Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal DVD Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 07.07.2008
The early years of Iron Maiden and the bands involved in the NWOBHM are a part of a new documentary, "Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal." Does the DVD do justice to an important part of metal history?
The Running Length
157 Minutes (Main Feature)
The Rating
Unrated, but contains strong language and brief nudity
The Release Date
June 10th, 2008
The Main Feature
Every metal fan knows the impact that Iron Maiden had on metal music in the early 1980’s. Not only did they influence countless bands, from Venom to Metallica to Anthrax, but they were the leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal or “NWOBHM.” During the late 1970’s, music was entering a unique time, with punk becoming a huge sensation overnight. Over in the UK, a new genre was forming, one that mixed punk and rock together to form a faster, more metallic sound that would sweep the nation before fading into obscurity only a few years later. “Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal” goes into great detail about the time period before, during, and after the NWOBHM. While not every band from the wave is represented, the two-and-a-half hour documentary goes in-depth with the main bands of the movement, including Praying Mantis, Def Leppard, Saxon and, obviously, Iron Maiden.
The documentary starts slow, showing a brief history of the late 60’s/early 70’s in music, and debating on where the term “heavy metal” came from. This could have its own documentary, but is only harped on for a few moments before skipping to 1975, where funk was having an impact on many hard rock/heavy metal bands of the time (Deep Purple, Rainbow). Iron Maiden formed in ‘75, as did Motörhead, and from there, the documentary goes into the early history of Iron Maiden, occasionally going into the impact of the other bands involved in the movement.
In the first half of the documentary, a lot more time is spent on the other bands caught in the NWOBHM, including the bands mentioned in the first paragraph, along with Tygers of Pan Tang and Sam Son. What about Diamond Head, you ask? They only get a brief clip at the end, where music journalist Malcolm Dome says they could have been the frontrunners of the movement, if not for bad timing. I have to agree with that, but the documentary should have showed some more footage from Diamond Head, as their impact can’t be understated, at least to most metal fans.
The second half shifts focus more in Maiden’s corner, but the documentary does a solid job of showing clips from other bands during whatever time period they are talking about. A conversation on the impact of the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols is an interesting topic, but it is short-lived, as the documentary quickly goes back to metal, looking at an all-female band Girlschool. I would have liked to have seen more about the role of females in metal during the NWOBHM.
The footage is taken from news reportings, live video, and some official music videos as well. All of the footage is pieced together well, and while no full videos are shown, enough is taken out of them that the viewer can grasp the idea at hand. The interviews are from a vast number of people who were involved in the NWOBHM, including Neal Kay (DJ and owner of the "Heavy Metal Soundhouse," which is where a lot of the NWOBHM was played), Paul Di’Anno (vocalist for first two Iron Maiden albums), Dennis Stratton (guitarist for Iron Maiden's debut album), Brain Tatler (guitarist for Diamond Head), and members of Samson, Tygers of Pan Tang’s, Saxon, and Praying Mantis.
Since this DVD is unauthorized, members of Iron Maiden that were around during the NWOBHM, and are still in the band to this day, were not interviewed, which means no Dave Murray, Bruce Dickinson, or Steve Harris. A perspective of the NWOBHM by somebody like Harris would have been appreciated, as he was, and still is, the main songwriter of the band. Like I said earlier, some bands were glossed over (Angel Witch, Venom) or completely forgotten about (Holocaust, Sweet Savage). It’s strange to think that in a documentary that’s over 150 minutes long that these bands were glossed over.
“Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal” is a good documentary that touches on most of the important NWOBHM bands involved in the movement during the late 70’s/early 80’s. It’s great to take a look back at the beginning of what would become the storied career of Iron Maiden, and take a gander at other bands that were either left behind to struggle or completely changed their sound to appeal to a mass audience (America). While it suffers from a few flaws, “Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal” is a detailed look at one of the most influential time periods in metal history.
Rating (Out Of 10): 7.0
The Audio and Video
Both the audio and video are as basic as they get. I’m talking about 4:3 screen format and stereo sound. The video quality ranges, depending on what clips are used. Older, non-official clips look terrible, the interviews are usually very dark. The only really good looking clips are the official music videos, and even then, the age on them is apparent.
Rating (Out Of 10): 4.0
The Extras
The Roots of Air Guitar With Neal Kay (5:56): A brief featurette that basically shows a bunch of young kids playing air guitar with cardboard cutouts. It’s absolutely hilarious and the best extra on the DVD
The NWOBHM on Radio 1 with Tony Wilson(3:15): A pointless featurette that takes a short look at how NWOBHM music got onto a big radio station.
Contributors Biography
NWOBHM Interactive Quiz
Beyond DVD
Rating (Out of 10): 4.5
The 411: The documentary is detailed, packed with interviews from people involved in the NWOBHM, and will keep your attention for the entire 157 minutes. The video and audio aren't great, the extras are slim, and the lack of attention to certain bands (No Venom? Only a minute of Diamond Head!?) bring the entire DVD package down a few notches, but the documentary is worth the price, as long as you don't expect anything else besides it.
