The New Wave of Trad Heavy Metal (NWOTHM)

I would like to start off by pointing out that I don’t usually go for this whole retro thing...revival, rebirth, rip-off (?), as I find it, for the most part, derivative and unnecessary. I mean, what is the point of bands such as Airbourne when AC/DC are still alive (just) and well? I understand that bands have to start somewhere, and I definitely appreciate wearing your influences on your sleeve...but sometimes it just crosses the line into plain facsimile territory. Again, I know that young bands need time to develop their own unique style, but many bands of this ilk are well aware that there is a market for 70’s/80’s style retro rock, and are therefore reluctant to spend too much time trying to find their own place in the rock world. To be honest, if it’s an authentic 70’s rock experience that you crave, you could do worse than to check out the band “Witchcraft”.

Ok, so now I get to the point of this blog. I started off by saying how I don’t usually go for these retro movements (new thrash, new grunge, etc), but I have to say that, so far, I am totally smitten with the NWOTHM. This is basically a tribute to/revival of the British heavy metal sound of the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. The so called NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) scene was forged from the dying embers of the punk movement and spawned the likes Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Angel Witch, and a host of lesser known (but often better)  bands, who I will come back to later. In recent years there has been a slow, but steady rise in the number of hungry young bands, who have been inspired and influenced by this exciting and important period of metal history.

Two such bands which spring to mind are Sweden’s “Enforcer” and White Wizzard from the USA. Both bands have a shared love of old school metal, but approach it from different angles.

Enforcer have really gone for the NWOBHM vibe, with a sound that is reminiscent of early Iron Maiden (just listen to the song “Midnight Vice”), as well as taking in elements of bands such as Weapon, White Spirit, Sweet Savage, Paralax and a whole host of the lesser known bands from the era. Whether this is by design or purely by accident, I have no idea. It is one thing to write songs and to play in the “style” of a particular era, but to then back this up with the “feel” and “attitude” of the time with such a level of authenticity is something else all together and for me, that is one reason this band stand out from the pack. I can’t recommend this album highly enough. I would have said it was a classic NWOBHM album, but its 30 years late and, er the band are Swedish. Those 2 minor niggles aside, this is an (almost) perfect traditional metal album.

White Wizzard on the other hand, whilst they have also headed back to the 1970’s/1980’s for their influence, it comes, this time, in the form of Queensryche and Judas Priest (among others, obviously). Once again this album not only has the sound, but also the genuine feeling of the period.

Incidentally though, both bands happen to have a song called “High Roller” on their respective new albums....coincidence or just a stereotypical name for a song from the period? I’ll let you decide.

The bottom line is that I am feeling excited by a genre revival for the first time as far as I can remember. This is most likely to be as much to do with my own personal love of NWOBHM as it is about the bands themselves, but long may the NWOTHM live. It is full of energy and passion and is a breath of fresh air in the modern metal world. For all of you over 30’s out there, and for those curious youngsters interesting in expanding your knowledge of where metal came from, I would certainly suggest giving these two bands a try...who knows where it  will take you!?  Maybe you will fall in love with NWOBHM in the same way I did when I picked up a second hand tape from “Oldies” in Wolverhampton way back in 1992. That day certainly changed my life. I was already into metal, but at that time I had little or no knowledge of the importance of the early 1980’s British metal scene, and certainly not of the bands that made it happen.

What will 2010 bring? New albums I'm looking forward to: Part 1

So, this year is already off to a storming start with quality releases by Finntroll, Bifröst, Blaze Bayley, Fear Factory, Ihsahn, Heidevolk, Metsatöll, Mustasch, Rotting Christ, Sigh, and many, many others.

This promising trend certainly looks to continue as the year wears on, with new albums still to come by the likes of Deftones, Sonic Syndicate, Cold, Spineshank, and the mighty Iron Maiden. This could certainly be a vintage year for rock/metal music, and it is certainly one that I am very much looking forward to.

The Maiden album alone should be the highlight of the year, especially when you consider the upward creative trajectory that the band has been on in the last decade....constantly evolving and adapting their style, not to fit in with or to pander to the mainstream, but to the ever-changing vision of Mr. Steve Harris. It could, however, be a bit of a bitter pill, as the band have stated for a number of years now that album number 15 would be their last, as well as comments alluding to the fact that they can’t go on forever, and that they are getting older. We will have to wait and see, but personally, I really doubt that Steve would want to give up while the band are scaling such creative heights or finally receiving some long overdue mainstream recognition and acceptance. He is just too driven as a musician and too stubborn to admit that he is done. Even if this does prove to be their swansong as far as recorded output is concerned, then we can still look forward to a few more years of touring, as they still have a lot of extravagant plans afoot as part of the ongoing theme of the re-imagining of classic tours from the band’s history.

Another album that I am excited about is the new Deftones release “Diamond Eyes”. After the slightly disappointing “Saturday Night Wrist”, this album has a lot of expectations riding on it, and I don’t have any doubt that Deftones can deliver. I expect that it will more of their brooding, introspective and often beautiful post-rock (not nu-metal by the way). From the two songs I have heard so far, this is already sounding like a masterpiece, although it is a bit early for predictions at this point. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

As I mentioned earlier, we also have new albums by two recently reunited bands in Cold and Spineshank. To be honest, I will be approaching both of these with a little trepidation as both could realistically go either way creatively. Cold, in particular, had adopted a horrible Creed-lite sound on their last album, so I am really hoping that they will be looking to their first three albums or indeed, elsewhere for inspiration this time around. As for Spineshank, they had also taken a worrying swing in the wrong direction on their last album, but the (very) rough demo they posted online over a year ago now, was certainly very promising and displayed a much heavier sound than previous albums. I await both of these with much interest.

I am also very much looking forward to hearing the new album by Sonic Syndicate (their first with Nathan on vocals) in May. I have to be honest (sorry Nathan), but I wasn’t really impressed with the single “Burn This City”, as it was just that little bit too commercial. I have no issue with sing-a-long choruses or clean vocals, but this was just a step too far for me. I have high hopes for the album though, and am especially interested to hear what Nathan is going to bring to the table as far as the sound of the band is concerned. His vocals are far superior to the previous vocalist, and I know what he is capable of from his days with The Hollow Earth Theory. For that reason, and the fact that I love their previous album, “Love And Other Disasters”, I have no doubt that this will be their strongest album to date. Let’s look at the facts. They have a new (better) singer, so they will already feel the need to step up and to prove what they can do to a (no doubt) expectant and maybe even dubious fanbase, and Nuclear Blast also seem to be throwing their full weight behind the band. If they have faith in them, I think we can all rest easy knowing that this will be a great album. Roll on May.