traditional metal
what it is
Traditional heavy metal, also known as classic metal, trad. metal or often simply heavy metal, is the seminal subgenre of heavy metal music before the genre evolved and splintered into many different styles and subgenres. Traditional Metal is considered a catch-all term, alongside extreme metal, pop metal and dark metal, each reflecting part of the collective worldwide metal movement.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make traditional metal a playlist
turn these 16 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is traditional metal?
Traditional heavy metal, also known as classic metal, trad. metal or often simply heavy metal, is the seminal subgenre of heavy metal music before the genre evolved and splintered into many different styles and subgenres. Traditional Metal is considered a catch-all term, alongside extreme metal, pop metal and dark metal, each reflecting part of the collective worldwide metal movement.
What are good traditional metal albums to start with?
Try Be Gone by Pharaoh, Traveler by Traveler, Spiral Castle by Manilla Road, and Out of the Best (Heavy Metal Superstars) by Gorgon.
Who are some women making traditional metal?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/traditional-metal/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making traditional metal, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-22