Van Halen doing heavy metal

  • Thread starter Thread starter Techdeth
  • Start date Start date
This thread is without question the most baffling thread I've ever come across LOL. I'm reading all the responses and shaking my head in disbelief .

WTF is going on here !!!!

Van Halen was never heavy metal , some mistakenly referred to them at times as being a heavy metal band but that was many decades ago and they obviously didn't have a clue to what a true heavy metal band really was . Black Sabbath , Judas Priest , Iron Maiden etc.. are good examples of true heavy metal bands .

Van Halen was always a hard rock band and as time went on you can say they mixed it up with some pop but heavy metal , absolutely not .
 
While I wouldn't call it 'metal' per se, I get what you mean tonally. He's clearly using a newer amp than the old plexi that started everything. Clearly there are more gain stages going on with that tone. Whether it's his SLO or Peavey 5150, it's hard to say. But you can hear extra layers of preamp gain that just don't exist in the first several albums.
 
PLX said:
Haven't seen anyone say this yet in this thread, so.. the definition of "Heavy Metal" has changed over time.

If you were listening to "KISS" or "Van Halen" in the late 70's.. you were listening to "heavy metal".

To say that in 2023 would sound comical.
Click to expand...
This ^^^^^
 
Noel's Destroyer said:
While I wouldn't call it 'metal' per se, I get what you mean tonally. He's clearly using a newer amp than the old plexi that started everything. Clearly there are more gain stages going on with that tone. Whether it's his SLO or Peavey 5150, it's hard to say. But you can hear extra layers of preamp gain that just don't exist in the first several albums.
Click to expand...
True. But preamp gain does not equal heavy metal.
 
311splawndude said:
Yeah, now that a reread it I may have taken the word "you" to personally :LOL:

Regardless, I don't consider Van Halen, at any era, to be heavy metal. Heavy? Sure. Some songs. Unchained, Atomic Punk, One Foot Out the Door, Tora Tora, etc.
Click to expand...
I won’t argue that VH aren’t metal, but I would argue that metal wouldn’t be what it is without them.
From his actual playing techniques to his tone.
Evh is using an actual high gain tone, even the early stuff.
It wasn’t some fuzzy overdrive.
It changed guitar tone forever.
It changed the way amps were built and voiced forever.
Btw: unchained is the heaviest song up to that point in history.
Drop D flat, high gain palm muting without a ton of fuzzy buzzy bs.
I’ll die on this hill!!
?
 
IMO, Van Halen is the perfect example of how heavy you can get and still be a rock rather than metal.

It's my personal line for distinguishing the two.

Eddie Van Halen was a rock and roll player. He could play heavy but he was still trying to make you dance.

If you want metal, check out this guy:

ip2f1xjqqkn41.jpg


Nobody dances to Mr. Crowley.
 
311splawndude said:
The heaviest song imo is Atomic Punk.
Click to expand...
I always thought the "atomic punk" was Godzilla. Listen to to his hook riff. Its almost the same as when Godzilla pops out from the original 70's movies.

For heavy, I always though On Fire, Atomic Punk and Unchained. Light up the sky is heavy, but some of the singing and the two break downs kinda kills the heavy metal feel.
 
I love that song!! One of my favorites. For me, any Van Halen is great Van Halen. Even on Van Halen III, there were a few songs I liked: Fire In the Hole, Ballot or the Bullet, etc. I'm an EVH fanboi I guess.

I look at DLR and Sammy like Rage Against the Machine or Audioslave. It is great stuff but completely different. I still dig it though.
 
Noel's Destroyer said:
While I wouldn't call it 'metal' per se, I get what you mean tonally. He's clearly using a newer amp than the old plexi that started everything. Clearly there are more gain stages going on with that tone. Whether it's his SLO or Peavey 5150, it's hard to say. But you can hear extra layers of preamp gain that just don't exist in the first several
Click to expand...
romanianreaper said:
I love that song!! One of my favorites. For me, any Van Halen is great Van Halen. Even on Van Halen III, there were a few songs I liked: Fire In the Hole, Ballot or the Bullet, etc. I'm an EVH fanboi I guess.

I look at DLR and Sammy like Rage Against the Machine or Audioslave. It is great stuff but completely different. I still dig it though.
Click to expand...
Great analogy!
 
Mr.Fun said:
Btw: unchained is the heaviest song up to that point in history.
Click to expand...


lets not get carried away here, Master of Reality was a full decade before unchained and is heavy by even todays standards. eddie was a lot of great things, "heavy" though is not what i think of when i think of van halen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top