The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

Slim · January 21, 2025, 03:15:07 PM

News of John Sykes' sad passing yesterday made me think of all those bands that cropped up in '78 and '79. Although obviously they were mostly a rehash of Purple, Zeppelin, Heep et al they did have a distinctive sound of their own to a point, I think .. a bit brasher, more frenetic, more of an emphasis on riffs. Probably courtesy of a punk influence.

Here's a tune that exemplifies that.

Slim · January 21, 2025, 03:21:17 PM

This is a very NWOBHM tune as well. Hartlepool's own White Spirit. Saw them a few times in venues round the town, they played a lot of Purple covers.

Iron Maiden stole the riff for one of their own tunes. Janick Gers of course ended up in Maiden a few years later.

pxr5 · January 21, 2025, 05:47:35 PM

Wigan Pier hosted many of the NWOBHM bands in the late 70s, early 80s. Not much recorded that I can find. But this is Diamond Head in 1981:

The Picnic Wasp · January 21, 2025, 05:53:52 PM

Quote from: Slim on January 21, 2025, 03:21:17 PMThis is a very NWOBHM tune as well. Hartlepool's own White Spirit. Saw them a few times in venues round the town, they played a lot of Purple covers.

Iron Maiden stole the riff for one of their own tunes. Janick Gers of course ended up in Maiden a few years later.

Good grief, they even pinched one of the title words.

Slim · January 21, 2025, 06:28:07 PM

Quote from: pxr5 on January 21, 2025, 05:47:35 PMWigan Pier hosted many of the NWOBHM bands in the late 70s, early 80s. Not much recorded that I can find. But this is Diamond Head in 1981:

Loved Diamond Head, saw them in Middlesbrough in 1983. Still listen to bits of Canterbury quite often. It's aged well. But of course they'll forever be remembered for Am I Evil?.

I believe the two most successful NWOBHM bands were Maiden and Leppard. I went off Leppard quite quickly but I played this early single to death:

Thenop · January 21, 2025, 06:30:07 PM

Oh my, there are so many NWoBHM bands I adored. Tygers of Pan tang being just one of them, of couse the bigger names every one knew but more in the obscurity I loved Angel Witch:

But there were so many more!

Thenop · January 21, 2025, 06:33:26 PM

And I just loved Raven, their Athletic Rock as they called it on Newcastle's Neat Records was fantastic. Label mates Venom were my absolute favourites but I wouldn't call them NWoBHM...

This is my favourite Raven song:

Thenop · January 21, 2025, 06:40:12 PM

Quote from: Slim on January 21, 2025, 06:28:07 PM
Quote from: pxr5 on January 21, 2025, 05:47:35 PMWigan Pier hosted many of the NWOBHM bands in the late 70s, early 80s. Not much recorded that I can find. But this is Diamond Head in 1981:

Loved Diamond Head, saw them in Middlesbrough in 1983. Still listen to bits of Canterbury quite often. It's aged well. But of course they'll forever be remembered for Am I Evil?.

I believe the two most successful NWOBHM bands were Maiden and Leppard. I went off Leppard quite quickly but I played this early single to death:

I believe Judas Priest and Saxon were considered NWoBHM as well even though Priest started years ahead of the rest. But they were nowhere near as succesful as Maiden and Leppard, even Leppard needed to ditch their spots before they gained any real success.

Slim · January 21, 2025, 07:04:11 PM

Saxon, definitely NWOBHM. Saw them at a little place in Hartlepool in August '79. Most people in the club hadn't even come for the band. Me and my mate Barry were standing down the front, pints in hand among about 20 other enthusiasts. I recall Biff saying "nice to see we've got a few friends in tonight".

I only really like the first couple of albums. And here's Wheels of Steel on Top of the Pops!

I saw Angelwitch supporting Motorhead at the "Brain Damage Party" at Stafford in 1980, along with a few other NWOBHM bands including White Spirit. I'd never heard them before but their theme tune, if I can call it that, stuck in my head and I bought their album as soon as it came out.