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Heavy metal.

Heavy metal. There are virtually hundreds of definitions of the term. Some believe the expression was coined by underground author William Burroughs. Some argue that the late rock critic Lester Bangs was the first to use the term to describe a form of rock ’n’ roll music.

April 2, 1987

The CREEM Archive presents the magazine as originally created. Digital text has been scanned from its original print format and may contain formatting quirks and inconsistencies.

Heavy metal.

Heavy metal. There are virtually hundreds of definitions of the term. Some believe the expression was coined by underground author William Burroughs. Some argue that the late rock critic Lester Bangs was the first to use the term to describe a form of rock ’n’ roll music. Others will tell you that all the credit goes to Steppenwolf (and songwriter Mars Bonfire) for the line “I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder” in "Born To Be Wild.” Whatever the case, heavy metal is a form of musical expression that has no intention of going away. We’re proud to present the Metal Hall Of Fame, including reprints of original interviews with some of the biggest metal stars of today, as well as a look at many of the forefathers who made metal music what it is. We hope you’ll find some of your favorites included within these pages.

—The Editors