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Classic metal and hard rock: the best shock rock bands

-In no particular order

Arthur Brown – Burning Helmet

It’s safe to say that, for once, Alice Cooper borrowed some ideas from someone else; example, Arthur Brown. Arthur Bown is best known for the single “Fire”, which is vindictive of Arthur Brown’s expertise. Brown used fire a lot to cause a stir in the audience, while the whole band seemed like some kind of medieval satanic cult. Brown himself was one of the first to use face paint / makeup to create a stage personality alongside music. His incendiary stage act was so controversial that he even kicked off a tour with Jimi Hendrix. On tour, Brown took the stage in a welded sheet metal suit and helmet that was doused with lighter fluid and ignited a flame. The band never had a great success due to an unstable line-up and therefore could not gain the notoriety they deserve in the world of Rock.

Motley Crue (Early Years 81-85) – Nikki lights her legs on fire

What most people don’t know when it comes to Motley Crue is the fact that they pretty much started out as a shock rock band. In addition to being the rock and metal kings of the 80s, Motley Crue began with elaborate stage antics inspired by Kiss and Alice. During The Too Fast for Love era live performances, The Crue aimed to surprise and entertain audiences with Fire, Blood, Crazy Hair, ‘Scary’ makeup, and outrageous outfits.

Nikki Sixx adopted the technique (from Blackie Lawless) of setting her leather pants and boots on fire during the live performances that can be seen in the “Live wire” video. Also on “Live Wire,” Mr. Mars uses the Kiss-inspired technique of blood dripping from the mouth. Crazy thigh-high boots, leather and studs, pale face makeup, and larger-than-life hair were all used to initially wow audiences with such an extreme and wild image. Motley also experimented with the Satanic symbol controversy, not to mention bringing violent and sexual letters and images to the fore. Perhaps Motley Crue is rarely paired with other shock rock acts because outrageous androgyny in 81-84 became the norm for the rest of the ’80s with the arrival of other Hair Metal acts. Also, the Crues toned down their image in 87. There was always a fine line between Shock Rock and Glam.

WASP – Torture coat rack

WASP, like Motley Crue, grew out of the Sunset Strip Glam Metal movement. Considering the fact that the members of WASP and Crue played together in a band at some point (Sister), it is not surprising to see the similarities between these two bands in their early days. WASP is, of course, synonymous with the shock rock genre. They mixed Alice Cooper’s horror show with aggressive yet catchy heavy metal tunes. Blackie is known for using raw meat in his performance and throwing it into the audience, as well as eating live worms on stage (although this was before WASP), using dangerous fire and blood to provoke a reaction in the audience.

WASP’s best known ‘trick’ was the use of the torture rack in which they hung a naked woman and proceeded to mutilate her body (all show, of course). Randy Piper borrows some ideas from Ace Frehley’s bag of tricks with his smoking guitar. Considered the antics on stage, WASP got much of its shock rock credit from the PMRC’s dirty fifteen with the violent and sexual lyrics / images on songs like Animal (Fuck Like A Beast).

Other techniques include: chainsaw chunk of cod, pyrotechnics, and explosive chunk of cod (fireworks)

Alice Cooper – Decaying Himself

Credited as the godfather of Shock Rock, Alice Cooper was every parent’s worst nightmare in the 60s and 70s. Alice Cooper is a complete work of Macbeth Rock and Roll. He coined just about every technique Shock Rock acts ever used to follow. Snakes, makeup, guillotines, ropes, blood, thigh high boots, straitjackets, etc. Alice Cooper explored American fears by experimenting with images and letters. Alice’s is one of the first to make concept albums. His lyrics ranged from tales that inspire youthful rebellion to the clinically insane.

Alice Cooper’s wild shows inspired gossip and fear that spread among American conservatives. One of the most prominent incidents during a live performance was the fiasco of a live chicken being torn to pieces by a hostile Toronto crowd. Newspapers and the media empowered Alice Cooper’s creepy aura with reports of Alice beheading herself night after night. Alice Cooper is a combination of Bloody Tragedies, Houdini, and Rock and Roll.

Lizzy borden

Here’s another shock rock band that was once again influenced by Kiss and Alice Cooper. The name of the band is inspired by a woman accused and acquitted of murder in the 19th century. Clearly borrowing from Alice Cooper, the lead singer is also named Lizzy Borden. The band’s music was pure metal influence from bands like Maiden (especially vocally), Sabbath, Priest, Kiss, and Alice Cooper. They are best known for their video “Me Against The World,” which showcases their outrageous glamorous androgyny that used to wow audiences. In the early days, they borrowed many tricks from Alice Cooper lyrically and visually, including hacking a woman on stage with an ax. In the 80s, Lizzy Borden was an example of a heavier glam metal band that garnered a large underground following.

Kiss – Gene Simmons breathing fire

Kiss is recognized as another pioneer of the Shock Rock genre. Alice Cooper was another influence on Kiss from the beginning. Kiss started out as a Glam Rock band, but after seeing Alice Cooper they decided they would have 4 Alice Cooper on stage and drastically changed their image. Of course, we are all well aware that Gene Simmons breathes fire and spits blood. Kiss became one of the main targets of religious and parenting organizations, as well as influencing decades of gangs to follow. His stage show is consistently cited as one of the greatest and Kiss is considered entertainment both musically and visually. Ace Frehley plays guitar with smoke coming from his pickups, while Gene Simmons flies to the highest peak of an arena (wired, of course).

His face paint and outfits are synonymous with the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal style. Although their antics may seem more like pure entertainment than shock value, it is important to consider the impact they had in the 1970s. The makeup was never removed until the 1980s, which is why Kiss surrounded itself with controversy and mysticism that still attracted more attention from the band. The band caused a stir with their sex lyrics and their logo was accused of being racist (the SS in the word Kiss resembled the symbol of the Nazi SS). Like most or all shock rock bands today, Kiss’s antics are more of a simple form of entertainment and hardly surprise most audiences, but they continue to thrive on great music.

King diamond

King Diamond is Gene Simmons’s demon who meets Alice Cooper. Originally from Denmark, the band rose to fame in the 1980s with their mix of heavy metal riffs and ghostly falsetto vocals. Diamond created a satanic personality on stage in the vein of previous shock rock pioneers, but unlike the rest, he didn’t use Satanism just for shock value. Diamond follows LaVeyan’s Satanism, which he considers more of a philosophy than a religion.

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