Welcome to a new series of “Brief Histories”, where I attempt to tell you a little about the history of certain aspects of heavy music, condensed into 600 words or less. If you have any suggestions of further topics to discuss please leave a comment here on the blog, here, or here.
But for today’s topic: Headbanging.
That heavy metal tradition of sore necks and long locks swirling around in the air to the tune of a frenzied double kick and wailing, crushing guitars, known as “headbanging,” is described by Wikipedia as “a type of dance which involves violently shaking the head in time with music, most commonly rock music and heavy metal music.” As this instructional article, on “How to Headbang” will tell you, there are several different styles of headbanging, such as the “windmill” and the “headslam.”
Headbanging and heavy metal have been linked to all sorts of things from Satanism and church-burning to eating the heads off bats a la Ozzy Osbourne… but things have evolved. There is now Headbanging for Jesus, and even grandparents are getting into it. While it can be hazardous to your health, as Tom Araya will attest to (see notable headbangers below), some find catharsis in this “expression of heavy metal abandon” of “violently nodding their heads in furious motion, as if in the grip of some spiritual possession” as many a metalhead will attest to. Once the adrenaline gets going and the blood gets pumping – it’s all on like Donkey Kong.
Closely related to moshing, crowd-surfing, slam-dancing and other forms of “Getting into it” heavy-metal style, the origin of the term “headbanging” has been linked to such greats as Led Zeppelin, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead, and Deep Purple, as a relatively new tradition, born somewhere in the late sixties to seventies, when musicians began experimenting with the heavier territory, that would eventually lead to the likes of genres such as death metal, black metal, thrash metal, doom, hardcore and grindcore.
While we might never know which story is the truth, “Metalologists” such as Ian Christe, author of “Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal” and David Konow, author of “Bang Your Head” agree that the type of music we now call “Heavy Metal” was birthed by Black Sabbath. Yet, it’s thought that the word “headbanger” was created “during Led Zeppelin’s first tour in 1968.” At a show at the Venue, The Boston Tea Party, front row fans were seen to be “banging their heads against the stage in rhythm with the music.” Yet Motörhead were originally called “Motorheadbanger” which could just as easily have been headbanging’s origin, as Lemmy mentions in the documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years,” and Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, has also been quoted in interviews as saying it was a “definite possibility” that he invented the thing. So who’s right? Your guess is as good as mine.
Notable headbangers include:
George Fisher, aka “Corpsegrinder”, current lead vocalist of death metal outfit, the legendary Cannibal Corpse, is renowned for his “windmilling” style of headbanging, where he spins his neck to the music, whipping his long hair around in a frenzied windmill–style fashion.
Tom Araya, vocalist/bassist of “big four” band, Slayer ( before he broke himself!) was previously known for his “aggressive” style of headbanging, to Slayer’s epic thrash/speed metal time signatures. But thirty years of headbanging meant surgeries recently for a “cervical radiculopathy” (which according to healthscout.com basically means that your neck/back is FUCKED UP dude), cancelled Slayer shows, and no more headbanging for Tom. (And don’t we all know the old “metal neck” the next day after going to a good show!)
Almost everyone in Dragonforce! (including fellow New Zealander Sam Totman!)
Check out this kid’s awesome school project for some more sweet headbanging history:
