As the start of my 1984 list is almost two weeks off, I'm going to fill in with a couple of compilation albums featuring the NWOBHM and the influential American metal label Metal Blade and one or two other mini-reviews as well.
In 1983 the NWOBHM was at an end commercially as most of its biggest bands had moved beyond the confines of the movement and the arrival of both glam metal and extreme metal were also its death knoll. So here is a comp I'll be featuring as a reminder of the movement’s glory years.
New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited:This is an extensive comp put together by Lars Ulrich and journalist Geoff Burton in 1990 and it was originally released on Caroline Records. Some of this stuff has already been reviewed on album lists, so look at it like a flash revision course.
Disc One
1."It's Electric" - Diamond Head The perfect introduction song and it would appear on their seminal debut album
Lightning to the Nations.
2."Eye of the Storm" - Sweet Savage Northern Ireland metal band that initially never got beyond a couple of singles and this is a fast and gruff track worthy of checking out.
3."Motorcycle Man" – Saxon One of the signature tunes of Saxon, who instantly became one of the leaders and highlights of the NWOBHM.
4."Cheetah" - White Spirit A track that didn’t appear on their solitary studio album
White Spirit released in 1980 and here the band show they were beyond a lot of their rivals
5."Don't Need Your Money" – Raven Athletic rock offering from the movement’s sloppy speedsters and it appeared on their debut set
Rock Until You Drop.
6."White Lightning" – Paralex Nottingham band that never got beyond an EP, this is not bad despite being a bit lightweight, and it’s heavily indebted stylistically to the 1970s.
7."Getcha Rocks Off" - Def Leppard Early Def Leppard were extremely interesting due to their rawness and diversity of ideas and this appears on their first EP.
8."Set the Stage Alight" – Weapon Little known band who I know nothing about and based on this they sound no better or worse than most of their rivals.
9."Vice Versa" – Samson The album where Bruce Dickinson took over on vocal duties for the band and this also happens to be one of the best tracks on the
Head On album.
10."Fight with the Devil" - Hollow Ground Coming from one of the NWOBHM hotbeds in the north east, the band never really got beyond their popular local following.
11."Demolition Boys" – Girlschool The first track on their debut album which shows what happens when punk meets metal circa 1980.
12."Leaving Nadir" – Witchfynde This band were a different kettle of fish from most here despite the satanic imagery on their album cover and this is a great track by them.
Disc Two
1."Sanctuary" - Iron Maiden Initially a non-album single but it would later appear on the North American version of Iron Maiden.
2."Back Street Woman" – Jaguar Their debut album
Power Games was one of the later NWOBHM debut to come out.
3."Killers" - Tygers of Pan Tang With Jess Cox on vocals and it appeared on their
Wild Cats album.
4."I'm No Fool" – Gaskin Melodic NWOBHM band and of the few songs I’ve heard by them, I’ve always managed to enjoy them.
5."Sledgehammer" – Sledgehammer A great example of a NWOBHM band that suffered from line-up changes and also failed to capitalize on their popularity.
6."Angel Dust" – Venom Basically sounds more claustrophobic and brutal than anything else on this compilation and appears on their
Welcome to Hell album.
7."Extermination Day" - Angel Witch A early demo by the band and head and shoulders above their rivals in terms of quality.
8."One of These Days" – Trespass A group that based their music around songcraft first and this was probably their best known song from back then.
9."Death or Glory" – Holocaust A song that has one of the biggest kick-ass riffs from the whole of the NWOBHM and I can see why this was included on this comp.
10."If I Were King" – Vardis A band I always felt were better live than they were in the studio.
11."Blitzkrieg" – Blitzkrieg A band that were much liked by Metallica, so it’s no surprise to find Blitzkrieg on here.
12."Helpless" - Diamond Head Second entry by the seminal Diamond Head and the song is highlighted by its stunning second part.
13."Ambitions" – Dragster One of the lesser lights of the NWOBHM but this song is far from that.
14."Treason" - A II Z One of the many NWOBHM bands that were fronted by brothers, but this band were short lived and disbanded in 1982.
15."Witchfinder General" - Witchfinder General Doom focused NWOBHM band and this is one of the principal tracks from their debut album.
16."Red Lights" - Black Axe A band who managed to get a major record deal, but their luck fell flat the moment that they did.
17."S.S. Giro" – Fist Highly rated in some quarters but I was never really a fan of this song or band.
18."Captured City" - Praying Mantis One of the great talents of the movement and here their track is one of the most accomplished on the comp.