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			{{Short description\|Subgenre of heavy metal music}}
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			{{For\|the Transformers episode titled "Speed Metal"\|List of Transformers: Prime episodes}}
	{{genrebox\|name=Speed metal
			{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2024}}
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			{{EngvarB\|date=January 2024}}
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			{{Infobox music genre
	\|stylistic_origins= ], ], ]
			\| name = Speed metal
	\|cultural_origins= Mid ], ], ], ]
			\| stylistic_origins = {{hlist\|]\|]\|]}}<!-- Please don't add unsourced genres -->
	\|instruments= ], ], ]
			\| cultural_origins = Late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly in the United Kingdom
	\|popularity= Moderate in the mid 1970s, more popular until late 1980s and underground ever since
			\| derivatives = {{hlist\|]\|]\|]\|]}}
	\|subgenrelist=
			\| regional_scenes =
	\|derivatives= ] - ] - ] - ]
			\| other_topics = {{hlist\|]\|]}}
	\|subgenres=
			\| subgenrelist =
	\|regional_scenes=
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	}}		}}

			'''Speed metal''' is a subgenre of ] that originated in the late 1970s from ] (NWOBHM) roots.<ref name="Extreme">K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), {{ISBN\|1-84520-399-2}}, p. 31.</ref> It is described by ] as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music.<ref name="allmusic" >{{cite web \|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/speed-thrash-metal-ma0000002874 \|title=Speed/Thrash Metal \|work=] \|publisher=] \|access-date=2 January 2017 }}</ref>
	'''Speed metal''' is a loosely defined sub-genre of heavy metal. The music uses traditional heavy metal song structures with faster tempos and driving rhythms.

			It is usually considered less abrasive and more melodic than ]. However, speed metal is usually faster and more aggressive than traditional heavy metal, also showing more inclination to ] soloing and featuring short instrumental passages between couplets. Speed metal songs frequently make use of highly expressive vocals, but are usually less likely to employ "harsh" vocals than thrash metal songs.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia\|url=http://heavymetalencyclopedia.com/genres/15-speed-metal \|title=The Best Speed Metal Albums \|encyclopedia=Heavy Metal Encyclopedia \|access-date=5 February 2014 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413031217/http://heavymetalencyclopedia.com/genres/15-speed-metal \|archive-date=13 April 2011}}</ref>
	Many speed metal bands also fall under other heavy metal sub-genres, most often ] and ]. This is mainly due to the influence speed metal had on those genres. Although ] was also used by some ] and ] groups during the 1980s.

			==Origins==
	Alot of the ] ] bands from the 1990s to present are also described as Speed metal, this is largely due to a 1980s Speed metal band ] who are very influential on the ] movement.

			===New wave of British heavy metal===
	==History==
			One of the key influences on the development of speed metal was the new wave of British heavy metal, or ]. This was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. NWOBHM bands toned down the ] influences of earlier acts, incorporated elements of ], increased the ], and adopted a "tougher" sound, taking a harder approach to their music.

			It was an era directed almost exclusively at heavy metal fans and is considered to be a major foundation stone for the ] genres.
	===Origins===
	The origin of speed metal is hard to pinpoint due to the fact that it was never fully established as a sub-genre of heavy metal until the early 1980s. Many, however, consider the earliest speed metal song as being ]'s "]" from their 1972 album ].

			The NWOBHM came to dominate the heavy metal scene of the early-mid-1980s. It was musically characterised by fast upbeat tempo songs, ], fast ] and melodic, soaring vocals. Groups such as ], ], ], ] and ] as well as many lesser-known ones, became part of the canon that influenced American bands that formed in the early eighties.
	There were earlier efforts with a similar style including ]'s "]" from their 1970 album ] and also Deep Purple's "Speed King" from their 1970 album ] and "Fireball" from their 1971 album ].

			===Other metal influences===
	However, it was "Highway Star" that introduced into heavy metal both the extreme speed of the single-note riffing and the complex guitar and keyboard solos (performed by ] and ] respectively) borrowed from progressive rock of the 1970s, but heavily influenced by ]. These features commonly went on to be associated with more modern ], but at the time, was typical of speed metal.
			] playing in 2005]]
			Motörhead is often credited as the first band to play speed metal in the mid-1970s.<ref>{{cite web\|url={{AllMusic\|class=artist\|id=p4965\|pure_url=yes}}\|title=Motörhead: Biography\|last=Erlewine\|first=Stephen Thomas\|author-link= Stephen Thomas Erlewine\|work=] \|publisher=] \|access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref> ] released "Sweet F.A." and "Set Me Free" in April 1974 which heavily influenced speed metal later in the decade. Some of speed metal's earlier influences include ]'s "]" and "]", ]'s "]" and ]'s "]" (the latter two were eventually covered by the ] band ]),<ref>{{cite web\|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xxhj\|title= Queen: ''Sheer Heart Attack'' Review\|last= Jones\|first= Chris\|date= 7 June 2007\|publisher= BBC Music\|access-date= 28 March 2009}}</ref> as well as certain ] songs such as "]", "]" and "]". The latter was called "early speed metal" by ] of speed metal band ].<ref>{{cite web\|date=16 March 2009 \|url=http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1607080&vid=355015 \|title=Anvil On Deep Purple's "Highway Star" \|publisher=] \|access-date=8 April 2013 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605044617/http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/355015/anvil-on-deep-purples-highway-star.jhtml#id=1607080 \|archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref>

			==History==
	===Evolution of speed metal===
			The origin of the genre's name is the aptly named "]" by ]. Recording on the song started in 1969 making it nearly a full decade ahead of the musical style being recognised. The song is not only very fast and technical but was also extremely loud creating noticeable distortion in the recording process. The ] for the band's next album, '']'', is a further refinement of the band's influence with drummer ]'s use of the ]. The way the double bass drum is played in "Fireball"—uptempo "]"—became a mainstay in many heavy, speed and thrash metal songs in the years that followed.

			This is the only Deep Purple song that employs the double bass drum, and the video from the band shows them actually bring out the second bass as needed to play the song. While speedy, technical playing did not dominate Deep Purple's music, they clearly were the inventors of ] that was fast, technical and loud. Those characteristics would become the hallmarks of speed metal. The name of the origin song, "Speed King" would have also played a role in the genre's naming. At the very least, the band acknowledged what they were doing which was a radical departure from all prior rock music.
	] - '']'']]Although ] did not release a full on speed metal album until their 1990 album ], they contained many speed metal songs on their early material. One example of this is the song "Exciter" from their 1978 album ]. These songs had great impact on the speed metal explosion in the 1980s.

			] are a British heavy metal band from ], England, and are often cited as one of the grandfathers of the genre. Though usually known for playing a fairly slow, sludgy tempo, "]" is a very up-tempo song with a much faster pace than other songs in their catalogue. Still in certain other songs such as "Electric Funeral", "]" and "Under the Sun (Every Day Comes and Goes)" there is a section in the middle of the song that shifts away from the core music and plays a much faster pace than in the rest of the song, then returns to the original melody. There are those who believe that their song "]" from their 1975 release '']'' album is the first true example of a speed metal song.
	] added primitive speed metal elements to their brand of heavy metal, while new bands emerged ready to focus in on the speed. The ] was in top gear at this stage and many embraced speed metal, such as ], who combined the style of Motörhead with a raw, harsh atmosphere. ] even produced a number of speed metal songs such as "]" and "Invaders". ], another NWOBHM band, used speed metal in their sound too.

			] are a British heavy metal band, also formed in Birmingham, England, that often played faster than most rock groups of the time and brought a more "metallic" sound to the guitars. Some songs, such as 1978's "]", were groundbreaking for their sheer ferocity and speed; few, if any, bands exempting ] played with the same tempo.{{citation needed\|date=February 2018}}
	The German heavy metal band ] also introduced speed metal elements to their sound at the start of the decade. The song "Fast As A Shark" on their 1982 album ] is an example of Accept's speed metal ideas. Accept's influence on the German heavy metal scene was huge. Bands such as ], ], ], ] and ] built upon the fast tempos of Accept to form the foundations of German speed metal.

			] (who took their name from the aforementioned Judas Priest song) is a Canadian speed metal band from ], Ontario, which was formed in 1978. They are widely considered to be one of the first speed metal bands and a seminal influence of the thrash metal genre. ] are another Canadian speed metal band from ], Ontario, who also formed in 1978. To date, the band has released seventeen studio albums, and has been cited as having influenced many notable thrash metal groups, including ], ], ] and ].
	] - '']'']]Bands, who would later develop into thrash metal, started off with speed metal in their sound. ]’s debut album ], ]’s debut album ] and ]’s debut album ] as well as many other early albums by thrash metal bands contained speed metal riffs (from the NWOBHM) with some thrash riffs buried inside. These bands would later let the thrash riffs dominate their music causing the thrash explosion of the mid 80s.

			] is a German heavy metal band which played an important role in the development of speed and thrash metal, being part of the German heavy metal scene, which emerged in the early to mid-1980s. Of particular importance was their 1982 track "]".
	Other bands decided to refine their speed metal sound. Bands such as ] and ] decided not to dive into the thrash metal sound but instead to carry on producing speed metal albums.

			Speed metal eventually evolved into ].<ref name="allmusic"/> Although many tend to equate the two subgenres, others argue that there is a distinct difference between them. In his book '']'', ] states that "...thrash metal relies more on long, wrenching rhythmic breaks, while speed metal... is a cleaner and more musically intricate subcategory, still loyal to the dueling melodies of classic metal."<ref>* {{cite book \| last1 = Christe \| first1 = Ian \| author-link1 = Ian Christe \| title = ] \| work = !t Books \| publisher = ] \| year = 2004 \| location = New York City, New York \| isbn = 978-0-380-81127-4 \| page = }}</ref> However, on the very next page, Christe calls speed metal a "subset of thrash metal" and argues that "There was little intrinsic difference between speed metal and thrash metal. With the sudden boom of fast, raging bands, however, it sometimes helped to distinguish between the throbbing, rhythm-heavy thrash metal and something a bit cleaner and more melodic--dubbed speed metal."<ref>Christe 2004, p. 138.</ref>
	After their speed metal debut ], Helloween slowly paved the way for what power metal would become with their Keeper of the Seven Keys albums. The tempo became more varied throughout songs, alternating from fast sections to slower sections. Epic passages were added and the general intensity was toned down somewhat.
			Some{{Who\|date=April 2024}} may argue that first wave ] bands such as ], ], and ] were speed metal and that black metal evolved as an extreme form of speed metal.{{Citation needed\|date=April 2024}} Speed metal also played a major role in formation of ], with ], one of the "big four" of power metal, first two albums being speed metal, or speed-metal adjacent, in the case of ].

			==Regional differences==
	In 1990, ] released the album Painkiller, which was their first all out speed metal album. Instead of opting for a couple of fast paced numbers on an album, they decided to create a whole album full of them. Many people consider this album the best Judas Priest album as a result while others prefer their earlier "original" sound.
			Speed metal's sound varied between various regional scenes. European bands leaned towards the sound of bands like Venom and Motörhead. Japanese bands had a more melodic sound that resembled ]. North American bands had a faster, more aggressive sound that would later influence the thrash metal movement.<ref name="allmusic"/>

	==~~Speed~~ ~~metal today~~==		==See also==
			* ]

			==References==
	Speed metal today is a vastly less popular art form than it was in the 80s. The most notable speed metal bands are those which have carried on producing speed metal to this day, and more modern bands who were influenced by Judas Priest’s Painkiller album.
			{{Reflist}}

	Notable modern bands playing speed metal are ], releasing the consistently speedy ] album in 1999, ] and ].

	==Speed metal songs from non-speed metal bands and albums==

	Speed metal has also been used by other metal subgenres during the ]. A lot of these were ] and ] bands. Notable speed metal songs from typically non-speed metal bands are;
	* "Be Quick or Be Dead" by ]
	* "Queen of the Reich" by ]
	* "Slave to the Grind" by ]
	* "Body Talk" by ]
	* "Live Wire" by ]
	* "Kill the King" by ]
	* "Robotman" by ]
	* "Tear it Loose" by ]
	* "Hell to Eternity" by ]
	* "Paris is Burning" by ]

	==Speed metal albums==

	Specific speed metal albums include the following:
	*]’s ]
	*]’s Heavy Metal Maniac
	*]’s Perfect Man
	*]’s ]
	*]’s ]
	*]’s ]
	*]’s Unstoppable Force
	*]'s ]
	*]’s Unification
	*]’s ]
	*]’s ]
	*]’s Product Of Imagination
	*]’s Vicious Attack
	*]’s ]
	*]’s Thundersteel
	*]’s ]

	==Current use==
	As speed metal helped in the creation of ] and ], a lot of newer speed metal bands have elements of these sub-genres in their sound. This has caused confusion between what is speed metal and what is not for people who are new to heavy metal music. The most common mistake is mixing the terms speed metal and thrash metal. A common way to differentiate the two styles of metal is to listen to an album of each, which is most representative of their style. This is commonly Judas Priest’s Painkiller or Helloween’s Walls Of Jericho and ]’s ] or ]’s ].



	==See also==
	*]

			== External links ==
	{{heavymetal}}
			* {{Commons category-inline}}

			{{heavy metal}}{{Hardcore punk}}{{Extreme metal}}
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Latest revision as of 11:30, 26 December 2024

Subgenre of heavy metal music For the Transformers episode titled "Speed Metal", see List of Transformers: Prime episodes.

Speed metal
Stylistic origins	New wave of British heavy metal heavy metal punk
Cultural origins	Late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly in the United Kingdom
Derivative forms	Neoclassical metal power metal thrash metal black metal
Other topics
Extreme metal shred guitar

Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots. It is described by AllMusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music.

It is usually considered less abrasive and more melodic than thrash metal. However, speed metal is usually faster and more aggressive than traditional heavy metal, also showing more inclination to virtuoso soloing and featuring short instrumental passages between couplets. Speed metal songs frequently make use of highly expressive vocals, but are usually less likely to employ "harsh" vocals than thrash metal songs.

Origins

New wave of British heavy metal

One of the key influences on the development of speed metal was the new wave of British heavy metal, or NWOBHM. This was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. NWOBHM bands toned down the blues influences of earlier acts, incorporated elements of punk, increased the tempo, and adopted a "tougher" sound, taking a harder approach to their music.

It was an era directed almost exclusively at heavy metal fans and is considered to be a major foundation stone for the extreme metal genres.

The NWOBHM came to dominate the heavy metal scene of the early-mid-1980s. It was musically characterised by fast upbeat tempo songs, power chords, fast guitar solos and melodic, soaring vocals. Groups such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Venom, Saxon and Motörhead as well as many lesser-known ones, became part of the canon that influenced American bands that formed in the early eighties.

Other metal influences

Motörhead is often credited as the first band to play speed metal in the mid-1970s. The Sweet released "Sweet F.A." and "Set Me Free" in April 1974 which heavily influenced speed metal later in the decade. Some of speed metal's earlier influences include Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" and "Symptom of the Universe", Budgie's "Breadfan" and Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" (the latter two were eventually covered by the thrash metal band Metallica), as well as certain Deep Purple songs such as "Speed King", "Fireball" and "Highway Star". The latter was called "early speed metal" by Robb Reiner of speed metal band Anvil.

History

The origin of the genre's name is the aptly named "Speed King" by Deep Purple. Recording on the song started in 1969 making it nearly a full decade ahead of the musical style being recognised. The song is not only very fast and technical but was also extremely loud creating noticeable distortion in the recording process. The title song for the band's next album, Fireball, is a further refinement of the band's influence with drummer Ian Paice's use of the double bass drum. The way the double bass drum is played in "Fireball"—uptempo "four on the floor"—became a mainstay in many heavy, speed and thrash metal songs in the years that followed.

This is the only Deep Purple song that employs the double bass drum, and the video from the band shows them actually bring out the second bass as needed to play the song. While speedy, technical playing did not dominate Deep Purple's music, they clearly were the inventors of rock that was fast, technical and loud. Those characteristics would become the hallmarks of speed metal. The name of the origin song, "Speed King" would have also played a role in the genre's naming. At the very least, the band acknowledged what they were doing which was a radical departure from all prior rock music.

Black Sabbath are a British heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, and are often cited as one of the grandfathers of the genre. Though usually known for playing a fairly slow, sludgy tempo, "After Forever" is a very up-tempo song with a much faster pace than other songs in their catalogue. Still in certain other songs such as "Electric Funeral", "Into the Void" and "Under the Sun (Every Day Comes and Goes)" there is a section in the middle of the song that shifts away from the core music and plays a much faster pace than in the rest of the song, then returns to the original melody. There are those who believe that their song "Symptom of the Universe" from their 1975 release Sabotage album is the first true example of a speed metal song.

Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band, also formed in Birmingham, England, that often played faster than most rock groups of the time and brought a more "metallic" sound to the guitars. Some songs, such as 1978's "Exciter", were groundbreaking for their sheer ferocity and speed; few, if any, bands exempting Motörhead played with the same tempo.

Exciter (who took their name from the aforementioned Judas Priest song) is a Canadian speed metal band from Ottawa, Ontario, which was formed in 1978. They are widely considered to be one of the first speed metal bands and a seminal influence of the thrash metal genre. Anvil are another Canadian speed metal band from Toronto, Ontario, who also formed in 1978. To date, the band has released seventeen studio albums, and has been cited as having influenced many notable thrash metal groups, including Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth.

Accept is a German heavy metal band which played an important role in the development of speed and thrash metal, being part of the German heavy metal scene, which emerged in the early to mid-1980s. Of particular importance was their 1982 track "Fast as a Shark".

Speed metal eventually evolved into thrash metal. Although many tend to equate the two subgenres, others argue that there is a distinct difference between them. In his book Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal, Ian Christe states that "...thrash metal relies more on long, wrenching rhythmic breaks, while speed metal... is a cleaner and more musically intricate subcategory, still loyal to the dueling melodies of classic metal." However, on the very next page, Christe calls speed metal a "subset of thrash metal" and argues that "There was little intrinsic difference between speed metal and thrash metal. With the sudden boom of fast, raging bands, however, it sometimes helped to distinguish between the throbbing, rhythm-heavy thrash metal and something a bit cleaner and more melodic--dubbed speed metal." Some may argue that first wave black metal bands such as Venom, Sodom, and Bathory were speed metal and that black metal evolved as an extreme form of speed metal. Speed metal also played a major role in formation of power metal, with Helloween's, one of the "big four" of power metal, first two albums being speed metal, or speed-metal adjacent, in the case of Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I.

Regional differences

Speed metal's sound varied between various regional scenes. European bands leaned towards the sound of bands like Venom and Motörhead. Japanese bands had a more melodic sound that resembled power metal. North American bands had a faster, more aggressive sound that would later influence the thrash metal movement.

References

K. Kahn-Harris, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge (Berg Publishers, 2007), ISBN 1-84520-399-2, p. 31.
^ "Speed/Thrash Metal". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
"The Best Speed Metal Albums". Heavy Metal Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Motörhead: Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
Jones, Chris (7 June 2007). "Queen: Sheer Heart Attack Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
"Anvil On Deep Purple's "Highway Star"". VH1. 16 March 2009. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
* Christe, Ian (2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. New York City, New York: HarperCollins. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-380-81127-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Christe 2004, p. 138.

External links

Media related to Speed metal at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Heavy metal
Subgenres and fusion genres	Alternative metal Avant-garde metal Beatdown hardcore Biker metal Black metal National Socialist Symphonic Unblack Blackened death metal Blackgaze Christian metal Crust punk Death metal Brutal Melodic Technical Death 'n' roll Deathcore Death-doom Funeral doom Djent Doom metal Drone metal Electronicore Extreme metal Folk metal Celtic metal Medieval metal Funk metal Glam metal Goregrind Gothic metal Grindcore Grunge Groove metal Industrial metal Kawaii metal Latin metal Mathcore Metalcore Melodic Progressive Neoclassical metal Neue Deutsche Härte Nintendocore Nu metal Pagan metal Pirate metal Pornogrind Post-metal Pop metal Power metal Progressive metal Rap metal Sludge metal Speed metal Stoner metal Symphonic metal Thrash metal Crossover thrash Viking metal
Musical elements	Bass Fuzz bass Drumming Blast beat Cymbal choke Gallop drumbeat Guitar Distortion Guitar solo Palm muting Power chord Shred guitar Lyrics Vocals Death growl Screaming
Notable scenes and movements	African heavy metal Argentine heavy metal Australian thrash metal Australian heavy metal Bangladeshi heavy metal Bay Area thrash metal Brazilian thrash metal Canadian heavy metal Chinese heavy metal Florida death metal Hungarian metal Indigenous metal music Japanese metal Les Légions Noires New wave of American heavy metal New wave of British heavy metal Early Norwegian black metal Palm Desert Swedish death metal Teutonic thrash metal Ukrainian metal
Culture	Bands Environmentalism Fashion Festivals Headbanging Heavy metal subculture Poseur Umlaut
Hard rock Category

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International	Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Greece Italy Japan United Kingdom Yugoslavia
United States	Boston California Chicago Minneapolis New York Washington, D.C.

v t e Extreme metal
Genres	Black metal National Socialist symphonic unblack death metal brutal melodic technical doom metal speed metal thrash metal
Fusion genres	Blackened death metal blackgaze crossover thrash crust punk death-doom funeral doom death 'n' roll drone metal grindcore goregrind pornogrind metalcore deathcore electronicore mathcore melodic Nintendocore progressive pagan metal sludge metal stoner rock Viking metal
Derivative forms	Avant-garde metal beatdown hardcore dungeon synth funk metal gothic metal groove metal grunge hyperpop neoclassical metal nu metal post-metal power metal
Notable scenes	Australian thrash metal Bay Area thrash metal Brazilian thrash metal Early Norwegian black metal scene Florida death metal Les Légions Noires Palm Desert Scene Swedish death metal Teutonic thrash metal
Other topics	Death growl hardcore punk heavy metal genres moshing New wave of British heavy metal screaming
List of bands