The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, or the NWOBHM as it's commonly known, was (and still is) one of the most influential movements in music history. It happened in the early 1980s, and saw hard rock music return to a widespread popularity after the punk explosion forced it temporarily underground. A whole generation of Brits inspired by hard rock heroes such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Judas Priest picked up instruments and changed rock history, and that is why this week I'm writing a feature on the NWOBHM: How It Happened, What It Sounded Like and Its Legacy.

How It Happened

The NWOBHM, as with any music movement, relied on three key groups of people to push it up from the underground and onto a world class stage.

A sold-out metal gig at The Marquee Club (see footnote*)

The Bands: NWOBHM bands had a common ideology - they wanted to blend the high-energy approach and rebellious values of punk bands with the musical technicality and meticulous efforts of their classic rock heroes. This approach really came across in their music, which contained the strong, fast rhythms needed to get whole clubs dancing and rocking out, but with the talent to produce complex solos and make use of uncommon time signatures, giving their music an unusual feel which set it apart from other genres and movements.

The Media: For any movement to be successful on a mainstream level, it needs the support of the media. The NWOBHM started out as an entirely grassroots, word-of-mouth affair, publicised by DJs like Neal Kay in heavy metal discos, clubs and pubs. Before long, the growing movement picked up the attention of the national media. Magazines like 'Sounds' wrote features on the band, and music journalist Geoff Barton (the founder of 'Kerrang!' magazine) coined the term 'NWOBHM'. DJs like BBC Radio 1's Tommy Vance gave NWOBHM bands valuable airtime, and the movement found itself the subject of TV documentaries like Granada TV's '20th Century Box'. Even Top Of The Pops took notice, and started to occasionally feature heavy metal bands!

The Fans: Neal Kay's hallowed Heavy Metal Soundhouse attracted over a thousand fans a week, and the metal movement as a whole relied on its wholeheartedly dedicated fanbase. NWOBHM pioneers came from all walks of life, but they had one thing in common: They loved to go to gigs, and go absolutely mental! Huge crowds of leather-clad, studded, long-haired metallers regularly queued for hours to pack out venues like The Marquee, The Ruskin Arms and The Bandwagon, and revel in the intense atmosphere. Some fans went even further than the usual headbanging and air-guitaring at metal shows, creating their own cardboard or plywood mock-up guitars and competing in competitions to see who was the 'best headbanger'!

What It Sounds Like

Here are three top tracks that, in my opinion, truly define the movement...

'Losing My Grip' by Samson: At the height of their popularity, Samson was one of the biggest bands in the NWOBHM movement. This track demonstrates exactly why. With killer guitar riffs, bluesy, growled vocals, a powerful, fast-paced rhythm section and an epic, effect-heavy solo, this track is a perfect example of the way that metal bands combined the energy of punk with the technicality and feel of classic rock. 

The promotional video for this song is available to watch on the official YouTube channel for the Paul Samson Archive, but embedding has been disabled so I can't embed the video here. Here is a link to the video on the PaulSamsonArchive YouTube channel.

'Iron Maiden' by Iron Maiden: Don't worry, that wasn't a typo - The track 'Iron Maiden' was a song created by the band Iron Maiden, for their debut album called 'Iron Maiden' (I know, it's confusing!). The track went down a storm in early NWOBHM pubs and clubs, and is still a staple part of their set to this day. It showcases the heavy crowd participation element of the movement, with metal bands encouraging their audiences to clap and sing along to create an intense, interactive atmosphere. Also, just like Samson's 'Losing My Grip', it makes use of a great, fast pulse, rough vocals and those face-melting guitar lines!

'Captured City' by Praying Mantis: If there was ever one track that completely summed up the NWOBHM, it was this one. Praying Mantis combine time changes, twin guitar harmonies, a strong beat throughout (to headbang to, of course), complex drumming, guitaring and basslines, a typical kick-ass solo, and one of the world's catchiest riffs, to make an awesome pool of good, honest heavy metal.

Sadly I can't find an official source to embed the track on the blog (I only embed tracks from official YouTube channels, SoundCloud sites etc., and not from unofficial sources, to respect the wishes of the copyright holder) but the track is available to download legally online, on sites like Amazon and on iTunes, and I thoroughly recommend that you give it a listen!

Its Legacy

It may seem hard to believe, but the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is probably just as relevant today as it was in the early 1980s. Why? Well... 

• A lot of top NWOBHM bands are still going today, and receiving success all over the world. Saxon and Iron Maiden are two of the most prominent bands to come out of the NWOBHM movement, and both are still making music, going on tours and keeping metal fans headbanging all over the globe!
• Pretty much all of today's metal bands are influenced by the NWOBHM in some way. Ever heard of Metallica? Or Trivium? Or Bullet For My Valentine? All of those bands, and many more, have cited the NWOBHM as one of their biggest musical influences, and the genre's influence is clearly evident in their music. In fact, many people claim that the whole thrash metal subgenre owes its existence to the NWOBHM!
• The NWOBHM hasn't just influenced metal bands - less obvious acts that claim to take inspiration from the genre include pop-rockers You Me At Six, comedy rock duo Tenacious D and even pop megastar Lady Gaga!

So next time people say that the 80s only produced cheesy electro-pop and spandex-clad glam rockers, correct them by telling them that in fact, that key decade spawned one of rock's biggest and most influential movements; a movement that still lives on today.

...And that was the long-awaited blog post on the history and influence of heavy metal! If you enjoyed it and want to know more about the genre, here are some handy sources that I used to research and compile the article...

The album cover of 'Metal for Muthas', © Sanctuary Records

Listen to: The 'Metal For Muthas' Compilations - two compilation volumes of pure NWOBHM, showcasing bands like Praying Mantis, Iron Maiden, Samson and more. A must-have for any metal fan.

Watch: Iron Maiden's DVD 'The Early Days' - a mini box set containing a documentary about Iron Maiden's formation and early years, information about the wider NWOBHM scene and a documentary from the 1980s called '20th Century Box', which talks about the pubs, clubs and fans of the movement.

Read: 'The Night The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Was Born' - an article by Classic Rock Magazine, which can be found here.

'Bruce Dickinson: Flashing Metal With Maiden And Flying Solo' - a book that talks a lot about the vocalist's experiences in the NWOBHM bands Samson and Iron Maiden. On a side note, don't be put off by the bad Amazon reviews - I've read it and it's actually a really good book!

Wow, that was a very long blog post. I hope it was as fun for you to read as it was for me to write! Remember to stay tuned to the blog for more reviews and write-ups of the latest and greatest in music. Rock on!

PsyD

*Image of Iron Maiden performing a gig at The Marquee Club is a screenshot from the documentary '20th Century Box', © Granada Media