 This helped their overall appeal,‭ ‬because they would draw less typical metal listeners in with songs such as‭ “‬Shoot Me Again,‭” ‬and as a result they would listen to the rest of the album,‭ ‬and grow to understand the musical brilliance of heavier songs like‭ “‬St. Anger.‭” ‬Bands with goals like Metallica’s are the reason that the metal grew in popularity,‭ ‬leaving the door open for a new generation. ‭(‬Berelian‭ ‬221-224‭)‬

Building up from the foundation that the first two generations laid,‭ ‬the third generation of heavy metal chose to venture out into more theatricality. Also,‭ ‬the movement moved towards the commercial in a big way. Bands such as Iron Maiden chose their theatrical elements in a way that reflected the Romantic Era in literature. During that period,‭ ‬books such as Dracula were made popular,‭ ‬and then again in the late‭ ‬1970‭’‬s there grew,‭ ‬within the metal genre at least,‭ ‬an interest in monsters and gothic drama. In addition,‭ ‬groups started to experiment with other forms of showmanship,‭ ‬such as costumes and makeup. This led to the groups known as the hair bands,‭ ‬the members of which are known for their over-produced hair. 

Kiss is the paradigm of showmanship,‭ ‬commercialism,‭ ‬and theatricality of heavy metal bands. The New Yorkers decided that they were going to take their performances to the next level:‭ ‬they designed personal makeup that would be worn to each show. The leather-clad foursome also created an entire empire of merchandise,‭ ‬ranging from Kiss action figures to Kiss comic books,‭ ‬to anything else that they could fit their name on. They gained success through being businessmen rather than being the greatest musicians. It is well known that Kiss bassist Gene Simmons is not one whose skills are worth even mentioning,‭ ‬but his stage presence made up for his musical shortcomings. ‭(‬Berelian‭ ‬183-186‭)‬

Another band whose theatricality was truly over the top was Iron Maiden. They even went as far as having a giant monster,‭ ‬named Eddie,‭ ‬run around on stage during their shows,‭ ‬vomiting fake blood on the audience,‭ ‬among other grotesque acts. Despite his rather abhorrent practices,‭ ‬Eddie became a major metal icon,‭ ‬and was even named the‭ ‬#4‭ ‬top music icon of all time by‭ ‬Kerrang‭!‬ magazine. Eddie gained Maiden a lot more fans that they would have gotten with just their music,‭ ‬which just goes to show what an integral part theatricality was to later generations of heavy metal. After this generation,‭ ‬there was a massive fragmentation in the metal movement,‭ ‬and bands starting emerging from all over,‭ ‬creating all different types of synthesis with other genres to create their own genres. ‭(‬Beebee‭)‬

Many groups have created some form of musical fusion with another genres. For instance,‭ ‬Nightwish,‭ ‬a Finnish band,‭ ‬has infused classical and operatic elements into their metal lineup,‭ ‬creating the romantic fantasy world that is their music. They create an atmosphere that is impossible to not completely immerse yourself in as you listen.
