Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Motörhead all get called NWOBHM bands. Only one of them actually is.

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal wasn't really a genre. It was a short, chaotic explosion of broke teenagers, self-pressed records, and pub gigs that reshaped metal forever and then chewed up almost everyone who started it. In this video I walk through every era of NWOBHM in order, from the Sabbath and Purple blueprint to the modern revival, and give my verdict on who actually earned the name.

We cover the Music Machine gig that gave the scene its name, The Soundhouse Tapes, the Di'Anno vs Dickinson debate, why most NWOBHM bands became a farm system for everyone else, how Venom accidentally named black metal, and the reunions that actually turned out good.

So which side are you on: does it matter that Priest and Motörhead aren't technically NWOBHM, or is that just pedantry? Let me know in the comments.

#NWOBHM #IronMaiden #HeavyMetal