Frequently Asked Questions
The most-asked questions about speed metal musical groups.
What exactly is speed metal?
Speed metal is a heavy metal subgenre that crystallized in the late 1970s and early 1980s, defined by extremely fast tempos, galloping guitar rhythms, and melodic song structures. It occupies a middle ground between traditional heavy metal and the more aggressive thrash metal that followed in its wake.
How does speed metal differ from thrash metal?
Both share high tempos and technical guitar work, but speed metal generally keeps its songwriting more harmonically straightforward and its vocal delivery lighter and more melodic. Thrash metal tends to be rhythmically harsher, darker in tone, and more prone to complex time signatures and heavier distortion.
Which bands are considered the core of the speed metal scene?
Helloween, Saxon, Running Wild, and Exciter are widely regarded as the foundational speed metal groups, with Grim Reaper, Tankard, and early Accept also frequently cited. Together they produced the bulk of the genre's most recognized catalog from the early-to-mid 1980s.
When did speed metal emerge as a recognizable genre?
The style took shape roughly between 1979 and 1984, as bands pushed the tempo and technicality of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal further. By 1985 the term 'speed metal' was being used regularly in music press and fanzines to set these faster acts apart from their thrash counterparts.
Where should a newcomer start listening?
Helloween's 'Walls of Jericho' (1985) and Saxon's 'Crusader' (1983) are commonly recommended entry points for their clear, anthemic speed metal sound. Exciter's 'Steel Soldier' (1985) offers a rawer, more aggressive introduction if you want a harder edge right away.
Why is the German scene so central to speed metal?
German bands in the early 1980s embraced the genre's melodic, high-tempo approach more consistently than their British or American peers, who often pivoted toward thrash. This gave Germany a disproportionate number of defining speed metal records and a lasting fanbase for the style.
What are the typical musical hallmarks of a speed metal track?
Expect galloping bass lines, palm-muted power-chord riffs played at 160–200+ BPM, and vocals that are high-pitched yet still melodic rather than screamed. Song structures usually favor straightforward verse-chorus formats over the odd-meter complexity found in progressive or thrash metal.
Did speed metal influence later genres?
Many thrash metal pioneers, including early Metallica and Slayer, drew directly on speed metal's tempo and riffing before developing their own heavier, more aggressive identities. The melodic sensibility of speed metal also fed into power metal, which became its own major subgenre by the late 1980s.
What is a widely cited peak era for speed metal?
Most fans point to 1983–1987 as the genre's golden window, when the most iconic albums were released before the scene fragmented into thrash and power metal. Records from that four-year span are often treated as the definitive catalog of the style.
Is speed metal still actively made today?
A smaller but dedicated scene continues to produce new speed metal records, with various German and Scandinavian acts keeping the template alive alongside adjacent power-metal groups. Annual festivals and online communities also maintain a steady audience for the genre well into the 2020s.