Map Of Metal: Class Is In Session

It might not settle the ageless argument of who was the first “heavy metal” band, but if you’re anything like us and like to explore the provenance of metal, then you need to check out MapOfMetal.com. Just make sure that you have nothing to do for a few hours because once you start browsing, you might end up like a World of Warcraft gamer pissing in a diaper. Not that the Map of Metal is NSFW, but we recommend that you avoid the site while at work as we don’t want to be held responsible for your lost productivity.

So let’s break the Map of Metal down a little. It starts in the pre-metal era of Garage Rock, Blues Rock, and Psychedelic Rock before leading you to Heavy Metal and stating in its summary that it “developed in the late ’60s and early ’70s.” While you have to draw a line and start somewhere, it could be argued by any metaller who studied music appreciation 101 or watched Sam Dunn’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey that metal’s roots can be traced back to Richard Wagner or Beethoven or Bach. And even then, we could discuss, perhaps, the bowels-of-hell conception of heavy in terms of the tritone, or diabolus in musica if you prefer.

In addition to branching off further into Progressive Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, Neo-Classical Metal, U.S. Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Industrial Metal, Metalcore, Trance Metal, Melodic Death, Nu Metal, Stoner Metal, Groove Metal, and much, much more, the Map of Metal gives a brief description and history of each subgenre and a streaming playlist for you to listen to. It’s an education at the very least, and getting lost in a site like this is what separates fans from casual listeners.

Rock Hard!