 The momentum behind the NWOBHM also benefited already established bands , which reclaimed the spotlight with new and acclaimed releases . Ex @-@ Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan returned to sing heavy metal with the album Mr. Universe in 1979 and was on the forefront of the British metal scene with his band Gillan in the following years . His former Deep Purple band mate Ritchie Blackmore also climbed the UK charts with his hard rock group Rainbow 's releases Down to Earth ( 1979 ) and Difficult to Cure ( 1981 ) . Black Sabbath recovered and returned to success with the albums Heaven and Hell ( 1980 ) and Mob Rules ( 1981 ) , featuring the ex @-@ Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio . 1980 saw several other entries by hard rock and heavy metal bands in the top 10 of the British charts : MSG 's first album peaked at No. 8 , Whitesnake 's Ready an ' Willing at No. 6 , Judas Priest 's best @-@ seller British Steel and Motörhead ' s Ace of Spades at No. 4 , while Back in Black by AC / DC reached number one . 
