The Forum Killed Arkay wrote:
Here goes...
There is no Heavy Metal. Not anymore. There used to be, because people used to use the word "Heavy". Now, 'heavy' has about as much impact as 'Groovy', that is, almost none.
I could say that someone has a heavy guitar sound, but it would be less metaphor and more of an analogous descriptor saying that the guitar sounds as if it is being made by a heavy being or machine. So, one might say that Heavy Metal is any music that sounds like it is being made by a heavy being or machine. Nope. Unless its just you saying it to your friends. No one uses the fucking word 'Heavy' the way they used to, outside of music. But, that wasn't always the case. It used to be a variation of 'Cool' and used on clothes, cars, whatever. Now, people will only use it for certain sounds like a guitar or bass, but no one any more says "you're new band certainly has a heavy sound". No one I know of anyway. One might as well say "Lay some of that heavy shit on me my man". Led Zeppelin used to be Heavy Metal. Any young Metal Fan hearing them for the first time today would probably just call it Rock, and if they used the word heavy it would be "They are nowhere near as heavy as about a million other bands".
If there is anything today that is new and resembles what used to be called Heavy Metal, it would be Stoner Rock. But, we've already had that thread here and half the people thought it was Music to Get Stoned To, rather than a synonym of Doom.
Now, "Metal", that's used all the time still today. People who are in Metal Bands want to be known as being in Metal Bands. It might be interesting to poll high school and college kids who are in a Metal Band and ask them if they are in a Heavy Metal Band. I'm predicting rolled eyes and a sigh.
There's still 'heavy metal' as a sub-genre of 'metal', in the same way as thrash- and speed- are sub-genres.
Heavy metal is alive and well, but is somewhat of a throwback.
Metal Hammer magazine regularly uses the term, and not in an ironic way.