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Metal Pioneers Diamond Head Tour the U.S. for the First Time in 35 Years!!

Heavy metal has gone through so many phases in it’s forty-year existence that just saying “heavy metal” isn’t enough to specify what you’re talking about; there’s thrash metal, speed metal, glam metal, industrial metal, death metal, black metal and so on. But, the first heavy metal sub-genre to gain popularity after the initial crop of bands (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest) was the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The NWOBHM started in the late ’70s and the bands incorporated elements of punk (which was taking Britain by storm at the time) and played harder and faster than their predecessors, with less blues influences and a lyrical focus on mythology, occultism and fantasy. All this came together to create a tougher sound with crunching power chords and lightening-fast guitar solos.

Key bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal were Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon and Motorhead. Another key, but less recognized act in the movement was Diamond Head. While Diamond Head never achieved the level of success that was reached by some of their peers, they would prove to be a major influence on the thrash metal scene of the late 80’s. Metallica covered a number of their tunes and bands like Megadeth and Anthrax have both cited the band as a key influence in their sound.
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Iraqi Metal Band Acrassicauda Hit L.A. & Vegas This Week!

While every independent musician struggles to get themselves heard and to gain respect, most have not faced the amount of resistance that Iraqi thrash metal band Acrassicauda have faced. How many bands have received death threats from Islamic militants or had their practice space and all their equipment destroyed by a bomb? How many have been forced to flee their homeland for fear of their lives or forced to ban headbanging at their gigs because of its similarities to the head movements of orthodox Jews? These are just a few of the hurdles that Acrassicauda have had to overcome in their ten year career.

Formed in Baghdad under the regime of Saddam Hussein, Acrassicauda are often credited as being the first heavy metal band from Iraq. The group received international attention when they became the subject of Vice Magazine‘s feature-length documentary “Heavy Metal in Baghdad” which follows the group from their hometown of Baghdad into Syria, where they were forced to flee due to increasing violence in Baghdad, and to Turkey where they fled after the Syrian government declined to extend their visas. The band was eventually, through the help of the good people at Vice Magazine, granted refugee status in the United States.
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