What do you define as heavy in music?

[daystcity]

Not actual weight, but I found it surprising how many people said that The Locust were the heaviest band ever. Others mentioned Sunn O))) as the other extreme. Just post what you think and discuss what you think heavy is in music. In my personal opinion moderate pulsing tempos seem to be the heaviest to me. Sunn O))) is heavy in a pretty different way but I can see why some people gravitate towards grindcore as heavy.

[chanson]

It is what it is. Both drone bands like Sunn O))) and grind bands like Napalm Death are both be heavy. There isn't just one sound associated with heavy.

[dohead]

I'll use metallica as an example

Kill Em All- And Justice For All- Not Heavy, Thrash

Black Album- St. Anger- Heavy, Not Thrash

Death Magnetic, Both

That's what i think Heavy is, slow drumbeat to a heavily distorted/palm muted bluesy-like riff.

[Anesthesia]

Black Sabbath.

the end

[tom once dead]

grind, deathcore, deathmetal. like The berzerker, Suicide Silence, Crytopsy.

I think of heavy as things that parents (for an example) would hate. For instance whilst going through the heaviest band ever thread, mum was sitting in the lounge near the computer. She said nothing about all the slow doom bands, but after about 10 seconds of The Berzerker she said "Whats THAT!?!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USQe7ZvjJ4U - The Berzerker

[Hawaii Islander]

Originally Posted by Anesthesia

Black Sabbath.

the end

+1

[mike costelow]

Originally Posted by Anesthesia

Black Sabbath.

the end

+ 2,also deep purple,maiden,priest and b.o.c. = old school heavy

[Anesthesia]

Originally Posted by mike costelow

+ 2,also deep purple,maiden,priest and b.o.c. = old school heavy

anything after this was a rehashing. and yes some of my favourite bands fall into this category, but it is the truth.

[Zako]

Harms Way
www.myspace.com/harmsxway

Just a not so big hardcore band thats just starting to get big.
ask anyone and they'll say they are the heaviest in the genre right now.

[CityEscape]

I don't think many bands are "heavier" than The Acacia Strain, by my definition of heavy.

[jdieh1]

Originally Posted by Anesthesia

anything after this was a rehashing. and yes some of my favourite bands fall into this category, but it is the truth.

What about Zeppelin?

[chanson]

This thread is just turning into the other heavy thread...
fail.

[Anesthesia]

Originally Posted by jdieh1

What about Zeppelin?

they are in the first wave with deep purple and etc. you should already have known this.

[daystcity]

Thanks for the responses guys, but this isn't the what's the heaviest band in the universe thread. I don't know, to me the fast brutal stuff is more aggressive and angry than heavy.

[Ben Lesser]

Heavy =/= speed.

To me, heavy is entirely about tone. A lot of thick instrument tones make for heavy muisc, imo. Obviously some genres are more disposed to 'heaviness' than others, but that's how I see it. You can have heavy blues, heavy classical, heavy jazz, whatever.

[KPAX]

Flames, snakes, skulls, distortion, whisky ... ok, Pantera.

[DoomandHeavy]

I think lyrics also play a part in heaviness. The song Catch the Rainbow from Rainbow is quite heavy lyricly(perhaps a bit cheesy too ). The song Footprints from Warning is also a good example of what I think is heavy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=774GvRN2yKk

[Chipsonfire]

I'm really not sure what to define as heavy, or conversely what to define heavy as. I do like the description by Ben Lesser in regards to tone, though I would call that thick and not necessarily heavy.

[holllowbody]

Heavy.....hmmmm.

Sound isn't easily put into words.

I would say the sound has to be aggressive in nature and there has to be lots of overdrive in the guitar.

Originally Posted by chanson

fail.

What is that supposed to mean?

[Disraeli Gears]

I generally associate "heavy" with doom metal such as Sunn O))), Sleep, Boris, Om, etc.