Dave the Boss´ obscure NWoBHM thread

Oh yes boys and girls, who doesn´t love the good ol´ New Wave of British Heavy Metal? There were so many awesome bands active back then that never struck gold like Maiden and Def Leppard, so here's what I'm going to do: I'll write a review on a release by a obscure band. Some of the bands NWoBHM bands never got past releasing a single or even a demo tape, so I'm hoping I can get a few more metalheads into these bands.

As I have most of the stuff I'll be reviewing on CDr, tape, vinyl or mp3, you're welcome to ask me for a digital version of a demo, single or album. I'd be happy to!

I'll make sure the first review will be up later today, so it's time to get out the denim and listen to some quality British steel!

Ever heard of Dark star? probably my favorate NWOBHM band, check em and review em if your familiar. I would like to hear your take.

Oh yes, Dark Star were great. Lady Of Mars is one of my favorite NWoBHM songs. I'll definitely write something on them sooner or later.

And here it is ladies and gents, a little write up on Omega's classic LP The Prophet:

OMEGA – The Prophet LP

The London based NWoBHM band Omega was born out of the ashes of Apocalypse, a great band that only did a demo tape and a single (but more on that later). With Omega the lads started experimenting with a more progressive rock sound and thus Omega could be seen as one of the first progressive metal bands. I have to say though that they sounded vastly different from other early American prog metal bands like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, as those bands were primarily influenced by Rush. Though you can definitely find some Rush influences on the record, the “Omega sound” was a lot more British. Imagine if ELP and Black Sabbath had a bastard child, and you’d have Omega.

Omega’s first and only LP, The Prophet, was released In 1985 and was as such a little late to enjoy the massive popularity the NWoBHM was enjoying a couple of years earlier. Before the LP they released a five track demo called Alpha, featuring a cover of the well known song Summertime. I’ve never heard this demo, unfortunately, but if it’s half as good as their only album it’d still be a metal classic.

So on to The Prophet then. This seven track monster of an album is one of the heaviest albums I have ever heard, even rivaling Master Of Reality and Epicus Doomicus Metallicus in certain songs. The music this four piece plays is just so out of this world that it’s hard to describe. Take the opener The Dark; it starts out as a dark, moody progressive rock song, before culminating in a few Maiden-like harmonies, followed by a galloping Sabbathian riff and a soaring solo, and just before the end of the song it becomes all moody again. The often done combination of heavy rock and prog has rarely been done so brilliantly as in The Dark. At other times the band plays a good old NWoBHM rocker, like Drive Me Crazy and a heavy metal version of The Beatles’ Day Tripper. On Yesterday’s Children they add a few Maidenish riffs and harmonies, which makes for another jawdroppingly heavy track.

The best songs though, are the title track and the amazing The Child. The Prophet deals with the crucifixion of Jesus through the eyes of the Romans and is just a beautiful song. It’s very moody and the lyrics are just beautiful. The same goes for The Child, which is one of my favorite songs of all time. This song deals with coming of age. It’s similar in structure to The Prophet, but the atmosphere is entirely different: I’d say it’s more melancholic in contrast to the moody atmosphere of The Prophet.

Since it’s hard to review an album this unique, I’ll have to let the music speak for itself. The Prophet was never released officially on CD and only a crappy Greek bootleg exists. The only official versions are on vinyl: the original LP and a rerelease on an Italian label. I’d be happy to upload this album for anyone who wants to hear it.

Tracklisting:

1. The Dark
2. Shadows Of The Past
3. The Prophet
4. Yesterday’s Children
5. Drive Me Crazy
6. Day Tripper (The Beatles cover)
7. The Child

Dave’s score: 11/10, a true classic of British Steel!

I'm not a great writer, but I hope you guys will enjoy this review. Sorry for any potential spelling/grammar mistakes, I'm too tired atm to proofread it, haha.

Nice overview, but isn't 85' kinda/sorta late to be true NWOBHM ? I am far from an expert on the matter.

Look forward to more lps, tapes and demos.

Laterz

Yeah, they were kinda late. Apocalypse started out in 1980 though, so I guess they're still NWoBHM. And I'm glad you enjoyed it!

The second review will be up later today. It'll be a little write up on Hell's awesome Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us 7".

HELL – Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us 7”



Back when heavy metal ruled the UK, the heaviest and most shocking band out there was probably Venom, whose dirty sound and satanic lyrics were quite provocative for the time. In the Midlands however, there was a band that was heavier than Venom, faster than Venom and more controversial than Venom. The band I’m talking about is Hell, an oft forgotten heavy metal band that only did a couple of demos, a 7” single and they recorded an album that unfortunately was never released. After frontman Dave Halliday committed suicide in the late eighties the band broke up. Hell were also the band that inspired Martin Walkyier and Andy Sneap to start Sabbat (Dave Halliday actually taught Andy Sneap how to play). There’s even a Hell riff in a couple of Sabbat songs, haha!



Hell’s sound and image is best described as a thinking man’s Venom: from the lyrics (you wouldn’t find Venom writing a song to Macbeth!) to the stage presentation, everything was carefully thought out and planned. Their gigs were supposed to be quite a spectacle, with pyro effects, tons of props, makeup, short plays in between songs and costume changes during songs being some of the activities performed on stage (as well as playing songs might I add). Needless to say their elaborate stage show got them in trouble with the local clergy numerous times (for example, for the song Blasphemy & The Master they added a Latin exorcism ritual in the bridge of the song). Hell’s music is kind of hard to describe. The best I can come up with is satanic version of Rush playing a black mass. Dave Halliday’s vocals are reminiscent of Geddy Lee’s and many songs do have that early Rush sound to them. Their demos are classic pieces of weird occult metal that everyone with a love for real heavy metal should enjoy (with their rehearsal demo Scheming Demons being the best one, but more on that later).



On to the 7”. This two track monster features one of their heaviest tracks on the A-side, the monster song Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us, and a lovely, but very weird, instrumental on the B-side. This 1983 7” was probably the heaviest thing on vinyl up til then (it predates the Slayer and Metallica debut LPs by a couple of months) and it still is monstrously heavy. The song completely rips from beginning til end, with a pounding rhythm section, soaring solos, heavy as hell (no pun intended) riffs and soaring vocals. I’d say this song is more like Diamond Head on speed than Venom, as the musicianship is far better than any Venom song. The lyrics deal with hypocrisy in the Anglican church and are quite well written (so no “AAAAAAAAAARGH HAAAIL SATAN” stuff you might find on a Venom LP). The B-side, Deathsquad, is another scorcher. They actually made a promotional video for this track, where you can fully witness the awesomeness and weirdness of this great band. This song sounds like a mixture of Emerson, Lake And Palmer and Black Sabbath and is definitely a great listen.



Hell’s original guitarist and rhythm section reunited last year to finally record a full length album. Producing it is Andy Sneap (!), whose love for Hell prompted him to do this free of charge. He will also be playing on the album. On vocals will be Martin Walkyier. I am not a big fan of Walkyier’s vocals and he sounds NOTHING like the late great Dave Halliday, but this might give them the recognition they deserve. For more information on the album check www.myspace.com/helluk.

And last but not least, here is the video for Deathsquad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aO1W6Tvi_Q


Tracklisting:

1. Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us

2. Deathsquad

Dave’s score: 10/10, occult metal at its very best!

Anyone interested in hearing this awesome 7”, just send me a message. I’ll be more than happy to upload it for you. The next review will be up in a couple of days. I’ll be reviewing Trespass’ awesome Bright Lights 7” single then (which also has one of my favorite sleeves of all time actually), so there’s more killer British Steel on the way!

Dave the Boss, I always find this thread an interesting read.

Glad to hear it Manny! I hope you'll enjoy my upcoming reviews too.

Keep it up dave!

Cheers mate! Here's the next review:


TRESPASS – Bright Lights 7”


Apart from the weird stuff I’ve discussed so far, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal mostly consisted of class heavy rock bands. Bands like Soldier, Def Leppard, Praying Mantis, Samson and Maiden all delivered great melodic heavy rock singles in their early days. One of my favorite classic British bands is by far the great Trespass, who released two of the best singles of the NWoBHM: One Of These Days (the title track being a relatively small hit in the UK) and Bright Lights. Since I feel that Bright Lights is just a tad more forgotten than the just as brilliant One Of These Days, I decided to give that one a go.[/size]


Trespass were originally formed by brothers Mark and Paul Sutcliffe, Dave Crawte and Richard Penny. To be honest I have no idea who play on this single, since lineup changes were pretty common for these British lads. During the late 70s and early 80s they recorded a number of jawdropping demos and singles, all of which are among the finest NWoBHM recordings out there. The tracks Stormchild and a rerecording of One Of These Days were also featured on Metal For Muthas II. They reformed in the early 90s and released their first full length album Head, which was much more of a grunge affair than a real heavy rock album. Bright Lights was their second single, featuring the classic cuts Bright Lights, The Duel and Man And Machine.


The single starts off with the title track, which is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the finest NWoBHM songs ever recorded. It sums up everything that was so great about that particular wave of bands: melodic harmony guitars, solid drumming, great hooks, lyrics reflecting the dreams and everyday lives of the English workingclass youth and passionate vocals; plus it’s catchier than swine flu! This might just be the ultimate NWoBHM heavy rock song. I simply cannot fathom why this band never got any better than they got, especially sings all of their songs are of mindblowing quality. Next up is The Duel, another track of classic British steel. This song sounds just a tad more progressive than Bright Lights due to the slightly unusual songstructure, but everything that made Bright Lights so great is in this song too. The same can be said for Man And Machine, another track of quality British heavy metal.


Thanks to the people at Neat Records, there is a wonderful two disc collection of almost everything Trespass did during their heyday (unfortunately they didn’t include a rather obscure 1982 demo, which features two awesomely catchy tracks and three songs that aren’t as good). The aptly titled One Of These Days – The Trespass Anthology features no less than 33 (!) tracks by these brilliant heavy rockers, with 23 of these songs being unreleased. And every single song is a killer. It’s hard why to understand why these guys didn’t get any bigger with amazing songs like Lightsmith, Vendetta, Bounty Hunter, Stormchild, Life Beat, It’s All Over and Long Way To Hollywood. I can urge every single one of you to get your hands on this album – it’s that good. I got it when it came out four or five years ago and I’m still spinning at weekly.


Tracklisting:

1. Bright Lights
2. The Duel
3. Man And Machine


Dave’s score: 10/10, a classic British heavy rock single!