Keith Richards , legendary guitarist of The Rolling Stones , makes no secret of his strong dislike for heavy metal and has openly expressed his opinion on some of the genre's biggest bands.
As Far Out Magazine , the rock 'n' roll icon couldn't even like bands considered precursors to metal, such as Led Zeppelin . "I listened to their album a few times when I bought it, but then the guy's voice started to annoy me. I don't know why, maybe he's too acrobatic. But Jimmy Page is a great guitarist and very respected," he told Rolling Stone in 1969.
This statement was made before the formal birth of heavy metal Black Sabbath 's debut album , released the following year, and Led Zeppelin themselves rejected any connection to heavy metal in the years that followed. But the official arrival of heavier music to the world did not change Richards' opinion.
In 2015, the guitarist spoke directly about what he considers the biggest problem with heavy metal. “It feels like a dull thud to me. It’s an endless thud, no leap, no sustain, no syncopation,” he complained in an interview with the New York Daily News (via NME ). “Millions are in love with Metallica and Black Sabbath. I just thought they were great jokes.”
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