When tasked with identifying the best of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, it’s tempting to plump for the obvious: Iron Maiden, Saxon, Venom, Diamond Head et cetera. Pointedly, we should exclude Def Leppard from any such list because, as Joe Elliott has insisted on numerous occasions, the Leps were categorically not part of the scene. (Even though they quite clearly were.)
Some mention Judas Priest and Girlschool as contenders but these are the notions of dullards. Metallica got it right when they recorded their celebrated cover versions. Sure, they dabbled with songs by the likes of the aforementioned Maiden and Mr. D. Head, even throwing in a portion of non-NWOBHM Budgie for good measure, but Lars & Co. truly excelled, truly triumphed, on the more obscure tracks they chose to make their own: viz. Blitzkrieg’s self-titled assault on the senses and Holocaust’s bleary-eyed bag o’ bludgeon, The Small Hours.
