The New Wave of British Heavy Metal(often abreviated to NWOBHM) was a Heavy metal movement that started in the mid to late 1970s, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s, list a new wave like Depeche Mode, and Duran Duran, The movement devoloped as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppellin and Black Sabbath. NWOBHM bands toned down the blues influences of earlier bands, adapted a tougher sound, incorperated elements of punk rock, increased the tempo and added more distortion tp create a heavier feel with more palm muted guitar riffs than that of earlier acts, taking a harder aproach to its music. The music later became very influencal to or a direct influence on extreme metal genres, such as Thrash metal, [thrash metal bands such as(American bands)Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Exodus (German bans)Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Holy Moses (Brazilian bands)Sepultura, Sarcofago (Canadian bands)Annihilator and Voivod list NWOBHM bands Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Raven, Diamond Head and Venom as prime influence on their sound], and the early Black metal scene as well.
Reviled or ingnored by many mainstream critics in both UK and US, the NWOBHM nonetheless came to dominate the heavy metal and hard rock scene of the early 1980s, NWOBHM was musically charaterized by fast upbeat tempo songs, power chords, fast and extended guitar solos and, melodic-soaring high registered vocals, with lyrical themes often drawling on mythology and fantasy fiction sometimes on real life reality or world chaos going on at the time. Many of the bands in this era were signed to Neat Records, who released volumes of NWOBHM compilations in later years