NWOBHM

Got kind of fucked-up Monday night. That's because Chris kept pouring me these stiff-ass gin and tonics. And because we listened to a shit ton of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal: a musical movement of the late 70's early 80's, born in the working class pubs of England, that spawned such bands as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and Diamond Head. It's good drinking music.

The heart and soul of the NWOBHM were the 100's of one off bands that released a single and then disappeared from the face of the earth, birthing an obsessive collector culture around it. That's the focus of this first album we heard, 2005's 'NWOBHM Vinyl Revenge'. It is a collection of mostly one-offs, a great comp and a fun listen. One thing for sure, this is no screaming iron fest, especially for someone who listens to tons of death and black metal all day long. These are hardy pub rockers, with emphasis on riff and song, with a dose progressive rock thrown in for good measure, if the band can handle those complexities(and even if they can't). Sounding ragged, sloppy, and under produced, it was metal's answer to punk rock. Band's like Sparta, Oxym, Hazzard, and Bleak House are featured; ultra obscurities previously only heard on vinyl. These bands were just so raw and unpolished. More than a few times, the vocalists sound no more older than 16. One band made Chris laugh with their blatant Judas Priest rip-off. So back to the underground they went, back to the grimy steel mills, or to beg for meth in the streets, after their shot at greatness bit the dust. Some of these 40/50something geezers have reunited, and can be found hitting the metal dork festivals in Europe.

You can hear the bits that influenced Metallica in this song. I think they lifted the first riff completely for Sanitarium.

Venom were one of the most important NWOBHM bands, and were a major influence on extreme metal in general. They were the most extreme of these bands, the most ludicrously satanic, the most punk. Though their first two albums are considered classics, 'Venom: The Single's Collection', a collection of early singles released in 1986, is their best album. It is the best expression of their raucous punk rock approach, especially with the first tracks, the later ones being more typical metal. This is a band best appreciated for the cheesy, over the top quality of their lyrics, as much as their meth driven music. Take this snippet from "In Nomine Satanus":

"In the name of Satan
We'll take what we need
Rock and roll damnation
Let your heart bleed
Sensing the distaster
So we'll blame our hate
Hell bore Satan's child
To use you as our bait"

Just an amazing band, required listening for anyone's metal cannon.

1980's 'Angel Witch', Angel Witch's self titled debut, is a certified metal classic, a shining testement to the ideals of NWOBHM. Though the name might have you thinking that this is some snarling thrash attack, it is instead a majestically melodic gem. From the first song to the last, everything vibrates with class, power, and intelligence, with a strong production. You'll hear their influence in everything from Metallica to Blind Guardian to Ghost and back again.



After that, we put on some Judas Priest and Helstar. Killing Machine/Hellbent For Leather is such a good album. I was kind of out of it by the time we got to Helstar, though. I was fucked up. Here's some proof, until next week.