Top 10 Albums: The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)

[@infernicide666]

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

[@stephennorris2524]

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.

[@mattgravel6175]

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

[@keithshapland903]

Some great ones in there Matt. I dug out and played the Witchfynde vinyl the other week. Leaving Nadir is monstrous!

[@byzantineification]

@@keithshapland903 Leaving Nadir is definitely among my top -10 NWOBHM songs!

[@keithshapland903]

@@byzantineification yes, a hidden gem for sure 👍

[@andrewmeyer3423]

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!

[@turntabillist]

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.

[@themightydecibel-heavymeta7130]

Simply the best heavy metal author out there. He has earned the Professor Popoff nickname honestly!

[@JeffYoungTube]

1st two Def Lep LPs are TIMELESS. Pete Willis 4ever!!!

[@raymondkizer1216]

Thank you for recognizing those albums, nobody else does.

[@alexjohnston8889]

No offence to him but not as interested in in def when Phil joined they went pop rock

[@raymondkizer1216]

@@alexjohnston8889 I agree. I preferred Pete Willis.

[@dvg4104]

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.

[@villain68]

I only like their first 2!!

[@coolguitarchannel]

These Popoff and Pardo collab shows are just killer

[@laurenzgraffilpenstein8117]

On my opinion the best combination. Popoff knows so much and is a very nice person

[@coreycrossman3447]

Best thing on youtube

[@doomfable3378]

Pagan Altar absolutely deserves a mention. Pioneers of the more traditional style of doom metal.

[@davidk4170]

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.

[@poopploppy8287]

surprised girlschool were not given an honourable mention. the first 2 albums were quite phenomenal

[@tonyaltano7992]

💯🎶 Uniquely, no two GIRLSCHOOL albums sound alike yet 12 of 13 are excellent. 🎶🏆

[@rayr4320]

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.

[@matthewmutchman6360]

Sadly, they hardly get mentioned by people

[@grahamtaylor8912]

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

[@simonharding3109]

Listened to 'spellbound' recently and still a good album...John Devereux vocally was a step up from previous vocalist

[@grahamtaylor8912]

@@simonharding3109 Yes Spellbound is really good. I think its the best album they ever made.

[@DA-dw5zn]

I had the AllZ album with patch & red vinyl.I saw them when they played at my school . They had Simon Wright on drums.

[@grahamtaylor8912]

@@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.

[@DA-dw5zn]

@@grahamtaylor8912 Girlschool. I knew I'd seen AllZ support someone. Cheers.

[@PaoloNarc]

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)

[@turefromfinland3264]

Dark Star ; s/t is awesome record.

[@FelixGonzalito]

Demon-“The night of the Demon” and “the unexpected guest” killer albums Martin, Pete great show

[@terryjohnson5275]

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

[@brenobutcher]

I love both of them, also some later albums like Taking the World by Storm and Breakout. Great live band as well!

[@stashyjon]

I would add The Plague to that list, the first prog-metal album?

[@donaldcady3839]

@@stashyjon The Plague is my favorite.

[@enriquevp77]

Totally!

[@MAGNUM2F]

Some great NWOBHM include WOlf (black axe), Praying Mantis, Tokyo Blade and many others who don't get the recognition they deserve.

[@billedwards4285]

Witchfynde as well

[@alannolasco5210]

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

[@LuchaLibertaria]

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

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

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

[@brenobutcher]

Dark Star is amazing!

[@patrickschlosser8208]

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.

[@LuchaLibertaria]

@@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.

[@jgwatson6651]

Demon is amazing

[@hmpz36911]

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.

[@johnkatsoudas4767]

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.

[@michaelvrckoff6966]

Vivian Campbell is one of my favourite guitarists loved him in Dio

[@drewrose374]

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

[@patrickschlosser8208]

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.

[@riccardosilla4758]

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

[@titorialiano2419]

Where DEF LEPPARD?

[@riccardosilla4758]

@@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

[@joncbartlett]

I'm with Martin on this one, Angel Witch's debut will always be my #1 NWOBHM album.

[@RichardW001]

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.

[@stevenhanson1454]

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.

[@keithshapland903]

@@stevenhanson1454 Gillan and Budgie were not NWOBHM. I feel you needed to be here in the UK to fully understand which bands.

[@saraw6446]

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

[@RichardW001]

@@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

[@saraw6446]

@@RichardW001 Ok ok...now I really jealous!! 😬 Seen Maiden, Saxon at Wacken ,some I don't know ! Good times bro, thanks :)

[@alessandrobianchi5308]

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 🤘🤘😉

[@jimmycampbell78]

Amen brother

[@guillaumechabason9606]

The best hard rock album of all times

[@rocky-o]

'killers' is my favorite maiden studio album...but i love the live album 'maiden japan'...a live classic indeed...

[@janerikmellesdal3868]

Yea killers is my favourite. Dianno was perfect on this

[@alessandrobianchi5308]

@@jimmycampbell78 🤘🤘👍

[@beastLVX]

Girlschool always gets thrown under the carpet! All girl band that rocks really hard!

[@treffbennett6534]

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!

[@mikenealon4042]

@@treffbennett6534 rip kelly

[@treffbennett6534]

@@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!

[@bc6006]

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.

[@turefromfinland3264]

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.

[@oheadmusic]

An album totally overlooked or unheard of but really excellent is "End Of The World" By Gaskin, real quality record.

[@darrellbevacqua3871]

Awesome Album!

[@trikkke11]

Boring ! Amateur production. No depth. Awful album cover.

[@nicholasthornley9708]

@@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.

[@stevenhanson1454]

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.

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

Never heard of this band, i Will find it, thanx

[@catdeli]

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.

[@domsrecords6353]

I love dark star’s debut, against all odds by quartz, and night of the demon by demon

[@brucefranklin6295]

The Dark Star album is really good. They are pretty much forgotten, but glad to see someone remembered them.

[@ukrocksounds3419]

I agree about dark star had it once on vinyl. So good.

[@Katzeninsel1]

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.

[@mikephillips8810]

@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.

[@mahogany174]

Excellent show. I was a 17 metalhead when the NWOBHM article in Sounds was written (God Bless Gary Barton) and it has great memories for me. I honestly do not consider Motörhead or Gillan to be part of this movement. They were already becoming established before this all hit. Leppard and Maiden were seen to be the main bands at the time and there was a huge backlash when Leppard sought glory and record sales in America. Diamond Head, Samson, Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang and Raven have always been among my favourite bands of that era. I highly recommend Edge of the World by Wolf. The only album they did but it's a real classic. Each song is a gem.

[@tobywatson1643]

My 10 1. Iron Maiden - Killers 2. Saxon - Wheels Of Steel 3. Raven - Wiped Out 4. Motörhead - Overkill 5. Tygers Of Pan Tang - Wild Cat 6. Tank - Fillth Hounds Of Hades 7. Jaguar - Power Games 8. Quartz - Stand Up And Fight 9. Def Leppard - High 'N Dry 10. Savage - Loose N' Lethal

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

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.

[@LuchaLibertaria]

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.

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

@@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...

[@LuchaLibertaria]

@@gabriellarrubia1006 Bleak House! Their song 'Rainbow Warrior' (killer song btw) reminds me of a certain Metallica song 😉

[@byzantineification]

@@gabriellarrubia1006 Persian Risk ruled with Phil Campbell of Motorhead fame and John Deveril later of Tygers of Pan Tang! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpqxiqCAoZmtZ9k

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

@@byzantineification Absolutely, I can't remember on what compilation it was in but the song 50,000 Stallions is my favorite

[@ryanbates9668]

10. Satan - Court in the Act 9. Witchfynde - Give em Hell 8. Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law 7. Raven - Rock Til You Drop 6. Tank - Power Of The Hunter 5. Hammer - Contract With Hell 4. Tank - Honour and Blood 3. Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound 2. Saxon - Wheels of Steel 1. Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations

[@james64ok]

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!

[@godetonter4764]

1. Witchfynde - Stagefright, 2. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden, 3. Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law , 4. Def Leppard - High and Dry , 5. Angel Witch - Angel Witch , 6. Samson - Head On , 7. Venom - Welcome to Hell ( it was NWOBHM and In League With Satan was an extremely catchy song) 8. Tygers of Pantang - Crazy Nights ( just for the unique production ) 9. Fist - Back With a Vengeance , 10. AIIZ - Witch of Berkeley, Diamond Head is on everyone's list, but I wanted to go with some less popular albums that are almost as good as Lightning To the Nations. Witchfynde - Stagefright contained the obvious song that inspired Anvil - Forged in Fire in the title track Stagefright . The other tracks exhibit a wide variety of styles from the Southern Rock style of In the Stars, the 1970s Proto Metal of Trick Or Treat , the Sugarloaf feel of Am I doing the Right Thing, and the KISS - Sweet sounding Wake Up Screaming. I would have picked Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast, but on the strength of the Prog Metal classic Phantom of the Opera, and the atmospheric Vampire love ballad Strange World, despite the bad production the songwriting was impeccable, and I wanted to give Dianno some credit, considering Bruce Bruce Dickinson provided the Vocals on the Samson album. I really should have included Witchfinder General, but they are Number 11. I tried to stay with 1979 - 1982 releases. On Through the Night sounds much more typical NWOBHM than High and Dry, but I already included a similar album in AIIZ . Venom was pretty much Motorhead with Satanic imagery, but In League With Satan is one of the most memorable songs ever written whether you want it to be or not, it's brilliant

[@785Miguel]

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!

[@carloslopes4853]

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...

[@axilleaskazuya5370]

Yeaaaap , holocaust, heavy metal mania is still one the sickest heavy metal hymns

[@kevinfessler6831]

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.

[@kevinm5957]

Great show guys. Always love the shows with Martin.

[@frankmathiesen1779]

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

[@fredklein9005]

I personally would prefer Tank's "Filth Hounds of Hades" over "This means war.", but hey, this is your list.

[@66TGE]

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

[@ramonace4770]

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"

[@patrickschlosser8208]

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.

[@ramonace4770]

@@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!

[@patrickschlosser8208]

@@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.

[@independenceltd.]

​@@patrickschlosser8208 Go get a tissue, little girl.

[@patrickschlosser8208]

@@independenceltd. Trump supporters shouldn't argue

[@JaredRobbins2]

My top 15….. 1. Iron Maiden - debut 2. Satan - Court in the act 3. Savage - Loose n lethal 4. Riot- Fire down under 5. Jagúar - Power games 6. Battleaxe- Burn this town 7. Grim reaper- See you in Hell 8. Saxon- Denim and leather 9. Diamond head- lightning to the nations 10. Holocaust - The nightcomers 11. Angel witch- Angel witch 12. Witch finder general- Death penalty 13. Praying mantis- Time tells no lies 14. Tygers of pantang- Spellbound 15. Tokyo blade- Debut

[@ukrocksounds3419]

Girlschool were worth a mention.

[@kevinm5957]

Saw them open for Quiet Riot and Night Ranger on New Year’s Eve in 1983. Good band.

[@diannecarpenter7718]

You're absolutely right about Girlschool is worth a mention!!🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@Rockerlady]

Agreed. They should have been a household name like Leppard and Maiden by 1983.

[@jedw9983]

Girlschool's cover version of Bomber is a must-listen

[@treffbennett6534]

The greatest female metal band of all time-so heavy and energy charged-c'mon Lemmy loved em'! Nuff said!

[@jeffholt9437]

An honourable mention please for Fist's Turn The Hell On - I can still sing the choruses some 40 years later!!

[@dtltmtgt]

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

[@alpeshsrivastava]

What about Holocaust - The Nightcomers???

[@carlphillips3853]

Wild cat

[@dtltmtgt]

Wild Cat and Holocaust both h/m for me...

[@andrewfisher3035]

Chevy, Angelwitch and Girl stood out for me during the early 80’s

[@kevinismawayoflife4660]

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.

[@brucefranklin6295]

1.Angel Witch - Angel Witch 2.Gillan - Glory Road 3.Motorhead - Bomber 4.Satan - Court in the Act 5.Iron Maiden - Killers 6.Witchfinder General - Death Penalty 7.Samson - Shock Tactics 8.Saxon - Wheels of Steel 9.Dark Star - Dark Star (1981) 10.More - Warhead

[@lukethebody]

Damn great list, Glory Road was huge when it came out, Number 3 on UK mainstream charts but topped all the rock/metal charts across Europe & Asia. Apparently never reached their potential in the US which is a shame.

[@robertheaney1685]

10) On Thru the night - Def leppard 9) Sampson - Shock Tactics 8) Saxon - Wheels of Steel 7) Angel Witch - Self titled. 6) Venom - Black Metal 5) Raven - Wiped out 4) Savage - Loose and Lethal. 3) Diamond head - Lightning to nations - side note, I went back to this album after hearing Metallica cover way back in 1985 and realized this whole album was pretty awesome! 2) Aces of spades - Motorhead 1) Iron Maiden - Powerslave - I know Maiden has better albums but this is my favorite from their catalog.

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

I think Powerslave can actually be considered Maiden's best, that's perfectly acceptable

[@jimmycampbell78]

Yeah Powerslave and Killers are my two favourite Iron Maiden albums. Piece of Mind and Number of the Beast just behind.

[@astronomySAS]

Powerslave is the best IMO

[@patrickschlosser8208]

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.

[@dawnthechaldean5377]

I was going to pick Powerslave and kick Pyromania off of my list, but I chose to keep the dates between 1979 and 1983.

[@pvdguitars2951]

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...

[@pvdguitars2951]

Check out Aragorn, classic NWOBHM, it has all the ingredients that makes this movement so memorable, the hunger, the anger: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqDOiqGebtSsiNE

[@pvdguitars2951]

Oops wrong link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZikpWB4lLadgZY

[@CinemaATTACKS]

I love how Martin uses the term "molten production", I need to add that to my lexicon.

[@Nathan-kv5fe]

1)Tank-Filth Hounds of Hades 2)Heavy Pettin’- Lettin' Loose 3)Def Leppard- High N’ Dry 4)Saxon- Denim and Leather 5)Grim Reaper-See you in Hell 6)Iron Maiden- Iron Maiden 7)Girlschool- Hit and Run 8)Raven-All for One 9)Tigers of Pan Tang- Crazy Nights 10)Cloven Hoof- Cloven Hoof

[@MonkShadow]

FINALLY!!!! Some love shown to Grim Reaper!!!! I still think Steve Grimmett is one of the BEST Metal Singers to come from that era.

[@richardssab]

Chateaux chained & desperate Vox by steve

[@wolfgangkreis8248]

Here are mine(I chose only one album from one artist too,so it won't get biased): 1.:Killers-Iron Maiden (has to be number one!) 2.:Spellbound-Tygers Of Pan Tang (Gangland!!) 3.:High 'n' Dry-Def Leppard(by far their best for me) 4.:Fist-Back With A Vengeance(Totallly underrated gem) 5.:Danim And Leather-Saxon 6.:The Unexpected Guest-Demon 7.:Lettin Loose-Heavy Pettin 8.:Shock Tactics-Samson 9.100MPH-Vardis 10.:Loose 'n' Lethal-Savage

[@davidsharp9805]

Best show on KZbin! Takes me ages to get thru your show coz I keep checking out the albums as they pop up. Great fun.

[@powrnap]

Iron Maiden, Def Leppard - High n Dry, Saxon - Denim & Leather, Iron Maiden - Killers, Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law, Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind, Def Leppard - On Through The Night, Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast, Saxon - Wheels of Steel, Def Leppard - Pyromania

[@anypoxynames]

1, Witchfynde....Give em Hall 2, Diamond Head....Borrowed Time 3, Witchfinder General...Death Penalty 4, Iron Maiden....Iron Maiden 5, Def Leppard....On Through the Night 6, Saxon...Wheels of Steel 7, Angel Witch....Angel Witch... 8, Girl...Sheer Greed 9, Tygers of Pan Tang 10,Samson..Shock Tactics. bubbling under...Preying Mantis..Time Tells No Lies....Demon...Night of the Demon...Quartz...Quartz...Fist...Turn the Hell On.

[@jpmcmullan8666]

Popoff is the reason I listened to quartz. Killer band!

[@itkojecockot]

oh yeah, that album produced by Tony Iommi was amazing

[@Danimal77]

My top 10 (Leaving out Maiden, Priest, Saxon and Motorhead) 1. Def Leppard - High N Dry (1981) 2. Omega/Apocalypse - The Prophet (1985) - CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED!!!! 3. Diamond Head - Borrowed Time (1982) 4. Witchfinder General - Friends Of Hell (1983) 5. Witchfynde - Give 'Em Hell (1980) 6. Samson - Shock Tactics (1981) - The song "Communion" is Bruce's best vocals ever! 7. Tygers Of Pan Tang - Spellbound (1981) 8. Holocaust - The Nightcomers (1981) 9. Tysondog - Beware Of The Dog (1984) - VERY UNDERRATED! 10. Tank - Filth Hounds Of Hades (1982) HM's (You guys forgot a lot of amazing albums/bands): Excalibur - The Bitter End (1985) More - Warhead (1981) Limelight - Limelight (1980) Girlschool - Demolition (1980) Raven - All For One (1983) Tokyo Blade - Tokyo Blade (1983) Blitzkrieg - Blitzed Alive (1981) Grim Reaper - See You In Hell (1983) Quartz - Stand Up And Fight (1980) Chinatown - Play It To The Death (1981) Bleak House - Rainbow Warrior (1980) Avenger - Blood Sports (1984) Witchfynde - Cloak And Dagger (1983) Savage - Loose 'N Lethal (1983) Venom - Black Metal (1982) Battleaxe - Burn This Town (1983) Hellanbach - Now Hear This (1983) Samson - Head On (1980) White Spirit - White Spirit (1980) Cloven Hoof - Cloven Hoof (1984) Blade Runner - Hunted (1984) Diamond Head - Canterbury (1983) Witchfinder General - Death Penalty (1982) Grim Reaper - Fear No Evil (1985) Fist - Turn The Hell On (1980)

[@richardjhgraham]

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.

[@petewelsh9978]

So right!!!! For those of us who were around in Britain at the time Motörhead was definitely heavy metal!

[@sex6cult9revolution]

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?

[@godetonter4764]

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

[@neuroisis85]

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.

[@richardjhgraham]

@@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.

[@adrianvinicius8216]

1. Angel Witch - Angel Witch 2. Lightning to the Nation - Diamond Head 3. Killers - Iron Maiden 4. Power & the Glory - Saxon 5. Witchfinder General - Witchfinder General 6. Give 'em Hell - Witchfynde 7. Court in the Act - Satan 8. Time Tells No Lies - Praying Mantis 9. High 'n' Dry - Def Leppard 10. Overkill - Motorhead

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Does Martin Popoff have books about female rock & metal bands and musicians?🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@anypoxynames]

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.

[@diannecarpenter7718]

I love Saxon ' Denim and Leather '!! Def Leppard ' High and Dry ' too!!🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@jamesjezard4553]

Great show. Some great history. And being British makes me proud that this tiny island produced so many quality Metal bands. 🤘

[@MrToband]

John Sykes is one of my favorite guitarists.

[@elvinposey5251]

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.

[@Zoey-K-1]

Martin is, in my opinion, THE authority on NWOBHM, so definitely appreciate his outlook. Also appreciate Pete’s approach, as it gave some attention to bands some may not be as familiar with. Excellent show!

[@sebastiankirby5159]

Tygers of Pan Tang are criminally underrated

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Thank you guys for your Top Ten: New Wave British Heavy Metal.🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@gordy3714]

Tygers of Pang Tang and Blitzkrieg. Another great band is Millennium they released 2 albums recently in 2017 and 2019, and if there was ever a metal song to grace the film The Warriors it would be Gang War.

[@hecatecrossways2505]

1. Witchfynde - Stage fright 2. Tygers of Pantang - Crazy Nights 3. Samson - Head On 4. Witchfinder General - Satan's Children EP 5. Geddes Axe - Gods of Rock EP 6. Jaguar - Backstreet Woman EP 7. Black Axe - Red Lights EP 8. Crucifixion - Green Eyes EP 9. Angel Witch - Angel Witch 10. Paralex - White Lightning EP

[@arbonne1805]

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.

[@MrWorfy99]

Kitten Kong 👍🏻😂

[@hmpz36911]

I'm truly envious! Did you catch any early Diamond Head shows? If so, how would you sum them up during that time?

[@arbonne1805]

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.

[@MrWorfy99]

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).

[@magnuswettermark8293]

1.the unexpected guest-Demon,2.wildcats-Tygers of Pan Tang,3.all for one-Raven,4.end of the world-Gaskin,5.firedance-Shiva,6.stagefright-Witchfynde,7.power games-Jaguar,8.shock tactics-Samson,9.black summer-Nightwing,10.heroes saints and fools-Saracen...

[@duilioalba4395]

I remember now great french bands, that i put in my list for sure - High Power - s/t ; Blaspheme - Blasphème ; Sortilége - Métamorphose ; Killers - Fils de la Haine ; Satan Jokers - Le fils du metal, they are totally amazing albums!!!!

[@robsongremio]

Excellent choices, excellent show! For me, without any particular order, it would be: Savage - 'Loose 'n Lethal' Raven - 'Wiped Out' Satan - 'Court in the Act' Demon - 'The Unexpected Guest' Holocaust - 'The Nightcomers' Diamond Head - 'Lightning to the Nations' Angel Witch - 'Angel Witch' Iron Maiden - 'Killers' Quartz - 'Stand Up and Fight' Tank - 'Filth Hounds of Hades' Saxon - 'Wheels of Steel' And some cool stuff that arrived late for the party (post '83): Holland - 'Early Warning' Hammer - 'Contract with Hell' Incubus - 'To the Devil a Daughter' Elixir - 'The Son of Odin' Traitors Gate - 'Devil Takes the High Road' (EP) Dragster - 'N.W.O.B.H.M. Revisited' (compilation)

[@a.s.8121]

Great show ! I Go with most of your picks, though i missed „Burn this Town“ by Battleaxe. Totally agree on your opinions about „Power & the Glory“ and Samson after Bruce, but Motörhead does not belong here.

[@diego17th]

Great job gentlemen. I’m glad High and Dry got some love. One of my all time favorites.

[@patrickschlosser8208]

Here is the best Top10 of all time: 10. Venom: Welcome to Hell 9. Samson: Before the Storm 8. Def Leppard: High'n'Dry 7. Saxon: Power and the Glory 6. Grim Reaper: See you in Hell 5. Judas Priest: British Steel 4. Savage: Loose and Lethal 3. Ozzy Osbourne: Blizzard of Ozz 2. Motörhead: Ace of Spades 1. Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind

[@keithshapland903]

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

[@turefromfinland3264]

Samson: Before the storm. In the top 10 record of all time.

[@verarodriguez3970]

i love this melomaniac channel so much. Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@captainbeyond7469]

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.

[@dawnthechaldean5377]

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.

[@duilioalba4395]

Paul's voice was the shit!!!! I always will prefer the first two too!

[@captainbeyond7469]

Duilio Alba Agree 100%👍

[@cangong]

oks, pretty cool! here's my list, for what it's worth (not gonna number the albums, i don't really have a super fave, but all of these truly stand out, imo): Witchfynde- give 'em hell; Angel Witch- angel witch; Girlschool- hit & run; Venom- welcome to hell; Tygers of Pan Tang- wild cat; Samson- shock tactitcs; Saxon- strong arm of the law; Savage - loose & lethal; Diamond Head- borrowed time; Tank- filth hounds of hades... now, if i had to give out 5 more, let's see: Sledgehammer - blood on their hands (more like a powerful mixture of prog and hard rock, kinda like the who meets zeppelin) Holocuast - the nightcomers (love the guitar tone and the overall doomy heaviness, but i sometimes find it quite naive) Def Leppard - on through the night (their heaviest, strongly influenced by the sweet, ufo, probably thin lizzy) Raven - rock until you drop (tight band, lots of fun, great rocking riffs galore) Battleaxe - power from the universe (no one ever mentions these guys; love the production, plus their style draws from priest, ac/dc, accept) ...hmmm... throw in Witchfinder General's 'Death Penalty', Maiden's 'Killers', Vardis' '100mph', Legend- s/t, Fist- 'Back With a Vengeance'- what the heck, right?! so many good bands back then, so a top 10 is mission: impossible. i do think Grim Reaper is cool, but even back then as a 14 year old i thought they were too cheesy. Satan's 'court in the act' features great tunes, proto-thrash songwriting, and excellent energy, but the vocals tire me after three or four songs, and the production does not let me get into it. Budgie was there too, but the albums i love were released in the 70s. anyways, great era. everything that came afterwards was and is a mere note at the bottom of the page, however good it might be.

[@fernandobenitezvalencia2591]

ps: there's just too mucho great nwobhm stuff out there. i mean, in my previous post i even forgot a true gem: Jaguar's 'Power Games'!! ...and hey, what about Rox's crue-esque 'Violent Breed', Mythra's 'Death and Destiny', Bitches Sin's 'Predator', Demon's 'The Unexpected Guest'... oh man.. should i include Atomic Rooster's heavy and weird 1980 comeback album (self-titled)? i love that one. Warfare's 'Metal Anarachy' or even Sacrilege's 'Behind the Realms of Madness', anyone? i sort of can't get into Elixir and Nightwing, but there they are and they have their moments, for sure. yep, this a lot of fun, i'll be revisiting my nwobhm collection on through september, so just let me rock!

[@david10006]

I think "new" is the key word here, by 79 Motorhead already had been around 5 years with their first album in 77! Most would agree the Sounds article in 79 by Geoff Barton was the "official" kick off talking about upstart bands like Maiden, Angel witch and Leppard. Gillan, Motorhead and Quartz if anything were an influence on the scene but were never part of it.

[@keithshapland903]

Yes New is key. Not established artist..It was new guard. I bought Sounds back in the day and followed NWOBHM from day one, and bought all those brilliant singles by obscure bands. Pete and Martin are not fully understanding it where it comes from.

[@tomhatton3303]

I can remember to this day the write up in Sounds to the first Motorhead album, describing it as "...full tilt punk/heavy metal." Motorhead were pioneers of NWOBHM whether they liked it or not. The Barton tag of NWOBHM was invented not long after. But if you asked Lemmy, he would always say it's only Rock 'n' Roll.

[@keithshapland903]

@@tomhatton3303 Motorhead were not NWOBHM..first album was 2 years before that movement. Motorhead were a law unto themselves, albeit a great one!

[@tomhatton3303]

@@keithshapland903 My point is that there was no defining moment when NWOBHM started, as it was a journalistic invention by Geoff Barton to ring fence all the new metal bands that emerged during and after punk. Motorhead were at the vanguard of this movement, even though they'd been kicking around for a couple of years prior to the tag.

[@LuchaLibertaria]

@@tomhatton3303 There's a debate about when nwobhm ended, but people pretty much agree that it started around 1979. New Heavy Rock bands adopted the DIY ethics of punk and started to release their (mostly self financed) demos and albums. These were practically unknown bands who were just starting to get recognition in the music scene, they were the new kids on the scene, they were the "New Wave". Motorhead was already an established act by 1979 so they were not part of the NWOBHM, they were the 'cool older cousins' that young bands looked up to.

[@ianmacdonald7987]

Kudos to Martin for picking Power & the Glory. ‘Redline’ and ‘This Town Rocks’ I could do without but, otherwise, that album rocks!! Even the ‘ballad’ (Nightmare) is pretty heavy. A fantastic album👏👏👏👏.

[@MrWorfy99]

No mention of Girlschool? Still rocking hard to this day. 🤘🏻

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

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

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Girlschool is worth mentioning!!🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@itkojecockot]

@@gabriellarrubia1006 Praying Mantis were heavy rock basically, but early Leppard were definitely metal......

[@notabillyjoelfan]

Love this video. It inspired me to revisit these a bit. I introduced one of the most infectious choruses ever to my wife. We now sing "You're an Angel Witch, You're an Angel Witch" to each other whenever there is a moment of silence. I personally wouldn't include Def Leppard, because they weren't pioneering anything with the first two albums. They were basically a cuter version of ACDC.

[@Nark212]

Witchfynde - 'Give 'em Hell' is my number one

[@michaelcroft1242]

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.

[@enriquevp77]

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.

[@dazauto1400]

The track Leaving Nadir is epic!

[@chrismorgan7494]

Fantastic album with a killer opener "Ready To Roll".

[@mikechapman1102]

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.

[@djhans-kansas8505]

Avenger with "Killer Elite" is a great NWOBHM album ! Also "Bloodsports" .

[@duilioalba4395]

It's great, people forget the french bands: Sortilege, Killers, Blaspheme, Satan Jokers, ADX, High Power, they are all amazing too!!!!

[@waedi73]

Great show ! Denim and leather is my no1 because it was my first metal cassette and the walkman had auto-reverse millions of plays all day long !

[@bijankhazaeli7824]

Worth mentioning "Tysondog" - "Beware of the Dog" though it's a bit later in the timeline.

[@johnmichaelwilliams6694]

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.

[@TheCornishCockney]

Really knowledgeable AGAIN guys. Much appreciated. The Tygers were a great live band,as were Saxon (hammersmith odeon 1981 was as heavy and rocking as it gets) but was ignorant of several of your choices,so i am off to research them. Keep up the excellent work Pete,greetings from Cornwall,England.

[@GreggF65]

Yes I’m 55 years old and I love heavy-metal I still listen right here from Long Island New York

[@jerseyforhawks]

I am a Smithtown boy, same age , many summers at Robert Moses beach listening ONLY to WBAB on every radio, every blanket....

[@adamwarlock3530]

Def Leppard On through the night is my fav NWOBHM

[@Rockerlady]

Me, too. Along with the first Maiden album and Girlschool's Hit and Run are the epitome of this era.

[@stevenhanson1454]

I agree. They were unique. Like walking in an old abandoned cemetery with the grass overgrowing on the head-stones. Like Angelwitch with Jake E. Lee on guitar. Witchfinder General ...they had that eerie creepy. Where was Legend from?. I'm from northern United States. Got their album from Moby Music back in 1981. Mail-order overseas. Got the Anthology from Amazon a few years ago. The lead vocals sound a pastor from a Lutheran church. Awsome stuff.

[@justaguyinaz]

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).

[@jerryattwooll4864]

You beat me to mentioning them too. I love those first 2 albums as well. They should at least have got a mention.

[@ukrocksounds3419]

I agree.

[@MrWorfy99]

I agree too. Great band still rocking hard today. 🤘🏻

[@stephenbrown4211]

Saw them in '83 at Caister, Norfolk at an 18+ weekend. Great gig

[@blaisebarshaw2534]

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.

[@ilyalead4blade897]

my absolute favourite is Tokyo Blade's 1984 Night Of The Blade with Vicki James Wright on vocals. absolutely love this album and listen to it a lot. to me it's like quintessential heavy/speed metal

[@Rockerlady]

As a huge fan of Def, NWOBHM, metal and alternative rock, I see parallels. Joe Elliott does what a lot of alternative rock musicians do : not acknowledging metal influences. As Joe says glam is more of an influence, people like Eddie Vedder and Billy Corgan praise punk over metal. Bands like DL and The Seattle grunge scene would not exist( or bands like Smashing Pumpkins) without Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and guitar oriented rock/metal.

[@gavinedwards6548]

I don't think Billy praises punk over metal. I think Billy has happily acknowledged many times his love of Metal, his love of 80's Alternative British and to some extent, Punk

[@Rockerlady]

@@gavinedwards6548 Really? I have read where he criticized mtv and metal back in the day. I didn't know he acknowledged as an influence.

[@DanielBonofilgio]

Great video! Love the channel! It's awesome to see the subscriber numbers go up.