Loudwire Gear

"I like smoke and lightning...heavy metal thunder..." Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf
And thus in 1968, the phrase "Heavy Metal" was born. Arguably, the song itself may very well qualify as one of the first examples of this new breed of high-energy rock 'n' roll music. Consider the overdriven guitar and organ tones; the snarling vocals; and the pounding bass and drums. Read more

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Charvel USA Guthrie Govan Signature HSH with Case

As a preeminent modern virtuoso, U.K. guitar master Guthrie Govan dazzles all who hear his playing. Charvel spent two years of meticulous development with Govan to first introduce his Guthrie Govan signature model ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 2 ratings.

Price: $4,081.62
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Zildjian K Custom Dark Value Added Cymbal Set Free 18" Value $319.95

K Custom Dark cymbals are known for their warm, rich sound that cuts through and sings out. Overhammering on top of the cymbal provides slightly dry, trashy overtones. This pack is comprised of the most popular ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 8 ratings.

Price: $2,680.00
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$1,019.95

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PRS MT 15 Mark Tremonti Signature Guitar Amp Head

The MT 15 produces massive tone in a low wattage amp. Whether recording, practicing, writing, or playing a small room, this amp has everything you need. The MT 15 is a commanding two channel amp with balanced ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 10 ratings.

$551.95 - $649.00

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Drum Workshop Design Series 5 Piece Acrylic Shell Kit Drum Set

Design Series is a DW kit through and through. From the mini Turret lug, to Remo USA-made Suede 'outline' logo heads, to a sleek silver and white badge, its looks are fresh and decidedly familiar. Add to that ...
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars. 7 ratings.

Price: $2,499.99
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Orange OB1-500 Bass Guitar Amplifier Head

The key to the OB1’s unique sound is a footswitchable Blend circuit which adds a veneer of controllable gain and increased harmonic content to the upper registers of the input signal. The lower frequencies ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 3 ratings.

Price: $1,099.00
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EVH Eddie Van Halen 5150 III 2x12 Guitar Speaker Cabinet

The EVH Eddie Van Halen 5150 III 2x12 Guitar Speaker Cabinet is the ultimate combination of tone, power and portability. Designed to match up perfectly with the EVH 5150 III 50-Watt Head, this cabinet allows for ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 8 ratings.

Price: $666.65
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Marshall JCM1960B 4x12 Straight Guitar Speaker Cabinet
Made in England!

Marshall Speaker Cabinets The only choice for serious musicians. Nothing compares to Marshall cabinets in terms of awesome tone and projection. Both visually and aurally, Marshall 4x12 cabs are indeed ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 10 ratings.

Price: $1,300.00
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EVH Wolfgang USA Edward Van Halen Signature W/Case

EVH brings you the Wolfgang USA Edward Van Halen Signature model, loaded with Eddie Van Halen’s most up-to-date specs along with the classic looks and behemoth sound you’ve come to expect. The ...
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Hartke LH1000 Bass Guitar Amplifier Head

The LH1000 has a classic 12AX7 Class-A tube front-end design with a solid-state output. Trick out the Treble and Bass Shelving to give its warm tone a little edge, or use the brite and limiter switches to further ...
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars. 17 ratings.

Price: $964.98
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PRS Paul Reed Smith CU24 Custom 24 Gen III with Case

The PRS Custom 24 is the original PRS…the guitar Paul Reed Smith took to his first trade show in 1985. A perennial favorite with musicians, the Gen III Custom 24 builds upon the incredible legacy that has ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 2 ratings.

$3,500.00

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Ampeg SVT7 Pro Bass Guitar Amplifier Head

The SVT7 Pro bass amplifier head is the next step in the evolution of Ampeg’s PRO Series: 1000 watts of Ampeg tone at 15 lbs. Ampeg's SVT7 PRO pumps out a ferocious kilowatt of pure Ampeg tone in a compact ...
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars. 18 ratings.

Price: $1,119.99
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ESP LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross Electric Guitar with Case

Distinct graphics and signature James Hetfield tone make the Iron Cross guitar an incredible instrument! ESP LTD loads the guitar with a set of EMG JH Signature active pickups which are clean and clear as well as ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 16 ratings.

Price: $1,713.00
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Tama Imperialstar 6-Piece Accel Driver Meinl Cymbals Nickel Hardware

Tama designed the award-winning Imperialstar line as an affordable, yet durable kit that contains many of the high-end features you'll find in our upper lines. With more than four decades of drum building ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 1 rating.

Price: $1,417.00
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Zildjian SROCKXL S Series Set 14/18/22 Free 20 P0729 T3255 T3240 5AW

After years of research, Zildjian has designed the S Family Rock models that offer volume and projection when you need it most. Larger diameters = more cut and more volume. Zildjian kitted together 14” Rock ...
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$349.95

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Mapex Armory Studioease 6-Piece Fast Size Drum Set

The Armory Series is the latest realization of the Mapex hybrid shell concept. A fusion of birch and maple delivers the ultimate tonal expression, and the SONIClear bearing edge allows the drumhead to sit flat, ...
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Price: $2,143.95
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Sabian AAX RawXplosion Value Added Cymbal Set Brilliant Finish

The Sabian AAX Series Cymbal Package features a combination of AAX X-Plosion Crash cymbals, with X-Celerator hi-hats and AAX Raw Bell Dry Ride. Created with B20 alloy metal, the AAX series delivers the ultimate ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 10 ratings.

Price: $1,456.95
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Orange OBC410 4x10 Bass Speaker Cabinet

The Orange OBC410 4x10 Bass Speaker Cabinet moves some serious air with a focused tone, great low end and clear mids! Orange uses 13 ply high density 18mm birch plywood for optimal tone and durability. The OBC410 ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 3 ratings.

Price: $1,379.00
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EVH 5150III EL34 50 Watt All Tube Guitar Head

With a more modern British-style sound thanks to EL34 power tubes, the 5150III EL34 head yields smooth contours, great sag and saturation than heads loaded with 6L6 tubes! Independent volume and gain control for ...
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars. 11 ratings.

Price: $1,517.23
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Schecter Stiletto Stealth-5 5 String Electric Bass

5-string low end rumble with a killer blacked-out look! The Stiletto Stealth-5 from Schecter features Diamond SuperRock MM and Diamond P pickups with active 2-band EQ for great versatility. The quality of ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 1 rating.

Price: $1,069.00
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Darkglass Alpha Omega Ultra Bass Distortion and Overdrive

As Technology progresses, so does what devices will be able to do to empower musicians’ creativity, and Darkglass’ main goal is exactly that: To push the boundaries of what musicians are able to ...
Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 3 ratings.

$399.95

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One might think this iconic classic was written and recorded by Deep Purple — one of the undisputed pioneers of heavy metal music who would arrive on the scene a bit later. But the story of Heavy Metal doesn’t begin here. Because as we all know, any “new” trend is typically spawned by whatever came before it, right?

Let’s climb into our DeLorean and travel back in time to 1964, when The Kinks released You Really Got Me (later covered on Van Halen’s eponymous debut album, if you need further validation). Then jump ahead to 1965 when The Who unleashed a feedback-laden anthem of youthful rebellion called My Generation on the unsuspecting public. After a quick recharge of the flux capacitor, we find ourselves in 1966 for the release of Cream’s debut Fresh Cream; followed closely by The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s psychedelic rocker Purple Haze in 1967; The Jeff Beck Group’s hard rock-infused blues album Truth in 1968; Blue Cheer’s bombastic cover of Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues, also in 1968; and the 17-minute opus In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, released in…yep…1968. Oh, and let’s not forget about Led Zeppelin’s first vinyl offering released in 1969, which included the aggressive rockers Communication Breakdown and How Many More Times.

Now we’re getting somewhere! But although individual songs by the above-mentioned artists may have qualified as early examples of Heavy Metal Music, no one coalesced its various elements consistently, or completely “owned” the genre as did four working-class lads from Birmingham, UK whose newly-formed band went by the rather ominous name of Black Sabbath. Almost comically — and in what was no doubt an intentional masterstroke of marketing — Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album was released on Friday the 13th, February 1970. Never before had music this dark and aggressive been married with lyrics about the occult, horror, politics, and blue-collar concerns. These guys weren’t just dabbling or experimenting — they totally embraced this new genre they helped create and remained faithful to it throughout the band’s entire existence.

In later years, Heavy Metal music became a bit schizophrenic and splintered off into numerous sub-genres; simultaneously embracing elements of hook-laden mainstream pop while its evil twin became faster, darker, and even more aggressive. 1977 saw the major label debut of Judas Priest and with it, a new leather-bound look that would be adapted by many other heavy metal acts. Almost simultaneously, Van Halen burst on the scene with their eponymous debut album — and the long-haired metal guitar God was born. They were soon joined by other West Coast-based bands like Quiet Riot, Ratt, Mötley Crüe, and W.A.S.P. Most of these new “Hair Metal” bands placed a major emphasis on gender-bending style, outrageous showmanship, catchy hooks, and overblown guitar solos.

Meanwhile, Thrash Metal was spawned by infusing elements of Punk Rock with Heavy Metal, resulting in an onslaught of fast, lower-register, highly aggressive songs that completely eschewed the slick, poppy approach of their Hair Metal counterparts. One notable contributor to the Thrash Metal movement was Slayer, whose 1986 album Reign In Blood is considered to be one of the definitive examples of the genre. Further splintering the Heavy Metal category were Death Metal, Black Metal, Power Metal and Doom Metal — all taking the genre even deeper into darker territory. While not nearly as commercially viable as their Hair Metal counterparts, these bands cultivated a highly-dedicated, hardcore group of fans that exists to this day.

Bringing us into the modern era of Heavy Metal, we now have Metalcore; Djent; Deathcore; Mathcore; and NWOAHM (New Wave Of American Heavy Metal), all incoporating a wide variety of styles that preceded them. One fine example of such an amalgam is A Day to Remember, who successfully mixed Metalcore with Pop Punk, while incorporating elements of Post-Hardcore and Easycore. ADTR has released six albums under the Indianola and Victory banners, with their latest release Bad Vibrations being marketed by their own independent label and Epitaph Records.

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