Much has been written about those heady days in the early 80s when the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal<\/a> swept across the UK, conjuring countless great bands and inspiring Metallica in the process. But with the obvious exceptions of Iron Maiden<\/a>, Def Leppard<\/a> and Saxon<\/a>, few of the movement\u2019s key players truly deserved legendary status: Angel Witch being the key exception.<\/p>\n Latest Videos From Louder<\/p>\n Darker, heavier and more adventurous than their innumerable peers, Kevin\u2019s crew may not have equalled the commercial achievements of the aforementioned legendary trio, but their self-titled 1980 debut album is widely and rightly regarded as one of the genuine classic records of that era.<\/p>\n \n Angel Witch\u2019s Kevin Heybourne in the early 1980s (Image credit: George Bodnar Archive\/Iconicpix)<\/p>\n And while the upbeat boogie rock of its opening title track (yes, it\u2019s Angel Witch by Angel Witch from the album Angel Witch) is in no way typical of their sound, it is a certified NWOBHM anthem. As Kevin notes with a chuckle, if he had tried to write a song that would endure for 40 years, it definitely wouldn\u2019t have worked out.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole NWOBHM thing didn\u2019t exist when I wrote Angel Witch,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWe were called Lucifer at that point and we were just a heavy rock band. I was in love with Sabbath, you know? I didn\u2019t like anything else I was hearing. I liked bands like Led Zep and Deep Purple, but I preferred the Sabs because it just made more sense to me, with everything that was happening around me. I thought, \u2018Why is everyone writing love songs?\u2019 I was into the fantasy thing and horror and I just felt that was more of the way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, Angel Witch is one of Kevin\u2019s band\u2019s only upbeat and cheerful tunes, with lyrics that do seem to point to the internal monologue of a surly teenager. In stark contrast to the music, which kicks all manner of unholy arse, lines like, \u2018The more love I feel for you, the more you fade away\u2019 are unlikely to give Slayer sleepless nights.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it was a load of shit that just came out of my head at 17 years old!\u201d the guitarist laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s like a love song, but gone wrong. But I didn\u2019t spend days agonising over the words. It was just another rock song. I\u2019ve no fucking idea what would go through a 17-year-old\u2019s head now, but you had to think on your feet back then. Now you just go on YouTube and learn someone else\u2019s solo or whatever. It\u2019s a shame, really.\u201d<\/p>\n While the rest of the material Kevin was writing as an aspiring teenage musician tended towards a more overtly Sabbath-influenced sprawl of riffs and atmosphere, Angel Witch itself was a snappy, three-minute rampage with a brilliantly simplistic chorus (\u2018You\u2019re an angel witch! You\u2019re an angel witch!\u2019) that, as it turns out, even incredibly drunk people at metal shows can sing along with. None of this was in Kevin\u2019s mind at the time, however. He was just trying to emulate one of his favourite bands.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d been listening to a [British psych rock legends] Pink Fairies track, Walk Don\u2019t Run,\u201d Kevin says. \u201cI just loved the groove they used for that and the way there was a pause between hitting each chord. I just worked around that and it just evolved from there. It was easy. The intro guitar part came a bit later. I thought, \u2018I\u2019ve got to start it somehow!\u2019 I\u2019ve got no idea where that came from. I was just messing around with the E and the B string, just to follow the chords, and it just appeared!\u201d<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n![\"Angel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/xDZTHMJMscBCefHb6MPa3k.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
![\"Angel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NY9U2LGMcRRUbgC8GkrkTH.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n