New Wave of British Heavy Metal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| NWOBHM | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | Heavy metal, punk rock, hard rock[1] |
| Cultural origins: | Late 1970s, early 1980s United Kingdom[2] |
| Typical instruments: | Guitar - Bass - Drums |
| Mainstream popularity: | Popular in Europe, gained popularity during the 1980s in the United States |
| Derivative forms: | Thrash metal - Progressive metal - Speed metal[3] |
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM or N.W.O.B.H.M.) emerged in the late 1970s and reached mainstream attention in the late 1970s, in the United Kingdom, as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. The NWOBHM toned down the blues influences of earlier acts, upped the tempo, and adopted a tougher sound, taking a more hardcore approach to its music. It didn't have any intention to win a wide audience — it was directed almost exclusively at metal fans. It is widely considered to be the main foundation of all modern-day metal along with thrash acts such as Metallica, which cited bands like Diamond Head as influence.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Characteristics
NWOBHM's music reacted against the artifice of contemporary pop, placing an emphasis on musicianship and amplification, the former trait setting it apart from punk rock. Yet, unlike progressive rock, which placed a far greater emphasis on musical complexity, and unlike post-punk, which emphasized 'strangeness' and innovation, the NWOBHM thrived on volume, speed, and directness, with an idealised working class image.
Reviled or ignored by many mainstream critics in both the UK and the US, the NWOBHM nonetheless came to dominate the hard rock scene of the early-mid 1980s. NWOBHM was musically characterised by power chords, fast guitar solos and melodic, soaring vocals, with lyrical themes often drawing inspiration from mythology, fantasy fiction, and the occult. The movement's music was, however, often surprisingly melodic, and surprisingly parallel to punk and post-punk.
[edit] History
[edit] The NWOBHM artists
The early movement was associated with acts such as: Angel Witch, Iron Maiden, Tygers of Pan Tang, Def Leppard, Motörhead, Blitzkrieg, Sweet Savage, Girlschool, Saxon, Diamond Head, Samson and Tank, among others. The image of bands such as Saxon (long hair, denim jackets, leather and chains) would later become synonymous with heavy metal as a whole during the 1980s. It is interesting to note that Rob Halford, lead singer of Judas Priest, has admitted to in many interviews, and is credited with, starting the heavy metal macho leather look by buying outfits from macho gay bondage shops. Some bands, although conceived during this era, saw success on an underground scale, as was the case with Venom and Quartz.
Looking at most comprehensive lists of bands of the time reveals hundreds of obscure or short lived acts. While the average collector would possibly gloss over these unknowns looking for more recognisable acts, record collectors revere such bands.[citation needed] The sheer number of low cost demos from the era, as well as the limited amount of information and media coverage of the genre, has led to of the releases becoming highly collectable.[citation needed] Records originally pressed for very little cost have sold more recently to collectors for hundreds of dollars.[citation needed] In some cases as low as 1 copy of a record is known to exist.[citation needed]
[edit] Decline
NWOBHM suffered the same fate as many other musical movements. First, the majority of its leading lights were unable to follow up on their initial successes. Second, the superstars moved further away from the genre towards mainstream hard rock. By the mid 1980s, young rock fans searching for their own identities found a new metal scene emanating from Los Angeles led by bands such as Mötley Crüe and later Guns N' Roses. Record companies also latched onto the L.A. scene over the NWOBHM scene because the L.A. bands brought them the one thing heavy metal hadn't yet brought into the fold - legions of female fans. Glam metal simply proved to be more profitable for record companies during this era.
Iron Maiden and Def Leppard however went on to considerable, lasting success, with Def Leppard in particular successfully targeting the American market with a more refined sound, while Iron Maiden stayed with a more traditional heavy metal style which won them a large and loyal fanbase. Saxon and Venom were also able to maintain a respectable amount of success even after the NWOBHM had declined.
[edit] Subsequent influence
Groups such as Saxon, Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and Venom, as well as many lesser-known ones, became part of the canon that influenced American bands that formed in the early eighties, such as Slayer, Megadeth and, in particular, Metallica, along with many others. Indeed, early Metallica is very similar in sound to a number of NWOBHM bands (in particular, Diamond Head, Motörhead and Blitzkrieg, the songs of each of which have been covered by Metallica.)
Lars Ulrich of Metallica compiled a double CD compilation album in the early nineties featuring bands as obscure as Hollow Ground right through to the 'Supergroups' of the Genre.
[edit] Revival
The widespread popularity of the internet in the late 1990s/early 2000s however, helped NWOBHM fans to communicate again and NWOBHM experienced a minor revival. Encouraged by the success of tribute bands / nostalgia acts, many of the original NWOBHM bands reformed for successful tours and the revival was championed by “Classic Rock” magazine, a new publication featuring many of the original NWOBHM writers of the 1980s including Geoff Barton.
[edit] Media support
The NWOBHM existed mostly outside the world of the mainstream pop and rock culture. Magazines such as The NME (primarily focused on punk / new wave), The Face (primarily focused on new romantic / synth pop) and Melody Maker (primarily focused on rock) did not generally feature NWOBHM acts at all. It was left therefore to Sounds to pick up the NWOBHM baton. Young writer Geoff “Deaf” Barton began writing features on the new up and coming metal bands and Sounds even featured a weekly Heavy Metal chart compiled from record requests at “The Soundhouse”, a heavy metal soundhouse in North West London and the spiritual home of the movement.
As the movement continued to thrive, Barton set up Kerrang!, the first magazine exclusively devoted to heavy metal.
Tommy Vance was one of the few mainstream DJs to play NWOBHM on his Friday Rock Show on BBC Radio 1.
[edit] The Soundhouse
The Soundhouse was London’s first heavy rock disco based initially at The Bandwagon, a disco/nightclub venue attached to the Prince of Wales public house in Kingsbury, North West London. The Soundhouse’s popularity really took off with the arrival in 1975 of Neal Kay, a rock DJ with a talent for showmanship and publicity who transformed the venue into the centre of the new movement. In addition to rock disco nights, Neal would promote early live performances of NWOBHM bands such as Samson, Angel Witch, Praying Mantis, Saxon and Iron Maiden, who titled their debut EP release “The Soundhouse Tapes” in honour of the venue.
The Soundhouse also gained approval from the more established rock bands and Motörhead, Sammy Hagar, April Wine, Rainbow and Judas Priest all turned up to mingle with punters and enjoy an evening of metal and beer; many of them being cajoled into judging headbanging and air guitar competitions featuring "imaginary bands" made up of the club's regular punters. Among these was one Robin Yeatman, a local wedding photographer and heavy rock fanatic, who went by the nickname of Rob Loonhouse. Rob fashioned a cardboard (and later hardboard) guitar which he took to the club and pretended to play during his favourite songs. The craze caught on, with other club goers following suit and the development of various ad-hoc headbanging bands: Willy Flasher & The Raincoats being among the most popular. Loonhouse himself was to feature in many of the music press articles about the Soundhouse - cutting a distinctive look in canvas fishing hat and sweat-soaked Blue Öyster Cult T-shirt, while wiedling his homemade axe. An edition of the pop culture TV show, 20th century Box, included footage from the Soundhouse and interviews with Loonhouse, in which, sadly, his tongue-in-cheek humour was lost. Wisely, Loonhouse ditched the hardboard guitar soon after and retreated from the media spotlight.
Kay successfully grew The Soundhouse franchise beyond Kingsbury helping to spread the NWOBHM word through “Heavy Metal Crusade” tours with the likes of Saxon and Iron Maiden and warming up the crowds at other London venues such as Camden’s Music Machine.
In 1980, a disagreement with the brewery led to “The Soundhouse” moving to “The Headstone” public house in North Harrow and subsequently, “The Queen’s Arms” in Harrow and Wealdstone, “The Royal Standard” in Walthamstow and “The Clay Pigeon” in Eastcote which hosted the final Soundhouse night in 1992. The new millennium, however, has seen Kay perform at annual Soundhouse reunion events at “The Rayners” public house in Rayners Lane, near Harrow, although with the closure of this venue in 2006 the organisers are now searching for a suitable alternative venue.
[edit] References
- ^ Musical origins of NWOBHM. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Cultural origins of NWOBHM. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Styles related to NWOBHM. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ New Wave of British Heavy Metal at Allmusic.com. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Heavy metal | |
|---|---|
| Alternative metal · Avant-garde metal · Black metal · Christian metal · Classic metal · Crust Punk · Dark metal · Death metal · Doom metal · Extreme metal · Folk metal · Funk metal · Glam metal · Gothic metal · Grindcore · Groove metal · Industrial metal · Metalcore · Neo-classical metal · Nu metal · Post-metal · Power metal · Progressive metal · Rap metal · Sludge metal · Speed metal · Stoner metal · Symphonic metal · Thrash metal · Viking metal | |
| Regional scenes | New Wave of British Heavy Metal · Norwegian black metal · Scandinavian death metal · Bay Area thrash metal · Brazilian thrash metal · Teutonic thrash metal |
| Other topics | Fashion · Subgenres · Bands · Festivals · Umlaut |
bs:New Wave of British Heavy Metal cs:NWOBHM da:New Wave of British Heavy Metal de:New Wave of British Heavy Metal es:New Wave Of British Heavy Metal fr:New Wave Of British Heavy Metal it:New Wave of British Heavy Metal he:הגל החדש של הרוק הכבד הבריטי hu:NWOBHM nl:NWOBHM ja:NWOBHM no:New Wave of British Heavy Metal oc:New wave of british heavy metal uz:NWOBHM pl:New Wave of British Heavy Metal pt:New Wave of British Heavy Metal ro:NWOBHM fi:New Wave of British Heavy Metal sv:New Wave of British Heavy Metal tr:NWOBHM vls:NWOBHM
