Origins
Motörhead is often credited as the first band to invent/play speed metal. Some of speed metal's earlier influences include Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave", Deep Purple's "Fireball" and Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" (which was eventually covered by the thrash metal band Metallica), from their 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack, and Deep Purple's song "Highway Star", from their album Machine Head. The latter was called 'early speed metal' by Robb Reiner of speed metal band Anvil.
Speed metal eventually evolved into thrash metal. Although many tend to equate the two subgenres, others argue that there is a distinct difference between them. In his book Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal, Ian Christe states that "...thrash metal relies more on long, wrenching rhythmic breaks, while speed metal... is a cleaner and more musically intricate subcategory, still loyal to the dueling melodies of classic metal."
Read more about this topic: Speed Metal
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