The new wave of British heavy metal was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis coined the term for an article by Geoff Barton in a May 1979 issue of the British music newspaper Sounds to describe the emergence of new heavy metal bands in the mid to late 1970s, during the period of punk rock's decline and the dominance of new wave music.
Janick Robert Gers is an English musician who is best known as one of the three guitarists in heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He initially joined to replace Adrian Smith, but remained in the band even after Smith rejoined. Gers was previously a member of Gillan and co-founder of the band White Spirit in 1975.
Angel Witch are a British heavy metal band which formed in London in 1976. Despite never achieving major success, they were an integral part of the early 1980s new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, and have been acknowledged as an influence by many bands of the then-emerging thrash, speed, doom and extreme metal genres. Angel Witch have released five studio albums to date, and have undergone numerous lineup changes throughout their 48-year career, leaving frontman and lead guitarist Kevin Heybourne as the only constant member.
Gogmagog were an English hard rock and heavy metal supergroup based in Chipping Barnet assembled in 1985 by the record producer Jonathan King. The band's lineup featured former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno and drummer Clive Burr, former Gillan and future Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers, former Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis, and former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray.
Tygers of Pan Tang are an English heavy metal band who are part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and perform. The name is derived from Pan Tang, a fictional archipelago in Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné fantasy series whose wizards keep tigers as pets.
Gillan was an English rock band formed in 1978 by Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. Gillan was one of the hard rock bands to make a significant impact and commercial success in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s, with five silver albums. They sold over 10 million LPs worldwide.
Angel Witch is the first album by British heavy metal band Angel Witch. The album was released in 1980 through Bronze Records, and since then re-released in four editions over the years. The cover features a painting formerly attributed to John Martin titled The Fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium. The album made Angel Witch one of the key bands in the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) scene, and has proven influential on subsequent movements, particularly on then-upcoming thrash, speed, doom and extreme metal artists.
Metal for Muthas is the name given to a series of heavy metal compilations made during the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM).
"Virus" is a single from Iron Maiden, released in 1996. It is the first single since 1980's "Women in Uniform" that does not appear on any official Iron Maiden studio album. It was, however, featured as a brand new track on the band's first ever career retrospective – 1996's double-disc Best of the Beast. It is the only Iron Maiden song to be credited to both of the band's guitarists. It has never been performed live by Iron Maiden, but Blaze Bayley performed it several times in his solo career. Lyrically, the song warns of rising business and government corruption in an increasingly Internet-dependent world.
Jaguar are an English heavy metal band formed in Bristol in December 1979. They had moderate success throughout Europe and Asia in the early 1980s, during the heyday of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.
Brian Anthony Howe was an English rock singer, best known for replacing Paul Rodgers as the lead vocalist of Bad Company. Howe's career was jump-started in 1983 when Ted Nugent recruited him to handle lead vocals for his Penetrator album and front its subsequent world tour.
Double Trouble is the fifth studio album by the British hard rock band Gillan, released in 1981. It was released as a double album, the first disc containing studio material, and the second containing live recordings. It reached No. 12 in the UK charts. It is the first album to feature Janick Gers, Bernie Tormé having left the group during the tour of Germany in 1981. Gers came in for the rest of the tour, his first show being on 25 June 1981.
Quartz are an English heavy metal band active during the new wave of British heavy metal. Their origins can be traced back to the mid-1970s.
Neat Records was a British independent record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. A key figure in the establishment of the label was Steve Thompson. Thompson was house producer at Impulse at the time and helped set up Neat, became the A&R manager and produced all the initial recordings, as well as managing the publishing arm, Neat Music. The label was sold in 1995 to Sanctuary Records.
Graeme Crallan was a British heavy metal drummer from Hartlepool, England. Also known as Crash Crallan, he formed White Spirit along with Janick Gers in 1975. They released their debut album in 1980. The album flopped and they split up in 1981. Crallan then joined up with Tank in 1984, and played on their Honour & Blood album. He quit the following year.
Jameson Raid are a British heavy metal band. They are usually considered to be part of the new wave of British heavy metal, following their inclusion on EMI's album Metal For Muthas II, although they were established on the Birmingham circuit as a hard rock band several years before this.
Fist are an English heavy metal band founded in South Shields, North East England in 1978. Fist were one of the original bands that were considered to be part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Honour & Blood is the fourth album by the English heavy metal band Tank, released in 1984. By the time of this album Algy Ward was the last original member of the group remaining, as the Brabbs brothers had been replaced by Cliff Evans on guitar and Graeme Crallan on drums. The album follows much the same format as the band's previous album This Means War, with seven songs, several quite lengthy, of melodic heavy metal primarily about the topic of war. However, the band explores some different subject matter on side two, as "W.M.L.A." and "Too Tired to Wait for Love", express frustration in love, while "Chain of Fools" is a cover of the 1967 hit by Aretha Franklin.
What I Did on My Vacation is an official compilation album from Ian Gillan, released in 1986 in UK by 10 Records. The album covers Gillan's recordings between 1977 and 1982 and was released in three formats. All songs from the album had been previously released. Although not credited on the cover, "Scarabus" is preceded by an instrumental piece by Colin Towns, which was used as the intro to "On The Rocks". The LP version set boasts four more tracks than the CD version.
Stephen Dennis Thompson is a British musician, songwriter and record producer who is responsible for a number of single and album chart hits and well-known songs recorded by international recording artists. He was instrumental in setting up the influential Neat Records. He was particularly active as a producer during the NWOBHM years. During this time, he produced for many acts and kick-started the careers of several influential heavy metal acts including the first recordings of Newcastle band Venom and Raven who have been credited with being hugely influential by Metallica.
