It’s time to get our NWOBHM on with Episode 4 of VH1 Classic’s documentary hit “Metal Evolution”. The series that was the product of the creative Sam Dunn reaches its fourth installment this evening and its going to be a great one. Take a look.

In This Episode: After the early metal bands Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Judas Priest had become household names for headbangers, the next major music scene in the UK to emerge was punk in the mid 1970’s. This was nothing metal fans wanted to associate with, yet there was still a small but faithful following of the underground metal scene. The movement began to grow and was spearheaded by the likes of Motörhead, Diamond Head and gained even more momentum when Iron Maiden began packing local clubs and later went on to sell millions of albums. The media and record labels could no longer ignore these bands and this became a major force in music that had to be reckoned with and was dubbed as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Other notable acts which were part of this included Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, Raven and Praying Mantis. The candle of NWOBHM began to flicker with the emergence of the glam band scene in the US although Def Leppard thrived in this environment as they had diverged into a more mainstream radio-friendly sound. However, it had a major effect on another movement in heavy metal music that was developing across the sea: Thrash. (taken from Wikipedia).

To say that my own record collection (yes and I mean “record collection”) is loaded with Metal music from this particular phase of the genre is an understatement so I am super excited to see how this part is presented to today’s Metal fan and of course folks like myself. You younger fans should definitely look into some of the bands referenced in the premise and of course after you hear them speak on the show. Wow just reading this brings back memories and I am happy to say that a number of these groups are still active. I’ll be enjoying this episode as it airs since I am going to be home tonight. Last evening I caught the crushing set by A Pale Horse Named Death down at The Studio at Webster Hall and wow was that good. It of course left my head ringing but that is part of what a Metal show is about. How psyched are you readers for this particular episode?

Below you can find my widget to several other documentaries about the stuff we love and that come as high recommendations from me. I hope you have begun to look into them because this is the fourth chapter where I have shared this information. Ciao for now.