The neoclassical heavy metal phenomenon: why modern guitarists are obsessed with classical music

Contributed by Raymond Brice

Several notable classical musicians explore rock guitar idioms, but what about rock guitarists exploring classical music? This site has looked at unexpected musical crossovers before in An Unexpected Crossover: A Rock Guitarist Plays Opera. But classical music’s influence on rock doesn’t require playing classical tunes. It can include imitating classical harmonies or instrumental techniques.

One would hardly expect a crossover between heavy metal and classical music. But on closer examination, the two have plenty in common. In fact, modern guitarists have an affinity for classical music.

Origins of heavy metal

Black Sabbath (1970). Wikimedia Commons

Music comes in waves or movements that influence and shape what comes after them. So in a sense, there will be some similarities between all genres of music. They all stem from a reaction to a reaction.

Heavy metal originated in the 1960s. It is an offshoot of the psychedelic rock movement, similar to how heavy blues redefined rock music.

Early bands under the banner of heavy metal include Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, and Leaf Hound. But if we’re going to talk about the band that put metal on the map, look no further than Black Sabbath.

Rolling Stone emphasizes how Black Sabbath set the groundwork for future metal bands via their heavy licks and insidious lyricism — elements still seen in modern metal music. Sabbath ushered in a new era of rock music as they took the 1960s out of hippie psychedelia into a more aggressive and visceral sound.

Thematically, classical music has also had its run-ins with the occult and has experimented with darker themes. A great example of this is “The Devil’s Trill”, composed by Giuseppe Tartini. Tartini wrote that he had a vivid dream about the devil ferociously playing the violin. He credited the dream for the composition’s title and even the music itself. The piece was his attempt to recreate the devil’s music.

Classical music and metal

At face value, the heavy metal and classical music couldn’t be any more different. However, upon closer inspection, heavy metal and classical music share both thematic and technical elements. Crossover between classical music and heavy metal occurs more frequently than one might think.

For instance, the guitar solo on Deep Purple’s song, “Highway Star” has hints of Johann Sebastian Bach’s work in its harmonic progressions and virtuosic arpeggio figuration. Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore has a well-known affinity for classical music. He has even gone so far as to say that it had a profound effect on him and his work.

Eddie Van Halen studied classical piano and violin. His guitar technique comes in part from that background. Compare his “Eruption” with Paganini’s Caprice no. 24″ for unaccompanied violin to see the crossover.

Here he is playing the third movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”

Pioneers of the heavy metal sound

Yngwie Malmsteen.Wikimedia Commons

The uncanny connection of classical and metal music has brought about many attempts at experimenting with the form and genre of music throughout the years. While many couldn’t quite balance the two, there are a few who have truly served as pioneers of the sound.

Yngwie Malmsteen is a Swedish-born guitarist known for his technical skill paired with his adept use of modern guitar engineering. Like Van Halen, he imitates violin techniques. He uses contrapuntal bass lines comparable to Bach’s or Vivaldi’s.

He has continued to blur the lines between metal and classical music for more than 41 years now through the use of pedals and technology. In fact, Malmsteen has paved the way for the genre by inspiring others through his music and through his concrete contributions to the style. The aptly named Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive was designed with help from the man himself.

Not only does it cement his legacy as a shredder, but it also gives even amateur players the power of his legendary tone. Through Malmsteen, what was once an obscure genre has been pushed into the mainstream.

However, the original figurehead of this movement would have to be Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple. Blackmore seamlessly melded the two genres by taking inspiration from classical pieces and modernizing them in their songs. And like Malmsteen, Blackmore did so through the use of a piece of iconic modern engineering in the form of his legendary 1968 Fender Stratocaster — a model that has been remade as a tribute to the much-heralded guitarist.

Blackmore, Van Halen, and Malmsteen are only three of the heavy metal guitarists who own some of their sound and technique to crossover from classical music.

Raymond Brice is an Atlanta-based photographer and part-time barista. His love for music shows in his endless quest to capture gigs and concerts, collaborating with local artists to create stellar shots