The first Japanese metal band to make an impression on the United States was Loudness (albeit a slight one, during the mid-'80s), which led to a few other Far East metal outfits being signed to U.S. recording contracts, such as EZO. The group formed in the early '80s with a lineup that consisted of members Masaki Yamada on vocals, Shoyo Iida on... [+] Read More

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Although guitarist and band mastermind Nuno Bettencourt's style was derived from Eddie Van Halen, his heart is with the progressive hard rock of Queen, as well as Beatlesque pop and touches of lounge jazz. Consequently, Extreme's music is never easy to classify; it's not just heavy metal, hard rock, or pop -- their albums cover all of that... [+] Read More

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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

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