AA.VV.
Metal For Muthas

THE REVIEW

Let's talk about a compilation that represents the launching pad of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and that, for this reason, has become, especially due to its rarity, a real cult object for hard rock enthusiasts and a historical testament of an era and a movement.

"Metal for Muthas" was born from the idea of a London DJ named Neil Kay, who, driven by his passion for hard rock and perhaps, like many initiators of the New Wave, by a certain impatience for the then-dominant punk culture and music, gathered the works of some bands from the newborn London metal scene, it was 1980. In hindsight, we understand that his greatest merit (and commercial stroke if you will) was the discovery of a little band called Iron Maiden, but although the other names present in this compilation today appear almost unknown with few exceptions, without the contribution of those bands the NWOBHM would have resulted in a musical miscarriage.

The bands present:

the E.F. Band, which takes its name from Par Ericsson and Bengt Fischer, with "Fighting For Rock'n'roll", a genuine hard rock song in the early Maiden style, not yet emancipated from punk frenzies;

Sledgehammer with an eponymous track reminiscent of "Children Of The Grave" in sound and rhythm;

Toad And The Wet Sprocket, a band now unknown, presents a classic blues in A, which in my opinion does not look bad at all in this collection for a symbolic value, since it is indeed a compilation that aims to oppose the punk movement, even a "revisionist" point of view plays its part;

Praying Mantis, who nurtured the backbone of the first historic Iron Maiden line-up (Burr, Stratton, and Di Anno), play a maiden-esque "Captured City";

Ethel The Frog, a band that was quite famous in the London underground at the time, presents "Fight Back", a powerful and fast track that can already be said to be fully heavy metal;

AngelWitch, a revelation band following this compilation in which they perform the track "Baphomet", which immediately appears very aggressive and heavy from rhythm to melody to lyrics;

Samson, on the other hand, perhaps the only ones (besides Iron) who need no introduction, the group of the late Paul Samson presents a semi-ballad, beautiful and melodic, "Tomorrow or Yesterday", the best track of the entire collection;

finally, the Nutz, another band about which there is minimal information, is present with "Bootliggers", a typically hard rock track.

History and perhaps a certain natural selection teach us that from this melting pot came the band that today is the most famous and appreciated hard rock ensemble of all time, also expanding the user base to traditional rock, it is one of those that most closely chases the Rolling Stones.

However, it is above all these other groups, whose names today might make us smile, and the brilliant, timely intuition of Neil Kay, that have, so to speak, defeated the great punk wave of the late '70s and have given us the resurgence of one of the greatest and most exciting musical genres ever, which experienced its golden age during the '80s but still today constitutes the hard core of every whimsical new type of heavy rock.