22-03-2009, 10:57
The question of how to get started in metal is a good one for which every half-deaf metal veteran thinks they have the perfect answer. Just jumping in and seeing what works for you is one way to avoid our self-indulgent advice, but you can easily spend a lot of money spinning your wheels, and get the wrong impression, especially considering a lot of what qualifies as "metal" these days.
Everybody has their list of favorites which can get quite personal and specific. These are not necessarily my favorites, or even the best of the classics, but rather a sampler of half-decent, well-worn tunes to get you started.
Roots
Before you do anything metal-related, you should know these pre-metal standards by heart, and be able to sing them with confidence while driving your car or making an idiot of yourself at parties:
Led Zeppelin: "Whole Lotta Love", "Immigrant Song", "Kashmir"
Black Sabbath: "Children of the Grave", "War Pigs"
Jimi Hendrix: "Voodoo Child" (Optional, but highly recommended)
Cream: "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (Optional, but highly recommended)
Basic Metal
Judas Priest: "Victim of Changes", "Breaking the Law", "Electric Eye".
Iron Maiden: "Number of the Beast", "Hallowed Be Thy Name".
Metallica: "Master of Puppets", "Sanitarium", "Fade to Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls".
Megadeth: "Symphony of Destruction"
Pantera: "Walk"
Once you've heard the above, you'll find your way to the rest, and be able to make intelligent, educated decisions about what metal works for you, if any. Good luck, and stay away from rap. :-)
Everybody has their list of favorites which can get quite personal and specific. These are not necessarily my favorites, or even the best of the classics, but rather a sampler of half-decent, well-worn tunes to get you started.
Roots
Before you do anything metal-related, you should know these pre-metal standards by heart, and be able to sing them with confidence while driving your car or making an idiot of yourself at parties:
Led Zeppelin: "Whole Lotta Love", "Immigrant Song", "Kashmir"
Black Sabbath: "Children of the Grave", "War Pigs"
Jimi Hendrix: "Voodoo Child" (Optional, but highly recommended)
Cream: "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (Optional, but highly recommended)
Basic Metal
Judas Priest: "Victim of Changes", "Breaking the Law", "Electric Eye".
Iron Maiden: "Number of the Beast", "Hallowed Be Thy Name".
Metallica: "Master of Puppets", "Sanitarium", "Fade to Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls".
Megadeth: "Symphony of Destruction"
Pantera: "Walk"
Once you've heard the above, you'll find your way to the rest, and be able to make intelligent, educated decisions about what metal works for you, if any. Good luck, and stay away from rap. :-)
