Shock Rock acts have been mentioned in other posts in this series and they are still around today. They however began slightly before and perhaps during the birth of heavy metal and they continue to this day. Many of these acts are decidedly metal, but this is one of those labels that extends throughout the entire history of metal. It does not really talk about the SOUND of the music but more the extreme acts and audacity that the band will do on stage or in public as an additional facet of their ART. This is the seventh post in the Metal Tree series which began here. You can look at the original post and it has links to all the other posts at the very bottom of the post. Alternatively you can simply click on the METALTREE tag and then click on new, active, etc and it will show you the other posts.

The Metal Evolution series by Sam Dunn and Banger Films that I have mentioned in every post in this series actually does have an episode about Shock Rock. I will provide a link to that here.

Let Us Begin

Shock Rock describes music (typically metal) that a big part of the act is audacious and incredible stage shows. On the stage they will do things in attempt to shock the audience. They will explore the taboos and the dark corners of our psyches. Sam Dunn in the episode I linked above indicates this likely all originally began in Circus and Carny shows. One of the earliest musical expressions of this was not actually a metal act at all, but it did kind of plant the seed for this idea.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Band First Released: 1958
Nationality: United States of America
Screamin' Jay Hawkins would dress like a voodoo priest and walk around with a staff with a skull on it as part of his act. He is known for the song "I put a spell on you" and his delivery of that song.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On Me - Documentary

Before I dive into the rest of the list I believe it is important to indicate there are a lot of other acts not in this particular post. This is because many of them are part of another genre that ran with the Shock Rock approach and took it somewhere very different, such as Black Metal.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Band First Released: 1967
Nationality: United Kingdoms
Arthur Brown was not necessarily Metal, but he was the next act to really pick up the mantel of what could be considered Shock Rock. He was a vocalist who kind of one day let loose in a club he was performing in and then got the inspiration for the rest of the act. It was very unique for the time it came out and there was nothing quite like it. It made Screamin' Jay Hawkins seem tame. That is one danger of Shock Rock. To stay at the top you gotta Shock and eventually what once shocked ceases to do the trick so they take it up a notch. Sounds a bit dangerous. ;)

Alice Cooper

Band First Released: 1969
Nationality: United States of America
While Alice Cooper is widely considered the first metal shock rock act it is important to note that he also became famous first by people hearing his songs on the radio. They had not even seen his shocking stage act where he appears to decapitate himself or anything like that. So his initial fame came exclusively from the sound of the music, and then the stage act just ratcheted that up several notches.
Alice Cooper band history documentary

I'm Eighteen - the song that launched his career

Full Concert - St Paul, Minnesota - August 5th, 2015

New York Dolls

Band First Released: 1973
Nationality: United States of America
All Dolled Up: A New York Dolls Story - Found Tapes

Kiss

Band First Released: 1974
Nationality: United States of America
Kiss is pretty well known and for years part of their mystery was that they would not appear in public without their makeup. So for a long time people had no clue what they actually looked like. They eventually went Unmasked for awhile, but that distracted from the Shock Rock side of the act and people preferred it so eventually they returned to the makeup.
Personal: This was my favorite band 1st - 3rd grade. I was a young one, but I really liked Kiss. My parents were not into it, but they were both very musical people, so I think they were just happy I was interested in a band of my own choosing. Though how I became interested in Kiss is both amusing, and embarrassing. I lived in Basalt, Colorado. A nearby town named Carbondale would open a disco for children Saturday mornings until a little after lunch. It was a bunch of little kids hanging out with each other, dancing, playing early (very early) video games, etc. The disco played a lot of Debbie Harry, Bee Gees, etc. Yet, I really liked this one song I kept hearing called I was made for loving you. I wanted that album which is called (Dynasty) and it's sad to me think the first Kiss song I liked was their Disco song. :p My parents bought me an album and it ended up being Kiss Alive II which doesn't even have that song. The rest is history.

Ozzy Osbourne

Band First Released: 1980
Nationality: United Kingdoms
It is important to note that Ozzy Osbourne (then known as Jonathan Osbourne) was the vocalist of Black Sabbath prior to going solo, and that by many (including myself) is the earliest sound I personally identify as being distinctly metal. Ozzy though went on to be a solo act, with the entire biting the head off the bat on stage, and the appealing to the darker side of things. He also seems to have a knack for teaming up with some of the best guitarists in the world. I don't know that he has ever actually performed with a shitty guitarist. They are all amazing. Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll, and Infamy. Those things have served him well. They even landed him and his family the reality TV show The Osbournes.
The Story Of: Ozzy Osbourne(2002) - Rare Bio from M3/MuchMoreMusic Channel

With Randy Rhoads

With Jake E. Lee

With Zakk Wylde - and this is basically Zakk just destroying it

Venom

Band First Released: 1981
Nationality: United Kingdoms
I first heard about Venom by word of mouth. They were spreading around as a truly Satanic band. It was all an act, but it sold them a lot of albums and it played right into the Shock Rock technique. The lyrics were quite shocking at the time they came out. I remember getting my hands on some of it and being quite surprised. These days we wouldn't bat an eye, but then it was quite shocking. This was near the era of the Geraldo Rivera special on Devil Worshippers that put many people on a modern day witch hunt. I received some of this attention myself and even got written about in some newspapers in Western Colorado without anyone ever actually speaking to me. Was I satanic? Not in the slightest. Venom will also be mentioned when we get to the Sub-Genre Extreme Metal. They are also typically linked to Black Metal. They do go for that Shock value though. Though their shock value was primarily in their lyrics. While Rap was talking about drugs and killing cops for its shock value, these guys were talking about Satan and sacrifice.

W.A.S.P.

Band First Released: 1984
Nationality: United States
This band was one I actually go way into for the music when they came out. MTV was going strong at the time and I really liked the song I Wanna Be Somebody though they also had makeup, put blood, and fake heads on stakes and such on their stage. I lived in remote Colorado so very little I listened to had anything to do with live performances as those performances would not come anywhere that I could watch them until I was old enough to travel with friends. I actually still like listening to these guys from time to time. Blackie Lawless has a quality to his vocal textures that I enjoy, and the music while not masterful is not that bad.
W.A.S.P. Rockumentary from 2004

WASP - I Wanna Be Somebody - first song I saw... back when MTV was music ALL day.

Fuck Like a Beast

GWAR

Band First Released: 1988
Nationality: United States of America
These guys took theatricality and costumes to the highest level I believe anyone had ever done, and even to this day no one has topped it. I can't say their music has ever really called out to me, but I've seen some of their shows that get broadcast live and they look like a spectacle that would be very interesting to see live. This is also likely why they release so many videos as they are a lot more difficult to appreciate without the visual element that accompanies their music.
GWAR - Phallus In Wonderland 1992 (Full Movie)

GWAR - Fate or Chaos Tour 2013 (Full Concert)

Let Us Slay (Official Video)

Marilyn Manson

Band First Released: 1994
Nationality: United States
Marilyn Manson obviously couldn't top GWAR in costume, but they could kick the can in a different direction. Marilyn Manson seemed to go for that Androgynous Serial Killer type vibe, and the name also conveyed that. He presented some very new sounding approaches to music, and was quite popular. He most definitely qualifies as Shock Rock he simply aimed for a different type of shock as people were becoming numb to the existing types. He continued the theme of Shock Rock bands to try to appeal to things that parents dislike and are offended by. This is what Alice Cooper and all other Shock Rock bands have done as well. He also seems to have a bit of that Cenobyte vibe from Clive Barker's Hellraiser movies.
Marilyn Manson Documentary

Marylin Manson - Sympathy For The Devil - Full Movie

The Beautiful People - 80 million views let's you know this must be quite popular

Rammstein

Band First Released: 1995
Nationality: Germany
My first encounter with Rammstein was actually on the stage in one of the scenes in the movie XXX called Triple X with Vin Diesel. It is not a Porn. It is more like a James Bond Spy/Action movie if you haven't seen it. After that I learned a bit more about them and some of the things they do on stage that often get them banned from places.
Rammstein - Who are they? (Full interview with english subtitles)

Du Hast (Official Video)

From the movie I mentioned

Fake Penis Sex Scene Live

Slipknot

Band First Released: 1999
Nationality: United States of America
This band seems to have taken Kiss, and Gwar and toned down the requirements for the costume some. They also go with the Kiss mystique of always interviewing in costume. Gwar does this too. Slipknot though also focuses on musicality and writes some pretty good songs. They definitely are still going for the shock value. I mean it is obvious that some things play tribute to the concept of Leather Face.
Slipknot Documentary

Slipknot - Hellbound (Documentary) - less than 18 minutes long

Before I Forget - Live at Red Rocks

Closing

I believe the element of Shock will always be around in our society. It is not just Rock and Metal that do this. This has been done in Rap, and it has been done by people like Miley Cyrus twerking and acting like she's getting nailed doggie style on the stage in popular music. Shock will continue to exist.

This element went on to inspire other sub-genres of metal which will be explored in up coming posts.

Steem On!