What the Hell Is...?

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

In the beginning, there was Heavy Metal. Well, really, in the beginning, there were the Beatles, but Heavy Metal soon followed - and peaked fairly quickly. In the land of its birth, a new form of hard rock emerged in the working-class towns of the north: the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which blended the intense, riff-driven blues rock of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and Black Sabbath with the glam of Queen and T. Rex, throwing in the twin guitar glory of Thin Lizzy for good measure.

Judas Priest led the way, ushering in a new era of heavy metal with Iron Maiden, Saxon, Raven and other bands in their wake - creating not just a new musical genre, but a new social dynamic among fans of hard rock. Culminating in Def Leppard, NWoBHM was a wild ride that spread beyond its British boundaries to become a worldwide phenomenon in the Eighties. Here, in brief, is that story.