Neo-classical Metal - History of The Genre and Influences

History of The Genre and Influences

In the 60`s and 70`s, there were many works that influenced this subgenre, being Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra the most important one. Other bands, like Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow also featured neoclassical influences. Early classical influences within hard rock and heavy metal are most notably found in the playing of Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth and Randy Rhoads. But was in the 1980s when neo-classical metal definitely became a distinct subgenre.

Heavy metal guitar technique developed rapidly from its late-'60s beginnings to its late-'80s peak, but prior to the 1980s, few metal guitarists displayed the advanced technical proficiency which is a hallmark of the neo-classical metal style. The popularization and growth of neo-classical metal is closely related to the ascension of the guitar "shredding" movement.

The "golden age" of neo-classical metal in the middle to late 1980s revolved around the sizeable roster of flashy electric-guitar soloists who recorded mostly instrumental albums for Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label. Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, widely regarded as the originator and still-reigning king of neo-classical metal, was brought to the United States by Varney to sign with Shrapnel Records in 1982.

Many subsequent Shrapnel artists, including Tony Macalpine, Vinnie Moore, Joey Tafolla, Paul Gilbert, David T. Chastain, Jason Becker, and Marty Friedman, emerged in the latter '80s as exemplars of the neo-classical style.

In recent years, appreciation of the neo-classical metal oeuvre has been largely confined to guitarists in more of an underground setting, as the style is not well known beyond the realm of guitarists. Today, there are many more bands that contribute as a whole as opposed to the "solo" musicians in the past. Some of today's notable neo-classical metal performers are Vitalij Kuprij, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mark Wood, Cacophony, Symphony X, Mekong Delta, Rata Blanca, Narnia, Rhapsody of Fire, Time Requiem, At Vance, Galneryus, Mastercastle, Versailles, Sound Horizon, Necrophagist, Heavenly, Magic Kingdom, Concerto Moon, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Pier Gonella, Adagio, Dark Moor, Warmen, Ayreon, Artension and Obscura. Even more recently there has been a sudden burst of slight neo-classical influence within mainstream metal acts such as Children of Bodom, Protest the Hero and The Human Abstract.

A common practice in the genre is to transcribe classical pieces and play them in a rock/metal band format. The Baroque and Classical periods have been particularly influential to the genre because of their unique sound and techniques that blend into a rock setting effectively.