Sometimes called Classic Metal, Traditional Metal, "True" Metal or just plain old Heavy Metal. This is where it all coalesced. Where Metal started to sound like Metal before it all fractured into subgenres in the mid-eighties. Riff based songs with soaring lead vocals, extended guitar solos, lots of volume and a thick, heavy, sound became the main ingredients in the Heavy Metal mix. Scorn from the critics would also be a mainstay of the genre alongside rabid fans who took little notice. As previously noted, for many of them Metal is their life.
It was the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) in the early 80's that helped popularize Heavy Metal around the world.
Examples: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, AC/DC, KISS, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Manilla Road, Manowar, Omen, Primal Fear.
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