Hidden 70's Metal Gems
by u/Xecotcovach_13
I've always had a fascination with 70s Heavy Metal. There's a charm to the sound of said decade that I can't put into words, and the idea of bands adventuring into new sounds and aesthetics, from their underground beginnings to groundbreaking territory, is fascinating.
There are, of course, the classics which I would categorize into two tiers:
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- God Tier: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Motörhead
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- Legendary Champion Tier: Saxon, Accept, Rainbow, Scorpions, and Riot (underrated as they are; see here.)
Then there's also the legendary classics which are more Hard Rock, but were so influential to the genre that they get namedropped with the two tiers above. Some of these would be Rush, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, UFO, and Thin Lizzy. Oh, and that one band with the most upvoted Album of the Week so far - Budgie (u/kaptain_carbon).
Obscure 70s Metal lists will always get murky when trying to distinguish between Proto Metal, Hard Rock, and Metal. There's a ton of bands out there, so here are just some of my favorite, most metallic, obscure or overlooked bands from the decade:
EDIT: See DOTS' corrections in the comments.
Nokemono - Amazing Japanese band, heavily influenced by Judas Priest and Scorpions. Perhaps it's their brief career which makes them obscure, but damn are people missing out on their sole album. I'm partial towards this song in particular, but every track is good. Even their legendary countrymen Sabbat covered one of their songs. I think they reformed to play a few live concerts and holy hell do they sound just as good thirty years on.
Appareantly, one interpretation for the word "nokemono" is a very offensive term for an outcast from the lower classes. When I asked a Japanese friend from college what it meant, she was puzzled as to why a band would nameselves as such. I thought that was pretty funny.
Alkana - I'll take the following from Hells Headbangers for this one:
...a 1978 monster rarity from the progressive heavy rock underground. This uber-cult album for the proto-epic metal freaks is on par with such legendary releases as 'From The Fjords' from Legend, 'Armed To The Teeth' by Asia, or Ashbury's 'Endless Skies'. Also a must-have for any pomp-rock fan, this CD-reissue comes with improved sound.
'Nuff said; listen to them.
Poobah - Some bizarre, acid shit going on here. Pretty killer and heavy sounding for 1972. So, check it out: Mr. Destroyer.
Angel - Glam Rock/Proto Metal. I think the band was taken under Gene Simmons' wings during their early days in 1975.
Granmax - Another obscurity from the Glam side (1978, I believe). Not too shabby; pretty good at times. Check it out.
Ashbury - Excellent stuff, just listen to it. Already mentioned in that Hells Headbangers review above.
Sir Lord Baltimore - Can you believe this is from 1970? Way ahead of its time. Killer material.
Triarchy - Save the Khan, from 1979. I've seen this band posted here before. They were actually part of the NWOBHM. I think this is a pretty sweet single, I really enjoy the synthesizers.
Legend - One of the greatest hidden gems you'll ever find, already mentioned in the description for Alkana. Their album From the Fjörds has received more attention in recent years. It's even listed as a subgenre essential, but it's such a great piece of Metal history and a personal favorite of mine that I'll include it anyway. Arguably the first viking themed Metal album, and potentially the first concept Metal album.
No one crafted Metal as epic as this back in the 70s. Only Rainbow can stand toe-to-toe with Legend on these terms.
Isn't that some of the best Heavy Metal drumming you've ever heard? Rhetorical question - yes, it is.
Night-Sun - Another band featured in the Sub-genre essentials. These guys might be better known among progressive rock fans than Metal fans. Either way, a beast of an album, very dark in atmosphere and difficult to find. Listen or die.
Teaze - Canadian band. Their first album is from 1976. Some of the heaviest music from the year, according to Martin Popoff.
Buffalo - Raunchy Australians. I read once that they were one of the few bands which fully embraced the term Heavy Metal early on, but I've never been able to confirm this. Give them a go.
Bow Wow - Not an obscure band, but one that I've rarely seen get mentioned on the topic. They proceeded to shed their Hard Rock sound as time went on, but some of their 70s releases are fun and worth a listen.
Flower Travellin' Band - More Japanese madness. Highly influenced by the psychedelic scene and an important development in music for Post WWII Japan, I think. Shout out to u/HighwayCorsair.
Heavy Load - Underground legends. These Swedes are gaining their well-deserved spot as an unsung classic in recent years. u/deathofthesun has prophecized they'll be headlining the Keep It True Festival in 2018. Anyways, I think people tend to gravitate towards their early 80s releases and neglect their full length from 1978, which is still great.
Sone Axe - Fascinating release from 1971, a precursor to Doom Metal.
Lucifer's Friend - Again, not an obscure band - at least among occult and prog enthusiasts. Their debut album is pretty Metal though.
Winterhawk - Very good material here. I hear a lot of Judas Priest and Rush influence. I believe this is from 1976 but it didn't get released until much later. I discovered this one and several others on this list through Rockadrome records.
Sorcery - Wizard's Council, from their 1978 album Stunt Rock. As I understand it, there's some interesting story behind this release - something along the lines of it being a compilation of Heavy Rock/Proto Metal recordings based on movies.
Wrath - Very obscure American band from 1975. I actually found out about them through Kaptain Carbon.
Zior - Heavy and dark with some harsh vocals.
Ñu - These guys are actually well known in the Spanish-speaking scene. But for the rest of you folk, have at it. A lot of people claim that the highly popular Mägo de Oz is a poppy, lite version of Ñu geared towards teenagers. Those people certainly have a point.
Montrose - This band is in no way obscure, but I rarely see them mentioned when people discuss Proto Metal. Iron Maiden covered some of their songs, and my favorite one is Space Station #5. Pretty neat for 1973.
Some Black Sabbath-worshipping bands:
Bedemon - Very lo-fi production, Bedemon did not release anything until 2005, but their demo was recorded in 1974 and it's a good slab of Doom/Traditional Metal, pretty dark and satanic for its time. The band is active today, with their latest release being from 2012.
Pagan Altar - Underground legends, high quality material. Though their debut wasn't released until the 90s, it was recorded in the late 70s. I found it very hard to get past Terry Jones' nasal vocals, and I still dislike them at times, but the band is definitely worth a listen.
Iron Claw - A Scottish band, I believe. Here's a pretty good and ultra heavy song from 1971.
Zarpa - I'm including this more because it's a curiosity rathern than it's quality. The band improved with age though, and was one of the very first bands from Spain to play Heavy Metal.
Pentagram - There's also this Doom Metal classic, of course.
u/agalsed hope this list introduces you to some new bands from the 70s.
EDIT
I really have to include these two cause they're some of my favorites. Thanks to DOTS for reminding me:
1975 - Truth and Janey. Once again, thank the mighty Rockadrome Records for this one.
1973 - Granicus