Though an "unauthorised" use of the name Iron Maiden, Maiden playing no part what-so-ever with this production, it is still very much an in-depth, authentic and articulate account of the birth of a new music phenomenon that was to spearhead and explode throughout the world into the blue-collar, sub-culture that is Heavy Metal.
Told by those who have fond memories of those early days of this music genre; Neal Kay (Metal DJ) to music journalists' Malcolm Dome, Jerry Ewing and Geoff Barton to Joel McIver and Garry Bushell. Also included are band members from Diamond Head, Girlschool, Tygers of Pan Tang, Samson, Praying Mantis, ex-members of Iron Maiden Paul Di'Anno and Dennis Stratton all giving a retrospective of a time when British music, once more, conquered the world.
With interesting conjunctions of clips and pictures from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath to Motörhead and AC/DC to Earth Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder, and many more, to help project the narrative into the mystery of just exactly when did Heavy Metal become apparent.
Fighting its way through the spit and hate of Punk Rock the Rock genre had re-emerged itself into this new, fresh and youthful music genre; Heavy Metal. The philosophy shown here is to outline the music connections, which these up and coming bands had embraced, and which, in turn, then forms its own musical style that was to become the NWOBHM. There too would be winners and losers with the emergence of this new wave of long-haired head-bangers'. At the top of its game, and the DVD's main example? Iron Maiden.
The demographic of Heavy Metal is best placed within the book "Heavy Metal: The Music And Its Culture", an extremely in-depth look into its entire cultural ethos, by Deena Weinstein PhD. To accompany this film, also, one may wish to see the official "Iron Maiden: Behind the Iron Curtain" (1985) and "Iron Maiden: 12 Wasted Years" (1987) DVD's to fully understand the reasoning as to why this package has used the name that is Iron Maiden, it's a fitting example of Metal and its power, aesthetic and hold. The 1983 "The Comic Strip Presents...: Bad News Tour" and its younger sibling "The Comic Strip Presents...: More Bad News" of 1988 is a wonderful satire and parody of this genre and is truly worth a look into the perspective of the Heavy Metal band.
"Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal" is a very intriguing insight into this era of what was coming out of England during the nineteen seventies and to withhold its ground up until the demise of is popularity with mainstream media outlets of the nineteen eighties. A very thought provoking and historical document that rightly holds its ground in the annals of this loud and proud genre that is still Heavy and still Metal.
