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Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:02 pm
by Lord_Sauron
(EDIT: I put all the mentioned bands on the bottom of this post)

I have recently opened a topic on the Metal Archives forum concerning the topic in the title (https://forum.metal-archives.com/viewto ... 1&t=128581), as well as on the Heavy Metal Rarities forum (https://heavymetalrarities.com/forum/vi ... 24&t=42904). There was also a related topic on HMR (https://heavymetalrarities.com/forum/vi ... 24&t=19411), but it is generally oriented more towards reccomendations and not discussion.
I am repeating the topic here, as sort of a "last hope" to find something.

To sum it up, I'll repeat what I wrote there:
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"However, once listening to some of those (NWOTHM) bands, most of them sound to be more influenced by the mid-1980s Speed/Heavy Metal (or faster tracks by older bands such as Accept or Judan Priest), a genre I usually wouldn't label "traditional", but, well, that is just my opinion and is not very relevant here.

Likewise, in mid-2000s (and later), there was sort of a revival of earlier (70s) metal and hard rock sound (some of bands are closer to the 70s metal a la Sabbath, while some other featured more of a hard rock sound). Same as for new wave of glam metal, which, like "NWOTHM", focused on mid-80s sound, although more on a hard rock side.

Between those two revivalist movements, period from, let's say, 1978 until 1982/3 seems to be sort of overlooked, apart from bands imitating (as mentioned before) faster tracks by the likes of Priest, or bands imitating Maiden (even those tend to sound more like post-Di'Anno-era Maiden).

Am I missing some obvious bands? Is there any aprticular reason why this period/style is not popular with revivalist bands?

Some of the examples of sound I have in mind:
- early 80s Saxon
- very early Accept
- 1978-1984 era Judas Priest (excluding their fastest tracks)
- late 70s/first half of 80s Scorpions
- early 80s NWOBHM like Fist, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Black Axe, and even some more HR bands like Chevy
- even earlier East European HR/HM bands like Vatreni Poljubac or Divlje Jagode

I am providing few actual songs about the style I was asking for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGnhF0_rA90 (Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_3TlrZLpQ0 (Accept - Balls to the Walls)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC1RQy0bu04 (Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewypzgfRnqU (Black Axe - Highway Rider)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv32c6q6slI (Divlje Jagode - Motori)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETeD4yvqafU(Vatreni Poljubac - Recept za Rock 'N' Roll)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQeQLA1Jz78 (Apartman 69 - Seti se moje pjesme)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5KNFsXqH8Q (Chevy - The Taker)
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Another user wrote this, whcih perfectly reflects my point:
"Well there are not many bands that play rocky heavy metal like old saxon but there i do see more bands who take from early heavy/power."
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Unsurprisingly, since the MA forum isn't really oriented torwards the older metal, there were only a handful of reccomendations and no real discussion on the topic, so I am trying my luck here. HMR forum members didn't provide any further reccomendations.

The reccomendations were:
- Mirror - Pyramid of Terror
- Tanith
- Wytch Hazel
- Outlaw - Marauders
- Terminal (Sweden)

However, none of it actually has the sound I am looking for (although I enjoyed some of them).

I have found this song on the other HMR topic:
The Dagger - 1978
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHXbND10OlU

One other band that fits the sound at least partially is a new band from Croatia, LionMane (especially the first and the last songs on the EP):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hgi-y7bAgc

On the softer side, we have Canada's Dusk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxDVVe9ZQUo

Thanks to everyone in advance :)
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Those were mentioned so far:

Bands (mostly partially) fitting into topic (of course, IMHO):

Angel Sword – I didn’t like their first demo and EP but starting with “The Midwinter Tapes” and songs such as “Heavy Metal Night”, I find them quite enjoyable, especially their 2019 album. The vocalist reminds me a lot of the lead singer of Lordi, also a band from Finland that I haven’t listen to in more than a decade, so I have spent listening to half of Angel Sword discography trying to find out why their singer sounds so familiar, haha

Citadelle – this is definitely NWOBHM influenced metal, rather than speed metal usually connected with NWOTHM label. They might not represent the exact sound I was looking for, but are slightly above average in the context of NWOTHM, both quality-wise and by how close they are to traditional metal (of course, by my standards), no more, no less. The last song on the EP, “Dernier combat” is excellent, although possibly the one that differs the most from the style I described in the opening post.

Coltre – another clearly NWOBHM-inspired record, mostly similar to bands like Angel Witch and even (early) Maiden and Sabbath in certain songs, which slightly differ from the examples in the opening post. However, they have enough of that “rocky” NWOBHM riffs in songs such as “Crimson Killer” or “Fight” to fit in.

Corsair – while most of the bands recommended are slightly “too metallic”, this one is on the softer side of the examples in the opening post and is actually somewhere between 70’s hard/semi-prog rock and the NWOHM “transitional period”, but still fits quite nicely on their more straightforward tracks. I enjoyed all of their releases, at least the songs with less “proggy” sound.

Danava – I agree with the original poster. They were mostly late-60s and early/mid-70s influenced band on their earlier work, but the A-side of their latest single and some songs on their third album fit this topic. I like most of their recordings, both those psych- and those FWOHM/early NWOBHM-influenced.

Deathman – this is a record I can’t write anything really bad about it, but I didn’t find anything really good about it. I guess it partially fits the topic, being slightly faster and “more metallic” than the bands in the opening post.

Haunt – their (as of now) last all-new-songs LP (“Flashback”) is my favourite and the most on-topic one. On earlier releases, the band sounds nice but gets pretty repetitive after a while. Musically, it is influenced more by the likes of Angel Witch and Maiden than the examples in the opening post, with more emphasis on melodic guitar parts and harmonies than “rocky” riffs, what differs them from another band with similar influences - Coltre. My favourite songs from earlier releases are “Ghosts”, released as a single in 2018, “Frozen in Time” (Burst into Flame LP), “Callouses” (Mosai Vision EP) and “Saviors of Man” (Mind Freeze LP).

Heat – their debut is slightly above average early-70s revival hard rock/heavy psych. The second album continues in that direction, but is, in my opinion, slightly more straightforward and maybe sounds very slightly more modern (still early/mid-70s), with song “Barbarossa” and “Masquerade” even approaching something that was described in the opening post (although not quite there yet). Their 2016 single continued in this more straightforward way. The third album is the most on-topic one, as it is again slightly more modern than its predecessor (sounds like mid/late-70s), with most of the songs fitting nicely on the softer edge of the style described in the opening post.

Night – this one is pretty much spot-on; it fits my description extremely well, especially the early singles and the first and the third album (I find the second one slightly weaker, but still fine), with the first album being on the heavier and the third one on the softer side of the spectrum. Considering my opinion of music, it is not on the level of the greatest bands of the late 70/early 80s but is certainly well above average in the new “traditional” metal “movement”. I waited for a few days to listen to their newest album. It still follows the same direction as their previous album.

Spiker – I needed some time to get used to the singer’s voice, but all in all, I like this one and find it very on-topic, although slightly faster than I prefer.

Stone Dagger – I am actually familiar with their only release from another similar topic. The first song, “The Siege of Jerusalem”, belongs more to the “80’s epic metal” category, but the other one, “Black Clad Rider”, fits nicely in this topic, even if it is a little “more metallic”.

Tanith – this one is actually one of my favourites. However, style wise, it only marginally fits the topic. The sound is somewhere between 70s/early 80s epic hard rock and early melodic NWOBHM, but not of the kind the examples I have posted belong to.

Witchtower – their demo and tracks on “Tribute to Randy” are the closest to the style of the topic. Their albums and other releases sometimes go into other directions but are still quite close. However, I am not really a fan of their 2020 album, even though songs “Love Potion” and “The Chosen” are pretty good, even if the latter is slightly off-topic.

Wytch Hazel – like Tanith, which I think is slightly more off-topic than this one, this band is one of my favourites. I have listened to each of their recording and enjoyed almost every minute of it.



Bands that were mentioned, but which I consider to be too far from the topic (mind you, that doesn’t mean that I consider them bad; in fact, I enjoyed at least one release from most of them):

Kryptos – on earlier releases, this one is far too thrashy and modern, with influences from more extreme styles of metal (mostly black and death metal). I can’t say it is bad but it’s definitely not my style. Their later albums seem to have more traditional metal influences, but the vocals are still way too rough, and the music is closer to generic “NWOTHM”/speed metal or their 2016 album. The last album is slightly closer musically, but still not very on-topic, IMHO. However, I like that album even though it still has those vocals.

Mirror – this band was possibly the biggest disappointment (style wise, not necessarily musically) out of all recommendations, as it is often mentioned as influenced by several bands I have mentioned (Accept, Saxon, Scorpions), although I don’t find them to fit into this topic at all (they have some 70s influences, but mostly from Rainbow and, to a lesser extent, Black Sabbath), apart from the song “Running from the Law”.

Outlaw – this band is exactly what I have meant when I wrote about the influence of “faster tracks by older bands such as Accept or Judas Priest”. While the album is not terrible, I find it to be pretty monotonous and boring (a problem I find in many of the so-called NWOTHM bands). Song “Vice” is quite good, though, as well as “Future Wars” from their demo.

Terminal - although they sing in Slovenian, I have always connected them with Soviet scene of mid/late-80s (Aria, heavier songs of Markiza, etc.). Same stands for their ballads, as they don’t sound like something coming from East Europe (mostly former Yugoslavia) during the late 70s and early 80s. I like them very much, though

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2020 5:43 pm
by mustardgasattack
Danava. They definitely have a FWOHM/NWOBHM sound on their later records. Earlier stuff has more prog/psych going on but this stuff definitely has Judas Priest, Diamond Head, Riot etc all over along with some lingering 70s vibes. https://youtu.be/VBxhaiUNGIw

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2020 6:10 pm
by doomedplanet
With discussions like this it is always open to interpretation. What about these?:

Witchtower:
https://witchtowerspain.bandcamp.com/album/witchtower

or
https://deathmanheavymetal.bandcamp.com/releases

have you check the Heavy Chains Records bands? https://heavychainsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Many styles, possibly something there in the assorted demos and 7" they have released? Deathman is there too. I like Angelsword quite a lot. Some people hate them.

Maybe Citadelle?
https://citadelle.bandcamp.com/releases

Spiker?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEvEi95bAEE

what about the Swords and chains label?
https://swordsandchains.bandcamp.com/

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:43 pm
by Khnud
Coltre, complete Angel Witch / Diamond Head worship.
https://coltre.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-influence

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:03 am
by bigfootkit
Stone Dagger might scratch your itch though they're perhaps a little more Metallic than the examples you provided.

https://electricassaultrecords.bandcamp ... -jerusalem

Or Corsair perhaps, if you like that old-school Lizzy twin-lead guitar thing some of their stuff is really good.

https://corsair.bandcamp.com/album/alpha-centauri-ep

There's also a UK band who do a similar harmony guitar thing but i can't think of their name just now. They wear like medieval peasant tunics & have a vaguely christian influence to their lyrics. Played HOA a few years back. Dammit, it just won't come to me. :oops:
Anyone?

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2020 5:34 am
by wicked keeper
Wytch Hazel?

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:44 am
by tbieri
There are some, but most of them are not good. Try Haumt and Kryptos.
Haunt (Iif Icarus could fly) has great guitars and really cool songs.
Kryptos (Afterburner) are eventually not hard Rocking enough for you and the singer ist a rough one. But the riffing is outstanding!

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2020 12:31 pm
by Lord_Sauron
Thanks to everyone who has reccomnded something so far. I am really grateful. I can't listen to the bands right now, but will take a look tommorow and give you my opinion :)

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2020 4:21 am
by bigfootkit
wicked keeper wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 5:34 am Wytch Hazel?
THANK YOU!! That's precisely who i meant, but the ole grey matter just wouldn't give up the name.

https://wytchhazel.bandcamp.com/album/prelude

These might fit the bill too:

https://heatbandofficial.bandcamp.com/t ... love-grows

https://nightband.bandcamp.com/track/fi ... ss-the-sky

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 5:19 am
by Lord_Sauron
I finally managed to listen to all the recommendations and I put my opinion on the bottom of the opening post.

I still have to check in more detail those two record labels mentioned, as well as the HMR topic I have mentioned in the opening post.

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:05 am
by bigfootkit
Glad to hear that some of the suggestions scratched your itch.
Another one which might be up your street is the Swedish band VOJD (formerly known as Black Trip), this slow-burning track kept dragging me back to hear it over & over:

[youtube]5W0vHRCvfbU[/youtube]

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 9:26 am
by Lord_Sauron
bigfootkit wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:05 am Glad to hear that some of the suggestions scratched your itch.
Another one which might be up your street is the Swedish band VOJD (formerly known as Black Trip), this slow-burning track kept dragging me back to hear it over & over:

[youtube]5W0vHRCvfbU[/youtube]
Sorry, I have somehow missed your last post. I will give a listen to the band soon, thank you very much. I am currently listening to some of the recommendations from the older HMR topic I have mentioned and will provide opinion in the opening post once I am finished (in a week or so) :)

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:47 am
by Pavlos
[youtube]cWPHdM7wxv0[/youtube]

Midas from Detroit might fit here. Priest, Lizzy, Maiden - it's all there....

I'd bet a lot of money that Midas know the legendary Dragonslayer (UK) as this linked song here reminds me of the song 'The Slayer' with its vocal lines and the riffing....they even quoted the way the word "night" echoes/sounds at 1:44.

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:05 pm
by Lord_Sauron
Pavlos wrote: Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:47 am [youtube]cWPHdM7wxv0[/youtube]

Midas from Detroit might fit here. Priest, Lizzy, Maiden - it's all there....

I'd bet a lot of money that Midas know the legendary Dragonslayer (UK) as this linked song here reminds me of the song 'The Slayer' with its vocal lines and the riffing....they even quoted the way the word "night" echoes/sounds at 1:44.
Thank you very much, sounds nice. Some other obligations had me occupied, so I am still listening to the bands from the other topic, and I would probably post more detailed opinions this time next week :)

Re: Late 70s/early 80s influenced NWOTHM

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:02 pm
by fengisriprider
You will want to hear the newest From White Magician.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/icUL1uAT3M8[/youtube]