Poll: Is Led Zeppelin Metal?

[thylasos]

While being a foundation-band of metal through a number of their songs, they moved through various styles in their career; early on they're exceptional blues-rock, later becoming hard rock. They're not metal. Sabbath, near the end of the Ozzy era, is the only example of a crossover band which actually became heavy metal.

In my opinion.

 

[dinnerordie17]

,,

 

[Offworlder_v1legacy]

Their not metal, their rock, but the inflence they had on metal is the reason they are so commonly accociated with the genre.

 

[Mr Somewhere]

Yes, they were one of the first, were they not? Not that it matters.

 

[GotMalkAvian]

Led Zeppelin is one of those interesting bands that comes along and falls into a certain genre of music before that genre even really exists. I'd say that Zep is metal for the following reasons:

- Hard guitar riffs
- Vocal style
- Lyrical content

The first true metal band is usually considered to be Iron Butterfly, and Led Zep actually formed the same year that In A Gadda Da Vida released, so timewise they're right there at the start of metal. Like I said before, they came along before metal was an established genre. I think of it the same way that a lot of early to mid-90s punk bands were actually emo before emo was a recognized genre; since Led Zep were metal before metal was recognized, some people will always consider them metal and some will consider them classic rock.

 

[Ham_authority95]

A simple question, but one that has split metal fans forever. Is Led Zeppelin to be classified as heavy metal? I've heard some say they just weren't "metal enough" and others say that they were the start of heavy metal. So what do you think?

Personally, I think they are. Metal is a LARGE genre and Led Zeppelin was the basis of the heavy metal sound in my opinion.

Their riff-based songs where early metal, in my opinion. The Immigrant Song, Rock and Roll, etc etc. None of that woodstock acoustic stuff, though. They laid a foundation for metal music, but not one as big as Black Sabbath laid down.

Black Sabbath, to me, are more influential to metal as a whole with their use of the tritone, the "chug-chug" riffs, and down-tuned guitars.

 

[Floppertje]

who gives a shit if it's metal or not? It's awesome, just enjoy it!

why does everyone need to put things in boxes anyway? cause the only reason I can think of is that pretentious metalheads can listen to it without feeling guilty because they're listening to 'just rock'...

 

[instantbenz]

progressive .....................

genres! like the spices of life!

ppl say coheed is the zep of our time. i agree

 

[jonyboy13]

Wait wut? Why is there a "No" option. It's a fact.

^Agree about the Sabbath part.

 

[MisterGobbles]

They were extremely influential to metal, but they aren't truely metal. People are right if they consider them hard rock, or if they consider them early metal. It's hard to draw the distinction with bands from that time.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Yes and no.

They were the first band ever to be described using the term 'heavy metal', so yes, they are literally the first ever heavy metal band.

However, since then the term has undergone a change to mean something entirely different, so no, by today's standards of what defines heavy metal they are not heavy metal, they are blues rock at best.

The real problem is defining the genre. A lot of the heaviest of heavy metal bands have elements of neoclassical rock to them, a style basically invented by Ritchie Blackmore, a classic rocker, and then popularised by Eddie Van Halen, about as close as you can get to glam rock while retaining a shred of dignity. The melodic solos of a lot of Metallica could have been taken from any place or time in music, including classical guitar, and so apparently the only thing that makes them metal is the fact that they have loud distorted amps, in which case Jimi Hendrix was metal because he had loud distorted amps.

Also, the genre of 'metal' has become too big to be sensibly applied anymore, a lot like the genre of 'rock' or 'pop.' There's just too much that fits into it.

Rock and Roll, Blues Rock, Heavy Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Oriented Rock, Pop Rock, Pomp Rock, Classic Rock, Glam Rock, Neoclassical Rock, Boulder, Pop, Power-Pop, Nineties Pop, British Pop, American Pop, Pop Idol, Soda Pop, Popular Music (the broadest term of all), Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Screamo Metal, Speed Metal, Iron ore composite.

Basically the terms are meaningless because of how much overlap almost every band has nowadays. The Beatles' Helter Skelter actually has a lot of the hallmarks we'd associate with heavy metal today, while bands like Aerosmith cover everything from heavy metal to blues rock to pop rock depending on what sort of mood they're in. Just enjoy the music, don't try and label it.

 

[Naheal]

That's a stupid question, wit-

Without them there wouldn't BE metal. They are among the originals of heavy metal, if not the original.

Well, then. To add a comparison, it'd be like saying that Blue Oyster Cult isn't real metal.

 

[Yopaz]

I made the poll 50/50! I am a god! Zepplin is metal but maybe not by our standards. Just like those boring old comedies that no youngs like are still comedies.

 

[brunothepig]

In my opinion Black Sabbath were the first Heavy Metal band. Led Zeppelin are amazing, but I class them as Progressive Rock, or Hard Rock. Depends on the song, they had very varied songs.
That doesn't mean I don't love them, or that they weren't a huge influence on Metal. I just don't think they are a Metal band.

 

[erto101]

No, they play in the genre "Pure Awesomeness"

 

[justnotcricket]

According to my sources (partner = metal fan), if you absolutely *must* apply a label, they are classic rock, like Guns and Roses =)

 

[Knusper]

I would say that they are hard rock, although perhaps did form a basis of metal in their music, as you can see in certain songs such as 'Stairway to Heaven'.

 

[phantasmalWordsmith]

No it's not metal, it's classic rock. Just my opinion.

 

[Yarkaz]

A while ago someone mentioned that jazz isn't rock even though it helped lay the foundations for it, and I think that guy is on the ball.

Personally, I think the term "metal" is used way too loosely to be used to classify any one type of music anymore. Modern metal is nearly indistinguishable from the music that started the genre, sharing in common only the attributes it inherited from it's predecessor "rock," and since metal is really just a subgenre of rock, I don't even know if that counts.

It's as if metal fans are taking anything they happen to like and labeling it as "metal" so as to claim it as their own. I don't think it's happening consciously, of course, but I think it's about time we stopped calling everything with electric guitars and power chords (a bit of an exaggeration, but the point still stands) "metal." We're about due for a new label, given how much modern music has changed since metal was first classified and named.

...

Black metal is a subgenre of metal is a subgenre or rock. MUSICEPTION.

 

[Sprinal]

A simple question, but one that has split metal fans forever. Is Led Zeppelin to be classified as heavy metal? I've heard some say they just weren't "metal enough" and others say that they were the start of heavy metal. So what do you think?

Personally, I think they are. Metal is a LARGE genre and Led Zeppelin was the basis of the heavy metal sound in my opinion.

They're not metal by todays standards but back in the day they were