Rise of new wave of British heavy metal

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a movement of heavy metal bands that emerged in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bands such as Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard, Diamond Head and Venom brought a faster, tougher sound, combining the energy of punk with the heavy riffs of earlier groups like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Many of them started out by playing in small clubs and sharing demo tapes with fans, as the major record labels were not interested. The name was coined by a journalist at the music paper Sounds. The movement had a huge influence on later metal bands in the United States and Europe, including Metallica.

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