Who’s ready to hop into the heavy metal time machine? I am! If ’79 was the year the dam began to burst, as Saxon famously sang, then ’80 was the year the walls gave out completely as the NWOBHM craze flooded airwaves, magazine pages, record store shelves, and festival bills. Equally as popular as the full length was the single, which many aspiring bands resorted to in hopes it would lead to an album deal (Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t). Today, we go back 45 years in time and rank our Top 10 NWOBHM Singles of 1980!
Now before we dive in, let’s clear a few things up. The criteria for this list is the singles need to be standalone, meaning said songs wouldn’t subsequently appear on a full length. If they did (as one of these entries does), they need to be an alternate version from the one that ended up on the album. In other words, if you’re looking for Angel Witch’s “Angel Witch”, Iron Maiden’s “Running Free”, or Saxon’s “Wheels of Steel”, you won’t find ’em here. What you will find, however, are 10 moments of English metal glory, exclusively set to 7 inch vinyl and still as cracking today as they were then.
10. “Praying Mantis” / “High Roller”
Having caught the attention of many a headbanger in ’79 with their debut single, “Captured City”, Praying Mantis struck while the iron was hot, following up in ’80 with another single, “Praying Mantis”. This eponymous track isn’t as rip roaring as some of the other NWOBHM fare released in ’80, but does a fine job building upon the ’70s metal foundation the movement expanded on. A simple boogie metal riff that lies somewhere between Foghat and Wishbone Ash and a steady driving beat keep us jamming from start to finish. The B side, “High Roller”, foreshadows the melodic maneuvers that’d define the timeless Time Tells No Lies (1981), coming off like a lost Bad Company single, a syrupy sweet mix of hooks and heft.
9. Black Axe – “Highway Rider” / “Red Lights”
Before they were melodic metal titans Wolf, they were NWOBHM hairies Black Axe. Before that, they were Leviathan, but it wasn’t until the advent of the NWOBHM and the switch to the Black Axe moniker that they’d hit the scene with their sole single, “Highway Rider”. Despite its raw production, “Highway Rider” showcases a band hellbent on crafting metal that was both meaty and melodic, the latter of which became prevalent on their sole full length as Wolf, Edge of the World (1984). The B side, “Red Lights”, sees the band pick up the pace, going for the jugular with speed metal madness in their eyes. It’s the best of both worlds!
8. White Spirit – “Backs to the Grind” / “Cheetah”
Ever pick up a single where the B side destroyed the A side? White Spirit’s debut single, “Backs to the Grind”, is a fine example of this. The A side, while all fine and good, is nothing earthshattering. Largely adhering to the hard rock status quo of the day, one could easily mistake it for a Babys single that never was, especially thanks to its emphasis on synths. It’s the B side that singlehandedly lands it on this list. In an era where Deep Purple existed in the past tense and Rainbow had moved onto greener, commercialized pastures, “Cheetah” was as close to a Mk. II Purple rager one could get…well, short of a Gillan album, of course. It’s no surprise that guitarist Janick Gers was subsequently poached by Gillan just a year later.
7. Vardis – “If I Were King” / “Out of the Way”
Praying Mantis weren’t the only band who stepped out in ’79 and returned with a vengeance in ’80. So did Vardis! The boogie metal masters debuted a summer earlier with their aptly titled 100 M.P.H. Fast forward roughly 6 months later, and Vardis kicked off the ’80s with a bang in the form of their high speed blitz, “If I Were King”. If for whatever reason you didn’t think Motörhead were already an influential act with punk and metal circles by ’80, look no further than “If I Were King” for proof. Its unrelenting riffing and nonstop tempo borrows heavily from Overkill (1979), although frontman Steve Zodiac’s vocals are certainly more melodious than Lemmy. As for the B side, “Out of the Way”, it’s a brash showcase of Quo metal if there ever was one: Fast, frantic, and fabulous!
6. Bleak House – “Rainbow Warrior” / “Isandhlhawa” / “Inquisition”
Similar to bands like Demon and Quartz, Bleak House were an act that, while lumped in with the NWOBHM, featured members whose musical careers go back to when their contemporaries were in primary school! The band’s earliest incarnation formed in 1972 under the moniker Rasputin, and bassist Gez Turner even played bass beforehand for prog-psych obscurities, Pussy, who released their debut album, Pussy Plays, in 1969. Fast forward 11 years later, and “Rainbow Warrior” was the sound of a band who melded those late ’60s/early ’70s psych explorations with the meaty NWOBHM sound like no other. A double B side of the hard jamming “Isandhlwana and high speed “Inquisition” only further add to this potent metallic brew. And yes, I think we’re all aware that Metallica lifted “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” from “Rainbow Warrior” at this point. Next!
5. Holocaust – “Heavy Metal Mania” / “Love’s Power” / “Only as Young as You Feel”
“I’ve got heavy metal music in my blood, and I’d like to give it to you if I could!” One of the greatest lyrics in metal history, if I must say so myself. Of course, Holocaust’s “Heavy Metal Mania” would be rerecorded a year later for their debut album, The Nightcomers, albeit with an extended intro and a slightly faster tempo. Yet for the impact it had on the scene and its sheer anthemic power, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the original 1980 version on this list, long-haired naivety and all. Equally as rocking is the double B side of “Love’s Power” and “Only as Young as You Feel”. Both tunes are heavy handed riff rockers, simple and straightforward in arrangement and delivery. It’s hard to believe this is the same band who would go full blown prog metal mania in later years, but that’s another essay for another day.
4. Diamond Head – “Shoot Out the Lights” / “Helpless”
If you argued Diamond Head to be the proverbial NWOBHM band, I don’t think I’d disagree. They embodied the ethos of the era to a T: Kids barely in their 20s bashing out no frills, riff-centric headbangers in the tradition of early Sabbath and Zeppelin. “Shoot Out the Lights” is an audio manifestation of this philosophy. After two demos in the late ’70s, Diamond Head were now ready for public consumption with this explosive little single. “Shoot Out the Lights” rips and roars with fevered English rock rage, while B side “Helpless” speeds along with drama and force. Of course, an alternate version “Helpless” would appear a few months later on their debut full length, Lightning to the Nations, but it’s this embryonic version, lacking the proggy jam section of the album version, that many headbangers hold closest to their denim jackets.
3. Quartz – “Satan’s Serenade” / “Bloody Fool” / “Roll Over Beethoven”
A year before Venom sang about being “In League with Satan”, Quartz were serenading the dark one with one of the most epically underrated NWOBHM classics of all time. With all due respect to their Tony Iommi produced eponymous 1977 debut, “Satan’s Serenade” is the sound of a razor sharp metal band, bursting with demonic riffs, sizzling solos, bombastic vocals, and nonstop energy. The cowbell-laden “Bloody Fool” keeps heads banging and fists pumping, while a live heavy boogie rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” brings this release on home perfectly. Also, is it me, or do they sing “Roll Over Bay-hoven”? Is that the actual pronunciation of the famed composer’s last name? If so, color me shocked.
2. Trespass – “One of These Days” / “Bloody Moon”
If there’s one NWOBHM band who got cheated out of a full length, it’s Trespass. Formed in 1978 as Track IV, the band soon changed their name to Trespass after the Genesis album of the same title. Come 1980 (as confirmed in our interview with main man Mark Sutcliffe), the band made their recorded debut with one of the finest singles in NWOBHM history, “One of These Days”. Despite its heavy riffs and powerful performances, it’s the earworm melodies and soulful vocals that really drive this home, resulting in quite a unique hybrid. Every time I crank this one, I feel as if I’m on a one way trek to heavy metal heaven. The Wishbone Ash flavored twin guitar romp of B side “Bloody Moon” is nearly as impressive, even if not as accessible as its A side.
- Iron Maiden – “Sanctuary” / “Drifter” / “I’ve Got the Fire”
Contrary to whatever Steve Harris tells you, Iron Maiden had no shortage of punk rock cred during the Di’Anno days, with arguably their punkiest moment arriving in the form of the “Sanctuary” single. For crying out loud, the cover depicts Margaret Thatcher being knifed by the band’s zombie mascot, Eddie. It doesn’t get more punk than that! Equally as punk is its accompanying A side. “Sanctuary” boasts a lead riff that’s essentially pure English metalpunk on speed, complete with lyrics about evading the law. Again, how is this not punk again? Backing this iconic A side is an early live rendition of “Drifter”, which would close out Killers a year later, and a fiery rendition of Montrose’s ’70s metal classic, “I’ve Got the Fire”. Put these three bangers together and you’ve got the best NWOBHM single of 1980!
Great list, brother! 🤘🙌