12 Most Brutally Heavy Metal Albums EVER

In the late 60's, metal was still just a fetus in hard rock's womb. While there were many bands taking hard rock in a much heavier direction, none of them were quite nailing down that sonic weight that would characterize heavy metal. Given the times, it's almost poetic justice that the first clarion calls of metal came from within the heart of the hippie scene of San Francisco.

While Blue Cheer initially began its life as a blues band, their sound was clearly a different animal by the time they cut their debut Vincebus Eruptum. The sound of the record is coated in distortion and a certain level of low end that made anyone's speakers absolutely scream. Look no further than the band's breakout hit "Summertime Blues," where they take a simple rocker from the 50's and turn it into the punkish sounds of fiery Armageddon.

The band's plans may have been just to blow people's ears out, but the results were more than just deafening. This was the sound of something much more interesting, which could take on a whole different life if put in the right context. Blue Cheer may not have been the first metal band, but the heaviness and fury behind this record set the precedent for how all metal would sound going forward.