Pop metal

Last updated

Pop metal (sometimes conflated with or used interchangeably with glam metal) is an umbrella term for commercial heavy metal and hard rock styles which feature prominent pop music elements such as catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. It became popular in the 1980s among acts such as Bon Jovi, Europe, Def Leppard, Poison, Mötley Crüe, and Ratt.

Contents

The term is also applied to some bands and artists that have formed since the 1990s that mix aspects of pop and heavy metal into their sound.

Characteristics

Pop metal is a variation of heavy metal which emphasizes catchy pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs. [1] It was influenced by the anthemic choruses of arena rock. [1] While pop metal recordings were often loud, they also featured "slick," radio-friendly production sheen. [1] Bands from the Los Angeles metal scene also borrowed visual elements from 1970s glam rock, leading to the glam metal variation of the late 1980s. [1]

The alternate term "metal pop" was coined by critic Philip Bashe in 1983 to describe bands such as Van Halen and Def Leppard. [2] In the "definitive metal family tree" of his documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey , anthropologist Sam Dunn differentiates pop metal, which includes bands like Def Leppard, Europe, and Whitesnake, from glam metal bands that include Mötley Crüe and Poison. [3]

History

The catchy hard rock of Kiss and Van Halen in the 1970s helped spawn the genre, [1] along with acts such as Thin Lizzy and AC/DC. [4] Van Halen's 1978 debut album marked a turning point in the style, making that sound "flashier, more creative, and more energetic than ever before." [4] The first wave of pop metal, which was not as pop-oriented as later developments, included bands such as Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Dokken, Ratt, and Twisted Sister. [1]

More melodic acts such as Def Leppard and Bon Jovi saw further success in the 1980s with albums like Pyromania (1983) and Slippery When Wet (1986), while the hair metal variation became dominant. [1] The genre's popularity was at its peak between 1982 and 1991. [4] The arrival of grunge in 1991 largely turned audiences away from pop metal. [1]

Despite the decline in popularity, the term "pop metal" is also sometimes applied to a number of rock and heavy metal bands and artists that are usually not associated with glam metal, and have formed since the 1990s, including Amaranthe, [5] Andrew W.K., [6] [7] Architects, [8] Bring Me the Horizon, [9] [10] Coheed and Cambria, [11] [12] Dead by April, [13] Evanescence, [14] Halestorm, [15] [16] Ghost, [17] In Flames, [18] [19] In This Moment, [20] [21] Issues, [22] [23] Lacuna Coil, [24] Poppy, [25] [26] Shinedown, [27] the Pretty Reckless, [28] We Are the Fallen, [29] and Weezer. [30] [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mötley Crüe</span> American heavy metal band

Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. They have also achieved seven platinum or multi-platinum certifications, nine Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, twenty-two Top 40 mainstream rock hits, and six Top 20 pop singles.

Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard rock music was produced by the Kinks, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the late 1960s, bands such as Blue Cheer, the Jeff Beck Group, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Steppenwolf, and Deep Purple also produced hard rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison (band)</span> American glam metal band

Poison is an American glam metal band formed in 1983 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The most successful incarnation of the band consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, bassist Bobby Dall and lead guitarist C.C. DeVille. The band achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s and sold over 40 million records and DVDs worldwide.

Glam metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Def Leppard</span> British rock band

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and mid–1990s.

<i>Shout at the Devil</i> 1983 studio album by Mötley Crüe

Shout at the Devil is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on September 23, 1983. It was the band's breakthrough album, establishing Mötley Crüe as one of the top selling heavy metal acts of the 1980s. The singles "Looks That Kill" and "Too Young to Fall in Love" were moderate hits for the band.

<i>Adrenalize</i> 1992 studio album by Def Leppard

Adrenalize is the fifth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 31 March 1992 through Mercury Records. It is the first album by the band recorded without guitarist Steve Clark, who died in 1991, although most songs were written and partially demoed before his death, they were re-recorded solo by Phil Collen in 1991-1992. It is the only album recorded by Def Leppard as a four-member band. Spawning seven singles, four of them – "Let's Get Rocked", "Make Love Like a Man", "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", and "Stand Up " – were major hits.

<i>Too Fast for Love</i> 1981 studio album by Mötley Crüe

Too Fast for Love is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. The first edition of 900 copies was released on November 10, 1981, on the band's original label Leathür Records. Elektra Records signed the band the following year, at which point the album was remixed and partially re-recorded. This re-release, with a different track listing and slightly different artwork, has become the standard version from which all later reissues derive. The re-recorded album also removed the song "Stick to Your Guns", though it is featured on a bonus track version of the album. The original mix of the album remained unreleased on CD until 2002, when it was included in the Music to Crash Your Car To: Vol. 1 box set compilation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Mars</span> American musician (born 1951)

Robert Alan Deal, known professionally as Mick Mars, is an American musician best known as the former lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He is known for his aggressive, melodic solos and bluesy riffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monsters of Rock</span> Former heavy metal music festival

Monsters of Rock is a hard rock and heavy metal music festival. It was originally held annually in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the United States, and Russia.

<i>Theatre of Pain</i> 1985 studio album by Mötley Crüe

Theatre of Pain is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 1985. Released in the aftermath of lead vocalist Vince Neil's arrest for manslaughter on a drunk driving charge, the album marked the beginning of the band's transition away from the traditional heavy metal sound of Too Fast for Love and Shout at the Devil, towards a more glam metal style.

<i>Girls, Girls, Girls</i> (Mötley Crüe album) 1987 studio album by Mötley Crüe

Girls, Girls, Girls is the fourth studio album by American rock band Mötley Crüe, released on May 15, 1987. The album contains the hit singles "Girls, Girls, Girls", "You're All I Need", and the MTV favorite "Wild Side". It was the band's final collaboration with producer Tom Werman, who had produced the band's two previous albums, Shout at the Devil and Theatre of Pain. Like those albums, Girls, Girls, Girls would achieve quadruple platinum status, selling over 4 million copies and reaching number two on the Billboard 200. The album marked a change to a blues-rock influenced sound, which was met with positive reception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photograph (Def Leppard song)</span> 1983 single by Def Leppard

"Photograph" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It is the lead single from the band's third studio album, Pyromania (1983). Their lead vocalist Joe Elliott has described the song as generally about "something you can't ever get your hands on". When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for six weeks, and No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Michael</span> American record producer and musician

James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, sound engineer, mixer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was the lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The World Tour (Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe)</span> 2023 concert tour by Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe

The World Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by English rock band Def Leppard and American rock band Mötley Crüe, which took place from February through November 2023 in venues across Latin America, Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania. During their previous tour, The Stadium Tour, the members of Def Leppard indicated that a European version of The Stadium Tour would take place in 2023. Tour dates were announced on October 20, 2022; this tour was advertised as The World Tour and confirmed to be a co-headlining tour of Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe. In addition to playing stadiums and entertainment venues, the tour also featured appearances at international music festivals. This was Mötley Crüe's first tour without co-founder and original guitarist Mick Mars, who announced his retirement in October 2022, with John 5 replacing him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fahrenheit (Chilean band)</span>

Fahrenheit was a hard rock band from Santiago, Chile, deeply influenced by 1980s and '70s rock artists such as Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe and Skid Row. °Fahrenheit were well known in the Latin-American rock scene for their intense on-stage performance, energetic sound and guitar solos.

Metal Evolution is a 2011 documentary series directed by anthropologist and filmmaker Sam Dunn and director, producer and music supervisor Scot McFadyen about heavy metal subgenres, with new episodes airing every Friday at 10 pm EST on MuchMore and Saturday at 10pm EST on VH1 Classic. Its origins come from Dunn's first documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, which included the acclaimed "Heavy Metal Family Tree."

Lessdress is a Polish glam metal / hard rock band originally formed under the name Ferrum in Warsaw in 1984. Lessdress is arguably the most successful glam metal band from Poland, having played the largest hard rock and metal festivals in Central Europe including the Przystanek Woodstock festival and opened for among others Def Leppard. Their first two albums are recognized collectors items fetching hundreds of dollars on eBay. Due to high demand, the band reformed in 2007 and their debut album Dumblondes was remastered and re-released the following year by the Australian label Suncity Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stadium Tour</span> 2022 tour by Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe

The Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by English rock band Def Leppard and American rock band Mötley Crüe, taking place in the summer and fall of 2022 in venues across North America. Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts served as the tour's special guests, while Classless Act was the opening band. It was Mötley Crüe's first major tour in seven years, and Def Leppard's first in three years, with the latter touring in support of their twelfth studio album Diamond Star Halos.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Pop Metal". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012.
  2. ↑ D. Weinstein, Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2000), ISBN   0-306-80970-2, pp. 45–47.
  3. ↑ Metal – A Headbanger's Journey, DVD, ASIN B000FS9OZY (2005).
  4. 1 2 3 "36 Essential '80s Pop Metal Tracks". Stereogum . 5 April 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "AMARANTHE - Massive Addictive". bravewords.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "Andrew W.K. Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. ↑ Valentine, Simon (5 September 2021). "Andrew W.K. – God Is Partying (Album Review)". Wall Of Sound. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "THE WEEKLY INJECTION: New Releases From SERJ TANKIAN, BRUTUS & More Out Today 10/21". Metal Injection. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Bring Me the Horizon review – clearly the UK's greatest rock band right now". the Guardian. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ↑ Scarlettpublished, Elizabeth (22 September 2021). "Tom Morello teams up with Bring Me The Horizon for huge new single Let's Get The Party Started". loudersound. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  11. ↑ Reed, Ryan (8 July 2015). "Coheed and Cambria Pause Sci-Fi Concept for New LP". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  12. ↑ Cole, Matthew (12 April 2010). "Review: Coheed and Cambria, Year of the Black Rainbow". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "DEAD BY APRIL Parts Ways With Singer, Announces Replacement". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "Preview: Evanescence enjoys stability on Carnival of Madness Tour". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Stephen Dalton (25 July 2018). "Halestorm - Vicious album review". loudersound. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "RVA Grammy Nominees: How Will They Fare? - RVA Mag". rvamag.com. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  17. ↑ DiVita, Joe. "5 Other Bands Ghost's Tobias Forge Has Been In". Loudwire. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Siren Charms - IN FLAMES". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  19. ↑ Everleypublished, Dave (16 December 2020). ""I'd been preparing for this my whole life": the tragedy and triumph behind the birth of Ghost". loudersound. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  20. ↑ "In This Moment: The Dream, PopMatters". 19 October 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "In This Moment Officially Announce New Album, Stream First Single". MetalSucks. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "Meet Issues, the Metalcore Band Inspired by Katy Perry".
  23. ↑ "Album Review: Issues - 'Beautiful Oblivion'".
  24. ↑ "Album Review: Lacuna Coil's Delirium is a Strong Contender for Best Pop Metal Album of 2016". MetalSucks. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  25. ↑ DiVita, Joe (4 October 2019). "Poppy's Pop Metal Rebirth Continues on New Song 'I Disagree'". Loudwire. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  26. ↑ "Poppy on Her Transformation From 'Internet Project' to Pop-Metal Changeling". SPIN. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  27. ↑ "Shinedown to headline Carnival of Madness". Arkansas Online. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  28. ↑ "The Pretty Reckless". Time Out New York. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "We Are the Fallen covers U2". Entertainment Weekly . 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  30. ↑ Amorosi, A. D. (27 October 2014). "Old partners reunite to polish Weezer". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  31. ↑ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Russonello, Giovanni (23 April 2021). "Weezer's Rock 'n' Roll Nostalgia Trip, and 10 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.