Def Leppard
British Steel
No Remorse
Motörhead

Pop/Rock » Heavy Metal » New Wave of British Heavy Metal

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal re-energized heavy metal in the late '70s and early '80s. By the close of the '70s, heavy metal had stagnated, with its biggest stars (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath) either breaking away from the genre or sinking in their own indulgence, while many of its midlevel artists were simply undistinguished, churning out bluesy hard-rock riffs. The NWOBHM kicked out all of the blues, sped up the tempo, and toughened up the sound, leaving just a mean, tough, fast, hard metallic core. It didn't make any attempts to win a wide audience -- it was pure metal, made for metal fans. Perhaps that's the reason why it's at the foundation of all modern-day metal: true metalheads either listened to this, or to bands like Metallica, which were inspired by bands like Diamond Head.

New Wave of British Heavy Metal Artists Highlights

Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Motörhead
Motörhead
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Diamond Head
Diamond Head
Samson
Samson

More New Wave of British Heavy Metal Artists

New Wave of British Heavy Metal Album Highlights

British Steel
Judas Priest
British Steel
No Remorse
Motörhead
No Remorse
Rock Until You Drop
Raven
Rock Until You Drop
Piece of Mind
Iron Maiden
Piece of Mind
Pyromania
Def Leppard
Pyromania
Lightning to the Nations (The White Album)
Diamond Head
Lightning to the Nations ...

More New Wave of British Heavy Metal Albums

New Wave of British Heavy Metal Song Highlights

Title/Composer Performer Stream
Ace of Spades Motörhead
You've Got Another Thing Comin' Judas Priest
The Trooper Iron Maiden
Am I Evil? Diamond Head
Bringin' on the Heartbreak Def Leppard
White Witch Angel Witch
Denim and Leather Saxon
The Number of the Beast Iron Maiden
Hell Bent for Leather Judas Priest
Foolin' Def Leppard

More New Wave of British Heavy Metal Songs

Other Styles in Heavy Metal