Dave's top 50 best NWoBHM songs... AND NUMBER ONE IS....

ultmetal wrote:

Wow! That is one serious drum set in that Mammoth 'Fat Man' video.

Everything with Mammoth was huge!

I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cheat a little now...

2.5. Venom - Welcome to Hell
"Welcome to Hell" LP

To my horror I realized I didn't save a place for Venom in my top 50. The horror... the horror! Anyway, on to the song. Although Venom have about three LPs of absolutely killer songs, my favorite Venom song is Welcome to Hell, by far. From that awesome (often copied) opening riff to the vicious vocals to that bone chilling part where the girl recites the Lord's Prayer. All in all, there's not a whole lot to say here. It's Venom!

I wonder what would be your 1 NWOBHM song. Mine is the ultimate classic that is "Blitzkrieg" from Blitzkrieg's "Time Of Changes".

I have enjoyed this list and has been one of coolest threads in a long time, and now it is even cooler that you have added Venom!

Yea, kudos to Dave. This thread has been very informative and entertaining. You certainly know your stuff, young man., Nice job.

Also I wonder why there is lack of the beyond amazing Tyrant and their "Hold Back The Lightning" single - especially the title track. That one is pure NWOBHM brillance.

Cheers guys, I'm gonna try and finish this list asap.

2. Magnesium - Over the Rainbow
"Time Tells No Lies/Over the Rainbow" 7"

Yeah, I'm gonna cheat again, as Magnesium isn't actually a NWoBHM band, but a "cult" band from Japan that tries to copy the whole NWoBHM sound. And are they any good at it? You bet. This 2006 7" single featuring the two monster tunes Time Tells No Lies and Over the Rainbow is one of my favorite metal releases of all time, and the best thing is that both songs are absolutely killer. Musically this is just about perfection in my opinion. The vocals aren't amazing, but that's part of the charm I guess, and the guitars are really melodic. I absolutely worship everything these guys have released, and although that isn't a whole lot (a demo tape, a 7" single, two 7" splits, a track on a Sabbat live LP and two live LPs) it's all metal of the highest quality. Highly recommended.



And just for the hell of it, here's the A-side too:

Dave the Boss wrote:

19. Witchfinder General – Friends of Hell
"Friends of Hell” LP

This is by far the best part of the song. When Zeeb Parkes sings the “They sold their souls to Satan…” part and Phil Cope plays that lead guitar part… pure heaven! Then out of the blue he plays one of their finest riffs ever.

That's a wonderful description of my single favourite minute (or so) of the whole of the genre.
Both Witchfinder General albums are in my top 10 of all time. Fantastic LP covers, too.

NWOBHM is just an incredible treasure trove that never stops giving. I was just recently listening to Tank's Filth Hounds of Hell and Savage's Loose n' Lethal for the first time in years and i was blown away by how high the quality of song writing was. It's not all 'energy' and 'attitude'; there were some genuinely fantastic bands around back then.

Now gents, it's time to provide a little recap before we get to number ooonnneeeee:

50. Shy - Tonight
49. Hollow Ground - Fight with the Devil
48. Jaguar - Backstreet Woman
47. Black Axe - Red Lights
46. Def Leppard - Wasted
45. Dark Star - Lady of Mars
44. Fist - Name, Rank & Serial Number
43. Marquis de Sade - Somewhere Up in the Mountains
42. Girl - My Number
41. Crucifixion - The Fox
40. Goldsmith - Life is Killing Me
39. Holocaust - Heavy Metal Mania
38. Raven - Don't Need Your Money
37. Demon - One Helluva Night
36. Gaskin - I'm No Fool
35. Samson - Riding with the Angels
34. Soldier - Sheralee
33. Ethel the Frog - Fight Back
32. Tokyo Blade - Night of the Blade
31. Sparta - Tonight
30. Blitzkrieg - Blitzkrieg
29. Quartz - Stand Up and Fight
28. Scarab - Poltergeist
27. Saxon - And the Bands played on
26. Tank - Heavy Artillery
25. A II Z - I'm the One Who Loves You
24. Diamond Head - It's Electric
23. Iron Maiden - Prowler
22. Desolation Angels - Fury
21. Persian Risk - Ridin' High
20. Race Against Time - Harbinger of Death
19. Witchfinder General - Friends of Hell
18. Virtue - We Stand to Fight
17. Bashful Alley - Running Blind
16. Blind Fury - Do it Loud
15. Elixir - Children of Tomorrow
14. Bitches Sin - Always Ready (For Love)
13. Angel Witch - Angel Witch
12. Arc - War of the Ring
11. Bleak House - Rainbow Warrior
10. Saracen - Heroes, Saints and Fools
9. Praying Mantis - Children of the Earth
8. Hell - Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us
7. Satan - Trial by Fire
6. Omega - The Child
5. Trespass - One of these Days
4. Cloven Hoof - Astral Rider
3. Jameson Raid - Seven Days of Splendour
2.5. Venom - Black Metal
2. Magnesium - Over the Rainbow
1.5. Pagan Altar - Judgement of the Dead

Number one will be revealed soon lads. With that said, no feedback on the Magnesium and Pagan Altar songs?

So here we are good sirs, number one... It took me a lot longer than I intended, but I'm just a lazy arsehole. With that said, the best New Wave of British Heavy Metal song in my (not so) humble opinion iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis.....

1. Tyrant - Hold Back the Lightning
"Hold Back the Lightning" 7"

And there you have it, my favorite NWoBHM song. Everything about this song just screams perfection. If Maiden would've written this song it would probably be considered one of their all time best, and it's easy to see why. I can write twenty paragraphs about how amazing this song is, but why should I? Just listen to it! Hold Back the Lightning is basically epic metal defined. The vocals are powerful, the drums are pounding and the galloping riffs and harmonies are just amazing. Not to mention that gloriously epic chorus! And that bridge! And the solo after that! And... and... and... feck it, just listen to it!

But you know what the best thing is? Most of their songs are jawdroppingly awesome, and back in 2009 Greek label Steel Legacy released a double CD with pretty much everything they ever recorded, including their amazing 1981 demo, which features an early version of Hold Back the Lightning called Shadows of the Night. If you like your metal epic, heavy and galloping, you really need to get that comp.

Excellent choice. You can hear where so many other bands were influenced there.

That's freaky...

I started at #50, and went through one by one, thinking, "Where's Tyrant?" and lo and behold, it's enthroned in it's rightful place - nice one!!!

The flipside of that single, "Eyes of a Stranger" is awesome too.




I'd have liked to have seen these in there too - but I guess you only had 50(ish) slots to fill, and most are a bit patchy - but catchy!














Check this - Vardis play "Metal Militia" at least 3 years before Metallica write it...




...I prefer the original of "Heavy Metal Mania" to the album release - check it out;




...and here's an honourary mention to Sweden's 220 Volt, before they went crap, these guys were pure NWoBHM at its best (they were even better on their first demo, made unbelievably in 1981), but there aren't any Youtubes of that, so you'll have to listen to this and imagine);