History Main / NewWaveOfBritishHeavyMetal

The '''New Wave of British Heavy Metal''' (NWOBHM for short) was a musical movement originating in Britain (hence the name) that lasted from [[TheSeventies the late 1970's]] to [[TheEighties the early 1980's]] that is credited with [[TropeCodifier the revival and reinvention of]] HeavyMetal as a genre. Though the movement is long over, its effects can still be felt throughout the genre.

Let's begin with some backstory: By the mid 70's, the genre of HeavyMetal seemed dead in the water. Music/BlackSabbath was the only "true" metal band, and even it was in tatters from heavy drug use, and the [[SturgeonsLaw genre had become bloated with many unoriginal and derivative acts]] that [[FollowTheLeader merely tried to repeat the success of the bigger bands of the genre]], and weren't really even "metal" as they seem to be more rooted in earlier rock bands with a slight increase in volume, with little connection to later metal bands otherwise. Also, a new genre, PunkRock, had appeared on the music scene. In addition to possessing metal's hardness and aggression, it was also faster and, unlike HeavyMetal, was critically well-respected. For metal, things looked grim indeed.

All things must end, and so did the NWOBHM in the early 80's due to a combination of factors. One reason was that the movement, like the bands of the 70's, eventually became bloated and stagnant, with [[FollowTheLeader derivative ripoffs]] forming left and right and contributing virtually nothing new to the movement. Also, the movement began to face competition from other genres from other countries such as Canadian SpeedMetal, American ThrashMetal, and European First-Wave BlackMetal. These movements, which took inspiration from the NWOBHM, took the hard, fast, and loud aesthetics of the movement [[DarkerAndEdgier and made them harder, faster and louder still]]. Faced with competition that was more extreme than them in every way, shape, and form, the movement petered out. However, though the movement is dead, its legacy remains in the sound, fashions, and culture of an entire genre of music.

* CriticalDissonance: Like the 70's bands they succeeded, the bands of the NWOBHM were hated by critics, but often managed to garner a large audience both at home and internationally.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Strove to be this for both 70's HeavyMetal and PunkRock.

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: What ultimately killed the movement. By the [[TheEighties early 80's]], other bands from other places had begun to appear and take all the tropes from the NWOBHM and exaggerate them. Unable to compete, the movement slowly but surely lost its momentum and ground to a halt. The more successful bands carried on though, and you can still find rabid fans of NWOBHM, just on a smaller scale.

Backstory: By the mid 70's, the genre of HeavyMetal seemed dead in the water. Music/BlackSabbath was the only "true" metal band, and even it was in tatters from heavy drug use, and the [[SturgeonsLaw genre had become bloated with many unoriginal and derivative acts]] that [[FollowTheLeader merely tried to repeat the success of the bigger bands of the genre]], and weren't really even "metal" as they seem to be more rooted in earlier rock bands with a slight increase in volume, with little connection to later metal bands otherwise. Also, a new genre, PunkRock, had appeared on the music scene. In addition to possessing metal's hardness and aggression, it was also faster and, unlike HeavyMetal, was critically well-respected. For metal, things looked grim indeed.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: What ultimately killed the movement. By the [[TheEighties early 80's]], other bands from other places had begun to appear and take all the tropes from the NWOBHM and exaggerate them. Unable to compete, the movement slowly but surely lost its momentum and ground to a halt.

By the end of the decade, the movement was in full swing with a diversity of styles. Most bands, like Music/IronMaiden, Saxon, and Angel Witch, combined heavy riffing (typically featuring two lead guitarists, following the example of Music/ThinLizzy) with soaring, pseudo-operatic vocals, wailing guitar solos, and lyrics concerning fantasy, rebellion, and the Heavy Metal lifestyle. Others, such as Music/DefLeppard, gravitated towards a more mainstream sound informed by GlamRock. Others still, like Music/{{Venom|Band}}, chose to emulate [=Motorhead=]'s aggressive style and exaggerate it, paving the way for ThrashMetal, BlackMetal, and DeathMetal. What united these bands was a shared sense of fashion (mostly consisting of denim jeans, [[HellBentForLeather leather jackets]], studded metal belts and wrist bands, and band t-shirts/patches), a Punk-like aversion to the mainstream (Def Leppard being a major exception), and enthusiasm toward the music and its attending subculture.

* Music/{{Black Sabbath}}

* Music/{{Scorpions}}

By the end of the decade, the movement was in full swing with a diversity of styles. Most bands, like Music/IronMaiden, Saxon, and Angel Witch, combined heavy riffing (typically featuring two lead guitarists, following the example of Music/ThinLizzy) with soaring, pseudo-operatic vocals, wailing guitar solos, and lyrics concerning fantasy, rebellion, and the Heavy Metal lifestyle. Others, such as Music/DefLeppard, gravitated towards a more mainstream sound informed by GlamRock. Others still, like Music/{{Venom|Band}}, chose to emulate [=Motorhead=]'s aggressive style and turn it UpToEleven, paving the way for ThrashMetal, BlackMetal, and DeathMetal. What united these bands was a shared sense of fashion (mostly consisting of denim jeans, [[HellBentForLeather leather jackets]], studded metal belts and wrist bands, and band t-shirts/patches), a Punk-like aversion to the mainstream (Def Leppard being a major exception), and enthusiasm toward the music and its attending subculture.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: What ultimately killed the movement. By the [[TheEighties early 80's]], other bands from other places had begun to appear and take all the tropes from the NWOBHM and turn them UpToEleven. Unable to compete, the movement slowly but surely lost its momentum and ground to a halt.

By the end of the decade, the movement was in full swing with a diversity of styles. Most bands, like Music/IronMaiden, Saxon, and Angel Witch, combined heavy riffing (typically featuring two lead guitarists, following the example of Music/ThinLizzy) with soaring, pseudo-operatic vocals, wailing guitar solos, and lyrics concerning fantasy, rebellion, and the Heavy Metal lifestyle. Others, such as Music/DefLeppard, gravitated towards a more mainstream sound informed by GlamRock. Others still, like Music/{{Venom}}, chose to emulate [=Motorhead=]'s aggressive style and turn it UpToEleven, paving the way for ThrashMetal, BlackMetal, and DeathMetal. What united these bands was a shared sense of fashion (mostly consisting of denim jeans, [[HellBentForLeather leather jackets]], studded metal belts and wrist bands, and band t-shirts/patches), a Punk-like aversion to the mainstream (Def Leppard being a major exception), and enthusiasm toward the music and its attending subculture.

* Music/{{Venom}} (1979, a relative latecomer to the movement and one of the movement's heaviest bands. Eventually became the UrExample of both ThrashMetal and BlackMetal, as well as the latter's TropeNamer)

** BlackMetal: Music/{{Venom}} was the genre's UrExample and TropeNamer.

** SpeedMetal: Music/JudasPriest (one of the genre's {{Ur Example}}s), Music/{{Motorhead}} (the genre's arguable TropeMaker), Music/{{Venom}}, and Raven were all part of the movement. The movement as a whole could arguably be considered the genre's TropeMaker and/or TropeCodifier.
** ThrashMetal: Music/{{Motorhead}}, Music/{{Venom}}, and Diamond Head could all be considered {{Ur Example}}s.
* LeadBassist: Lemmy Kilmister of Music/{{Motorhead}}, Steve Harris of Music/IronMaiden, and Cronos of Music/{{Venom}} were some of the movement's most notable examples of the trope, with Harris being types A and C, Cronos types B and C, and Lemmy types A, B, and C.
* MetalScream: Rob Halford of Music/JudasPriest and Music/BruceDickinson of Music/IronMaiden are masters of the sudden, cathartic scream, and Lemmy Kilmister of Music/{{Motorhead}} and Cronos of Music/{{Venom}} being the {{Ur Example}}s for singers who consistently used harsh vocals as their primary singing technique.