Sunday, April 17, 2011

NWOBHM


New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)

Neal Kay created a scene at the Soundhouse, giving metal heads in the UK a mecca where the heavy metal product of the crossover scene of heavy metal and punk music in England during ’77-79 would give rise to the new wave of British heavy metal.  Bands like Iron Maiden worked their way from garages to arenas by taking a lesson from the growing influence of Punk music.  They scrapped together as much money as they could for studio time and started recorded exclusive productions (EP’s).  These rough but raw sounding EP’s would go on to define the NWOBHM sound.
            Iron Maiden’s legendary Soundhouse Tapes referenced Neal Kay’s importance in shaping the scene around the music.  With a venue to showcase their unreleased, raw talent, bands like Iron Maiden, Praying Mantis, Saxon, and Def Leppard gathered momentum and buzz throughout the streets of London and across the Uk.  The Metal for Muthas compilation started to feature these bands and help distribute the sound.  This coupled with the Sounds weekly publication of Neal Kay’s collection of the top requested tunes at the Soundhouse gave metal fans around the nation a reference on what was hot in the scene.  Soon, the new wave was ready for its invasion of America, but their success across the pond was viewed with varying levels of betrayal from their loyal fans and critics back home. 
            These crude forms of distribution were channels to reach the larger record deals, which in turn lead to the lucrative American market.  The issue of “selling out” has always been in heavy metal, and independent success is viewed as a true sign of success.  Def Leppard is often questioned as catering to the American audience and sacrificing some of their original sound in order to sell more records.  Also, the departure of original vocalist Paul Di’Anno in favor of former Saxon signer Bruce Dickenson ended the discussion if Iron Maiden was a crossover punk/HM band, and they made it clear that the working class was not where they wanted to stay.  By the release of Def Leppard’s album Pyromania, both bands enjoyed international success and fame, while most of the NWONHM had lost that momentum created by the Soundhouse.  But now, Def Leppard faced charges of not being genuine came from their critics.  Lead signer Joe Elliot even wore a Union Jack shirt on stage to show his loyalty to England.  However, this didn’t satisfy the critics.  Waksman makes a good point that although the true spirit that encompassed the NWOBHM didn’t survive the commercial boom of the ‘80s, it was directly responsible for it.  The atmosphere at the time created a sound and attitude that propelled these bands to giant arenas around the world for decades, and these phenomenons can't survive because they are a result of a multitude of factors at a specific time and place in history.

No comments:

Post a Comment