In 1980, bassist Lee Abney and guitarist Victor Griffin formed a Knoxville, Tennessee , (later based in Northern Virginia ) doom metal band named Death Row. Shortly thereafter, drummer Joe Hasselvander joined, and the group recruited Liebling on vocals. Former member Swaney soon replaced Abney on bass and the band…
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Cooper’s studio albums from the beginning of the 1980s have been referred to by Cooper as his “blackout albums” because he cannot remember recording them, owing to the influence of his new, and increasing, cocaine addiction. Flush the Fashion (1980), Special Forces (1981), Zipper Catches Skin (1982) and DaDa (1983)…
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It was their last concert before a long hiatus, as at this time Yuya became involved in numerous projects and each member went on to an individual career. Joe Yamanaka recorded numerous solo albums, and collaborated with the iconic reggae band The Wailers in the 1980s. Having quit the guitar…
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Former Twisted Sister drummer Richard Teeter, who had played with the band in 1980 and 1981, died from complications due to esophageal cancer on April 10, 2012.
In 1980, the band released British Steel . The songs were shorter and had more mainstream radio hooks, but retained the familiar heavy metal feel. Tracks such as ” United “, ” Breaking the Law “, and ” Living After Midnight ” were frequently played on the radio. The next…
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Malmsteen’s neoclassical style of metal became popular among hordes of guitarists during the mid-1980s, with contemporaries such as Jason Becker , Marty Friedman , Paul Gilbert , Tony MacAlpine , and Vinnie Moore becoming prominent. In late 1988, Malmsteen’s signature Fender Stratocaster guitar was released, making him and Eric Clapton…
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Formed in the early 1980s, a teenaged Leatherwolf emerged on the Southern California scene sharing bills with fellow L.A and O.C. metal acts such as Metallica , Witch, and Slayer at venues like the Woodstock and Radio City.
Faster Pussycat was formed in Hollywood by Taime Downe during the glam metal and glam punk boom of the 1980s. The earliest incarnation of the band featured Downe and Greg Steele along with Brent Muscat . The name of the band is derived from the Russ Meyer film Faster, Pussycat!…
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with Butler returning to the band in January 1980 and Nicholls moving to keyboards.
Blue Cheer was once again inactive in the early 1980s. There was another attempt to reunite in 1983, but that fell through. In 1984, Peterson had better luck when he returned with Whaley and Rainier as Blue Cheer and a brand new album The Beast Is Back , which was…
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