Friday, February 10, 2012

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

In the late 1970s, heavy metal records were not selling as well as they did earlier in the decade because of the rise of punk, disco and mainstream rock acts. Therefore, the popularity of early traditional heavy metal bands had begun to decline. However a new heavy metal movement was on the horizon. This movement would forever change the world of rock music and be known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).

The NWOBHM was musically characterized as having toned down the blues influences of early heavy metal groups while incorporating punk elements into the music: having faster tempos, and adopting a tougher sound. Most NWOBHM bands also more heavily utilized power chords, soaring vocals, and fast guitar solos.

NWOBHM bands reached the peak of their popularity during the 1980s. Some of the most famous NWOBHM bands were Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Def Leppard, Venom, Saxon, and Angel Witch.



We discussed Motörhead in depth last week; however, we did not talk very much about the major significance of Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden is quite frankly one of the most important and successful heavy metal bands of all time. The band has sold over 85 million records to date despite their having received little radio support. Iron Maiden has an iconic image that is represented through their mascot, "Eddie the Head."

Furthermore, they broke many boundaries through their landmark album, The Number of the Beast. That classic heavy metal album contained artwork and other evil references that made many accuse the band of being satanic.

Of course, the band was not actually satanic, but the release of the album still fueled the fire behind those who claimed that heavy metal was a sinister genre of music.



Another extremely important NWOBHM band was Diamond Head. Diamond Head never had much success; however they are notable for having influenced famous thrash metal acts such as Metallica and Megadeth. Metallica would go on to cover many songs from Diamond Head’s debut, Lightning to the Nations.



Similarly, Venom influenced many more extreme heavy metal acts. Venom came along late into the era of NWOBHM, but they were very important; as, they particularly influenced the onset of black metal, thrash metal and death metal. Venom was not the stereotypical NWOBHM band, and their genre is actually pretty heavily debated among critics.

Nevertheless, their first two albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal influenced millions of heavy metal bands around the world.

It is important to note, however, that Venom has always been criticized for their lack of musical skill. Many claim that Venom chose to play their faster music because they did not have the musical technicality of the other bands around them. Most critics do note though that their musical skills have gotten better with age.



The final NWOBHM band that we must discuss is Def Leppard. The band had major worldwide success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. They have sold over 100 million albums to date, and their song “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” would become one of the first heavy metal videos to be featured on MTV. Def Leppard has made the lists of many critics who consider them to be one of the most notable hard rock and heavy metal acts of all time.



In the 1990s, NWOBHM began to decline. Many of the bands went through musical shifts because the interest in NWOBHM was simply not as strong as it was in the 1980s.

Def Leppard notably had the most success with their musical shift which targeted the American hard rock audience and achieved renewed popularity. Some other major NWOBHM acts such as Iron Maiden and Motörhead just drifted towards traditional heavy metal, which wasn’t an extremely far leap for both of the bands, but they still did not receive the success or the acclaim that they did in the earlier part of their career.

In the 2000s however, NWOBHM bands received renewed popularity. Many bands have since reformed with classic line-ups and have reverted to old musical habits. The NWOBHM revival continues today with many bands touring and performing around the world.

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