Heavy metal, in general, has rarely got the respect it deserves, particularly from music critics, who either see it as the lowest common denominator with its lumpen riffs and cod-fantasy lyrics, or worse, simply refuse to understand and ignore it. There have been bastions of support, but outside of specific media such as Kerrang magazine or the Friday Rock Show, it’s been treated with ambivalence and sometime contempt. There has been a change in attitudes in recent years, but the focus has been more on the heavy bands who tend to cross over into experimental and avant-garde music. The Amon Amarths of the world still remain resolutely uncool.
Whilst the aforementioned Amon Amarth perhaps should remain at the pulp end of metal, along with Manowar, there are many other bands along the way who have not just created some rather great music, but have helped define the genre as we know it. Chief amongst these are the young upstarts that got lumped under the banner of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, or NWOBHM for short. Indeed, you only have to spend two minutes in the company of Lars Ulrich, erstwhile drummer for Metallica, probably the biggest metal band ever, for him to start spouting on about bands such as Diamond Head, Raven and Venom. Names which, outside of the genre, may mean nothing, but within, caused seismic changes.
Michael Hann’s Denim And Leather – The Rise And Fall of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal charts the history of this scene, and its eventual demise. Presented as an oral history, with many of the participants of the time providing their memories, it is a book which unfolds in the manner of potent insights, half remembered anecdotes, and more than a dollop of the spirit that Saxon sang about in their song which the book takes its title from. All the major contributors of the scene are represented in one way or another, although notable absences are the current members of Iron Maiden and in particular Steve Harris, and Geoff Barton, who became a prominent figurehead of the scene through his documentation via Sounds and Kerrang. It’s worth noting that Paul D’ianno and Dennis Stratton do contribute their side of the story from an Iron Maiden perspective.
Minor quibbles aside, by concentrating on the scene as a whole, rather than zoning in on any particular band or album, the book becomes a somewhat remarkable social history of a moment in time which could never happen again. It’s a story of backstreet pubs and community clubs, DIY stage shows, live performances either side of the bingo, demo tapes, and countless journeys up and down the motorways of Britain. The spectre of punk looms large, but virtuosity and a penchant for the occult replaces the terrace chant mentality. Even more so, is that I looking back at this brief time, you get a sense of the sizeable changes that were about to occur in the genre through thrash, speed, death, and black metal. The entire scene as we know it now essentially birthed from a disparate bunch of bands who happened to be given the umbrella moniker of NWOBHM from a magazine editor looking to jump on to something new during the dying throes of punk.
By letting the people who were there do the talking, Hann divests himself of any critical analysis, and it is left up to the reader to explore the music themselves to make up their own mind. It’s worth noting that for every Diamond Head was a bunch of other bands who maybe should never have picked up an instrument. The spectre of the music industry looms large too, with the hunt for hit singles perhaps diluting the chances and talents of some of the more promising bands. The demise of Tygers of Pan Tang serves as a warning to those who may choose to follow the course of fame and fortune, although with the phenomenal success of Def Leppard, you really cant blame anyone for trying.
So it becomes a story of missed chances, and success for the few. Many of the bands remain playing in some form or other, but it is only really Iron Maiden and Def Leppard who continue to achieve major success. For others, they become a footnote in history, albeit for some a footnote which influenced a generation of metal musicians. Denim And Leather is an essential read for any self-respecting fan of heavy metal, and perhaps it also offers some long needed recognition that metal as a genre is so much more than what its critics and dismissers would have you believe.
