Blues Metal

Blues Metal is not widley considered to be an actual genre of music because it is not used in media alot however it is a real fussion genre of blues and metal. The term is usually meant to describe bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and sometimes Black Sabbath. Bands that are normally considered to be blues metal are widley known to be blues rock a much more used term.

Characteristics
Bands that can be called blues metal usually have singers with high wailling voices such as Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin or Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath because this is often found in both blues and metal. Although the vocals are very often high the don't have to be, as Deep Purple didn't have any. The guitar is also often playing very bluesy riffs and is somewhat heavy because of its high distortion. There is also often extreme emphasis on the bass guitar a well known trait of early metal. Suggestive lyrics (like Led Zeppelin's) also make it somewhat metal.
Etymology
Because its not used very often in media the term blues metal was probably mostly developed by fans of Led Zeppelin and other early metal bands. It is mostly the pioneers of metal (usually not Black Sabbath) and other old metal bands that are refered to as blues metal because they are less heavy then many metal bands today and made blues rock heavier. Led Zeppelin may have helped create the term because their music was very bluesy and not that heavy but was still considered to be metal so some people would refer to it as blues metal. Deep Purple also may have helped create the term but in an "opposite" way because their music was quite heavy but also mildly bluesy. Black Sabath may have helped create the term only through their much earlier work as the band Earth. Many other psychedelic bands and artists such as Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix or Cream may have helped with creating term as well because they played blues-rock but were probablly the closest thing to metal in their time.
History
Led Zeppelin probably deserves to be called the first blues metal band because the mixed well known blues and metal traits and its quite obvious in their music.

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