Beginnings
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (hereafter NWOBHM) was heavy metal’s first sub-genre. It was primarily a British movement but that is not to say that good heavy metal wasn’t being produced around this time elsewhere. AC/DC and Accept are good examples of this.
The music was initially influenced by what we now call the ‘usual suspects’: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Rush, Pink Floyd, UFO, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Rainbow, etc. Although, to be fair, most of these bands are not heavy metal as such – Pink Floyd? Certainly not. What allowed these bands to be deemed okay by young British metal fans was the simple equation: if it’s got a distorted guitar, it’s heavy! Hence, a multitude of British metal fans around 1979-80 wore patches by these bands on their denim jackets. ‘Heavy’ was what I remember calling all bands that we liked, ‘heavy metal’ was not really used by the fans, at least not in my circle of friends, and it was only the music journalists who used the term, mostly, it has to be said, in a derogatory way, pronouncing, as they did on a regular basis, that heavy metal was dead! Who’s laughing now?
What differentiated the new metal from what had gone before was that it was faster, heavier, and more ‘street’. And by that, I mean that these new bands were often poorly produced, signed to independent labels, and looked exactly like their fans. All of that would obviously change. There was an energy about these bands, even if the songs weren’t the greatest ever recorded, or the musicianship wasn’t earth-shattering. No, taking its cue from punk, young kids picked up guitars simply because the older, 70s bands, had become distant, a bit up themselves (so British) and most importantly, self-indulgent. Twenty-five minute drum or keyboard solos were out, and very fast, incredibly loud, short and furious songs were in. Thank Christ!
However, another important aspect of how this music came about was the social and economic situation in Britain in 1979. The 70s had been pretty much a disaster for Britain, crippled as it was with multiple strikes, social discontent, three day working weeks, power cuts, and economic misery for the average person. Jobs were non-existent and the Sex Pistols really spoke to the youth of the country when they pronounced, that there was, ‘no future’. The NWOBHM was a working class movement made up of young people who felt that they had no hope of following their parents in establishing a life for themselves, and instead they turned to music as a way out of this desperate situation. The music, then, by necessity, had to sound primitive, basic even, and it was raw, vicious, and untamed. The anger and angst about their broken lives wasn’t channeled into political slogans like punk, no, it was focused on turning the volume to 11.
The movement was hugely popular, and it has been cited many times that there were around 500 NWOBHM bands in existence at one time or another.1 Being so big, makes it extremely difficult to write about, how in God’s name do you really pick a top ten, if you haven’t heard 400 of the bands?
Other problems also exist when writing about the NWOBHM. When, for example, does the movement begin? Most fans and journalists would point to 1979 (I am one of them), but some critics have suggested 1977 or 1978 (Wikipedia states the mid-1970s2). Just for context, the term, the NWOBHM was coined by Alan Lewis in an article by Geoff Barton in the May 1979 issue of the British music newspaper Sounds. 3
The end point of the movement is even trickier to identify. 1984 is usually used by most, (Thrash had all but killed off the NWOBHM by then), but some great albums came out in both 1985 and 1986. I am going to keep these dates fluid, because life and art doesn’t fit into boxes, it bleeds and merges. The NWOBHM merged into Thrash and even into Glam and Hair metal, but that’s for a different article.
One of the biggest issues about the NWOBHM is that bands mostly released demos, singles, and EPs, so hardly any bands released an album. Bands who didn’t/couldn’t release an album are put at a disadvantage in articles like this, because the demos and even most of the singles were so poorly produced, poorly recorded, and printed is such low quantities that they have all but disappeared from the face of the earth. Meagre pickings, yet amongst all of this what we will find is that the vast majority of sub-genres that exist today and obsess us, are to be found in the NWOBHM, although obviously in protoform.
The NWOBHM has experienced a bit of a revival lately, and the web is awash with top ten lists about the movement. I have lapped all of these up, but to be fair, the lists are inhabited by the same 20 or 30 albums, just put in a different order. Of course, bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Motörhead, and Saxon often have 2 or 3 albums each in those lists, further reducing the chance of exploring a lesser known, quality band. I wanted to show, in this article, the sheer depth of quality in the movement, but I am not sure that I could live long enough to listen to the entire output of the 500+ bands! So, in the interests of my sanity and health, I will restrict myself to only include bands that managed (at some point) to release an album. The bands I have listed will very rarely be found in top ten lists (probably not even in top thirty lists). Oh, and by the way, these are presented in alphabetical order, I’m not ranking them but happy to leave that to you, guys. Part 2 will follow anon.
Deeper and Deeper
Chateaux – Chained and Desperate:
The band were originally formed under the name of Stealer4 circa 1981 by guitarist Tim Broughton, bassist Alex Houston and drummer Andre Baylis. They were selected by the newly started Ebony Records for inclusion on their 1982 Metal Maniaxe compilation, changing their name to Chateaux and contributing the track Young Blood; the song was later released as a single by Ebony, backed with Fight to the Last. In 1983 band’s debut album, Chained and Desperate, was released, again on Ebony Records, produced by Daryl Johnson, and featuring vocals from Grim Reaper front man Steve Grimmett.
In total, Chateaux managed to release three albums between 1983 and 1985, which isn’t bad going considering their line up changes. The first album, Chained and Desperate, is by far their best album and it is this album I wish to focus on.
There are three main headlines: firstly, Steve Grimmett was ‘loaned’ by Grim Reaper to Chateaux to record the album. For reasons unknown, Chateaux insisted that Grimmett’s appearance on the album was simply that of a guest, allowing him to remain focussed on Grim Reaper. It was all very confusing. Regardless, his contribution to the album is outstanding and I would suggest that this may be his best vocal performance on vinyl. Secondly, boy, is this album loud! Bear in mind that this is years before the dreaded ‘compression’ made it’s appearance and ruined heavy metal. Daryl Johnson had a reputation of recording loud albums but he surpassed himself on this one. The songs scream out of the speakers and you know even from the first note that your ears are in for a pounding. Thirdly, this is an excellent all round album and I would, if I was absolutely forced to, put this in my top ten NWOBHM albums of all time.
Half of the album is outstanding, and the remaining songs are all delivered with blistering guitars, a pounding rhythm section, and those great Grimmett vocals. Of special note are two epic tracks, Shine on Forever, and The Dawn Surrendered. The latter track starts with an acoustic guitar and Grimmett’s subdued vocals, but then lurches into a monumental riff backed by a thundering rhythm section. The song builds and builds in intensity and by the time we reach the first chorus all hell is let loose. The guitars are screeching in impassioned solos contrasted against that monstrous riff, the rhythm section threatens to tear your walls down and grimmett is screaming like a tortured demon. The song builds and builds feeling as if it will lose its cohesion but incredibly the track gets tighter and tighter and the guitar solo, when it comes, is like a release of passion and repression all at the same time. Sure, it’s poorly recorded and mixed, but what a track to finish side one.
From the off, Shine on Forever is a deal between Grimmett’s vocals and a constant guitar solo laid over a riff that could level towns. I’m not sure how wide Grimmett’s vocal range was, but on this track he gives it everything, getting higher and higher and easily matching the king of metal vocalists, Rob Halford. When the song settles down, the riff is like a punch to the face, and Grimmett, at his deepest vocal range, has some marvellous phrasing. It doesn’t last however, and the solos reappear and Grimmett hits a note high enough to attract every dog in the neighbourhood. The guitar solo is immense but the song continues to build, refusing to wimp out and Grimmett is hitting notes that are ear piercing. This is a wailing, yelping track and closes the what must be one of the best ‘hidden’ albums of the NWOBHM.
Cloven Hoof – Cloven Hoof
Cloven Hoof, another “should have been, could have been”, showed such promise after their release of The Opening Ritual EP, which sold in very impressive quantities, that is was astonishing that their debut album, Cloven Hoof (1984), failed to make any real impact upon the British charts, although to be fair, it did much better in Europe. Theatrical from the beginning, (think Kiss with fantasy lyrics), the four band members took up pseudonyms based on the four elements: David “Water” Potter, Steve “Fire” Rounds, Lee “Air” Payne and Kevin “Earth” Poutney.5 Moreover, they wore, shall we say, interesting costumes and make up6 making them not just a music proposition. This line-up recorded a successful demo tape in 1982, along with The Opening Ritual EP, (also 1982) and the debut Cloven Hoof album in 1984. After that personal changes led to the band splitting in 1987, reforming and producing two new studio albums, 1988’s Dominator and 1989’s A Sultan’s Ransom, before splitting again, this time until 2001, where the current iteration of the band continue to this day, albeit after even more changes in personal. Indeed, the band released their ninth studio album, Heathen Cross in May 2024.
It is their first album, Cloven Hoof, which qualifies them for this list: clocking in at only 36 minutes, this is heavy as you like, ultra-fast, aggressive, with some great musical and vocal performances, all steeped in a fantasy/Sci-Fi atmosphere. What more could you ask for? True, at times, singer David “Water” Potter does sound like Cronos, although with a wider range and better voice, but the guitar work and powerhouse rhythm section are original and blistering. There isn’t a duff song on this album, it’s all excellent, but stand out tracks are Nightstalker (originally the band’s name), and The Gates of Gehenna.
Nightstalker is a full-on almost Venom type track. The riff is contagious and driving, backed by a pounding rhythm section. Potter starts full on Cronos, but moves on and shows his vocal versatility. There is a slower, middle break which is quite technical, but the main point of this track is the superb guitar work (fills and leads) and that driving riff. The track is so aggressive and represents everything that the NWOBHM should be.
The Gates of Gehenna is a completely different proposition. Sounding like Rob Halford now, Potter is screaming his way through a Priest-like thrash, but with some outstanding guitar work, tempo changes, and technical excellence throughout. What stops this just being some flashy musicianship is the aggression and power of the song. A wonderful break in the song introduces some truly marvellous guitar work that is so fast you could easily call this proto-thrash. Again, how did this band not become super-successful?
Desolation Angels – Desolation Angels
Desolation Angels formed in 1981 and attracted a large following playing their melodic, doom laden metal. Producing two demos by 1982, they released a self-financed single in 1984, Valhalla, backed by Boadicea. By now the band were attracting a lot of notice with the UK press for their live appearances, and their reward was a record contract with Bullet Records, but the record company went bust and the eponymous album wasn’t released until 1986 on the unknown Thameside Records, possibly another self-financed affair. The album is, as we shall see, a cracking piece of early doom metal (don’t forget the melodic elements!), but somehow (and predictably) the UK press reaction was mostly mixed. The major criticism seemed to be centred around the length of the songs, and indeed, only two songs one the album are under 5 minutes long. Nevertheless, it is a very enjoyable listening experience and much heavier than most of the dross being released at the time. Astonishingly, the band decamped to Los Angelas in 1987 to work on new material, which resulted in the release of While the Flame Still Burns in 1990, on cassette only …! To complicate matters, the singer was sacked, another one flown to LA specifically to re-record the vocals. This version was released in in 1991, but in all honesty the band had come to the end of the road by now, retuned to the UK, and spilt. The band reformed in 2012 after a compilation boxed set of material (1981 – 1991), which was released in 2008, sold well. Indeed, since their reformation, they have gigged regularly, released an EP and two studio albums.
Desolation Angels is a grim, doomy, intense album that everyone who loves that genre should own. Standout tracks include Spirit of the Deep and Valhalla, but be warned that neither track is shorter than 6.35.
Spirit of the Deep is chock-a-block with atmosphere and has a chugging riff that Candlemass would loved to have written. It’s heavy, fast, and melodic and the song drives along with power, albeit with some subtle tempo changes. Dave Wall, the singer, has an Ozzy vibe about him, but it’s the guitars that feature best on the track, with great lifting solos contrasted against deep, growling riffs. Live, this track was a headbanger’s delight and that has been successfully transferred to the album, even if it isn’t particularly well recorded. At 8.02 minutes long, it certainly could do with editing, but when you have a great riff why not play it forever?
Valhalla, the original single, was re-recorded for the album and sounds better for it. Another titanic riff opens proceedings after a drum and bass intro and boy is it another great, pounding, menacing riff. Again, the doomy element in the song is matched with some tremendous melodies, and the chorus is catchy enough to justify its single status. Amazingly the band added another 35 seconds to the track bringing it up to 6.35 and although the album version has great power, the middle break is wonderful live – heavy as chips and backed by a thunderous rhythm section, this is the stuff of early heavy metal – it could have done with some cutting. Nevertheless, it is the atmosphere that makes this a great song and indeed, a great album, and isn’t that what doom is all about?
Elixir – The Son of Odin
Elixir formed in 1983 but it wasn’t until 1984 that the band settled down personnel-wise and comprised of the ‘classic’ line up of Paul Taylor, singer (also now singing with Desolation Angels), Phil Denton, Norman Gordon, guitars, Kevin Dobbs, bass, and Nigel Dobbs, drums. An early demo and then a single, Treachery, captured the attention of Tommy Vance of Friday Night Rock Show fame, and the band were offered a slot on the prestigious show. This appearance was received very well by the public and soon after the band scrapped the money together to record and release their first album, The Son of Odin. This was very well received by press and fans alike and the blistering, melodic, power metal of the album clearly had captured the public’s imagination. Having written the second album, the band fractured somewhat, with the Dobbs brothers departing to be replaced by Mark White and Clive Burr (of Maiden fame). Unfortunately it took over two years to get the album, titled Sovereign Remedy by the band, but changed to Lethal Potion by the record company, released on Sonic Records in 1990. Sadly, this offering just didn’t do it for press and fans alike, and the band split. As a footnote, in 2004, the album was re-released as Sovereign Remedy on the TPL label, as it was originally intended, with all the tracks, the original mix and new artwork.
The band reformed in 2001 and produced a further three albums before splitting again in 2012, but reformed (again) in 2012 and are still together playing festivals and gigs across Europe. they even managed to release their sixth album, Voyage Of The Eagle, in 2020. However, it is The Son of Odin that the band are chiefly known for, so much so, that in issue 137 (November 2005) of Terrorizer magazine, the album was included in the top 25 power metal albums of all time!7
Power metal it is, driven by brutal guitar playing and thumping drums, Paul Taylor’s vocals soar above and the impression is of unstoppable energy and excitement. The guitars play off each other (reminiscent of Downing and Tipton), and the riffs and melodies come at you one after another. This is a wonderful album and possibly the last classic from the NWOBHM. There is homage to iron maiden at times, but this record deserves all the praise it gets because it was a slab of honest, no-nonsense British heavy metal and coming at a time when the heavy metal world was basically divided into thrash or glam, this was like a breath of fresh air. There are certainly more dark, doomy moments, but this is power metal at its best. Standout tracks for me, would be The Star of Beshaan and the title track, The Son of Odin. To be honest though, all nine tracks are killers (no pun intended!).
The Star of Beshaan opens the album with a brutal riff and drums that bring walls down. There’s no let up on this track and pretty soon you’re head banging away caught up in the excitement of it all. The song settles into a galloping-type riff, but even that is cut up by power chords and great melodies. Paul Taylor shows his vocal range perfectly on this track and the solos are fast, intertwining, and, as Ted Nugent would say, honking! The song writing emphasises not just power and speed but melody and I have no idea why this band didn’t become huge, especially given their status as a knock-out live band.
The Son of Odin, on the other hand, starts with atmospherics that you’d expect from a black metal band. All wind and huge landscapes, punctuated with moody synthesisers. It’s all ominous and then the riff and drums come in, supported by monstrous power chords. Again the melody drives the song onwards, and the choruses are hooky and uplifting – great stuff. Those chords, my God, could they be heavier? The guitar solo is perfectly judged against this, and the song seems to build intensity, getting louder and more passionate with each bar. It ends abruptly and takes us back two the atmospheric sounds of brutal nature. What a ride!
Gaskin – End of the World
Another NWOBHM band that with a bit of luck could have been a great success. Certainly the fans loved them and for a while they built up a large following and as well as headlining themselves, they supported bands like Girlschool, Witchfynde, Vardis, and even Wishbone Ash. It all started in the late 70s and by 1980 a settled line-up recorded their first demo. This demo was surprising popular and it not only earn’t them a record deal with Rondelet Records but it was a favourite of Neal Kay who played it extensively at The Bandwagon Heavy Metal Soundhouse. Kay advised the band to reject the Rondelet offer and the band went about in search of a deal for the next few months. Nothing was on offer, however, so the lads returned to Rondelet and accepted a better offer. In the spring of 1981 the band released its first single, I’m No Fool, which showed the band to be technically more able than the majority of bands around at the time, but also sounding like a heavier version of Rush or Wishbone Ash.8 Determined to dispel such comparisons, the band recorded and released the End of the World album, which quickly became a fan favourite and received some good reviews, notably from Kerrang.9
However, almost immediately after releasing the album, the band decided to add a dedicated vocalist and that’s where the trouble started. Internal tensions resulted in the band being split in half and having to rebuild from the beginning. The new iteration of the band gigged extensively and in 1982 they released the No Way Out album. Unfortunately, this album failed to gain the approval of fans and press alike and by 1983 the band had split up and were no more.
That wasn’t the end of the story. In 1992 a Japanese bootleg of End of the World was released and this resulted in both albums being officially re-released later that year and again in 1996. Neat Metal Records became interested in the recordings the band had made in the early 1990s, and collected these in a new album, Stand or Fall, released by Edgy Records in 2000. The band reformed and have been sporadically active ever since, releasing their fourth album, Edge of Madness, in 2012.
End of the World is certainly an album which shows the technicality of the music well, but this technicality is shot through with melody and drive producing a unique sound, albeit in the same ballpark as the aforementioned Wishbone Ash. Paul Gaskin’s guitar work is excellent throughout and a major highlight of the album. Standouts include, Sweet Dream Maker, Despiser, the title track, and I’m No Fool, (a favourite of one Lars Ulrich apparently, who included it on his New Wave of British Heavy Metal ’79 Revisited release.)
The track, End of the World is a classic melodic piece of metal containing a great, driving riff, and a standout guitar solo. It has all the energy and power that the NWOBHM was renowned for. There’s melody, harmonies, and a great rhythm section, but it’s the guitars which steal the show. Fast, technically excellent, and raw. An anthem right there.
Despiser alternates between speed metal at its best and more thoughtful, melodic passages. Again the drums and guitars dominate, with the solo truly blistering. A hooky track, underpinned by very busy drums and those guitars.
I’m No Fool is the record’s highlight, and is the record’s heaviest track. Fast, powerful, with a riff guaranteed to get any audience going. Over this raucous guitar, the vocals are melodic with harmonies and the mixture of dirty riffing with clean vocals works surprisingly well. Another well-played and excellent solo keeps the song pounding along, as does the (over-?) busy drumming, but the song has an energy all of it’s own and it’s a great way to finish the album.
Epilogue
That’s the first part of the list done and hopefully it’s got you thinking and more importantly, listening to these bands. Very happy to hear what you think and who you would put in your list. Part 2 to follow!
Citations
1 The N.W.O.B.H.M Encyclopaedia, M.Macmillan, 2017, Iron Pages Books.
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_of_British_heavy_metal
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_of_British_heavy_metal#:~:text=At the suggestion of his,Machine in London on 8
4 https://web.archive.org/web/20140912140545/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/gbr/cheltenham/chateaux
5 “MusicMight :: Artists :: CLOVEN HOOF”. Rockdetector.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
6 The N.W.O.B.H.M Encyclopaedia, M.Macmillan, 2017, Iron Pages Books, pg. 124.
7 Chantler, Chris (14 November 2019). “The 25 greatest power metal albums“. Metal Hammer. Future plc.
8 The N.W.O.B.H.M Encyclopaedia, M.Macmillan, 2017, Iron Pages Books, pg. 234.
9 Kerrang No. 4, October 1981.
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