Editing Speed metal (section)

==Origins==
===New wave of British heavy metal===
One of the key influences on the development of speed metal was the new wave of British heavy metal, or [[NWOBHM]]. This was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. NWOBHM bands toned down the [[blues]] influences of earlier acts, incorporated elements of [[Punk rock|punk]], increased the [[tempo]], and adopted a "tougher" sound, taking a harder approach to their music.

It was an era directed almost exclusively at heavy metal fans and is considered to be a major foundation stone for the [[extreme metal]] genres.

The NWOBHM came to dominate the heavy metal scene of the early-mid-1980s. It was musically characterised by fast upbeat tempo songs, [[power chords]], fast [[guitar solos]] and melodic, soaring vocals. Groups such as [[Iron Maiden]], [[Judas Priest]], [[Venom (band)|Venom]], [[Saxon (band)|Saxon]] and [[Motörhead]] as well as many lesser-known ones, became part of the canon that influenced American bands that formed in the early eighties.

===Other metal influences===
[[Image:Motorhead-03.jpg|thumb|[[Motörhead]] playing in 2005]]
Motörhead is often credited as the first band to play speed metal in the mid-1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4965|pure_url=yes}}|title=Motörhead: Biography|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link= Stephen Thomas Erlewine|work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref> [[The Sweet]] released "Sweet F.A." and "Set Me Free" in April 1974 which heavily influenced speed metal later in the decade. Some of speed metal's earlier influences include [[Black Sabbath]]'s "[[Children of the Grave]]" and "[[Symptom of the Universe (song)|Symptom of the Universe]]", [[Budgie (band)|Budgie]]'s "[[Breadfan]]" and [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s "[[Stone Cold Crazy]]" (the latter two were eventually covered by the [[thrash metal]] band [[Metallica]]),<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xxhj|title= Queen: ''Sheer Heart Attack'' Review|last= Jones|first= Chris|date= 7 June 2007|publisher= BBC Music|access-date= 28 March 2009}}</ref> as well as certain [[Deep Purple]] songs such as "[[Speed King]]", "[[Fireball (Deep Purple song)|Fireball]]" and "[[Highway Star (song)|Highway Star]]". The latter was called "early speed metal" by [[Robb Reiner]] of speed metal band [[Anvil (band)|Anvil]].<ref>{{cite web|date=16 March 2009 |url=http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1607080&vid=355015 |title=Anvil On Deep Purple's "Highway Star" |publisher=[[VH1]]  |access-date=8 April 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605044617/http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/355015/anvil-on-deep-purples-highway-star.jhtml#id=1607080 |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref>