JR Moores - Electric Wizards: A Tapestry of Heavy Music, 1968 to the Present

A Tapestry of

Heavy Music

1968 to the Present

JR MOORES

REAKTION BOOKS

Published by

Reaktion Books Ltd

Unit 32, Waterside

4448 Wharf Road

London N1 7UX, UK

www.reaktionbooks.co.uk

First published 2021

Copyright JR Moores 2021

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers

Page references in the Photo Acknowledgements and
Index match the printed edition of this book.

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain, Glasgow

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

eISBN 9781789144499

For Stephanie

(shes so heavy)

I n July 2001 the British monthly music magazine Q published its rundown of The 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time. The front cover of this issue featured Fred Durst, singer of nu-metal group Limp Bizkit, flanked by two blonde models in cheerleader outfits. Even at the height of their spectacular commercial success, Limp Bizkit failed to earn the respect of many if not most of their peers. As mentioned in Qs interview feature, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Pantera were just a handful of the acts to publicly scorn the band. Ever since his rise to fame, Fred Durst has remained an enduring symbol of the calamities that can arise when heavy music goes more than a little awry.

This particular edition of Q hit newsagents shelves during what I see as heavy musics weakest and bleakest era (for more detail on that sorry period, fast-forward straight to

Sandwiched between the Limp Bizkit interview and a feature on the AWOL-at-that-time Axl Rose, the list in question was introduced with the following caveat: Heaviness isnt just a kind of music: its a state of mind. One of the most impressive things about Qs list is that the compilers tastes were quite so eclectic, with their selections spanning multiple genres. I have my own quibbles with some of its entries and absences, as any reader would. But as much as they raise peoples hackles, articles of this nature dont really purport to offer the last word on the subject; they are intended to initiate spirited debate. Overall, its heartening that Qs list does not exclusively champion albums from the world of heavy metal and its plethora of subgenres. It also makes ample room from the fields of blues, jazz, rock, prog, post-punk, goth, industrial, shoegaze and grunge. Whats more, there are hip-hop, trip-hop and electronic records included in the rundown, plus the original soundtrack to Oliver Stones Natural Born Killers. Personally, I wouldnt have put that last entry in there, and nor would Suicides debut album make the cut. Its sound is too thin and tinny, people! And where are Dinosaur Jr, Melvins and Bad Brains? We could argue over this all day long. That being said and heres a sentence I wasnt expecting to write the book that you currently hold in your hands embraces a similar spirit, if not content, to the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time as printed in 2001 by Q.

Lets make the agenda clear from the outset. This book was never intended to be a comprehensive chronicle of all heavy music. What single volume could accomplish that feat? Naturally the topic is highly subjective, and the definition of heaviness itself is open to many interpretations. What does or does not constitute heavy music, what it is and what it is not: these matters are in constant cultural flux and are likewise deeply personal. The ensuing pages offer my own version of the evolution of heavy music. Yours could be quite different. It would be a bit weird if we shared the exact same views, although I hope I can convince you of certain matters. This will by no means be the final word on the subject.

It barely needs mentioning that there are countless heavy bands and tons of undeniably heavy albums that could stake their claim at inclusion and yet, mainly for the purposes of space and continuity, do not appear in this book. Yes, I have heard of Iron Monkey, Shit & Shine, Converge and Pantera. I agree they are all heavier than The same could be said of numerous other acts whose output has more than earned its place in the canon of heaviness. Needs must, however, and difficult decisions had to be made.

I have tried to home in on noteworthy acts whose work has stood and is likely to continue to stand the test of time. These range from household-name practitioners to obscurer cult heroes and heroines of the form. The overriding idea is to extol those who did things differently, who introduced something fresh, new and exciting into the world of heavy, whether by calculated design, slight accident or sheer chance. Often these developments involved taking an approach that ran counter to conventional thinking and popular trends. For that reason, many of the artists covered here took a while to catch on. Others are still waiting for the wider appreciation they properly deserve. Some of these acts made their breakthroughs by combining formerly segregated elements and ideas. Others took known heavy methods to their even heavier logical conclusions. At the same time, then, I plan to show how each successive phase in heaviness was forged by what came before and to join the dots between musicians whose connections may at first seem distant or perhaps a little surprising.

In doing so, it is my hope to broaden the scope of what we mean when we talk about heavy music, and which kinds of music and musicians are merited for inclusion in such a category. Many histories of heavy metal and its subgenres have already been published, ranging from the slapdash to the enlightening. This book does not concern itself with repeating the same patterns, stories, ideas and timelines. There is more than one alternative to the official, well-charted map of heavy music. Another way of navigating this journey might well begin in the same place, and perhaps even end at a similar juncture. The route we will be embarking on, however, will not be that recited in your average history of heavy metal. That classic tale might go from the blues and The Beatles to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, before taking in the leathery sights and meticulously recorded sounds of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica, and maybe from there explore thrash metal, death metal, black metal, glam metal, groove metal and other later developments. Well be taking another route altogether. You might say its the scenic or more colourful one. Ill let others be the judge of that. It begins with The Beatles, sure, and specifically their most incredibly heavy track. And, yes, it absolutely has to embrace Black Sabbath. From there it will spiral outwards and delve deep into... well, lets not spoil the fun. With any luck, this more open approach will help to highlight the work of artists neglected, or else mentioned only in passing, in other tomes.

Having made a case for eclecticism, and despite there being some mention of more electronic or computer-aided methods of heavy-making, I have opted to keep things more or less restricted to material that is, at root, guitar-based. Much as I would have liked to tumble further down the rabbit hole to explore genres like techno or drill n bass, well have to save those delights for another time.