The First Heavy Metal Music

Many people think that heavy metal music originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. However, some music historians argue that the roots of heavy metal can be traced back much further, to a classical piece composed in 1875 by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg.

The piece is called “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, and it is part of a larger musical work called “Peer Gynt”, based on a play by Henrik Ibsen. The piece depicts a scene where the protagonist, Peer Gynt, is chased by trolls and gnomes in the underground realm of the Mountain King.

The piece is famous for its fast tempo, loud dynamics, distorted timbre and chromatic harmony. These are some of the elements that define heavy metal music, and that make “In the Hall of the Mountain King” sound surprisingly modern and aggressive for its time.

Some music critics have even called “In the Hall of the Mountain King” the first heavy metal song ever written. For example, Robert Walser, in his book “Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music”, writes:

“Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ is one of the earliest examples of what we now call heavy metal. It has all the ingredients: a driving ostinato bass line, a minor key, dissonant harmonies, sudden changes in dynamics and tempo, and an overall atmosphere of terror and violence.”

Walser also notes that many heavy metal bands have been influenced by or have covered “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. For instance, Savatage, an American progressive metal band, released an album in 1987 called “Hall of the Mountain King”, which features a version of Grieg’s piece as the title track. Other bands that have performed or recorded “In the Hall of the Mountain King” include Apocalyptica, Electric Light Orchestra, Rainbow and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Therefore, it can be argued that “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is not only a masterpiece of classical music, but also a precursor and an inspiration for heavy metal music. It shows that heavy metal is not a recent invention, but rather a continuation and a transformation of a long musical tradition that spans centuries and genres.