.