Where metal comes from
Black Sabbath’s early 1970s albums are widely credited as the start of heavy metal. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Metallica-led thrash in the 1980s, and later extreme and progressive styles expanded it.
What makes a track sound like metal
- Palm-muted chugging
- Double-kick drumming
- High-gain distortion
- Breakdowns
Typical structure
Riff-led sections with breakdowns, a guitar solo and dramatic tempo changes.
Vocals in metal
Metal vocals can be clean and soaring, or harsh screams and growls. Say which you want, or combine them ("harsh verses, clean chorus"), and keep lyrics short and rhythmic.
Prompting tips
Name the style: "thrash" for fast and tight, "doom" for slow and heavy, "metalcore" for breakdowns, "symphonic metal" for orchestra.
Too many layers turn metal into mush. Ask for "tight, two-guitar arrangement", and keep the bass locked to the kick so the low end stays clear when the guitars are heavy.
Prompts to start from
Thrash metal at 190 BPM, tight palm-muted riffs, double-kick drums and a shredding guitar solo
Slow doom metal, crushing low-tuned riffs, sparse drums, dark atmosphere
Symphonic metal instrumental with choir, orchestra and heavy guitars for an epic boss fight