Exhumed: Vanilla Fudge

Yum

Vanilla Fudge is often cited as an important proto-metal band. In 1967, their self-titled debut was filled with cover songs played at about half speed, anticipating Sabbath's slow-rolling crush. They infused all of the songs (originally by the Beatles, Cher, The Supremes, and others) with a thick layer of psychedelia.

Exhumed: Blue Öyster Cult

Legends of Heavy Metal?

Blue Öyster Cult is widely considered to be one of the progenitors of heavy metal by non-metalheads. They have been covered by metal bands a number of times, perhaps most notably by Metallica and Iced Earth, and they introduced the metal umlaut that has been used by so many bands since (reportedly inspired by the Wagnerian aspect of heavy metal). They are also one of the first groups in hard rock to seemingly endorse the occult, adopting a suggestive name and obscure symbolism.

But why don't metalheads claim the band, even if everyone else seems to think they're one of the genre's founding fathers?

Blue Öyster Cult (1972)

Listening to this with today's ears and today's expectations, it's hard to understand how the band was ever considered heavy metal. Only "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" could fairly be called metal. Maybe it's because their most well-remembered hits were the metallic songs. Other than that one, only opener "Transmaniacon MC" could even remotely be considered metal, and that's under the broadest definition of the term. Aside from those, you'll find plenty of decent blues-rock and psychedelic rock. While there's nothing wrong with that, most of it doesn't grab me, and it's definitely not metal. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Exhumed: Primevil

Open the core, enter hell's door

Primevil was an Indiana hard rock band whose sole album, 1974's Smokin' Bats at Campton's, sounds like a direct influence on stoner rock almost twenty years later. Metal cred can be found in the devil album art, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Venom's Black Metal. The demon face, logo placement, album title placement and font, they are all spot-on. Hell, Venom even recorded an album called Prime Evil, and members of that band started a new band called Primevil (to release an album this summer). Could all of that be coincidence?

Exhumed: Iron Butterfly

Heavy

Iron Butterfly is easily the most well-known band I've covered in this series, but they're just too good to ignore. The California psychedelic rock band is one of the most important influences on early metal. Not only is "Iron" in their name, but they have an album called Heavy, and they are definitely that. The dude's voice is also one of the best and most under-appreciated in rock music, period. Everyone already knows "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", so here's something you might not know.

Exhumed: Leviathan

Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.

Leviathan was a heavy prog rock band from Texas who released a single album in 1974. Aside from having a very metal moniker (shared by a black metal band today) and at least one metal song title ("Angel of Death"), they definitely had a very doom metal kind of mood to their music. With the mellotron, it sounds a lot like the retro doom metal bands of today.

Exhumed: Dust

Ash to Ash

Dust was an American hard rock band in the early 70's who released two albums before disbanding. They are of interest to metalheads as an early proto-metal band, before all the elements of the genre were fully formed. And that interest is not merely in the musical similarities. Their first, self-titled album featured skeletons on the cover, and Hard Attack features barbarians fighting with axes. It doesn't get much more metal than that. Lyrically, "Suicide" is pretty damn metal too.

Exhumed: Horse

And Hell Followed With Him

Horse was a psychedelic rock band from the UK with some seriously catchy tunes and head-bobbing rhythms. They're pretty tough to find due to their not-Google-friendly moniker, but their self-titled album (released 1971) is killer. They also have some metallic elements, not just in their dark album art but also in their music. Check out opener "The Sacrifice":

Exhumed: Message

Digging Up Graves

Message was a German/British band from the early 70's with a psychedelic/progressive/space rock kind of style. From Books and Dreams, released in 1973, shows some obvious kinship with metal. Just look at that skull on the cover, and all the references to sleep and dreams are pretty common among doom metal bands and early Sabbath. Not to mention some dark musical similarities. The riffs are cool--the bass is excellent--the compositions are sprawling but coherent, and they even use saxophone to great effect. Check out "Dreams and Nightmares (Dreams)":