AC/DC are they metal iyo?

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Unfaithfully Metalhead

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Jun 25, 2004
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This is one i like discussing all the time... most people do not consider them to be so anymore or even at all because they have a "rocky" sound to their solos and some of their riffs but I consider them to be so because they were "heavy" for their time when they first came out... you have to remember they came out in 1973 and compared to everything else that was out at the time excluding Sabbath they were Heavy and part of the new genre at the time called Heavy Metal... what was out at the time that can even come close to being heavier other then Sabbath? Purple?

Yes they had a big chuck berry/rockish influence but that is what made their sound unique for metal... they were like a Chuck Berry from Hell... Alot of the reasons people do not consider them metal is because they compare them to metal music of nowadays and not see them for what they were in the 70's when they started out... either a originator or innovator or both... their riffs were heavy enough in my book and I see their songs as Metal Anthems... I grew up in the 80's and every single classic metal fan was a AC/DC fan and considered them as such.. AC/DC I know never considered themselves as such but they eventually accepted or adopted being put in that category and playing all the big metal festivals of the 80's and such... I kind of equate this to Motorhead not being considered Thrash by alot of people though also by alot do.. the Grandaddies of Thrash... so I guess you can say I see AC/DC as one of the Grandaddies of Metal along with Purple, Sabbath etc.

Anyways your opinions on this and would like to hear from Doden on this one especially since when it comes to music i consider his opinion reasonable though of course i dont always agree with them lol But i agreed with him on Venom being black metal or a originator...
 
Musically they are about as pure rock and roll as you can get (apart from a few metalish riffs s/a "Let There Be Rock"), lyrically they are even more purely rock and roll. Notice that the main theme present in their music is rock and roll. They don't fit into the evolution of metal as we know it today regardless of what they were considered by whoever when they came out. Their influence on later metal is negligible. If a band who followed the three chord rock formula almost without derivation and whose entire output is devoted to the concept of rock isn't a rock band, what is?

It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll)
Rock & Roll Singer
Rocker
There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'
Let There Be Rock
Rock & Roll Damnation
Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
That's the Way I Wanna Rock & Roll
Rock Your Heart Out
Can't Stop Rock & Roll

...yeah, I'd say they were a rock band.
 
I pretty much agree with the Metal Archives decision to include Rush and Deep Purple, and not other heavier rock or "proto-metal" bands of the era.

AC/DC's music has always been mind-numbingly simple in all respects. Compare something like War Pigs to an AC/DC song. They do not belong in the same league.
 
What makes them non-metal? (I agree they are not metal, I just want to know). Heaviness is not a determining factor, otherwise grindcore would be metal.
 
So because they use the word "rock" in their lyrics (Judas Priest,Twisted Sister etc. also used the word Rock in their music and they are no doubt classic metal) and because their songs are simple they can't be considered metal?... don't forget that Sabbath's songs weren't terribly complex.. metal is not about complexity though today that seems to be the main requirement... but nonetheless Metal in it's infancy wasn't about being complex... and saying AC/DC is just a "rock" band is like saying they are in the same category as Elvis... which they definetly aren't.. again do not compare them to metal of today but only of yesteryear circa the early 70's. Look at what was out there at the time. Sabbath cannot be considered the only metal band and not all metal bands of that era has to sound like Sabbath to be considered Metal. Rush was more Progressive rock with metal overtones imo. AC/DC never went "soft" in their music per say... yeah their music sounds the same in all songs but that is AC/DC...they found a formula that works for them and they went with it and didn't change... why should they? ...

Alot of early and even later metal bands followed the three chord formula... that should not be a factor on whether a band is metal or not imo... again simplicity or complexity should not be a factor in metal... AC/DC had alot of influence on later metal bands though not extreme metal but thats not what I'm talking about anyways... extreme metal is a totally different ball game... i'm talking about classic metal i suppose... lyrics wise AC/DC wasn't just "rock".. they had satanic/hell themes, drinking, sex, death, etc..etc.. all themes in alot of classic metal in other bands... Riff/music wise... like i said they are like a Chuck Berry from Hell metal band. Metal isn't about rules and their is no reason why metal can't sound rockish as long as it's Heavy & crosses the border of Hard Rock into metal.Bands like Aerosmith, Bad Company, etc. were Hard Rock. You can't deny that AC/DC were alot "heavier" then these bands and similar ones to them.. Songs like Hells Bells, Highway to Hell, Dirty Deeds etc.. were all very metal to me... And yes it is important if the fans of that time considered them metal back in the 70's and the 80's which all that I knew in those times did... classic metal fans of that time who were into Priest, Maiden, Sister, Riot, Ozzy etc. all considered AC/DC metal at that time & didn't say it wasn't because there was a underground that was developing.All music evolves and AC/DC simply chose to live and stay in the past while others evolved like Priest did. The problem with this issue is that no one pictures themselves in that era and what was around in terms of music and only compares the past music with what is out now and that is not a fair assessment. In the 70's you had shit like Crosby/Stills/Nash, Grateful Dead, Peter Frampton, etc. then you had bands like Purple, Sabbath, AC/DC, Priest etc. and for that time at least they were "metal" even if times have changed and metal has evolved to what it is today...
 
Ellipses much?

Anyway, there's a difference between simplicity and depth. Many great metal bands are simple, but they evoke something. AC/DC evokes nothing. The ability to convey some atmosphere is a key feature of metal songs. I can't speak too authoritatively on early metal, but the good bands are definitely capable of carrying atmosphere. Metal is about more than riffs.
 
They aren't metal at all, IMO. Their music is purely blues based, with rock arrangements. They are rock n roll on steroids, or hard rock. Not to mention that the subject matter is pure rock n roll fare. They have more in common with Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Ratt, Great White, Motley Crue, etc. than they have with Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, etc. They were one of the first hard rock bands, but definitely not a metal band.
 
they most certainly are not "metal".
they are and always will be "blues based rock" and "hard rock" at there heaviest point.
definetally one of my favorite bands growing up ,i still love em..atleast all there early albulm...say before "maximum overdrive" era.
Bon scott rocked:headbang:

and for anyone here to say they suck is just plain ignorant.:zombie:
 
Life Sucks said:
They aren't metal at all, IMO. Their music is purely blues based, with rock arrangements. They are rock n roll on steroids, or hard rock. Not to mention that the subject matter is pure rock n roll fare. They have more in common with Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Ratt, Great White, Motley Crue, etc. than they have with Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, etc. They were one of the first hard rock bands, but definitely not a metal band.
Click to expand...

I'm amazed to hear metal pioneers like Hendrix and Led Zeppelin lumped together with insipid hair metal bands like Motley Crue.

And AC/DC have absolutely no metal qualities.
 
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