Why Modern Metal doesn’t inspire as much as 80s classics?
Why is it that decades later, the 1980s still inspire the sound, the look, and the spirit of metal? From the raw production to the global tape trading network, the 1980s weren’t just a decade, they were the foundation of everything we headbang to today. So in this video, let’s take look at why this era actually still continues to inspire the new generation of musicians… And see will it be the same for Modern Metal in the coming years? Here you go!
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Background music: “Uberpunch” Alexander Nakarada (serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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All content falls under fair use: any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.
@MetalPilgrim
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
FYI: I recorded and edited this video in July… had no idea my brother Bradley would do something similar 😂
@ericv7720
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
As one who grew up in the 80s, heavy metal was just part of the culture. Whether you had Van Halen or Motley Crue all over the airwaves, or underground acts getting the Bible beaters upset, there was something for everyone. Even acts like Slayer, Fates Warning, and Powermad were appearing on the soundtracks of major studio films. Iron Maiden sold out Madison Square Garden and Ling Beach Arena 4 nights in a row. It was the golden age. But, all good things come to an end. The 90s saw a shift in taste, the rise of grunge and rap, and the splintering of metal into all of the subgenres we nerd out on today. We look to the 80s like classical fans look to the 1700s, as a deep well of inspiration.
@Basiltheblack
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
It’s not just metal every genre was far better – Alice in chains was the final great band to truly get excited out of
@TAILGUNNERHQ
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
'Cause as you say – The 80's were the breeding ground for EVERY good thing that came after in Metal. NWOBHM is practically the primordial soup of all things heavy. Great video as always!
@AndrewSavitskyi
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Thanx for the video! And definately yes, 80's always inspired and it always will be. That time music was real and much focused. People were cherishing every note and possebility to have music, but today with the era of access to everything it often become a transition process of not touching inner side of an art it lies within.
@camarodude9615
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
70s an 80s was the best times ever 🤘
@Heavymetalpunk
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
This video made me think about my life with music. I am 54, so my music journey was hearing my moms Beatles and stones albums, then mid and late 70’s it was Kiss and AC/DC. Then right into NWOBHM, and from there into thrash and then hair metal and the start of grunge, all before I turned 21.
The there was headbangers ball, magazines, record stores, etc. think about finding new bands by seeing the cover and hoping it would be a heavy band. That is how I discovered Manowar, Kreator, Tankard, and many others.
I’m sure this is all boring because a lot of us did it this way, but reflecting on that really opened my eyes to how lucky I was
@paulfaulkner2855
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Popular doesn’t mean good, when Metallica was strictly underground in the 80’s they were great, and since they’ve sucked. Metal Forces was my bible for finding new music in the 80’s, if it got a 90 or above it was a must buy and usually if it was 70-90 it was worth buying or checking out.
@benford1253
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
80s metal for the riffs and solos, 70s for the authenticity and appreciation of music in general. Even when I pick up my B.C. Rich guitar, I always play 80s style riffs. It’s stood the test of time.
@thomasjames6680
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Part of my draw back to 80s and 80s style (Tailgunner started mid, but their new album is top tier stuff) is AI and nostalgia. Tapes from an old school friend, long buried somewhere, of Iron Maiden, listening to Europe and Maiden on a knockoff not a Walkman on school trips, and getting sick of algorithms trying to force AI down my throat, I don't care how "good" someone thinks it is, it isn't. And, "remasters" that "clean up" and "perfect" an album, but strip out the humanity. Sure, it loses any edges, but it also loses some of what makes it human. X-Factor might be an imperfect album, but Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness are still great songs. How many "clean", "perfect" songs stripped of humanity will someone listen to in 35 to 40 years time? (This remastering is out of hand. Remaster? Fine. But when that means "fixing" a voice like Freddie Mercury's one Queen II? Something has gone too far.)
@kennethnielsen3864
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
The 80ies rules🤘🏻
Thanks for sharing.
@CJPrice2070
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
For me, it's a mix of 70's and 80's metal. I still find the modern stuff inspiring, but you don't get that stuff without the classics, and a lot of it still holds up. Even if someone says they weren't inspired by Sabbath, or Purple, or Maiden, or Priest, the people they were inspired by likely were, so there's always a direct line. Similar thing with the Beatles, even if you don't like them, there's a good chance at least one of the people who inspired you were inspired by and liked them.
@paulrobinson3649
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Friday night, in the North West of England, meant Phil Easton 's Great Eastern Express from Liverpool followed by Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show on BBC Radio 1.
@XxMyNameIsTAOxX
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
The 80's is the best decade for metal, but the 70's is the best decade for music.
🤘 🤘
@FrancisFjordCupola
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
For the main part: modern bands have been posers for a long time. Can ram plectrums. Cannot do melodies, harmonies, lead guitars and as for lyrics and themes, they're a bit washed out. They suffer from the digitalisation of sound recording as it made recording cheap and mislead people to think something like a "perfect recording" and perhaps even a perfect song exists. And then the sounds of the musicians get turned into songs by producers into musicians themselves.
Harder, hardest, faster, fastest, slower, slowest and so on are comparisons. Comparisons from one band to another and real metalheads would not give a single biological interfacing about that. They would be their own, not someone else.
@ericdanner8799
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
The 80's were the decade of the "Riff". The one thing that is missing from new music. The 80's inspire, because everybody is searching for those lost riffs. Riffs that stick in your head and repeat themselves over and over. New bands like Polyphia are technically advanced, but haven't written the kind of catchy riff that the 80's were overloaded with. New bands are forgettable, because they forgot about 3 chord songs like TNT.
@mightyironoak
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Modern metal is just boring, lame, and repetitive…ITS NOT HEAVY! ITS JUST NOISE! Also most of the newer bands don't truly believe in the METAL FAITH, they aren't true devotees to the religion of rock!
@Mel-Mel-q6u
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Was that a bit of Loudness I heard in that clip? I saw them at the Tuska Festival! Still going strong after 45 years!
@stephanfuchs7891
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
This music is 40 years old. Let's wait another 40 years and then have a look at the music of the 2020's. That would be fair I think.
@ClaymoreanOfficialMetal
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
Heavy Metal was practically fully invented and developed in the 80's, so it became a music genre of its own, just like blues or jazz did decades before. When you hear modern blues or jazz, musically they haven't changed that much from their roots. It's the same with heavy metal, which is nowadays called traditional metal for the 80's bands, or NWOTHM for newer bands of that particular style.
@MickeyS.000
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
IRON MAIDEN will always be numb. 1 to me.
CANDLEMASS will always be a beacon of light to me.
@BlindGordie
September 25, 2026 at 2:42 am
For me, growing up in the 80s in Canada, I learned about metal from 1983 onward, when I turned 10. On the radio, there was something called foreground programming, which made room for one- or two-hour blocks of time for alternate programming outside of just playing music in rotation. A jazz show, a comedy show, a public affairs program, a trivia show, an hour of live recordings, and a metal show were part of the broadcast week on rock radio stations. I would tune into a few of these programs; as I would happen to catch them every week in order to find out what new music would be coming out, and sometimes interviews with bands would happen. Of course, I also began to discover the more extreme side of metal at that time, and I loved it then, as I love it now. A band like Raiser certainly got my attention back then. I know that I would eventually discover Annihilator, but I forget exactly when.
I also enjoyed Metalshop with Charlie Kendall, and I am so happy that it's back after all these years. The only thing was, because it was not live, I wasn't sure if the new music was actually new or a couple of weeks old when I heard what Charlie called fresh metal from various bands. Hearing the musicians talk was also good for me, because as somebody who is blind, I need more information about bands and not just what magazines put out. I'm glad that I got to hear Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, and many other singers, guitarists, bassists, and drummers in bands talk during that show and others when interviews were conducted.
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