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.

Traditional Heavy Metal (Part 2): Mid 1970s-Present

Alright metalheads, it’s time to continue our discussion from last week about traditional heavy metal music. This week we will talk about traditional heavy metal from the mid '70s to present day. Normally “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” will not take two days to discuss one subgenre of heavy metal, but with traditional heavy metal there is a lot of material to cover; as, it is the foundation for every other heavy metal subgenre.

In the mid-to-late 1970s, punk rock began to emerge. Punk rock was essential in the development of heavy metal; as, it helped to inspire the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (which we will discuss in depth next week), as well as many other traditional heavy metal acts.

One of the most important traditional heavy metal acts of this time was Motörhead. Formed in the mid-70s, Motörhead carried the rebellious spirit of punk music over to heavy metal. Motörhead was also a significantly faster band than nearly every heavy metal band around at the time, and because of that, they became the first speed metal band.



Around the time of Motörhead, both Iron Maiden and Diamond Head were formed. Both bands would have a tremendous influence on heavy metal throughout the 1980s and were leaders of both traditional heavy metal as well as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.



At the very end of the 1970s, Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath. That lead to the band's hiring Ronnie James Dio as their new lead singer. Dio had previously been involved with bands such as Elf and Rainbow, and had become a very prominent name in hard rock. With the addition of Dio, Black Sabbath’s sound evolved even further. Dio had a wider vocal range than Osbourne, and he would soon become a heavy metal icon. Dio is frequently credited as having invented the “devil horns” hand gesture that is popular among heavy metal fans today.

During the 1980s, traditional heavy metal continued to be very popular. Dio left Black Sabbath in the early '80s and went on to form a new band with Vinny Appice that was named after himself, Dio. Dio would prove to be a very successful band and continue Dio’s legacy.

Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne had also decided to form a solo band when left Black Sabbath during the late 1970s, and he released Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman in the early 80s with his legendary guitarist, Randy Rhodes. Those albums are legendary heavy metal releases and are heavy metal classics to this day.



Apart from Dio and Osbourne, the important traditional heavy metal bands of the 1980s were Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Accept, W.A.S.P., and Mercyful Fate. Each of these bands blossomed during the 1980s and influenced countless other metal bands.

Accept helped to develop the speed metal subgenre and were notable as being one of the big early heavy metal bands to come from Germany.

W.A.S.P. was an important band that blurred the lines between shock rock and heavy metal, and they gained immense popularity.

Mercyful Fate influenced the development of numerous other heavy metal subgenres such as black metal, thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal. Furthermore, their iconic frontman, King Diamond, would become legendary among heavy metal fans for his impressive vocal range as well as his notorious solo career.



Traditional heavy metal declined during the 1990s. Many of the bands that were prominent throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s began to experience major line-up changes and break-ups. Furthermore, the quality of the material that the bands put out began to decline as well.

During the early 2000s, and continuing on to present day, many traditional heavy metal bands have had reunions of classic line-ups that have performed and put out new material together.

Some notable modern traditional heavy metal albums are Iron Maiden’s Final Frontier, Judas Priest’s Nostradamus, Heaven and Hell’s The Devil You Know, and King Diamond’s Give Me Your Soul…Please.

Recently, Black Sabbath announced that their original line-up would record a new album together for the first time since the 1970s. Traditional heavy metal is alive today, and remains a popular subgenre of heavy metal music.