Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Decades Active: 70s, 80s
A product of New Yorker City's early-'70s glam rock scene, Twisted Sister were eager students of the New York Dolls, with the theatrics of Kiss and the shock rock of Alice Cooper thrown in for good measure. While providing an excellent role model from an artistic standpoint, the Dolls' disappointing record sales and subsequent implosion would... [+] Read More
Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
With a gritty reputation that was arguably equaled only by Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe's infamous antics made them a force to be reckoned with in the '80s. As one of the first and most influential hair metal bands of the '80s, Mötley Crüe had a series of hit albums, the biggest and most noteworthy being 1989's Dr. Feelgood. The band continued to... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s
Ratt's brash, melodic heavy metal made the Los Angeles quintet one of the most popular rock acts of the mid-'80s. The group had its origins in the '70s group Mickey Ratt, which had evolved into Ratt by 1983; at that time the band featured vocalist Stephen Pearcy, guitarist Robbin Crosby, guitarist Warren DeMartini, bassist Juan Croucier, and... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s
After recording two solo albums, former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale formed Whitesnake around 1977. In the glut of hard rock and heavy metal bands of the late '70s, their first albums got somewhat lost in the shuffle, although they were fairly popular in Europe and Japan. During 1982, Coverdale took some time off, so he could take care... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
In the eyes of countless hard rock fans, David Lee Roth is the prototypical frontman. With a flamboyant, larger than life stage presence and a party-hearty surfer dude persona (not to mention his acrobatic leaps, long mane of blond hair, and skintight spandex outfits), Roth was an integral part of Van Halen's meteoric rise to global dominance... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
No band affected the metal world more than Pantera during the early to mid-'90s. Beginning with its 1990 album, Cowboys from Hell, the post-thrash band put to rest any and all remnants of the '80s metal scene, almost single-handedly demolishing any notion that hair metal, speed metal, power metal, et al., were anything but passé. Sure, a lot of... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
In a decade fueled by party anthems and power ballads, Poison found a high amount of popularity, with only Bon Jovi and Def Leppard outselling them. While the group had a long string of hits, they soon became just as renowned for their stage show, and continued to be a major attraction over the course of their first three albums. Although their... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
In many ways, Alice in Chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. Drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-Van Halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. They were hard enough for metal fans, yet... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
"6 Top Guns, spewing forth the power of heavy metal".
There once was a time where 'heavy metal' was not about how low your tuning was, how brutal your vocals were or how much double kick action the drummer could belt out. Once upon a time, heavy metal encompassed more - the passion, the conviction, belief in the god of metal... oh,...
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Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Decades Active: 90s
When lead singer and heavy metal legend Rob Halford left Judas Priest in the early '90s (following two decades of service in the veteran band), he quickly rebounded with a ferocious new metal band called Fight, which he co-founded with Priest drummer Scott Travis. Fleshing out the group's lineup with guitarists Russ Parrish and Brian Tilse and... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Formed in the spring of '95',Fools Faith, formally known as Aftermath is a rare find in a musical world of mediocrity. Combining the best of "80's Metal" with elements of today's sound, Fools Faith finds equal ground unparalleled by today's standards. Signed to Escape Music (U.K.) in the winter of 2002, their debut release "Natural Destruction"... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s
Before Pearl Jam, there was Mother Love Bone. Future Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard (guitar) and Jeff Ament (bass) were founders of this Seattle-based glam/punk outfit, which was fronted by flamboyant singer Andrew Wood. But despite countless accolades from the press and their peers, the group's career was cut short before it could truly... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s
Ratt's brash, melodic heavy metal made the Los Angeles quintet one of the most popular rock acts of the mid-'80s. The group had its origins in the '70s group Mickey Ratt, which had evolved into Ratt by 1983; at that time the band featured vocalist Stephen Pearcy, guitarist Robbin Crosby, guitarist Warren DeMartini, bassist Juan Croucier, and... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
Former Vinnie Vincent Invasion members Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum formed Slaughter with guitarist Tim Kelly and drummer Blas Elias in 1988 in an attempt to cross over to pop audiences. Their metal style's main focus is on catchy melodies and Mark Slaughter's impressive vocal range, particularly his somewhat nasal falsetto. Their first... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
Judging from their name, Suicidal Tendencies were never afraid of a little controversy. Formed in Venice, CA, during the early '80s, the group's leader from the beginning was outspoken vocalist Mike Muir. The outfit specialized in vicious hardcore early on -- building a huge following among skateboarders, lending a major hand in the creation of... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
Although Tesla emerged during the glory days of hair metal, they never completely fit the spirit of the times. Their music was well-produced pop-metal, to be sure, but they never indulged in the glammed-up excess that made cartoons out of many of their peers. Instead, Tesla's music was bluesy, no-frills, '70s-style hard rock; it concentrated... [+] Read More