American singer Steff Fontaine, formerly of Christian metal band Joshua , joined in July 1986 but was criticised for being totally “unprofessional” (he missed, for some reason, a San Francisco gig) and was sacked in September 1986 after just one American tour. Fontaine’s position was offered then to ex-Grand Prix,…
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In June bassist Zod, who was one of the original members, would finally leave the band, being replaced by Xenon Ishikawa.
Turbo was released in April 1986 and it is the last studio album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. The band adopted a more colourful stage look and gave their music a more mainstream feel by adding guitar synthesisers . The band had a successful arena tour, with 100…
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In September 1985, Europe was approached by an executive from Epic Records. They helped Europe start the recording of its next album with Journey producer Kevin Elson. The result was The Final Countdown . Released on 26 May 1986, the album gave the band its international breakthrough, was certified Triple…
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Their first studio release featured classic songs like “Wild Anthem” and “Warning Action”. Their first EP single in 1986, entitled “Xanadu”, was the first known song to be used for promotion of a brand new video game, namely Nihon Falcom ‘s computer RPG Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu . Their second…
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From 26 March to 3 April 1986, the band toured West Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark on their “Easter Metal Blast” and in June, played two dates in Bologna and Milan in Italy. The court case with Bronze was finally settled in the band’s favour. The band’s management instigated their…
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On April 2, 1986, they released both their second album, The End of the Century , and their first single “Rōningyō no Yakata”.
To ensure a continuous outlet for the band’s music, Yoshiki founded the independent label Extasy Records in April 1986, and released their second single ” Orgasm “.
The US tour to support Spreading the Disease opening for Black Sabbath was canceled after four dates due to Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes ‘ voice problems. In April 1986, Anthrax attempted its first tour of Europe beginning in Bochum, Germany, supported by Overkill and Agent Steel . The tour included…
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During March and April 1986, Venom were supposed to record their fifth album, Deadline , but internal relationships began to deteriorate. A live album, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik , and a second live video, Alive in ’85 , were released in 1986. Dunn then left the band to release a solo…
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