Top 10 Albums: The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Join Pete Pardo & Martin Popoff as they each run down their 10 favorite albums of the NWOBHM movement, covering years 1979-1983.
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These Popoff and Pardo collab shows are just killer
On my opinion the best combination. Popoff knows so much and is a very nice person
Best thing on youtube
surprised girlschool were not given an honourable mention. the first 2 albums were quite phenomenal
💯🎶 Uniquely, no two GIRLSCHOOL albums sound alike yet 12 of 13 are excellent. 🎶🏆
The first record had repetitive guitar, but it was raw and good. You can still listen to it today. The best parts of the second record like please dont touch, were actually played by motohd. The later stuff was overproduced into faux Def leopard and sounded like a cheap wig.
Demon-“The night of the Demon” and “the unexpected guest” killer albums
Martin, Pete great show
Killer live as well - Dave Hill appearing from a coffin with what looked like a swimming hat on his head and fake blood make up - thefirst side of Night of the Demo is brilliant
I love both of them, also some later albums like Taking the World by Storm and Breakout. Great live band as well!
I would add The Plague to that list, the first prog-metal album?
@@stashyjon The Plague is my favorite.
Totally!
Pagan Altar absolutely deserves a mention. Pioneers of the more traditional style of doom metal.
I have to say that due to these videos I’ve been turned on to Martin’s writing and have bought a few books of his because of it. He’s terrific!
His "Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal" series are absolutely essential. They are by far, the most thumbed-through books out of any I've ever owned.
Simply the best heavy metal author out there. He has earned the Professor Popoff nickname honestly!
1st two Def Lep LPs are TIMELESS. Pete Willis 4ever!!!
Thank you for recognizing those albums, nobody else does.
No offence to him but not as interested in in def when Phil joined they went pop rock
@@alexjohnston8889 I agree. I preferred Pete Willis.
Amen, brother!
I prefer "On Through The Night" to "High N Dry." The material was much better, the guitar sound was better, even though Joe had not yet developed as a vocalist. "High N Dry" gives us a different Joe (perhaps better?), a shitty guitar sound, songs that are good but not great. Mutt Lange seemed to be shaping them in an AC/DC type mold, whereas OTTN was a more metal UFO/Judas Priest inspired album (produced by Tom Allom).
After those first two albums, they went in a direction that was uninteresting to me. Oh well, they did ok money-wise.
I only like their first 2!!
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Saxon - Strong Arm Of The Law
Def Leppard - High And Dry
Demon - Night Of The Demon
Girlschool - Hit And Run
Gillan - Mr Universe
Diamond Head - Lightning to The Nations
Samson - Head On
Angelwitch - Angelwitch
I'm in two minds about Gillan being NWOBMH, they did start up at around the right time but at the time I felt that NWOBHM was mainly young musicians (my contemporaries) picking up the rock baton and most of the members of Gillan had been around for a few years. My band was called NWOBHM at the time by our (few) followers but we never had any real success or made any recordings (if we did I would have added us to my list :) )
I have a bunch of live recordings from most of these bands recorded in the early 80's mostly from BBC Radio 1 In Concert broadcasts or Reading Festival recordings broadcast on the much missed Tommy Vance's (RIP) Friday Rock Show and in a lot of cases I prefer these recordings to the many of their LPs.
Top 10 NWOBHM albums
(In no particular order)
10. Savage-Loose And Lethal
9. Angel Witch-S/T
8. Tygers of Pantang-Spellbound
7. Cloven Hoof-S/T
6. Dark Heart-Shadows of the Night
5. Iron Maiden-Killers
4. Jaguar-Power Games
3. Satan-Court in the Act
2. Demon Pact-Released From Hell
1. Witchfynde-Give em’ Hell
Some great NWOBHM include WOlf (black axe), Praying Mantis, Tokyo Blade and many others who don't get the recognition they deserve.
Witchfynde as well
I'm with Martin on this one, Angel Witch's debut will always be my #1 NWOBHM album.
Chevy, Angelwitch and Girl stood out for me during the early 80’s
My NWOBHM favorites are: Tank: Honour and blood, Demon: The Unexpected quest, Vardis: 100 M.P.H., Samson: Before the storm, Rock Goddess: Hell hath no fury, Tygers of Pan Tang: Spellbound, Quartz: Stand up and fight and Dark Star: s/t.
Been waiting a long time for something like this. Been a diehard NWOBHM fan forever. This was a tough one. Here is my top ten.
1) Angel Witch: Angel Witch
2) Tygers of Pan Tang: Wildcat
3) Saxon - Wheels of Steel
4) Witchfynde: Give em' Hell
5) Savage: Loose n' Lethal
6) Iron Maiden: Iron Maiden
7) Diamond Head: Borrowed Time
8) Samson: Head On
9) Quartz: Stand Up and Fight
10) Def Leppard: On Through the Night
Some great ones in there Matt. I dug out and played the Witchfynde vinyl the other week. Leaving Nadir is monstrous!
@@keithshapland903 Leaving Nadir is definitely among my top -10 NWOBHM songs!
@@byzantineification yes, a hidden gem for sure 👍
One of my favorite movements ever in Heavy Metal ever. I was born in 1978, so I did not get the chance to grow up and remember the NWOBHM when it was brand new. I discovered it years later because Iron Maiden became and still is my all time favorite band, and all the covers that Metallica did on the Garage Days EP , Garage Days Revisited EP, and the b sides. Metallica is one huge reason why many of these bands are known these past thirty years. Lars Ulrich had such a massive collection of NWOBHM albums and Metallica covered so many songs from bands like Diamond Head, Holocaust, Blitzkrieg, Savage, Budgie, Sweet Savage, and many more in the beginning of their touring days. Guitar players like Vivian Campbell was in the band Sweet Savage before making it big with Dio, Whitesnake, and Def Leppard, John Sykes was in the band Tygers Of Pan Tang before he made it big in Thin Lizzy, and Whitesnake. There are so many amazing bands from the NWOBHM that should have made it big in my opinion like Samson, Praying Mantis, Diamond Head, and many more. Great list guys.
Vivian Campbell is one of my favourite guitarists loved him in Dio
I love dark star’s debut, against all odds by quartz, and night of the demon by demon
The Dark Star album is really good. They are pretty much forgotten, but glad to see someone remembered them.
I agree about dark star had it once on vinyl. So good.
I was flipping through the import section and I remember the day, November 7, 1979, the Overkill cover stopped me cold! When I flipped it over and saw those live photos I was sold! Didn't know them at all but got home, dropped the needle and the drums of Overkill blew me away! Immediately my favorite band to this day.
John Sykes is one of my favorite guitarists.
GREAT GUITARIST BUT HE RUINED WHITESNAKE AND THIN LIZZY AND I NEVER GOT OVER THAT.
THEY WERE MUCH BETTER WITHOUT HIM HE COULDN'T CONTAIN HIS OVER PLAYING METAL STYLE.
Samson - Shock Tactics (Best NWOBHM album by a mile)
Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
Saxon - Wheels of Steel
A II Z - The Witch of Berkeley
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Limelight - Limelight
Iron Maiden - Killers
Girlschool - Hit and Run
Vardis - 100mph
Gillan - Mr Universe
Listened to 'spellbound' recently and still a good album...John Devereux vocally was a step up from previous vocalist
@@simonharding3109 Yes Spellbound is really good. I think its the best album they ever made.
I had the AllZ album with patch & red vinyl.I saw them when they played at my school . They had Simon Wright on drums.
@@DA-dw5zn I had the album too. Saw them supporting Girlschool at Sheffield City Hall. I thought the guitarist Gary Owens would get snapped up by one of the bigger bands like Simon Wright did.
@@grahamtaylor8912 Girlschool. I knew I'd seen AllZ support someone. Cheers.
In loose order: Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations, Dark Star - Dark Star, Witchfynde - Give 'em Hell, Witchfinder General - Death Penalty, Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound, Angel Witch - Angel Witch, Venom - Black Metal, Def Leppard - High and Dry, Saxon - Wheels of Steel, Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden. Honorable mention Tank - Filth Hounds, Grim Reaper - See You in Hell and Holocaust - The Nightcomers (their song Heavy Metal Mania is the perfect answer to the question: why do you like Heavy Metal? and displays all the characteristics of NWOBHM in only 4 minutes and change)
Dark Star ; s/t is awesome record.
Def Leppard On through the night is my fav NWOBHM
Me, too. Along with the first Maiden album and Girlschool's Hit and Run are the epitome of this era.
THANK YOU for mentioning Pagan Altar. Incredible band. You didn't miss much, but in my mind Wolf's Edge of the World is an undeniable classic.
Girlschool were worth a mention.
Saw them open for Quiet Riot and Night Ranger on New Year’s Eve in 1983. Good band.
You're absolutely right about Girlschool is worth a mention!!🎤🎸🎵🥁
Agreed. They should have been a household name like Leppard and Maiden by 1983.
Girlschool's cover version of Bomber is a must-listen
The greatest female metal band of all time-so heavy and energy charged-c'mon Lemmy loved em'! Nuff said!
Tygers of Pan Tang are criminally underrated
I love how Martin uses the term "molten production", I need to add that to my lexicon.
Great show guys. Always love the shows with Martin.
Popoff is the reason I listened to quartz. Killer band!
oh yeah, that album produced by Tony Iommi was amazing
My 10 Favourites are:
1. iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
2. Saxon - Wheels of Steel
3. Def Leppard - High N Dry
4. Diamond Head - Borrowed Time
5. Praying Mantis - Time Tells no Lies
6. Saracen - Heroes, saints & Fools
7. Samson - Shock Tactics
8. Tokyo Blade - S/T
9. Tygers of Pan Tang - The Cage
10. Angel Witch - S/T
HM: Venom - Black Metal / Demon - Night of The Demon.
I love Tygers of Pang Tang soooo much!!!!🎤🎸🎵🥁
I was in my late teens/early 20s when all these bands were releasing these albums. I saw most of them live many times in the North East of England.
I was 20 in1980. In the US. We were the not hearing of this until mail-order came to us. My first clue about NWOBHM was Gillan-Future Shock - Budgie Power Supply - Saxon Strong Arm - Motorhead Bomber - Samson Head On - Iron Maiden - Def Leppard - Atomic Rooster EP's - Blizzard of Oz- and then Uriah Heep revived with Abominog. Amazing ...I could not spend my college tuition money fast enough. Should have been going to college...spent my money on Rock & Roll.
@@stevenhanson1454 Gillan and Budgie were not NWOBHM. I feel you needed to be here in the UK to fully understand which bands.
Envy you bro, I grew up in Croatia after the war, I seen some of the bands later on but love to been around back then
@@saraw6446 Some I remember, plus there are lots I don't remember haha ;-)
Iron Maiden [30-11-79]
Samson
Angel Witch
Praying Mantis
Girlschool [2 times]
Budgie
Tygers Of Pantang
Def Leppard [1979 & 1980)
Diamond Head
Saxon
Vardis
Sledgehammer
Ethel The Frog
Quartz [2 times]
EF Band
Gaskin
White Spirit
Fist
Limelight
Axis
Black Rose
Marseille
etc, etc
@@RichardW001 Ok ok...now I really jealous!! 😬 Seen Maiden, Saxon at Wacken ,some I don't know ! Good times bro, thanks :)
Girlschool always gets thrown under the carpet! All girl band that rocks really hard!
Girlschool is miles above ANY other all female metal band-Lemmy would have vouched for that....and goddammit-Lemmy knows! Girschool early material blows away most male metal bands-that is a fact! Great mention, friend! take care!
@@treffbennett6534
rip kelly
@@mikenealon4042 Yeah, Mike, Kelly was a supremely talented lead guitarist and edgy vocalist, who just dripped heavy metal attitude! She was so damn good on guitar that Jeff Beck, after hearing her rip it up on "Race With The Devil", exclaimed "there is No way that's a girl playing!" When I first heard the Hit And Run record (yes, on vinyl) I couldn't believe that this turbo charged, firestorm of cool riffs and shit hot solos, with extremely tight rhythm section was a all female band.......I was completely blown away! So very cool that she returned to Girlschool after leaving and then played with them until cancer diagnosis. Kelly IS Girlschool and in my rock and roll museum (also known as my bedroom) I have Kelly rippin' it up on stage prominently displayed in a poster that is visible the moment you enter my room. There will not be another Kelly Johnson. Take care, Mr. Nealon!
Holy shit, i was just searching for some of the more under the radar releases from that movement and then all of a sudden this video appears in my recommendations. Great stuff!
This is a great show! Thanks, you two!
I love Saxon ' Denim and Leather '!! Def Leppard ' High and Dry ' too!!🎤🎸🎵🥁
An album totally overlooked or unheard of but really excellent is "End Of The World" By Gaskin, real quality record.
Awesome Album!
Boring ! Amateur production. No depth. Awful album cover.
@@trikkke11
The production may have been primitive but it did the job nicely allowing Gaskin to massage musical areas that most of the NWOBHM had conveniently forgotten about.
Gaskin...yes !! Okay cool. Thanks for that. Vinyl. In 1986 I was a poor student. I dumped my vinyl at a store in St. Paul. Gaskein was 2 lp's. 34 years ago.
Never heard of this band, i Will find it, thanx
Great show. The Best! Thanks to Pete & Martin!
Hi Pete - just wanted to say thank you for delivering all this amazing content. Every day I enjoy watching what you have put together. This is becoming my favorite YT channel since I discovered it at the start of this year.
In the 80's my home was referred to as "Saxon Central". Living in SoCal they always came to town on tour, and they never disappointed.
Saracen - Heroes, Saints & Fools
I like how that band isn't straightforward heavy metal but has some prog elements.
An honourable mention please for Fist's Turn The Hell On - I can still sing the choruses some 40 years later!!
Awesome episode. I usually enjoy everything you guys put together but this one's among the best. Thanks.
Jaguar - Power Games spent a lot of time on my turntable back in 83.
Agree
How about The Rods, Anvil, Exodus, Exciter, Thor, Tank, not forgetting Malice, Damien, Razor, all awesome German bands as Accept, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Iron Savior, StormWarrior, Primal Fear, Sinner and the bigger 4 than US namely Sodom, Kreator, Destruction and Tankard and add Schmiers Headhunter and Panzer. I know you guys agree that the 1983 Dortmund Festival was the best ever by all bands that participated as Maiden, Judas, Ozzy, Def Leppard before their noses got too big turning down the fabsvans same about Scorpions that night were nuts we never watched again and just how Rudy Zarzo (?) did his bass with Quiet Riot...only disappoint was MSG and maybe Krokus. Thanks for a great program
Loose'n'lethal of Savage is so good. Holocaust, Vardis, Angel Witch, Satan, Demon, Witchfinder General... And of course Maiden, Saxon, those are legends. One of the best Heavy Metal periods...
Yeaaaap , holocaust, heavy metal mania is still one the sickest heavy metal hymns
Best show on UA-cam! Takes me ages to get thru your show coz I keep checking out the albums as they pop up. Great fun.
Witchfynde - 'Give 'em Hell' is my number one
Witchfynde played in the midlands in the early years of nwobhm particularly around the Mansfield/Notts/Derby area, Their first two albums are always on my playlist, first class band that deserved to be bigger.
Totally, is an album that should be in the top 5 or top 3 of NWOBHM. I think that also should have entered an album of TANK.
The track Leaving Nadir is epic!
Fantastic album with a killer opener "Ready To Roll".
Great Discussion! Great Lists!! mine...
10. Girlschool - Demolition
9. Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
8. Savage - Let It Loose
7. Grim Reaper - See You In Hell
6. Raven - Rock Till You Drop
5. Venom - Welcome To Hell
4. Angelwitch - Angelwitch
3. Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations
2. Def Leppard - On Through The Night
1. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
why do you all forget judas priest. It was they who invented this style of music, listen to Stained Class from 1978, then you will know.
My all time favorite album from the N.W.O.B.H.M is "Killers" from Iron Maiden, for me is the best and always will be 🤘🤘😉
Amen brother
The best hard rock album of all times
'killers' is my favorite maiden studio album...but i love the live album 'maiden japan'...a live classic indeed...
Yea killers is my favourite. Dianno was perfect on this
@@jimmycampbell78 🤘🤘👍
Great video! Love the channel! It's awesome to see the subscriber numbers go up.
This was lot of fun. Thank you!!!
I just started watching this video & I can already tell it is going to take me days to watch it because I am going to stop to go back & listen to so many of these great albums.
For me the NWOBHM era is metals best.
Well, if accept wouldn't be a band from Germany, I would include the albums "Breaker" (1981) and "Restless and Wild" (1982) into this list. Music and clothing fits perfectly to NWOBHM.
@Katzeninsel1 I'm British and was late teens through this period, Accept were listened to. At the time we knew there was this big explosion in metal but we didn't think UK only, just that most of the bands were from there. I think there were bands from other countries that often got mentioned/played too, I think outside of the UK it was Germany and Sweden.
Thank you guys for your Top Ten: New Wave British Heavy Metal.🎤🎸🎵🥁
Great show. Some great history. And being British makes me proud that this tiny island produced so many quality Metal bands. 🤘
No mention of Girlschool? Still rocking hard to this day. 🤘🏻
Yeah, they can be more hard rock at times but if Def Leppard and Praying Mantis are passable as nwobhm then so are they, IMO
Girlschool is worth mentioning!!🎤🎸🎵🥁
@@gabriellarrubia1006 Praying Mantis were heavy rock basically, but early Leppard were definitely metal......
Letting loose by Heavy Pettin!
Martin and Pete - Thanks for such a great show and for each making the decision to only list one album from each group. With very little knowledge of NWOBHT, was looking forward to this show for a bountiful list of new (at least to me) bands to listen to and explore. Will have to watch this show again and make the list of your choices and honorable mentions along with some from the viewers who have already posted. I also want to thank Martin for his continued guest hosting on the show and let him know, like others here, it made me track down and buy his Southern Rock Review. Just sorry it was sold out on his website. Great resource and will lead me to other books as the budget and ever-expanding CD purchases allow. Thanks again, guys. I look forward to your next show together.
Great job gentlemen. I’m glad High and Dry got some love. One of my all time favorites.
1. DIAMOND HEAD Lightning To The Nations
2. ANGEL WITCH self titled
3. SAXON Denim And Leather
4. IRON MAIDEN self titled
5. HOLOCAUST The Nightcomers
6. WITCHFINDER GENERAL Friends Of Hell
7. JAGUAR Power Games
8. RAVEN All For One
9. VENOM Black Metal
10. TYGERS OF PAN TANG Wild Cat
Edit: #10 Was a tough one! Bumped Samson out. Excluded Witchfynde due to myself only having The Best Of.
NWOBHM top 10 albums
1- Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
2- Satan - Court in the Act
3- Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law
4- Angel Witch - Angel Witch
5- Cloven Hoof - Cloven Hoof
6- Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
7- Raven - Wiped Out
8- Grim Reaper - Fear No Evil
9- Savage - Loose 'n Lethal
10- Tygers of Pan Tang - Wild Cat
Where DEF LEPPARD?
@@titorialiano2419 I have to admit Def Leppard have all of required skills to perform it properly. However I don' t consider them to be in the top 10 because of their excessive poppiness
Yes I’m 55 years old and I love heavy-metal I still listen right here from Long Island New York
I am a Smithtown boy, same age , many summers at Robert Moses beach listening ONLY to WBAB on every radio, every blanket....
Really enjoyed that. Great show Guys. 👍
Can't forget Tank;s Filth Hounds of Hades
such a ripping album, I played "turn your head around" for my 16 year old nephew and he lost his shit! lol
Filth Hounds is an awesome album 🍺🥃🤘👍
Best album by tank masterpiece
Shame about their live performances though. They went for loud and ended up being so loud you could not hear the music.
Tokyo Blade’s self titled debut!
i love this melomaniac channel so much. Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Thanks again for these entertaining videos, thank you !
1. Iron Maiden- Killers
2. Motorhead- Ace of Spades
3. Saxon- Wheels of Steel
4. Tygers of Pan Tang - Wildcat
5. Diamond Head- Lightning to the Nations
6. Angel Witch
7. Witchfynde- Give em Hell
8. Venom- Black Metal
9. Def Leppard- On Through the Night
10. Samson- Head On
a list without ozzy and without judas priest? can you explain that ?
@@patrickschlosser8208 yes I picked bands that were newer at that time. Ozzy and Priest were around since 1970
@@patrickschlosser8208 my reply from above: Judas Priest, Motorhead and Ozzy are not NWOBHM...The point of it was artist were new not old established ones. I was here in UK when all this was kicking off. Some of the best bands never released albums..Jameson Raid for one
1- Iron Maiden - Killers
2- Saxon - Denim and Leather
3- Diamond Head - Borrowed Time
4- Tokyo Blade - Night Of The Blade
5- Venom - Black Metal
6- Angel Witch - s/t
7- Demon - Night Of The Demon
8- Dark Star - Dark Star
9- Grim Reaper - See You In Hell
10- Holocaust - The Nightcomers
HM: Jaguar - Power Games, Satan - Court In The Act
Great picks, I was waiting for either Martin or Pete to mention Tokyo Blade... Andy is unbelievably good!! Dark Star is also one of my favorites
Dark Star is amazing!
why do you all forget judas priest. It was they who invented this style of music, listen to Stained Class from 1978, then you will know.
@@patrickschlosser8208 Judas Priest was a huge influence on the NWOBHM movement, but they were already an established act by '75 and they were more like' cool older cousins' that young bands at the time looked up to. NWOBHM refers to a post-1977 punk explosion era, where young Heavy Rock bands(who were influenced by the DIY ethics of punk) started to release demos and albums.
Demon is amazing
Wow time flew on that Vlog, absolutely great stuff.
Great stuff Pete, this is what your channel is all about. Lightening to the Nations is my favourite Nwobhm album. Also love Crazy Nights Topt, and Motorheads overkill and ace of spades are hard to beat. Keep up the good work.
Peace
Andy H
Avenger with "Killer Elite" is a great NWOBHM album !
Also "Bloodsports" .
It's great, people forget the french bands: Sortilege, Killers, Blaspheme, Satan Jokers, ADX, High Power, they are all amazing too!!!!
I Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades
II Angelwitch - Angelwitch
III Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
IV Saxon - Wheels of Steel
V Vardis - 1000 mph
VI Venom - Black Metal
VII Def Leppard - On through in the Night
VIII Diamond Head - Lighting to the Nations
IX Girlschool - Demolition
X Raven - All for All
Great show. Martin is great on your show, Pete. Loved this episode, gonna go order a book.
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.. Hearing you two talk about the NWOBHM. With such knowledge, reverence and fondness, brought a lump to my throat and took me back. A great movement and has stood the test of time.Thank you. I shall now go and watch the Anbel Witch, episode as they are a local band and knew Kevin Heybourne and Kevin Rddles. My mate was in Persian Risk, for a while..Good times,good times.
FINALLY!!!!
Some love shown to Grim Reaper!!!!
I still think Steve Grimmett is one of the BEST Metal Singers to come from that era.
Chateaux chained & desperate
Vox by steve
Worth mentioning "Tysondog" - "Beware of the Dog" though it's a bit later in the timeline.
Love the review. Like a warm Heavy Metal comfort blanket 😀
Great Show Guys. Full watch, full pleasure :)
Everybody seems to overlook Girlschool when it come to NWOBHM bands which is kind of a shame. Their first two albums were really great. I was fortunate enough to seem them 3 times before 1984 and they put on a good show (even though they were always the opening act when I saw them).
You beat me to mentioning them too. I love those first 2 albums as well. They should at least have got a mention.
I agree.
I agree too. Great band still rocking hard today. 🤘🏻
Saw them in '83 at Caister, Norfolk at an 18+ weekend. Great gig
justaguyinaz I was never a girl school fan. They opened for a lot for these bands back then and I saw them more than a couple times. . To me, they were always a big step down to whoever came after.
If you're going to be a purist about it, Motorhead aren't *exactly* "heavy metal". But in another way, they were the absolute essence of heavy metal in 1980: the loudest, fastest, heaviest of metal at the time. What is beyond argument is that they *were* a massive part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, even if they were not a NWOBHM band. How can this be? Allow me to explain... I was a metal fan during this period, in Britain. The first album I ever bought was Ace of Spades, in early 1981, the second was Killers. All the kids who were into metal liked Motorhead. We had Motorhead patches on our denim jackets. If you'd told us Motorhead weren't heavy metal, they were "rock 'n' roll", we'd have told you you were wrong, regardless of what Lemmy might have said. Rock n Roll was Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, music for old folks. So Motorhead were a big part of the NWOBHM - a phrase I only heard many years later. Historical revisionism and musical puritanism is all very well, but it's hair-splitting and it doesn't stack up against what we all knew and felt at the time.
So right!!!! For those of us who were around in Britain at the time Motörhead was definitely heavy metal!
Motorhead were always a little confusing in that way. Lemmy of course came from Hawkwind and premiered his song "Motorhead" with them. In a way, Motorhead is not unlike Hawkwind with all the trippy sounds stripped off and the heavy bass and drums turned up and the guitars distorted. Yet, despite the connection to Hawkwind, they were friends with a lot of punk bands in the 70's and both influenced them and were perhaps influenced by them also. Lemmy has claimed the Ramones as kindred spirits. But really they did their own damn thing. So, are they all of these things (punk, metal, space rock, rock-n-roll) or none at all?
Witchfynde is the best of all the NWOBHM bands . They are the original Black Metal band
1980 - 1982
Jaguar - Power Games
Fist - Back With a Vengeance
Samson - Head On
Gaskin - End of the World
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Raven - Rock Until You Drop
More - Warhead
Definitely Leppard - Ride Into the Sun EP
Venom - Welcome to He'll
Girlschool - Hit and Run
Money - Another Case of Suicide EP
Ethyl the Frog
POST NWOBHM Bands
Chateaux
Grim Reaper
Samurai
Rankelson
Tokyo Blade
Blade runner
Kobra
Dealer
Guitar Pete's Axe Attack
Touched
Syron Vanessa
Witchfinder General
Rock Goddess
Wrathchyld
Everybody calls Motorhead metal, I don't hear it. They always sounded like AC/DC meets The Damned to me. Hard Rock meets Punk, not Metal meets Punk.
@@neuroisis85 I’m just speaking as someone who got into metal in Britain in 1981. Motörhead might not be metal from a modern perspective, but they were the very essence of metal, at the time. I don’t know, maybe some punks did have Motörhead patches on their bondage trousers or whatever… but every young metaller at the time would have identified Motörhead with heavy metal rather than “rock n roll” or punk. Lemmy might not have liked it, but that’s how it was.
Great Episode guys and Pete thank you for mentioning Pagan Alter! I wS screaming it through the whole thing lol. Loved seeing Raven , Tank, and Witchfinder along with the obvious ones. This is def. One of my favorite episodes you have done!
Can I hit the like button 1000 times? I had a smile on my face the whole time! I would gladly give 10 years of my life to relive those 3 years! NWOBHM was never a genre, but much more a movement. Super important for the US Bay Area trash genre, and everything that followed. Like grunge tried to kill metal, NWOBH brought it back from the death in a time that New Wave and Dance were all over the place. You guys covered all the classics, happy to hear Trespass and Witchfynde in the honorable mentions and Holocaust getting a top 10 spot. So many other great acts, Blitzkrieg, Gaskin, Heritage, Black Rose, Dark Star, Sweet Savage, Vardis, Aragorn, Dervish and the list goes on and on and on...
Check out Aragorn, classic NWOBHM, it has all the ingredients that makes this movement so memorable, the hunger, the anger: ua-cam.com/video/DokYnh9oyRo/v-deo.html
Oops wrong link: ua-cam.com/video/sgAt-B_QjK4/v-deo.html
Been waiting for this!
Will watch closely later with interest!
Top 10 NWOBHM (1979 to 1982)
Number of the Beast-Iron Maiden 82
Overkill-Motorhead 79
High N' Dry-Def Leppard 81
Ace of Spades-Motorhead 80
Killers-Iron Maiden 81
Lightning to the Nations-Diamond Head 80
Angel Witch-Angel Witch 80
Iron Maiden-Iron Maiden 80
Denim and Leather-Saxon 81
Bomber-Motorhead 79
What about Holocaust - The Nightcomers???
Wild cat
Wild Cat and Holocaust both h/m for me...
Love this topic. I spent countless hours digging up unknown nwobhm bands when I was younger and I can't even begin to imagine how many I missed seeing Martin mention his work on cataloging over 900 singles lol... Here are my picks, trying to overthink as least as possible:
1. Iron Maiden (1980)- While Powerslave and Number of the Beast are the best Maiden albums in my opinion, I think their debut was a steady template for later albums and arguably the definitive nwobhm album, especially out of all the earlier ones... Prowler might be my favorite opening track out of all the albums I'm mentioning, and there's probably nothing else here that can match Phantom of the Opera and Remember Tomorrow in terms of composition...
2. Saxon- Stong Arm of the Law (1980)- Agreeing with Pete, I could pick all the Saxon albums from 80-84, but my gut feeling says Heavy Metal Thunder, Taking Your Chances and To Hell and Back Again are the songs that desperately need mentioning here.
3. Tokyo Blade- Night of the Blade (1984)- This album's a late bloomer, but honestly Tokyo Blade is one of the few bands that showcase the max potential of the genre... Andy Boulton is arguably the unsung guitar hero of nwobhm and the melody/dynamics of this album blows away most of the competition.
4. Tank- Power of the Hunter (1982)- Tank has several sonic similarities to Motorhead given their bass sound and characteristic riffing, but there's also something in their sound that's more distinctively identifiable with metal... It's the greasiest nwhobhm album that also maintains some of the genre's more melodic attributes.
5. Tygers of Pan Tang- Spellbound (1981)- So many good things about this album...The songs are catchy and memorable, there are amzing riffs all throughout and the album has fantastic pacing- it's a breeze to listen to. I'm going out on a limb and saying Tygers was also one of the more original sounding bands of the batch... John Sykes as lead guitarist is an added bonus that really elevates it to legend status.
6. Witchfinder General- Friends of Hell (1983)- I'll agree with everything Martin said about this album, adding that this had some of my favorite vocals and I like that the Sabbath influence doesn't keep the band from also having a distinct style... Love on Smack might be one of my favorite songs out of all the ones I've talked about, gotta love the cryptic storytelling.
7. Quartz- Stand Up and Fight (1980)- Pretty awesome record for 1980 and Quartz was a great band that released a small amount of killer records, albeit far apart from each other which ultimately might be why they never gained momentum. Title track and Revenge and Stokin Up the Fires of Hell are personal favorites...
8. Dark Star (1981)- A rare case of a nwobhm that in my opinion sounds a little more like Stained Class-era Judas Priest, with a little more hard rock influence and some Iron Maiden-style melodic interplay... Rock n' Romancing and Backstreet Killer are good examples of just what I'm talking about... At other times they get into almost UFO/Boston territory. The diversity and stellar songwriting may just be what makes them one of my favorites, as they're probably the least flashy of all the bands here...
9. Avenger- Blood Sport (1984)- Late entry that flirts with speed metal and maybe even the earliest thrash records, but I think it holds on to enough of that nwobhm essence and is straight out one of the best albums... Quick and exciting all throughout.
10. Wolf- Edge of the World (1984)- Another seemingly late entry, but this band could actually be excused as they go a lot farther back, having been known previously as a band called Black Axe that released several demos but struggled with lineup changes... Sometimes a little hard rock-oriented, with a pseudo- Judas Priest vibe at times, I think it's a perfect road record. Love the guitars and vocals, and this is one of the bands I really feel bad for not having made it.
Wolf - Great album that almost made it to my list! 🤘🤘I also wanted to include Jameson Raid but they didn't release any albums during this period.
@@LuchaLibertaria Absolutely! So many promising bands at the time never managed to get past singles or EPs... Persian Risk had some of my favorite stuff around this time, but they didn't actually record a whole album until 86, and by that time they were way more commercial sounding... It would have been great to have full-length LPs from Damascus, Virtue, Traitor's Gate, Bleak House...
@@gabriellarrubia1006 Bleak House! Their song 'Rainbow Warrior' (killer song btw) reminds me of a certain Metallica song 😉
@@gabriellarrubia1006 Persian Risk ruled with Phil Campbell of Motorhead fame and John Deveril later of Tygers of Pan Tang! ua-cam.com/video/diNYmJl4z1w/v-deo.html
@@byzantineification Absolutely, I can't remember on what compilation it was in but the song 50,000 Stallions is my favorite
Thank you so much for this one. Grew up listening to NWOBHM and love it.
My God great show guys🤘😈 Brings back some just great memories buying metal records in the 80s!👽
I missed Pagan Altar. Super underrated band. Love 'em to death!
1. Iron Maiden "Killers"
2. Def Leppard "High'n'dry"
3. Saxon "Strong arm of the law"
4. Girlschool "Hit and run"
5. Tygers of Pan Tang "Crazy nights"
6. Rock Goddess "Hell Hath No Fury"
7. Battleaxe "Power from the Universe"
8. Baby Tuckoo "Force Majeure"
9. Praying Mantis "Time tells no lies"
10. Diamond Head "Borrowed Time"
why do you all forget judas priest. It was they who invented this style of music, listen to Stained Class from 1978, then you will know.
@@patrickschlosser8208 That's right, Priest invented Heavy Metal! They were there before all those Nwobhm bands, that's why I didn't include them here. Priest and Motörhead started it all, then came all those young Nwobhm bands.
If we talk about great british metal albums of that period, every Priest album from "Sad Wings of Destiny" (76) to "Screaming for vengeance" (82) are in the top list for sure!
@@ramonace4770 You are absolutely right my friend. at least one who knows about heavy metal. I think most of the people here make their lists just to please pete. it's not what they really like. they think pete wants to hear that and they want to please and impress him.
@@patrickschlosser8208 Go get a tissue, little girl.
@@independenceltd. Trump supporters shouldn't argue
Hey Pete, many many thanks, I've never heard that Savage album before, just stuck it on and it's an absolute killer. Brilliant stuff.
Great show. Martin is a BOSS! I’m off to check out some of this stuff.
Really interesting to hear NWoBHM dissected from the other side of the pond. I was 16 when the scene exploded over here in the UK. Like most of my friends, we jumped on the new bands as being our NWoBHM 'club', rather than established acts like Motorhead and Gillan. We did of course love them though, and I'd probably add Judas Priest and Magnum into the mix. Godfathers? Maybe. But it was all about Def Leppard, Maiden, Tygers, Samson, Saxon, Girlschool, Angel Witch, Witchfynde, Ethel the Frog et al. They felt like 'our' bands.
It also felt like Def Leppard quit the club early - 'Hello America' seemed like a calling card. However, I never felt like Maiden deserted the cause at all, like you suggest. Would be interesting to hear from other Brits who followed the band from the outset.
A seminal moment, for me, was seeing Def Leppard with Angel Witch in support on the In Through The Night tour... in a small venue. Great memories.
By the way. Gillan's live shows back then were monumental. Some of the best I saw in the era.
Footnote: The artwork on the Tygers of Pan Tang's Crazy Nights album was a fun take on a scene from the British comedy show 'The Goodies'. Google 'Goodies cat on BT tower' and you'll see what I mean.
Kitten Kong 👍🏻😂
I'm truly envious! Did you catch any early Diamond Head shows? If so, how would you sum them up during that time?
hmpz36911 I did see Diamond Head, but not in the early days. I’ll see if I can dig out the gig ticket and check when it was.
I really enjoyed them as a live act, but it always seemed like they lacked something... maybe confidence? Not sure; I know they had an odd management set up (singer’s mum, haha) and maybe they just weren’t astute enough, letting their label push them in the wrong direction.
Real pity, as they could have been huge.
hmpz36911 I saw Diamond Head, they were very good but not quite up there performance wise with bands like Saxon. I actually met Brian Tatler some years later when he was playing in a Celtic type music band called Quill (who were and still are excellent).
On through the night by Def Leppard for me is by far their best
To me, DL's first album really stands out. Complex song structure and exciting riffs. Multiple amazing solos (Answer To The Master!!!). Fantastic drumming. Tonnes of energy. Great ambiance. To me, the raw production even adds to the effect and I must say I really like Joe Elliot's a bit different than on later records, a bit softer vocals. One of the best rock albums ever recorded in my opinion. I think, on the very next album they went different direction.
Great show again guys! I'm glad you mentioned Demon, albeit briefly. I think their first 3 albums are absolute classics. Their third album The Plague I guess you would call one of the first prog metal albums, and listening to it in 2020 is spookily prophetic!
Holocaust Heavy Metal Mania were the anthem of my youth. We played it loud at every party, screming the lyrics.
My list.
1. Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
2. Def leppard - High n Dry
3. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
4. Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades
5. Saxon - Strong Arm Of The Law
6. Darkstar - Darkstar
7. Demon - Night Of The Demon
8. Samson - Shock Tactics
9. Fist - Back With A Vengance
10. Hellanbach - Now Hear This
I wish Picture were a brittish band Diamond dreamer would have been top five on my list but they are från Holland.
Great show btw Pete
Mine would be
1 Satan: Court In The Act
2 Angel Witch: ST
3 Tank: This Means War
4 Raven: All For One
5 Tygers Of Pan Tang: Spellbound
5 Blitzkrieg: A Time Of Changes
6 Cloven Hoof: ST
7 Tysondog: Beware Of The Dog
8 Jaguar: Power Games
9 Savage: Loose N Lethal
10 Tokyo Blade: ST
I personally would prefer Tank's "Filth Hounds of Hades" over "This means war.", but hey, this is your list.
IMO the first two Maiden albums redefined what metal was going forward. As iconic as the Dickinson years are I still prefer the first two albums. They were game changers. Great show look forward to the Martin shows each week.
The music on the first two albums was good. Steve Harris has a lot to do with that. However, if you remove Harris from that sound, there were actually other bands around with a similar approach during the same time period. Then when you replace Paul with Bruce on vocals, well, for me it is like watching a bird take its first flight. Simply breathtaking on another level.
Paul's voice was the shit!!!! I always will prefer the first two too!
Duilio Alba Agree 100%👍
Being from the UK and having got into metal as all this was happening, it's really interesting to see how so many of us and reminiscing about past music like this. I sometimes wonder if all this nostalgia for past music is a reflection of the quality of modern music? Great discussion, so many memories and cool to keep this alive!
This episode was brought to you by the word "molten". Loved the lists, guys!
No particular order:
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Wolf - Edge of the World
Tytan - Rough Justice
Incubus - To the Devil a Daughter
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
Demon - Night of the Demon
Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
Grim Reaper - See You in Hell
Saxon - Denim and Leather
Honorable Mentions: Jaguar - Power Games, Split Beaver - When Hell Won't Have You, Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound, Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies, Def Leppard - On Through the Night, Savage - Loose 'N Lethal, Dark Star - Dark Star, Tokyo Blade - Tokyo Blade, Tysondog - Beware of the Dog, Girl - Sheer Greed, Gaskin - End of the World
I'm a NWOBHM die-hard, so this was extremely hard!
Tysondog, excellent!
Thanks!
Tytan's Rough Justice is a gem ! Spin off of Angelwitch with bassplayer Kevin Riddles. And Kal Swan on vocals. Great singer ! Made some heavy stuff later in Bad Moon Rising.
I forgot dark star self titled some great tracks on this the opener kaptain america, lady of mars, and the last track are killer.
If I remember correctly Dark Star were led by the strange, charismatic and hairy Rick Staines, who had a penchant for leather trousers and kimonos
yeah, that's a great one...... I also loved a lot this band Mad Dog...... they sounded a lot like Motorhead
Great friggin show Pete, my record store was Peaches off Okeechobee Blvd in West Palm Beach and yes I remember having to go to the IMPORT section until about 86 then all these groups had their alphabetized sections. You guys could have done a top 50. Great show.
Great discussion.