To those not already in the know, the somewhat clumsy acronym NWOBHM stands for the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, a scene that first reared its not-so-pretty head in the early 80's and went on to influence some of the greatest Rock and Heavy Metal bands ever to have blasted the ear drums of the good people of this planet. Rewind the clock 35 years and you'll be faced with 70's Rock dinosaurs like Kiss, Rainbow and Deep Purple stomping around like they were indestructible; little did they know their days were numbered. Punk may have tried to usurp Heavy Metal and Classic Rock's dominance but it was to be short-lived, and waiting in the wings were bands who united both Rock and Punk to create a new genre which would go on to change the face of modern music. The NWOBHMs influence still echoes through Heavy Metal music to this day, and this article zeroes in on the artists and albums that achieved monumental success, those bands which are still around and fighting the good fight, NWOBHMs legacy, and not forgetting the birth of Thrash Metal and other sub-genres which emerged as a result of the whole movement. This is not simply a countdown or list of the scene's greatest albums (although some will obviously get a mention) but rather a dissection of what made the sub-genre so groundbreaking and so highly influential. People of Britain, bow before your Kings...
I love Heavy Metal, and generally anything that involves a guitar and loud noises, so I figured it was about time I put all the useless information in my head to good use and start writing a few things. Most of the time I'll be writing nonsense but occasionally I may surprise myself and appear half-way knowledgable.....but you can be the judge of that. Thanks for your fleeting attention!
