Metal Monarchy
HISTORY OF METAL: 1979 - MOTÖRHEAD, IRON MAIDEN, SAXON KICK OFF A NEW WAVE
Motörhead had released their first full-length in 1977, but didn't start to receive serious attention until the release of Overkill and Bomber
in 1979. The albums, considered by most to be two of their best, saw
the speed-metallers doing what they've always done - play "fast
and loud."
The punk explosion had mostly died down in the U.K. by that point, and the focus was back on bands who could play their instruments. Motörhead took the raw energy and aggression of punk, and combined it with their sheer musical ability to marry the two styles in what would be an extremely influential move for metal.
Motorhead playing "Overkill" live, 2004:
Which brings us to Iron Maiden. To this point, I have only been including full-lengths in this History of Metal saga, but Iron Maiden is such an important band that this demo (The Soundhouse Tapes) - which features early versions of songs that would show up on later releases - must be noted. It was Maiden's first official release, despite having been a band since 1975.
Despite the demo's somewhat unpolished sound quality, it could already be seen that Iron Maiden were the unquestioned leaders of the new movement. Already present were Steve Harris on bass and Dave Murray on guitar, joined by Paul Di'Anno on vocals and Doug Sampson on drums. Murray and Harris were already standout musicians, with Dave putting out a tour de force performance as the only guitarist of Maiden at the time (Maiden is famous for having twin guitars).
Iron Maiden playing "Iron Maiden" live, 1980:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Saxon's first full-length as well. It doesn't hold a candle to their later releases, and is - to be quite honest - pretty unmemorable. That said, there are quite a few solid tracks, and they would become one of the biggest parts of the new movement, so must be included.
Saxon playing "Frozen Rainbow" live:
Another influence that punk had had on metal by this point was on the business side of things. Metal bands adopted the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) ethic that was prevalent in punk. Bands started shooting up all over the place, putting out records on labels of their own creation. The NWOBHM spread like wildfire and would EXPLODE in 1980, one of the greatest years in the history of metal (and all of rock for that matter).
The punk explosion had mostly died down in the U.K. by that point, and the focus was back on bands who could play their instruments. Motörhead took the raw energy and aggression of punk, and combined it with their sheer musical ability to marry the two styles in what would be an extremely influential move for metal.
Motorhead playing "Overkill" live, 2004:
Which brings us to Iron Maiden. To this point, I have only been including full-lengths in this History of Metal saga, but Iron Maiden is such an important band that this demo (The Soundhouse Tapes) - which features early versions of songs that would show up on later releases - must be noted. It was Maiden's first official release, despite having been a band since 1975.
Despite the demo's somewhat unpolished sound quality, it could already be seen that Iron Maiden were the unquestioned leaders of the new movement. Already present were Steve Harris on bass and Dave Murray on guitar, joined by Paul Di'Anno on vocals and Doug Sampson on drums. Murray and Harris were already standout musicians, with Dave putting out a tour de force performance as the only guitarist of Maiden at the time (Maiden is famous for having twin guitars).
Iron Maiden playing "Iron Maiden" live, 1980:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Saxon's first full-length as well. It doesn't hold a candle to their later releases, and is - to be quite honest - pretty unmemorable. That said, there are quite a few solid tracks, and they would become one of the biggest parts of the new movement, so must be included.
Saxon playing "Frozen Rainbow" live:
Another influence that punk had had on metal by this point was on the business side of things. Metal bands adopted the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) ethic that was prevalent in punk. Bands started shooting up all over the place, putting out records on labels of their own creation. The NWOBHM spread like wildfire and would EXPLODE in 1980, one of the greatest years in the history of metal (and all of rock for that matter).
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