The NWOBHM: Ranking Our Top 3 Favorite Albums By Year 1979-1983 (w/Martin Popoff)

Join Pete Pardo & Martin Popoff as they rank their top 3 favorite NWOBHM albums by year from 1979-1983. #nwobhm
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[@sabinoabdala5685]

1979 1- Overkill 2- Bomber 3- Saxon 1980 1- Ace of Spades 2- Iron Maiden 3- On Through The Night 1981 1- Killers 2- Welcome To Hell 3- High 'n' Dry 1982 1-Number Of The Beast 2-Black Metal 3- Iron Fist 1983 1- Piece Of Mind 2- At the war with Satan 3- Another Perfect Day

[@dtltmtgt]

Angel Witch self-titled is sooooo good. Go back to that one often.

[@chriswoosley1697]

The very best NWOBHM debut album,.. ,of them all,..yes,them all,.....a fabulous musical statement in 1980

[@carlwmpylu]

As a pre-teen, just dipping my toes into music around '81/'82, the NWOBHM scene was very exciting and many of the albums still give me a buzz all these years later. 1979: Money - First Investment Marseille - S/T Don't have a third one 1980: Ethel The Frog - S/T White Spirit - S/T Grand Prix - S/T 1981: Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies Saxon - Denim & Leather More - Warhead 1982: Witchfinder General - Death Penalty Spider - Rock & Roll Gypsies The Tygers Of Pan Tang -The Cage 1983: Demon - The Plague Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind Tokyo Blade - S/T

[@adnilrummut105]

1979 1. motörhead-overkill 2. judas priest-hell bent for leather 3. gillan-mr. universe 1980 1. motörhead-ace of spades 2. black sabbath-heaven and hell 3. saxon-strong arm of the law 1981 1. iron maiden-killers 2. saxon-denim and leather 3. ozzy-diary of a madman 1982 1. judas priest-screaming for vengeance 2. iron maiden-the number of the beast 3. gillan-magic 1983 1. iron maiden-piece of mind 2. thin lizzy-thunder and lightening 3. def leppard-pyromania

[@RickNBacker]

1980 - Iron Maiden - s/t 1981- Raven - Rock Until You Drop 1982- Raven - Wiped Out !983- Raven - All for One

[@Mark-bi5dk]

So glad to see RAVEN in the comments

[@rogertemple7193]

I'm really enjoying the NWOBHM bands that you talk about and I've been listening to some of them a lot Thank You have a wonderful weekend Pete and Martin.🇺🇲🎸🎸🇨🇦

[@ericrobertson2024]

My 3 favorites were all released in 81 . Venom,Raven, Maiden.

[@hellojimmypage]

I unapologetically choose anything Raven did during this time period over the bigger names. We can argue whether mighty Maiden were objectively better or not, but I wonder how Harris and co. would've sounded if you reduced the lineup to a power trio. They were on the quintessential label of the movement - Neat Records, great musicianship and were hugely influential on thrash, no releases on '79 but they did have a 4-track demo session from '78.

[@metaldams78]

All For One is a masterpiece.

[@JVynes]

Crash, bang, wallop…here we go 🤟😝

[@ErickNWOBHM]

I'm loving these NWOBHM shows! Actually Pete, there are so many interesting and terrific obscure NWOBHM bands that you could easily dedicate 45 minutes a week to highlighting and discussing these bands. High Roller Records, Obscure NWOBHM Releases, Classic Metal and many other distros have done a terrific job at recently releasing the works by dozens and dozens of these bands. A rabbit hole with loads and loads of content. Truely a very important part of the history of modern Heavy Metal.

[@kennethjarva3443]

Raven All For One!!!!

[@JohnneyCrossey]

Morning sot fanatics

[@acdcking1234]

Even though it was released in 1984 was recorded in 1982 wolf edge of the world one of my favorites

[@dt6949]

Great call!!

[@jeffreywebb7932]

Good vid guys.WITCHFINDER GENERAL🤘

[@TheBerndude]

Another excellent episode, gentlemen. My picks: 1979-Overkill 1980-Iron Maiden 1981-Killers 1982-Number of the Beast 1983-Piece of Mind

[@drewrose374]

Another great show and discussion! This was really tough! well, here goes... 1979 3. Saxon 2. Bomber 1. Overkill 1980 3. Angel Witch 2. Iron Maiden 1. On Through The Night 1981 3. Rock Until You Drop 2. Welcome To Hell 1. Killers 1982 3. The Unexpected Guest 2. Number Of The Beast 1. Black Metal 1983 3. Loose N' Lethal 2. All For One 1. Piece Of Mind

[@johnmichaelwilliams6694]

Popoff and Pardo are it it again in the NWOBHM episodes. Enjoying these as was just a couple of years out of college in '79 and applying lots of time to what became a long career. Was not following much new music at the time. SoT has brought a lot of the NWOBHM information since finding the channel years ago but always something interesting about hearing how Martin and Pete favor these albums or make recommendations and why they do so. Thanks, gents. There ya go!

[@METALSCAVENGER78]

1983 1- Satan -Court In The Act 2 - Jaguar -Power Games 3 - Grim Reaper -See you In Hell 4 -Tank -This Means War

[@timholzer4081]

I really appreciate the way you guys look at things that otherwise might get overlooked. I'm a music junkie. Love researching and looking at how bands and genre 's evolved through the years. Sea Of Tranquility is a channel I watch all the time, along with a couple others. You break it down and really give me the meat and potatoes of the bands and eras. I don't always agree with your opinions, but have mad respect for this channel. Keep up your great work, and I'll keep following you closely. Rock on guys 🤘🤘

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

No Raven? I remember looking for a lot of the bands 30+ years ago. The obscure ones I still haven't found on vinyl. I just relistened to At War with Satan. Not as good as I remember.

[@BlackMoore82]

Quartz - Stand Up and Fight (1980). Motörhead - Another Perfect Day (1983). Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound (1981).

[@Matias-music-71]

Tygers !!!!!!!!!

[@turefromfinland3264]

Yeah, i forgot about that "Another..." record. It's the best Motörhead album. Period.

[@macseinchin]

The Unexpected Guest by Demon is a great album - a bit more on the hard rock side, despite the lyrics and image.

[@stephennorris2524]

An Interesting topic would be a ranking of post 2000 albums by classic NWOBHM bands, so many good ones still coming out.

[@garyh.238]

1979 - GILLAN.....Mr. Universe 1980 - GILLAN.....Glory Road 1981 - GILLAN.....Double Trouble 1982 - IRON MAIDEN.....Number of the Beast 1983 - IRON MAIDEN.....Piece of Mind

[@GordonHeaney]

Hi Ian, hope all is well

[@garyh.238]

@@GordonHeaney

[@chrismoyse3529]

In the U.K. neither Motorhead or Gillan were seen as NWOBHM tbh

[@shaunfulton7261]

Quartz were per-NWOBHM too. You're wasting your time with these two, they don't fully understand the NWOBHM.

[@chrismoyse3529]

I think being British and watching these bands at this time qualifies you to name who’s in this movement and who isn’t. Cheers Shaun

[@tsanph]

@@chrismoyse3529 the fact that these guys think Motorhead are NWOBHM kinda negates all their "wisdom"

[@Hecatecrossways]

@@chrismoyse3529 I totally agree that Status Quo , Gillan, Motorhead, Judas Priest, and Quartz do not belong in the NWOBHM. I also don't think Bladerunner , Chateaux etc were part of the NWOBHM. I always assumed that the NWOBHM movement was 1979 - 1982 . I believe that bands releasing independent singles was more important to qualifying as NWOBHM than people consider it to be. Around the early part of 1982 the singles slowed down considerably. Prior to 1979 Metal bands weren't really doing self promotion diy much. It was adopted from the Punk movement. I consider More - Blood and Thunder to be the final NWOBHM release.

[@mirko1382]

79 #1 Motorhead Over Kill #2 Samson Survivors #3 Motorhead Bomber 80 #1 Iron Maiden Iron Maiden #2 Diamond Head Lightning to the Nations #3 Tigers of Pan Tang Wild Cat 81 #1 Samson Shock Tactics #2 Iron Maiden Killers #3 Tigers of Pan Tang Crazy Nights 82 #1 Tank Filth Hounds of Hades #2 Fist Back with a Vengeance #3 Samson Before the Storm 83 #1 Iron Maiden Piece of Mind #2 Saxon Power & the Glory #3 Chateaux Chain & Desperate 84 #1 Iron Maiden Powerslave #2 Chateaux Fire Power #3 Tokyo Blade Tokyo Blade

[@SteveHughesOfficial]

Tokyo blade and Chateaux. Rare to meet anyone who knows these two albums. Good records.

[@mirko1382]

@@SteveHughesOfficial Tokyo Blade is like Tigers of Pan Tang but a bit heavier for the first 2 or 3 albums then they kind of commercial trying to be more American. Chateaux's first album has Steve Grimmet of Grim Reaper on vocals. Good powerful bluesy Hard Rock Metal. Martain Poppoff gave the fallowing ratings Tokyo Blade Tokyo Blade 7 Tokyo Blade Night of the Blade 6 Tokyo Blade Blackhearts & Jade Spades 5 Tokyo Blade No Remorse 1 Chateaux Chain & Desperate 9 Chateaux Fire Power 8 Chateaux Highly Strung 8 Check out the albums on KZbin or spotifed

[@dtltmtgt]

Great episode guys! Looking forward to next week as well.

[@kevinbrown1893]

1979: 1. Motorhead - Overkill 2. Saxon - Saxon 3. Samson - Survivors 1980: 1. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden 2. Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law 3. Def Leppard - On Through the Night 1981: 1. Iron Maiden - Killers 2. Saxon - Denim and Leather 3. Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound 1982: 1. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast 2. Demon - The Unexpected Guest 3. Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades 1983: 1. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind 2. Saxon - Power & the Glory 3. Satan - Court in the Act

[@thekivster]

There’s this band called Marseille that released a self titled nwobhm album in 1979. Don’t know if it’s any good though.

[@richardjones4466]

Saw them supporting someone. They were pretty good. Great track Some Like It Hot.

[@calummcgregor3662]

Supported UFO .... Capitol, Aberdeen .... CMcG, Aberdeen, Scotland

[@iainhead9898]

Love Marseille - original guitarist Neil Buchanan went on to be a kids TV presenter, most famously on Art Attack! Wasn't at the Capitol gig, sadly, just befire my gig-going career began!

[@jimekberg]

1979: 1. Motörhead: Overkill 2. Motörhead: Bomber 3. Gillan: Mr. Universe 1980: 1. Motörhead: Ace of spades 2. Diamond Head: Lightning to the nations 3. Saxon: Strong arm of the law 1981: 1. Holocaust: The Nightcomers 2. Saxon: Denim and Leather 3. Tygers of Pan Tang: Crazy Nights 1982: 1. Witchfinder General: Death Penalty 2. Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast 3. Tank: Filth Hounds of Hades 1983: 1. Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind 2. Raven: All for One 3. Witchfinder General: Friends of Hell

[@scottwalker5275]

Great show guys. Nice mention of Tank Martin. Tank seems to be often overlooked band.

[@MartinPopoff]

Nobody puts Tank in the corner.

[@whitey7998]

I really enjoyed this guys. Plenty of class choices

[@noddynewbold]

Martin, I can attest to your Daryl Johnstone story about the living room. Spent 2 days @ the end of a snowy January 83, recording & mixing 2 songs there for our (Lyadrive) appearance on Metal Warriors Comp. IIRC it cost us £250 to be included & I used the house 4 piece kit. We thought we were well on the way to superstardom .... alas, t'was not to be. Great times though.

[@michaelbelpedio5985]

How about ranking later albums from NWOBHM bands?

[@zizzf-i7f]

out of all the albums mentioned on the show, Loose N lethal is the only album that i still keep on my phone. cheers

[@MartinPopoff]

Aren't you worried about fires?

[@niklaseriksson7569]

1979 1. Overkill 2. Bomber 3. Saxon 1980 1. Ace Of Spades 2. Wheels Of Steel 3. Iron Maiden 1981 1. Killers 2. Denim And Leather 3. High ’N’ Dry 1982 1. The Number Of The Beast 2. Iron Fist 3. Black Metal 1983 1. Piece Of Mind 2. Another Perfect Day 3. Power And The Glory

[@SheikMaster3000]

Please rank Alice Cooper with Martin! 🙏

[@stephenhargreaves3844]

Reading 80, I look back at that weekend as the ultimate NWOBHM festival

[@stephenbrown4211]

So you weren’t at the festival at Mildenhall Speedway headlined by Saxon in 1980? 😊

[@independenceltd.]

@@stephenbrown4211 Def Leppard, Girl, Tygers of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, Praying Mantis, Sledgehammer, Red Alert, Quartz, White Spirit, Samson and Iron Maiden are gonna be tough to beat.

[@stephenbrown4211]

@@independenceltd. Well if you lived in East Anglia it was the ultimate festival 🙂Angelwitch and Samson were on the bill. And I just realised a typo, it was 1982.

[@independenceltd.]

@@stephenbrown4211 no Cheetah?

[@acdcking1234]

Let’s go🤘

[@MICHAEL-e9f]

Love to see ranking the albums of Grim Reaper,Savatage,Armored Saint,Metal Church 83-93

[@BlindArthurBlake]

Killers is for sure my favorite Iron Maiden album

[@ericrobertson2024]

It's awesome

[@chrismoyse3529]

DH White Lp. Best NWOBHM album. They were a great live band too. Saw them several times and they never disappointed

[@christianhaynes1954]

Favorite show onSOT !!!!

[@JoeDibiase386]

More was awesome

[@MrSmitht04]

Best show on youtube

[@frankthomas620]

For 1983, how about showing some love for Tysondog - Beware of the Dog album? Dog Soldiers and Painted Heroes are phenomenal songs. Cronos produced it and it was released on Neat Records. Give it a listen and see if you don't get some Black Sabbath vibes. Pete amd Martin, thank you for the huge shout out to Savage - Loose N Lethal! A mind-altering album. Although a Finnish band, Oz - Fire in the Brain is terrific! I bought all 3 of these albums in '83 and they all grabbed me by the neck and didnt turn loose.

[@MartinPopoff]

Frig yeah on Oz - Fire in the Brain smokes. Tysondog deserves more love too.

[@Hecatecrossways]

@@MartinPopoff Sorry guys, but both Oz ( Finland 🇫🇮 Sweden 🇸🇪) - Fire in the Brain , and Tysondog - Beware of the Dog were both 1984 albums. However Tysondog - Eat the Rich EP was 1983 , Cloven Hoof - Opening Ritual was 1982 ( Cloven Hoof self titled debut was also 1984), and Oz - Hey You was 1982 , and is one of the best Metal albums of the 1980s, but the ultimate Metal album of the decade was Swedish band Overdrive - Swords and Axes . That's not an opinion that is a fact. Dream Away was the greatest Heavy Metal song ever written

[@acdcking1234]

1980-1982 had some great metal albums 🤘

[@steelerfreak1977]

Totally shocked neither Pete nor Martin chose Power and the Glory by Saxon for 1983

[@whitey7998]

Interesting point regarding 1979. Very few bands here in the U.K. classed as NWOBHM until mid to late ‘80 as evidenced by the Reading Rock Festival line ups. 79 no NWOBHM bands at all (other than Gillan and Motörhead) not classed as NWOBHM as discussed many times. Totally different in August of 1980, loads of bands present as the scene really took off then. I distinctly remember the Friday Rock Show with Tommy Vance also not playing many of the genre until mid 80s also. New bands were being featured almost weekly

[@skyscraper38]

Another enjoyable show gentlemen. Some great choices in there, although was surprised Saxon’s Power and the Glory from ‘83 wasn’t mentioned. Some of their best work on there, in my opinion and the production, especially the drum sound is tremendous. Looking forward to next week’s instalment. 🤘🏼

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

It's a better album than Crusader which sounded awful.

[@logancollins7097]

​@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 Crusader is the start of the downfall for a couple albums 100%

[@metaldams78]

I’ve read things from Lars Ulrich - I want to say his liner notes of the Diamond Head BEHOLD THE BEGINNING compilation - where he ends the NWOBHM around mid to late 1981! I like to view Iron Maiden’s LIVE AFTER DEATH as not only the end of a Maiden era, but also as the end of the NWOBHM. It’s the same way a lot of double live albums speak of the end of an era. But yeah, I’ve got Martin’s three books he plugs at the beginning of this. While there are some nitpicky details I’d debate, I think he does a fine job overall. I’m really digging these discussions.

[@MartinPopoff]

That's adorable. You wonder if he's slyly trying to put two years between Kill 'em All and the NWOBHM.

[@metaldams78]

Never thought of it that way but you may have a point, Martin. If you look at that NWOBHM ‘79 Revisited compilation he compiled, his selections certainly fit in that time frame. As somebody who was literally one week old when Iron Maiden recorded The Soundhouse Tapes, I have no memories living this music as it happened. I first heard if NWOBHM from Lara and his timeline was my initial impression. As I’ve explored this music more, I tend to agree with you it extends a few years further.

[@metaldams78]

….and I have no clue why auto correct thinks Lara is the Metallica drummer.

[@damiangrimm1430]

It was interesting that it was said that Maidens Piece of Mind was so professional. I remember listening to it a while back and I was thinking that it was the first album they made with the U.S market in mind. I do know the story of Steve and Bruce fighting about “Flight of Icarus”. All the songs are so measured in their pacing. If you listen to “Beast” it is pretty full throttle. I have theorised that is why Clive Burr was fired. Maiden were going for a more streamlined sound and they needed a drummer whose style was going to suit the bigger venues they were aiming to play. Just my theory anyway

[@patrickcrowther9195]

Venom! ❤

[@markkaminski4496]

Agree on the Quartz Stand Up and Fight & i have the first great album in the paperbag ,and don't forget also produced by Tony Iommi, thete latest albums are amazing as well Fear No Evil a 10/10 & most recent On the Edge of Tomorrow, also a 10/10 & last one to feature Geoff Nicolls, also has Tony Martin and David Garner on vocals on some tracks. More and Sabbath sounding Witchfinder General are in my top 10 of this era as well as are Tank Filth Hounds simply top notch dirty metal sound. Savage are in there as well only Hyperactive album being not that great, and lat err release even though only 2 originals guitar and bass/ singer are 10s as well. Not mentioned Chariot still around not had a release for a few years but all 7 and a rarities are great barnstormers.

[@63mckenzie]

This was a really interesting era where you could hear bands coming out of the punk era and morphing into metal.

[@independenceltd.]

I'll try to spread the love around... 1979: Saxon - s/t, Samson - Survivors, Iron Maiden - The Soundhouse Tapes 1980: Maiden, Tygers of Pan Tang - Wild Cat, Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations 1981: Maiden, Def Leppard - On Through the Night, Venom - Welcome to Hell 1982: Maiden, Witchfinder General - Death Penalty, Demon - The Unexpected Guest 1983: Maiden, Jaguar - Power Games, Battleaxe - Burn This Town

[@garyh.238]

Lots there! Seems I might have to expand my NWOBHM collection.

[@independenceltd.]

@@garyh.238 i think i should do that myself...lol

[@martinillingworth3130]

It is really interesting to listen to you speaking about NWOBHM from the perspective of the US and Canada. I am the same age as Pete and was right there in the time period in the UK. From my perspective, Motörhead can be included with the newer bands like Saxon and Maiden. Def Leppard you can keep until Pyromania which was seen as a sell out to become big in the US. Gillan were definitely not NWOBHM. They need to go in with the established classic metal of Rainbow, Whitesnake, Dio, AC/DC, Ozzy etc. The band you would need to feature more from a UK on the ground perspective is Diamond Head. Borrowed Time was big. Canterbury fabulous. I am from Newcastle and I can tell you that Tygers of Pan Tang and Raven were creating some noise. Venom on the other hand were a joke band. It’s funny how they have become influential. Angelwitch spot on if a bit pub rock in places. Budgie joined in. Nightlight was big. Quartz was old school, not NWOBHM. Demon in the background. You feature here also a band called More. Never heard of them 🤷‍♂️ Iron Maiden Killers is the centre of the movement.

[@steelerfreak1977]

Disappointed Raven wasn’t mentioned. All 3 of their NWOBHM albums are more than worthy and all kick ass.

[@MartinPopoff]

Raven will be represented next week, to be sure.

[@akirasolo57]

1983 Ya have Savage which is #1 but then again Chateaux - Chained and Desperate also on Ebony and no mention that is as heavy as Savage also Grimmitt sings on there first album.Also check out Savage other 5 albums from 1995 to 2015

[@MartinPopoff]

Yep, that was close for me.

[@markkaminski4496]

Yes totally agree, both are so riff heavy, just got the Chateux box set of the 3 albums,and have them on vinyl, Have all the cds bar Hypactive, wish they would bring out a box set, with maybe demos unreleased etc.

[@steinarskaaland1570]

1979: Gillan - Mr Universe Motorhead - Bomber Motorhead - Overkill 1980: Iron Maiden - S/T Angel Witch - S/T Def Leppard - On Through the Night 1981: Iron Maiden - Killers Girlschool - Hit and Run Saxon - Denim and Leather 1982: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast Demon - The Unexpected Guest Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades 1983: Battleaxe - Burn This Town Rock Goddess. S/T Chateaux - Chained and Desperate

[@shaunfulton7261]

Your 1979 selection contains no NWOBHM bands whatsoever.

[@steinarskaaland1570]

⁠Actually I aggree with you. I don’t consider those band to be a part of nwobhm. However Pete and Martin does, that why I listed them. There ain’t that many albums from 1979 thats part of nwobhm. The ones that comes to mind are the debut albums to Saxon and Samson and they ain’t that great.

[@jonsnow899]

#1 NWOBHM album of 1982 is The Number of the Beast. Not only is it the NWOBHM album, but it is the metal album until throughout the 1980s.

[@domielakrabi3276]

Mr. Universe is soooo good! Would make the top three of my entire list here.

[@Matias-music-71]

awesome episode loved it , one of my fave eras and genres ..,

[@shaunfulton7261]

NWOBHM isn't a genre, it was a movement.

[@Matias-music-71]

@@shaunfulton7261 splitting hairs are we not ??

[@shaunfulton7261]

@@Matias-music-71 I don't believe so. It's not a genre, there's no commonality in the music of, for example, Venom and Def Leppard.

[@Matias-music-71]

@@shaunfulton7261 , ugh , it is like pulling teeth really , I never liked calling things a genre or a movement , but somehow it is handy in the over all classifying of things .., for example grunge , a movement or genre ? Nu metal , so on and on .., hence my comment .., splitting hairs

[@Matias-music-71]

PS choosing Venom is interesting as is Leppard for some would argue they don't belong in said " movement " for one reason or another or at one time or another .., again splitting hairs

[@mikebaker9319]

Even though it may have some redundancy, I still think Pete and Martin’s critical review and ranking of 80’s Maiden, Priest, Motörhead and Sabbath would be the penultimate episode of this series!

[@shaunfulton7261]

Eh? Priest, Sabbath and Motorhead have nothing to do with the NWOBHM.

[@mikebaker9319]

@@shaunfulton7261 I mean the whole series of this style, not just the NWOBHM episodes.

[@shaunfulton7261]

@@mikebaker9319 👍

[@shaunfulton7261]

@@mikebaker9319 Why the penultimate episode? What would be the ultimate one?

[@mikebaker9319]

@@shaunfulton7261 You got me. I said penultimate because I like the way it sounds more than ultimate.

[@Mark-bi5dk]

1983 RAVEN ALL FOR ONE

[@peterullman6689]

Dedringer "Direct Line" -81 would have been a good pick.

[@MartinPopoff]

Nah, in fact there's a show there... all the supposed "NWOBHM" albums that had too much '70s left in them.

[@Fastnbulbous1969]

Good stuff. Just recently I'd been getting acquainted with some more obscure NWOBHM albums like Omega - The Prophet (Rock Machine, 1985) Sounds like mid-70s prog with poor production, but enough interesting songwriting to keep it interesting. It has keyboards so you might as well skip now. Saracen - Heroes, Saints and Fools (Nucleus, 1981) Progressive stylings like Omega but a bit more metal, and some AOR. First two tracks have a crisp sheen that somehow goes away, like they ran out of money. Rather than analog keyboards, they use synths for a kind of Tubeway Army approach. Demon - The Unexpected Guest (Carrere, 1982) I was aware of these reissues for a while and honestly thought I had a copy, but apparently not. Feels more proto-metal to me, like Deep Purple and very early Judas Priest fronted by John Fogerty. An improvement over their first album, but still not as cool as the cover art and name. Jaguar - Power Games (Neat, 1983) Bog standard metal but at least it's fast, the speed metal element making it stand out for 1983. Ritual - Widow (HR, 1983) Ritual goes the other way with a slow, doomy approach. Production has a basement-like echo. Savage - Loose 'n Lethal (Neat, 1983) Thought I had this one but confused them with Savatage I guess. More speedy riffing, might be better than Jaguar, need more time to absorb. Others I have but am revisiting in playlist as I haven't listened to a ton lately: Tank (saw them at Hell's Heroes), Tokyo Blade, Holocaust, Elixir, Blitzkrieg, Cloven Hoof, Wolf. My faves beyond Maiden/Motorhead: 1. Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (1980) 2. Angel Witch - Angel Witch (1980) 3. Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law (1980) 4. Venom - Welcome To Hell (1981) 5. Pagan Altar - Judgement Of The Dead (1982) 6. Satan - Court In The Act (1983) 7. Tygers Of Pan Tang - Spellbound (1981) 8. Raven - All For One (1983) 9. Holocaust - The Nightcomers (1981) 10. Tokyo Blade - Night of the Blade (1984)

[@denisespainhower2153]

Never heard the Gillan Mr Universe album. You’ve piqued my curiosity. Going to check it out.

[@turefromfinland3264]

Never heard? It's about time.

[@mazeoftorment805]

hopefully raven gets some love next week.

[@MartinPopoff]

Guaranteed.

[@edlimey]

1979 - 3. Samson - Survivors (barebones nwobm, some punkish stuff like "6 ft. Under", but more NWOBM than that Canterbury crap. 2. Saxon - Saxon 1. Motorhead - Overkill & Bomber tied for first. While the song Overkill is probably the quintessential NWOBM song, the rest of the album is borderline punk and British blues rock, plus the cymbals and guitar bleed all over the rest of the instruments and drown them out. It's not until Bomber that all the instruments stand out and every song is good. Great production by former Stones producer Jimmy Miller, even though the drug reference in 'Dead Men' probably refers to Miller's drug use during the recording, he does a much better job at developing their sound than the previous record that has some clunkers. You can tell in Bomber that Motorhead is redefining Heavy Metal, bringing it back to its Working Class, Birmingham-Industrial-Steel town roots. You can see by this time Sabbath and Ozzy seemed bloated and out of touch by way of the 1978 Never Say Die concert footage. 1980 - 3. Quartz - Stand up and Fight 2. Tygers of Pan Tang - Wild Cat 1. Iron Maiden- Iron Maiden 1981 - Def Leppard -High and Dry (saw this tour with them opening for Ozzy on the Blizzard tour. The first time I had seen a rock band dressed in satin shirts and designer slacks and shoes. They (Leppard) could've went straight to a disco right after the show without changing clothes (except for the drummer who only wore his Union Jack shorts.) 2. Tygers of Pan Tang- Spellbound & Crazy Nights tied for 2nd place. 1. Iron Maiden - Killers ( a perfect NWOBM record. Guitars and lyrics/vocals, give off this noirish sense of high dramatic tension from start to finish. 1982 - 3. Diamond Head - Borrowed Time 2. Tygers of Pan Tang - The Cage (this record sounds like a mix of def Leppard's first record and Dokken's first record. It kind of anticipated the L.A. hair metal scene. 1. Iron Maiden- Number of the Beast 1983 - Quartz- Against All Odds 2. Raven - All for One 1. Saxon - Power & the Glory

[@micolsen9824]

Gotta go Gillan. It's purple-ish.

[@Hecatecrossways]

1979 Saxon - Saxon Motorhead - Bomber Money - Another Case of Suicide Praying Mantis - the Ripper Motorhead - Overkill 1980 Witchfynde - Give Em Hell AIIZ - Witch of Berkeley Samson - Head On Fist - Turn the Hell On Angel Witch - Angel Witch Def Leppard - On Through the Night Tygers of Pantang - Wild Cat Witchfynde - Stagefright Paralex - White Lightning EP Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies Girl - Sheer Power 1981 Mythra - Death and Destiny EP Dark Star - Dark Star Tygers of Pantang - Crazy Nights Iron Maiden - Killers AIIZ - Treason EP Venom - Welcome to Hell Girlschool - Hit and Run Raven - Crash, Bang , Wallop Fist - Back With a Vengeance ( featuring Glenn Coates of Hollow Ground ) Tygers of Pantang - Spellbound Gaskin - End of the World White Spirit - White Spirit Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law - Wheels of Steel Geddes Axe - Return of the Gods EP Samson - Shock Tactics Def Leppard - High n Dry 1982 More - Blood and Thunder Witchfinder General - Death Penalty Geddes Axe - Escape From New York EP Raven - Wiped Out Tygers of Pantang - the Cage Venom - Black Metal Saracen - Heroes, Saints, and Fools Dawnwatcher - Hall of Mirrors EP Split Beaver - When Hell Won't Have You Chateaux - Chained and Desperate Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast 1983 Witchfynde - Cloak and Dagger Saxon - the Power and the Glory Rock Goddess - Rock Goddess Witchfinder General - Friends of Hell Diamond Head - Borrowed Time Syar - Death Before Dishonor Venom - At War With Satan Def Leppard - Pyromania 😢 Iron Maiden - Pieces of Mind

[@GordonHeaney]

Great to see Venom get some love

[@Baz63]

probably doesn't count but Budgie's Power Supply from 1980 is, for me , the best NWOBHM album of them all. As for Angelwitch i saw them a dozen times but their debut album stripped away all their power and omitted Baphomet their best track along with Flight Nineteen...shame.

[@samhouston1979]

have fun…i live in East Texas & we got hit by Beryl about 2 Pm this monday

[@Hecatecrossways]

Jaguar - Power Games could be considered the first actual Thrash Metal album

[@mainzergirl9610]

This is NWBHM 101 in your rock college course catalog.

[@patrickmurphy4297]

...the biggest problem with these NWOBHM-themed shows is that the genre was bereft of a great number of albums, as opposed to singles, ep's and compilation albums...it truly was a "flash in the pan" moment (late 70's punk, anyone?...Martin?...sorry...:0)...) that sparked a move toward this type of music "worldwide" just a few short years later.

[@turefromfinland3264]

My favorite: 1979 = , Gillan; Mr.Universe. Motörhead; Overkill. 1980 = Vardis; 100 M.P.H. Quartz; Stand up and Fight. 1981= Tygers of Pan Tang; Spellbound, Dark Star; s/t, Praying Mantis; Time Tell No Lies. 1982= Samson; Before the Storm (one of the greatest records ever), Demon; The Unexpected Guest. 1983= Tank; This Means War, Rock Goddess; Hell Hath No Fury.

[@shaunfulton7261]

Your 1979 selection contains no NWOBHM whatsoever.

[@gamleskalle1]

1979: Unleashed in the East 1980: Iron Maiden 1981: No sleep till Hammersmith 1982: Number of the beast 1983: Piece of mind

[@larilahtela]

Not enough Girlschool or Raven...

[@evollution1]

You Mention Ebony Records , SHY's Once Bitten Twice..... Is by far the best album to come from Ebony Records.

[@srvuk]

As a Brit who was very much in the tick of fans during this period, many of us actually had a wider range of thought about this Geoff Barton penned moniker that came out of the blue. As well as British bands, there were others from across the globe that we essentially took to our hearts and were very popular, with regular tours across the isles. And so, whilst not actually British, bands like Scorpions, AC/DC (3 fifths Scottish born, 1 fifth English by the time of Let There Be Rock) and even Rush were all under the same umbrella, regardless of what genre you might put them under, with Brits essentially adopting them as our own too, in the best possible way. NWOBHM was more of an embarrassment at the time because it sounded so cringe and at a time where mainstream UK radio and TV desperately wanted to see the back of Heavy Metal (another unfortunate term that held things back) because of what was to some, something to be avoided or even mocked, we tended to try to ignore it too because is just sounded so bad to even say it, let alone think it. Imagine, in 1980, going into the local newsagent and asking for the latest copy of Kerrang! It was less embarrassing to go into Boots the Chemist and ask for condoms or even one of the adult mags on the top shelf of the newsagent shelves. Thankfully, the music prevailed because of it's quality and in spite of the media and public perceptions but boy were there some self created obstacles placed in the way of greater acceptance. Millions more albums could have and would have been sold if the cringe had been removed from society, which is quite the irony when you consider that show and business were actually at odds at times.

[@leonscoretzka801]

1979: Motorhead - Bomber Motorhead - Overkill Gillan - Mr Universe 1980: Motorhead - Ace Of Spades Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations 1981: Iron Maiden - Killers Saxon - Denim & Leather Tygers Of Pan Tang - Spellbound 1982: Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast Venom - Black Metal Motorhead - Iron Fist 1983: Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind Saxon - Power & The Glory Motorhead - Another Perfect Day

[@shaunfulton7261]

Your 1979 selection contains no NWOBHM whatsoever.

[@darrylamaki2470]

Excellent Show and topic.. Raven Rock until you Drop Tygers of Pang Tang Wild Cat Some of my faves

[@bassvibasics479]

This episode's Martin Popoff "Right?" Count: 32.

[@woutwout8398]

That Blood and Thunder-album from More has a terrible cover, but it's a great record indeed.

[@MartinPopoff]

It's going to fare rather well next week.

[@samhouston1979]

“Three Beer Vocals” 😂

[@bernardgranite]

Wheels of Steel Saxon is NWOBHM staple

[@davido46]

What is it with us. It's 2024 and we love the music for this time? Maybe what is it with everyone else, that that didn't seem to get it. Now look at the shit that is music.

[@davido46]

I drive down the road with this music blasting and thinking how amazing it is. And wondering why no one else seemed to get it. 😮

[@frankies9465]

Glad to hear the love for High and Dry. They lost me a couple of albums later, but this a total classic. Not just my fav album of 81, one of favs by any band

[@trv411]

You kinda need a top 5 for each year for more representation.

[@stephenbrown4211]

1979 Bomber Overkill Def Leppard EP 1980 Angelwitch S/T Iron Maiden S/T Lightening For The Nations Diamond Head 1981 Hit n Run Girlschool No Sleep TIL Hammersmith Spellbound Tygers of Pan Tang 1982 Number of the Beast Borrowed Time Diamond Head Quo Vardis Vardis 1983 Pyromania Rock Goddess S/T Piece of Mind

[@atik-rgt-uk]

Def leppar ep ,excellent memories fir me

[@carlosdanger6129]

Motorhead and Gillan are not N.W.O.B.H.M.

[@dt6949]

NWOBHM? I’m not so sure about some of the choices here. This is really just a case of selecting albums that were released during the movement rather than actual NWOBHM bands. Gillan for example could never be classed as a NWOBHM band.

[@shaunfulton7261]

These two don't understand the basics of the movement and what it was.

[@MartinPopoff]

Gillan absolutely are. As for understanding, I lived it as much as one could, over 5000 miles away. Did three books on it, a Motorhead book, a Saxon book... but of course, Motorhead?! What?!

[@MartinPopoff]

Here's the basics in two words, and twice: drunk Priest and punk Priest.

[@dt6949]

@@MartinPopoff Hi Martin. I would always bow to your superior knowledge on such matters and I’m a huge fan. I have loads of your books and love your insight into such matters. I think the issue here may be thousands of miles of Atlantic Ocean. Over here in the UK the movement had a very specific sound. It wasn’t just a time period. So despite my huge respect for you I’m afraid we’ll have to disagree on this one. And I think that’s the best course of action as if I agreed then we’d both be wrong… 😉 Anyway thanks for your response. Keep up the good work. DT

[@williamwalker146]

I thought '79 would be a tough year! Who else was there from the NWOBHM in '79? All I can think of is Marseille and Magnum.

[@shaunfulton7261]

Magnum weren't NWOBHM

[@williamwalker146]

@@shaunfulton7261 A lot of people consider them to be, and they fit in that time period, so...

[@dt6949]

Definitely not Magnum. Love them but they’re certainly not NWOBHM.

[@shaunfulton7261]

@@williamwalker146 No they don't, their first single was released in1975 and Kingdom of Madness came out in 1978. Not NWOBHM.

[@williamwalker146]

@@shaunfulton7261 Tell me then: is Samson NWOBHM?

[@newrockerman]

Great video which encouraged me to play some records for the first time in about 40 years but I don't think my prior choices have changed. I have no more love for the Tygers Of Pan Tang than ever, I don't like the vocals. I dont see them as being a possible arena band at all, they needed better production and better imagination. The gap between the early Tygers records and those of Iron Maiden (or Def Leppard) is colossal imo. The Tank record is basically a Motorhead rip off. They are to Motorhead as Airbourne are to AC/DC. Its an OK record but no classic, I am not playing it again, any of the first 5 Motorhead records are superior. Switching to Killers after the others is like turning on a light, production is great, songs are innovative with tremendous understanding of rhythm and control. Intelligent is a word that appeals. And Di'anno's vocals are cool. I am wondering why that is because I don't think he is a better singer than those in many other bands, he is no Dio which is why they let him go. But the way his vocals are produced by Martin Birch is very clever. I have no idea why Pete and Martin are down on Saxon, Wheels of Steel is fantastic. But spot on about Angel Witch. In this era there were other great heavy albums which were not NWOBHM, for example Manowar and Riot. But I will always remember 1982 as the year of Twisted Sister with Under The Blade. Adopted NWOBHM in a way as it was released on a UK indy label with a back cover shot in east London.

[@btfvinylmagic1180]

I rate Borrowed time and Canterbury much better than Lightning to the nations. More mature. Canterbury has some really classics and mystic songs....maybe without Lightning to the nations hey could have been better accepted

[@TrexxSFV]

I don't understand how you can call Gillan NWOBHM but not Judas Priest man. The founding year of the band really shouldn't matter at all. Priest looked and sounded NWOBHM more than anyone did really. Gillan is from the 60's, Lemmy is from the 60's, so Judas Priest shouldn't be barred of entry for forming in 1969. They are THE most important band in the NWOBHM scene.

[@shaunfulton7261]

You're wasting your time. They don't fully understand the NWOBHM. Gillan, Priest, Motorhead and Quartz aren't NWOBHM - they'd all had releases before 1979 and were already established bands by then. Priest weren't remotely 'new' in 1979.

[@MartinPopoff]

@@shaunfulton7261 And we ALWAYS leave out Priest. The other three - all in. Spot the similarities. There are many.

[@patriotpizzaman]

High n Dry over Killers every day of the week since 1980. I have never understood the adoration of Killers. Maiden is my favorite Metal band. Def Leppard isn't even in the conversation but, had they continued in the direction of High n Dry throughout their career? Who knows??? Maiden's debut had way better songs. The production never bothered me that much. Killers has IMHO three classic songs and the rest is ok. I like Seven on Iron Maiden.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

That's funny, I never liked the Leppard album but I love Killers.

[@franciskocher200]

😄👍🤘