Blue Cheer

The hard rock group Blue Cheer were often referred to as being "louder than god" and no band of their era more richly earned that title. Often cited as the first heavy metal band, they were inarguably heavy on albums like 1968's Vincebus Eruptum and Outsideinside, playing raw, blues-based rock with a bludgeoning impact and monolithic guitar sound that inspired hundreds of bands to turn up their amps and summon mountains of noise. The group embraced a more polished approach on 1969's conventionally bluesy Blue Cheer and 1971's folk-infused Oh! Pleasant Hope, but after reuniting...