Heavy metal is a type of rock music that arose in the late 1960s, achieved its definition in the 1970s, and continued into the 1980s, using intricately syncopated repeating guitar figures, virtuoso guitar solos, distorted sounds, often high-pitched male vocals, and lyrics often about depressing or shocking subjects. Heavy metal bands include Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Soundgarden. Deep Purple are often consider pioneers of heavy metal, although their music spans other genres of rock.