Everyone has their own opinion, as to what they consider was/is the “greatest moment” of Heavy Metal history. I have mine and it is Quiet Riot creating and achieving the first #1 Heavy Metal album, Metal Health, to reign on the Billboard album charts. This was 1983 and I remember it all so vividly. To have a Heavy Metal band represent us Metalhead fans this way, was truly a profound moment… for me. No other Heavy Metal album before Metal Health went to #1. Amazing.
The world knew then… that Heavy Metal was forever accessible within the mammoth antagonistic world known as… the mainstream. Yes, Heavy Metal has and will forever rule the underground, only Quiet Riot made certain that the mainstream and its album charts would never be the same again.
A short time ago, I contacted several world known musicians who are making a living by creating and playing our beloved Heavy Metal. I posed the same question to each musician: “What do you consider is/as the “greatest moment” in Heavy Metal history and why?” As you shall read below, their answers are all unique and makes for some downright fun Heavy Metal discussion!
Without question, these talented and admirable musicians are forever historically part of Heavy Metal. They live for Heavy Metal. They are continuously contributing to our beloved genre with blood, sweat and tears. I thank them all for it. I also thank each musician below for taking the time, from their busy schedules, to participate in this feature on Heavy Metal. Each and every one of ’em… ROCKS! Hell yes, they do.
_________________________________________________
Louis St. August of MASS –
“Very tough question but for me I would have to say it was when I started to see some of my favorite Rock Gods appear on Television. At ten years old I would sneak downstairs and stay up to one in the morning and watch “Don Kirshners Rock Hour” in the early seventies and catch the likes of Ted Nugent, T.Rex, Grand Funk Railroad, Brownsville Station and KISS.
Then it was The Midnight special with Black Oak Arkansas, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick and Aerosmith. The eighties brought us “Headbangers Ball” to MTV with Ratt, Motely Crue, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Dio, etc..
Great time and memories! Simply my favorite era in Heavy Metal History!”
_________________________________________________
Kev Moore of BC Sweet, Christie, Witch Cross –
“The greatest “personal” moment for me in Metal history was hearing the opening bars of ‘Burn’ by Deep Purple for the first time in ’74 and the subsequent onslaught of the songs on that album. It had a huge effect on me. Very close to that would be the unbelievable ‘comeback’ by AC/DC following Bon Scott’s death. Who saw ‘Back in Black’ coming? Not me!”
_________________________________________________
AC Alexander of LIZZY BORDEN –
“I would consider one of the greatest moments in Heavy Metal history to be the addition of distortion/overdrive to amplifiers. It is one of the underlying connections between every Metal/Rock band. Think about some of the biggest riffs ever written in this genre, how would they sound without it?”
_________________________________________________
Gordon Brown – (ex) IRON CLAW & Solo Artist –
“I’ve pondered this for quite some time now and there are so many things I could say, however, there can be only one really and it’s the formation of Cream. They led the way for all those who wanted to open their musical minds and all of the bands that followed did exactly that.”
_________________________________________________
BOBBY K of 13 –
“Stone, Great question! Hmm… I gave it some serious thought and the one thing that keeps poppin in my head is the fact that Black Sabbath had the balls to record that…”Devils Chord” and I believe it is a diminished 5th minor chord as in the opening to the song Black Sabbath. That chord paved the way for Metal!”
From what I’m to understand, all the great composers ie…Bach, Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven avoided playing that chord in fear of being labeled a Heretic! Hence we have what the Bible Thumpers call…The Devils Music…Horns Up!! Oh yea….and MC5 for saying live “Kick out the jams Mother Fukkerz!” Go figure, a Detroit Band pulled that one off!”
_________________________________________________
Masaki Murashita of Hemoptysis –
“Let’s say the 80s was the greatest moment because that’s when all of the great Metal legends were putting out awesome timeless records. I was born around that time and I wasn’t there, so I wish I was in a part of the scene to witness it.”
_________________________________________________
Giancarlo Floridia of Faithsedge –
“Wow, that is a good question man, I mean hmm, I honestly have no clue!” (laughs).
___________________________________
LONG LIVE HEAVY METAL.
METAL BE THY NAME.
Stone.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.