In the Heart of Metal: Ozzy Osbourne Dies in 1982

Chapter 1a: The Demise of a Heavy Metal Pioneer

POD:
March 18-20, 1982: Ozzy Osbourne, former lead vocalist of Black Sabbath and currently engaged in a successful solo career played yet another show with his band in Knoxville, Tennessee. They were due to perform in a festival in Orlando, Florida on March 19. They stopped in Leesburg, Florida after driving for much of the night. Randy Rhoads was invited to take a flight, but declined. As a result, the second flight of March 19 never flew. After performing yet another amazing performance, Ozzy Osbourne decided to indulge in tremendous amounts of alcohol. His drunken antics were well known. He had urinated publically on a cenotaph across from the Alamo only a month prior. Unfortunately for him, he partied a little too hard. He fell asleep and choked on his own vomit. He was found the following morning (March 20) by Rudy Sarzo.

“I still haven’t forgotten the day I found him,” Sarzo later recounted in 1998 following Black Sabbath’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “We just delivered one hell of a show the night before. I don’t think the band had ever performed tighter than that the entire tour. Ozzy liked to drink and so did we. Ozzy just liked to do a lot more than drink and we’d been worried for a while, but we were all on top of the world then. Then when I found his body in the hotel room, I just couldn’t believe it.”

The death of Ozzy Osbourne in 1982 brought a promising solo career to an end. Randy Rhoads, already intending to leave the band to pursue a degree in classical guitar from UCLA, would leave music for a period of time. Rudy Sarzo found a home in Quiet Riot during the recording of Metal Health. Tommy Aldridge would later join Whitesnake. Don Airey briefly took some off from music, but he was invited to join Whitesnake in 1984 when Deep Purple reformed. Another immediate result of the early demise of Ozzy Osbourne was that Black Sabbath was solidified as a band and would continue on with their vocalist Ronnie James Dio for many years to come.

“Geezer and I were both impacted greatly by Ozzy’s death,” recounted Tony Iommi in a 2002 interview. “We were touring for Mob Rules then and the mood was definitely low. We did not part on the greatest terms, but we still had many good years with Ozzy. Ronnie was definitely that guy that held us together like glue that day. We played a tribute to him that night. It was an emotional performance we needed. The audience also needed it.”

Black Sabbath would release a double live album entitled Live Evil in 1983, which included no material with Ozzy Osbourne, but only material recorded from the Mob Rules tour. One impact of Ozzy Osbourne’s demise was that original drummer Bill Ward took an opportunity to get sober and ask Tony and Geezer if he could return. Ronnie, Tony, Geezer, and Vinnie all agreed that the return of Bill Ward would be best. Drummer Vinnie Appice stepped down from Sabbath after only one album with the band. The band began busying itself with recording a new album.

However, things were not all well in the Osbourne camp. Ozzy Osbourne’s marriage to Thelma Riley in the 1970’s produced two children: Jessica Osbourne (1972) and Louis Osbourne (1972). In addition, Ozzy adopted her son Elliot Kingsley (1966). Thelma Riley found herself guardian of an estate she wanted very little so that Jessica could inherit the royalties earned from Ozzy’s solo career as well as his time in Black Sabbath. With Ozzy’s death, that value was due to explode exponentially. Ozzy’s family felt they had more of a right to be guardians of the estate to protect Jessica’s inheritance. It would be the start of a legal fight that would occupy tabloids in the UK for the following year.

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1982 was a big year in music. Michael Jackson released Thriller, which would go on to become the best-selling album of all-time. In the world of heavy metal, there was no shortage of landmark albums. Bruce Dickinson made his recorded debut with Iron Maiden on the album Number of the Beast. Judas Priest released Screaming for Vengeance. Kiss released Creatures of the Night, which would be the final album of their original makeup era.

In the meantime, many other bands were forming in 1982. The glam scene in Los Angeles and the thrash scene in San Francisco were going strong with the formation of new bands and the establishment of the reputations of bands formed in previous years. Perhaps the most important and unheralded release in 1982 was the compilation album Metal Massacre from Metal Blade Records. While it featured bands such as Ratt and Malice, the compilation would go down in importance because of the appearance of the song “Hit the Lights” by the young Los Angeles based thrash metal band Metallica.

Notes:
[1] There were originally two flights on March 19. Don Airey was on the first flight while Randy Rhoads was on the second flight. Rhoads opts to not get on the second flight, which ultimately results in the second flight not happening in TTL. The other passenger Rachel Youngblood had a heart condition. Rhoads deciding not to fly would likely have made Youngblood have second thoughts. This ultimately butterflies out the deaths of Rachel Youngblood and pilot Andrew Aycock. Randy Rhoads was already planning to attend UCLA, so this likely would not have changed for him in the wake of Ozzy Osbourne’s death.
[2] Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice originally parted ways with Black Sabbath in 1982 due to disputes during the mixing of Live Evil. Here, this doesn’t happen because Ozzy’s death brings them closer together. Bill Ward did return to Black Sabbath following Appice’s departure in OTL for the recording of Born Again. Here, it happens for a different reason. This ultimately butterflies out the band Dio, which will cause butterflies to impact the careers of musicians such as Vivian Campbell and Vinnie Appice. Ronnie’s continued involvement in Black Sabbath will also impact the career of Tony Martin.
[3] Rudy Sarzo actually did join Quiet Riot in OTL.
[4] Whitesnake did implode in 1981-1982. This creates an early opening for Tommy Aldridge to join the band rather than Cozy Powell. This will be important later.
[5] It’s important to note that Ozzy Osbourne did not marry Sharon Arden until the summer of 1982, so his death actually prevents her from gaining the rights to his empire. She will, however, continue to perform duties as manager while Thelma Riley acts as the guardian of the estate.

So I figured I would jump on the pop-culture timeline bandwagon.

This is really cool! I don't have much to add. I'm a metalhead, but not so much a historian, at least of Ozzy.

I don't think he contributed very much to music after 1982 (except for Bark at the Moon, but save for the title track, it was a lousy album), so I don't think music is hurt much. YMMV. I know a lot of people liked "No More Tears."

It's still obvious that Ozzy not being around creates a ton of obvious butterflies. Jake E. Lee doesn't rise to the level of prominence that he does and Zakk Wylde is probably the most obvious one who gets impacted here. What's often missed by people is how huge Ozzy was. Ronnie James Dio also impacted many careers during his time on this Earth, so those butterflies will be immense.

Very cool stuff, Ace Venom. I imagine that we'll get something like Dio's Holy Diver as the next Sabbath album instead of Born Again?

Chapter 1b: The Winds of Change

Numerous musicians admitted to being affected by the death of Ozzy Osbourne in 1982. Ritchie Blackmore saw the trio of deaths (John Bonham, Bon Scott, and Ozzy Osbourne) as a sign that old grudges were not worth continuing. For that reason, he began reaching out to former Rainbow and Deep Purple band members. The seeds of a Mark II Deep Purple reunion were in the works, but it would take some time for them to sprout.

Rumors also began to circulate regarding the possibility of a Led Zeppelin reunion. These rumors persisted throughout 1982 and into 1983. Robert Plant discussed the early rumors in a 1987 interview. “Jimmy and I talked about a reunion, but John was not interested at the time,” Robert said. However, a proper Led Zeppelin reunion would not see the light of day until 1984.

One thing that did take root in the wake of Ozzy Osbourne’s death was a sweeping of Black Sabbath nostalgia. Master of Reality, Vol. 4, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath would reach platinum status by the end of 1983. Also, sales of Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules increased dramatically. They too would eventually reach platinum by 1983. Live Evil would only go as far as gold certification. The first two Black Sabbath albums soared in sales. Ozzy Osbourne’s solo albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman would find their way to multi-platinum success. Numerous artists credited Black Sabbath as pioneers, helping their credibility with music critics.

When Black Sabbath released Born Again in 1983, they had a waiting public. Backed by the strength of tracks like “Stand Up and Shout,” “Holy Diver,” “Disturbing the Priest,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Zero the Hero,” and “Rainbow in the Dark,” the album became very popular. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 and at #1 on the United Kingdom charts. The album was dedicated to the memory of Ozzy Osbourne. The album was well received by critics and the general public and it would eventually reach multi-platinum certification in the United States and United Kingdom.

Another event of significance was the end of the makeup era for the band Kiss. On the day of the release of their album Lick it Up, the band appeared live on MTV for the public unmasking. This marketing strategy proved to be a hit because the album would go gold in 1983.

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Two major movements in American metal were occurring in California, but their influence would carry worldwide. Both the glam movement centered in Los Angeles and the thrash movement in San Francisco could count the same heavy metal ancestors. Both movements could claim influence from bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, etc. Their sounds would ultimately go in different directions. Ironically, three of the world’s most influential thrash metal bands originated from Los Angeles rather than San Francisco.

Metallica began in late 1981, but their classic lineup was not complete until 1983. In 1982, Metallica consisted of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, and Ron McGovney. They moved to San Francisco in 1983 per request of Cliff Burton, whom they wanted in the band. Because of this move, Metallica is often considered a San Francisco band rather than a Los Angeles band. Metallica experienced yet another major lineup change before the recording of their 1983 debut album Kill ‘Em All. Dave Mustaine was booted from the band and replaced by Kirk Hammett of Exodus, prompting a feud that lasted for more than a decade.

Dave Mustaine took his frustrations back to Los Angeles, where he met bassist David Ellefson. Mustaine’s desire to get back at Metallica intensified when he saw the band was still using the songs he’d written with the band. Mustaine and Ellefson formed Megadeth. The lineup in the early years even briefly included Kerry King of Slayer fame, but he quickly returned to Slayer. The classic 1980’s lineup consisted of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Chris Poland, and Gars Samuelson. They released their debut album Killing is My Business…And Business is Good in 1985.

Slayer was also founded in 1981 with Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Tom Araya, and Dave Lombardo. Rather than relocate to San Francisco, the band remained in Orange County. In the words of Kerry King, “We wanted nothing to do with what was happening on the Sunset Strip. We might have only played two or three shows there.” The band was able to impress Brian Slagel enough to get a spot on Metal Massacre III with their song “Aggressive Perfector.” Slayer would release their debut album Show No Mercy in 1983.

Perhaps the most important band that formed from the Bay Area thrash metal scene was Exodus. The band formed in 1980 with Kirk Hammett being one of the founding members with Tom Hunting. The classic lineup eventually solidified with the inclusion of Gary Holt and Paul Baloff. Jeff Andrews played bass in the band until 1980 when he was replaced by Rob McKillop. When Kirk Hammett left the band to join Metallica, the classic lineup was completed with the addition of Rick Hunolt. The band recorded their debut album Bonded by Blood in 1984, but it was not released until 1985.

While the San Francisco thrash metal scene gets the most attention, often forgotten was the New York thrash metal scene. This was the scene that spawned the final band of the Big Five. Anthrax was formed in 1981 by Scott Ian and Danny Lilker. The band’s lineup eventually solidified with Neil Turban on vocals, Scott Ian and Dan Spitz on guitars, Danny Lilker on bass, and Charlie Benante on drums. However, unlike Slayer and Metallica, Anthrax did not get off to the fast start they did. Their first album Fistful of Metal was not released until 1984. Lineup issues also plagued the band in their early years, but Joey Belladonna and Frank Bello permanently replaced Neil Turban and Danny Lilker.

However, as influential as these bands would later be considered, albums released in 1983 like Quiet Riot’s Metal Health and Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil would help set the tone for the rest of the decade.

Major album releases in 1983:
AC/DC – Flick of the Switch
Accept – Balls to the Wall
Black Sabbath – Born Again
Def Leppard – Pyromania
Dokken – Breaking the Chains
Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind
Kiss – Lick It Up
Metallica – Kill ‘Em All
Mötley Crüe – Shout at the Devil
Quiet Riot – Metal Health
Slayer – Show No Mercy
Triumph - Never Surrender

Major bands formed in 1983:
Bon Jovi
Death
Fates Warning
Mayhem
Megadeth
Metal Church
Morbid Angel
Poison
Possessed
Queensrÿche
Ratt
Stryper
Testament (known as Legacy until 1986)

Notes:
[1] The Mark II Deep Purple lineup did reunite in OTL. Led Zeppelin reunited briefly in 1985 in OTL.
[2] Bill Ward did return to Black Sabbath for the recording of Born Again in OTL, but left the band before the tour because he had difficulty remaining sober. Here, he is dedicated to being sober after what happened to Ozzy.
[3] Much of how the lineups developed around the Big Four happened as they did in OTL. The butterflies of this timeline won’t impact them until later. However, certain butterflies will make Exodus receiver greater recognition than they did in OTL, thus leading to the greater public recognition of the Big Five of thrash metal.

Blinks. Shakes head. I have no idea what's going on here so thanks for the footnotes. I'm not much of a heavy metal guy (I recognize 3/4, have listened to maybe 1/5) but I'm perfectly happy to read about alternate music just as much as OTL music history although my ability to comment on the genre you've picked is not far from nil.

If/when you begin to expand outward into areas I do know I'll do my best to comment (my explanation of the Winnipeg music scene of the 1990s is a few thousand words I'd wager and I've never even lived there ) but for the moment I'm afraid I'll be one of those darn silent readers.

Electric Monk said:

Blinks. Shakes head. I have no idea what's going on here so thanks for the footnotes.

Click to expand...

I figured the notes would be a good idea for a couple of reasons. It allows people who are unfamiliar with heavy metal to get an OTL perspective. Then there's also the fact that the butterflies are still pretty subtle. However, the butterflies are about to have a gigantic impact in this update.


Chapter 2: Might As Well Jump

By 1984, heavy metal was officially considered to have entered its golden age. Quiet Riot scored the first victory on the Billboard 200 when Metal Health shot to #1 in 1983. More established bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest were stronger than ever at the top of the metal world. Up and coming acts like Mötley Crüe would be standard bearers for the metal movement throughout the 1980’s. In addition, three other major successes of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (Motörhead, Iron Maiden, and Def Leppard) were enjoying a degree of commercial success as their movement declined in favor of glam and thrash.

It only stood to reason that the reunion of two of the biggest bands of the 1970’s would be greeted with enormous worldwide fanfare. The first was Deep Purple, reuniting with its famous Mark II lineup that consisted of Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice. While rumors of the Led Zeppelin reunion circulated throughout 1983, they became a reality when the band appeared on MTV. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones introduced veteran drummer Cozy Powell as the replacement for John Bonham. Both bands promised tours and new albums. “This is long term,” said Page during the introduction on MTV.

1984 was notable for more than just the Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin reunions. The trend of landmark album releases continued. Van Halen hit their commercial peak with the release of the album 1984, which would be the final album recorded with David Lee Roth. Scorpions found enormous commercial success with the release of Love At First Sting.

Black Sabbath released their follow up to Born Again called The Last in Line.

“We wrote much of The Last in Line while we were touring for Born Again,” said Ronnie James Dio in an interview with Rolling Stone. “Unfortunately, the recording process did not go nearly as smoothly as the writing period.”

Bill Ward relapsed into alcoholism during the later stages of the Born Again tour, but he was still able to perform all the dates. Bill Ward was famously late for his recording sessions. Ward later admitted in an interview that he was going through a rough period in his life at the time. This resulted in Ward and the rest of the band parting mutually in 1984. Fortunately for the band, Vinnie Appice was once again available to play the drums. Black Sabbath released The Last in Line in 1984 to a waiting public. The release of the album was well-covered by MTV. The singles “Last in Line,” “We Rock,” and “No Stranger to Love,” received regular airplay on the radio waves.

Deep Purple released their first album in nine years. Perfect Strangers reached #17 on the Billboard 200 and #5 in the UK. The tour was well received by the public and the band was forced to add more US tour dates due to the fact that shows sold out very quickly. More celebrated than the return of Deep Purple was the return of Led Zeppelin. The new album was simply titled Tribute because as the band explained, the reunion was a tribute for their late drummer. Tribute would hit #1 in the UK and #2 on the Billboard 200.

Tickets for the reunion tour sold out almost instantly as they became available in cities. Led Zeppelin’s 1984-85 tour would be one of the top selling tours in the world.

The Rise of Glam Metal

Often discounted by music critics, the early period of glam metal paved the path for other metal subgenres. Debate exists as to the difference between glam metal and “pop metal,” but it was one of the more important periods in popular music. In 1983, Quiet Riot became the first metal band to score a #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Metal Health. Quiet Riot attempted to follow their success from the previous year with Condition Critical. In the meantime, other glam acts were making waves.

“There was this new medium called the music video,” Ronnie James Dio recounted in 2004. “Many metal acts were visual acts, so this worked pretty well for MTV and the profile of other bands. Not all these bands were good, mind you, but it was a different world.”

Def Leppard made the crossover from their New Wave of British Heavy Metal roots to glam metal with the release of High n’ Dry in 1981 and Pyromania in 1983. Other bands from the Sunset Strip such as Mötley Crüe, Dokken, Ratt, Autograph, Great White, and W.A.S.P. were enjoying breakout success thanks to the path paved for them by Quiet Riot.

The glam metal movement, much like the thrash metal movement, was not limited to a single center. From New York, Twisted Sister emerged with success with the release of Under the Blade in 1982 and Stay Hungry in 1984. Bon Jovi emerged from New Jersey, but would not find success until the mid-1980’s. Pantera with young guitar virtuoso Diamond Darrell Abbott emerged from Austin after being discovered by Quiet Riot. Black ‘n’ Blue, which was featured on the second pressing of Metal Massacre with the song “Chains Around Heaven,” formed in Portland, Oregon. Hanoi Rocks was from Finland and they were often credited for being an early inspiration to the glam metal look.

Thrash Thrives in the Underground

While the first wave of glam metal was having mainstream success, the thrash metal movement was also poised for a breakout. Metallica released their second effort called Ride the Lightning. Like their previous album, this album still contained material written by Dave Mustaine. Slayer released a live EP called Haunting the Chapel, which foreshadowed their shift in musical direction. Anthrax released its debut album Fistful of Metal. Thrash metal was going worldwide and there was particularly a strong scene in Germany.

Glam vs. Thrash

As a general rule, fans of thrash metal bands disliked glam metal as well as the fans of that music. Gene Hoglan would later joke, "We hated them because they took our girlfriends." Thrash metal fans called glam metal bands and their fans "posers" and derisively referred to glam as "Gay L.A. Metal."

Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy described an early confrontation with the members of Metallica in L.A.

"We wanted to party with them, but they wanted nothing to do with us," said Pearcy. "I thought we were one big happy metal family."

"I remember we were outside a club where Mötley Crüe was playing and when we saw members of the band, we yelled, 'Mötley Crüe sucks!'" recounted an amused Lars Ulrich.

Metal Diversity

It was during the 1980’s that the metal family tree branched even further. Extreme metal movements were not limited to thrash metal, but black metal and death metal were in their early stages. Like thrash metal, these bands were also inspired by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Early thrash was also influential to the birth of death metal and black metal.

Bathory released what is considered the first black metal record. Simply titled Bathory, the album only clocked 26:52, but the album is still considered a classic of the subgenre. Death metal also grew strong in the underground with bands such as Possessed, Celtic Frost, and Death.

Power metal and neoclassical metal also had their origins in this time period. Yngwie J. Malmsteen, veteran of Steeler and Alcatrazz, released the first of many solo albums. He would go on to inspire many guitar virtuosos around the world. American power metal bands such as Manowar and Jag Panzer would be early examples of this movement.

Progressive metal also had its origins in the 1980’s. Bands like Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and later Dream Theater took elements of progressive rock and fused them with early heavy metal influences.

Spoofing the Scene

Given the popularity of hard rock and heavy metal, it was inevitable that the scenes would get spoofed. Little did director Rob Reiner know that his mockumentary This is Spinal Tap would continue to be popular over thirty years later. The film starred Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest as David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls, and Nigel Tufnel, members of a fictional band known as Spinal Tap. The film was a satire of the behavior and pretensions of musicians as well as the hagiographic tendencies of then current rock documentaries.

The Moral Reaction to Metal

Like with rock music in the 1950’s, certain parents groups had issues with the lyrics of metal songs and other forms of popular music. They complained that the existence of racy lyrics as well as lyrics dealing with violence and the occult would be a negative influence on children. This movement would eventually coalesce as the Parents Music Resource Center or PMRC for short.

The suicide of John McCallum was blamed on Ozzy Osbourne lyrics from the song “Suicide Solution.” It would be the first of many battles over art.

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“It was scary,” said Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen of his accident. “It happened quickly and I’m fortunate that I only had a few scratches and bruises.”

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Major albums released in 1984
Anthrax – Fistful of Metal
Bathory – Bathory
Black Sabbath – The Last in Line
Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers
Dokken – Tooth and Nail
Iron Maiden – Powerslave
Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith
Kiss – Animalize
Led Zeppelin – Tribute
Manowar – Hail to England
Manowar – Sign of the Hammer
Metallica – Ride the Lightning
Motörhead – No Remorse
Queensrÿche – The Warning
Ratt – Out of the Cellar
Rush - Grace Under Pressure
Sammy Hagar – VOA
Scorpions – Love at First Sting
Spinal Tap – This is Spinal Tap
Triumph - Thunder Seven
Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry
Van Halen – 1984
W.A.S.P. – W.A.S.P.
Whitesnake – Slide it In
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Rising Force

Major new bands formed in 1984
Celtic Frost
Death
Iced Earth
Sepultura
Soundgarden
Warrant
Yngwie Malmsteen

Notes:
[1] I took liberties with getting a Led Zeppelin reunion to happen.
[2] Bill Ward’s problems with alcoholism are well documented in OTL.
[3] Pantera gets discovered earlier and these effects will be covered in later updates.
[4] Rick Allen avoids losing his arm in the accident, which means the follow up to Pyromania will be released sooner.

I love this timeline so far but it almost seems the effects of Ozzy's death are very minimal at best except with Black Sabbath, Dio, Randy Rhoads, Deep Purple and Zeppelin.

That being said, I do like the twist with Pantera becoming popular earlier and thus as a glam band. I wonder what that does for Phil Anselmo along with Ozzy's death affecting Zakk Wylde. Maybe they form a band together at some point...

BTW, since Metallica toured with Ozzy in '86 during our timeline, does that mean Metallica opens for Dio Sabbath instead here? Also, I'm curious to see what happens with Randy Rhoads.

Edit: Would Alice in Chains be affected? They were a glam band known as Diamond Lie back in the 80's and then became Alice n' Chains subsequently after.

Cheers
\w/

So, what's going to happen to Anvil?

You may want to mention that Twisted Sister, despite being lumped in with the glam bands both here and in OTL, were much heavier than the rest, at least to begin with (Under the Blade sounded more like judas priest style metal), unless their musical direction was different ITTL.

Metalicon said:

I love this timeline so far but it almost seems the effects of Ozzy's death are very minimal at best except with Black Sabbath, Dio, Randy Rhoads, Deep Purple and Zeppelin.

Click to expand...

The butterflies are starting to grow and will eventually become more significant in the following updates. I also included a bit about Rick Allen not losing his arm in his accident. He still has it here, but he does not lose his arm.

That being said, I do like the twist with Pantera becoming popular earlier and thus as a glam band. I wonder what that does for Phil Anselmo along with Ozzy's death affecting Zakk Wylde. Maybe they form a band together at some point...

Click to expand...

I'm not done with Pantera yet, but they will play a role here.

BTW, since Metallica toured with Ozzy in '86 during our timeline, does that mean Metallica opens for Dio Sabbath instead here? Also, I'm curious to see what happens with Randy Rhoads.

Click to expand...

As far as what happens to Metallica, I have plenty of stuff in mind for them. Randy Rhoads will return in the next update.

Edit: Would Alice in Chains be affected? They were a glam band known as Diamond Lie back in the 80's and then became Alice n' Chains subsequently after.

Cheers
\w/

Click to expand...

I also have stuff in mind for Alice in Chains and a few other Seattle bands.

Kalvan said:

So, what's going to happen to Anvil?

Click to expand...

I haven't forgotten about Anvil.

Hadley said:

You may want to mention that Twisted Sister, despite being lumped in with the glam bands both here and in OTL, were much heavier than the rest, at least to begin with (Under the Blade sounded more like judas priest style metal), unless their musical direction was different ITTL.

Click to expand...

There was a ton of variety within the "glam" umbrella that often gets forgotten. The first wave of glam was pretty heavy in general compared to some bands in the second wave, which were much more formulaic than their forebears.

Do you have any plans in regards to the Japanese metal/hard rock scene at this time? Bands like Loudness, (and eventually Sly), Anthem, X-Japan, and E-Z-O. Hows the German scene developing now as well? Accept's Balls To The Wall was released in '83. Keep it up!

Life In Black said:

Do you have any plans in regards to the Japanese metal/hard rock scene at this time? Bands like Loudness, (and eventually Sly), Anthem, X-Japan, and E-Z-O. Hows the German scene developing now as well? Accept's Balls To The Wall was released in '83. Keep it up!

Click to expand...

The Japanese scene is largely unaffected, but no less important since a lot of bands do tour there. I've given a passing mention to the Teutonic thrash metal scene, but I haven't discussed much outside of the German metal scene outside of Accept and Scorpions.

Ace Venom said:

The Japanese scene is largely unaffected, but no less important since a lot of bands do tour there. I've given a passing mention to the Teutonic thrash metal scene, but I haven't discussed much outside of the German metal scene outside of Accept and Scorpions.

Click to expand...

Good to hear the Japanese metal scene continues. I've been listening to Sly, Loudness and Anthem lately, and will be seeing Loudness in New York in May!

Chapter 3: No. This sucker’s electrical.

1985 was a turning point in many ways during the history of metal. Certain bands established their positions within the industry while yet even more rose to prominence. It was the year that Live Aid was held and also the year when the P.M.R.C. launched an all-out blitz against heavy metal music.

Spreading the Disease

“I remember hearing Anthrax and thinking, ‘I want to be like these guys,’” – Kurt Cobain, 1991

Anthrax, regarded as the most popular thrash metal band from the East Coast, released their first EP with Joey Belladonna entitled Armed and Dangerous through Megaforce Records in 1985. What came later in the year was the LP Spreading the Disease. While the album would not be initially popular, airplay of the single “Madhouse” on radio and on MTV in 1986 would see Anthrax become an instant success overnight. It would be the first big imprint thrash metal would make on the American airwaves, which had been dominated by glam metal for a few years.

In addition to Spreading the Disease, Scott Ian and Charlie Benante teamed up with former Anthrax bassist Danny Lilker and vocalist Billy Milano to form the side project Stormtroopers of Death (aka S.O.D.). They recorded their debut album, Speak English or Die, in the span of a few days. The album is considered a landmark in crossover thrash. They toured shortly before Scott and Charlie returned their attention to Anthrax.

Live Aid

Plans for the concert to benefit the Ethiopian famine began in 1984. The concert was to be represented by many genres and included some of the most popular artists on the planet. Some groups like The Who even reunited for the show. While no major metal acts appeared at the Wembley Stadium portion of the concert, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, and Black Sabbath were all slated to appear at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Deep Purple was slated to appear via satellite from Switzerland, but the band cancelled its appearance due to Ritchie Blackmore wanting nothing to do with the event. In addition, Bill Ward was not interested in reuniting with Black Sabbath for the event, so the band continued on with Vinnie Appice.

Randy Rhoads contacted Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley about the possibility of reuniting to perform at the concert, but Kerslake and Daisley were busy with their commitments to Uriah Heep. There was also a dispute over who would perform the vocals. Rhoads suggested his former Quiet Riot band mate Kevin DuBrow, but Kerslake and Daisley were not interested in working with DuBrow. Kevin DuBrow and Rudy Sarzo were both interested and, with the blessing of the Osbourne family, the band Blizzard of Ozz formed for a one-off performance. The band recruited veteran drummer Carmine Appice to play the drums for the band and Don Airey was able to take time away from recording the new Whitesnake album to join on keyboards.

For the Live Aid set on July 13, 1985, Blizzard Ozz was introduced by Chevy Chase and the band received a standing ovation. They played a blistering three song set that consisted of “Over the Mountain,” “Goodbye to Romance,” and “Crazy Train.” Def Leppard played “Foolin,” “Photograph,” and “Rock of Ages,” sticking purely to their Pyromania album. Judas Priest played “Living after Midnight,” “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown),” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.” Black Sabbath’s set consisted of “The Mob Rules,” “Iron Man,” and “Paranoid.” Led Zeppelin played “Rock and Roll,” “Whole Lotta Love,” and “Stairway to Heaven.”

The Return of Randy Rhoads

In the wake of the Live Aid concert, Randy Rhoads and Carmine Appice discussed forming a new band. They decided to form the Randy Rhoads Band and actively sought to recruit new members. Since Kevin DuBrow returned to Quiet Riot and Don Airey returned to Whitesnake, it left the band with three openings. They first recruited Y&T keyboardist Claude Schnell and were later joined by bassist Rudy Sarzo, who was interested in leaving Quiet Riot due to tensions with Kevin DuBrow. The band recruited Mark Slaughter to join on vocals after discovering him. The Randy Rhoads Band announced they were working on their first album, which would not debut until 1986.

A Year in Metal

A few of glam metal’s heavy hitters released landmark albums while others were simply in transition. Mötley Crüe released Theatre of Pain, which featured the popular power ballad “Home Sweet Home.” Dokken released Under Lock and Key, which contained hits “In My Dreams,” “It’s Not Love,” “The Hunter,” and “Unchain the Night.” Ratt released Invasion of Your Privacy, which featured the singles “Lay It Down,” “You’re in Love,” and “What You Give Is What You Get.” Twisted Sister released Come Out and Play, which proved to be a less than successful follow up to Stay Hungry. Kiss released their album debut with new guitarist Bruce Kulick entitled Asylum.

Up and coming act Pantera released I Am the Night, which was their heaviest release. Darrell Abbott later admitted the album was recording during a transitional period of the band. The song “Hot and Heavy” received moderate airplay as did the song “Right on the Edge.” The song “Down Below” was the heaviest song on the album and proved to be a sign of things to come from the band.

David Lee Roth made his official departure from Van Halen in January and released his solo debut EP Crazy from the Heat. David Lee Roth would recruit a new band to record a new album based on Van Halen’s old sound. He recruited Steve Vai on guitar, Billy Sheehan on bass, and Gregg Bissonette on drums.

Apart from David Lee Roth’s departure from Van Halen, another major band disbandment occurred in 1985. Mercyful Fate broke up, though their legacy would be succeeded in the band King Diamond featuring their frontman Kim Petersen a.k.a. King Diamond.

In the thrash metal world, Megadeth released its debut album Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good. The album would go on to be one of Combat Records’ best sellers and would aid Megadeth in getting the deal with Capitol Records. Slayer released Hell Awaits, which featured the evolution of their sound from their debut album. Exodus finally debuted with Bonded by Blood, which would go on to be an underground favorite. The east coast based Overkill released their debut album Feel the Fire. The German thrash metal band Destruction made its recorded debut with Infernal Overkill. Kreator also followed with their debut Endless Pain. Destruction, Kreator and Sodom are considered the “big three” of Teutonic thrash.

In the power metal world, Savatage released the album Power of the Night. While it would not be as influential as their later releases, it would still be regarded as a classic of the genre. The German power metal band Helloween released their debut album Walls of Jericho. The first highly popular Christian metal band Stryper released their debut album Soldiers Under Command. One of the early major death metal album was also released in 1985 by the band Possessed. The album Seven Churches remains a death metal classic. Celtic Frost also released the classic To Mega Therion.

1985 also was notable in the sense that the first Japanese metal band cracked the Billboard 200. Loudness had their fifth studio release Thunder in the East released on the American label ATCO. The power ballad “Never Change Your Mind” proved to be Loudness’ biggest hit in America.

Black Sabbath released a live album consisting solely of material from Ozzy Osbourne’s performances with the band. Simply entitled The Ozzy Osbourne Years, it was a double album consisting of two different concerts. In the meantime, the band was also busy in the studio recording a new album.

Metal as well as other forms of popular music was forced to defend itself against the P.M.R.C. Dee Snider of Twisted Sister stepped up to the plate and appeared before Congress, testifying before Congress on the hearings on rock censorship. Snider launched an articulate testimony against the P.M.R.C. and defended the content of his music.

Major album releases in 1985:
AC/DC – Fly on the Wall
Accept – Metal Heart
Anthrax – Armed and Dangerous
Anthrax – Spreading the Disease
Black Sabbath – The Ozzy Osbourne Years
Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion
David Lee Roth – Crazy from the Heat
Destruction – Infernal Overkill
Dokken – Under Lock and Key
Exodus – Bonded by Blood
Helloween – The Walls of Jericho
Iron Maiden – Live After Death
Kiss – Asylum
Kreator – Endless Pain
Loudness – Thunder in the East
Megadeth – Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good!
Overkill – Feel the Fire
Pantera – I Am the Night
Possessed – Seven Churches
Ratt – Invasion of Your Privacy
Rush - Power Windows
Savatage – Power of the Night
Slayer – Hell Awaits
Stormtroopers of Death - Speak English or Die
Stryper – Soldiers Under Command
Twisted Sister – Come Out and Play
W.A.S.P. – The Last Command
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Marching Out

Major bands formed in 1985:
David Lee Roth
Dream Theater (under the name “Majesty”)
Guns N’ Roses
King Diamond
White Zombie

Edited to include notes.
[1] The video for "Madhouse" was actually banned by MTV in OTL.
[2] Def Leppard was invited to perform at Live Aid in OTL, but they could not perform because they were waiting for Rick Allen to recover.

Second Edit: I included a short paragraph about S.O.D.

Nice to see Loudness mentioned!

Chapter 4: Living on a prayer

“I remember seeing Bon Jovi all over MTV and I wondered, ‘What the hell is this?’” – Cliff Burton, 1998

If 1985 was a year for the metal titans, 1986 was the year the new gods sought to claim their throne. Spurred by the success of Spreading the Disease, Anthrax was becoming the first commercially successful thrash metal band. One member of the Big Five of Thrash Metal was already experiencing difficulties while another would experience a major loss. In the meantime, three landmark thrash metal albums hit the shelves in 1986. Metallica released Master of Puppets, Slayer released Reign in Blood, and Megadeth released Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?

1986 was also the year the second wave of glam metal hit with the force of a hurricane. While the second wave of glam is best known for the fame of bands such as Poison and Bon Jovi, it burned very brightly for a short amount of time. Bon Jovi released the landmark album Slippery When Wet. Poison debuted with Look What the Cat Dragged In. Both albums would be gigantic sellers (multi-platinum), though Bon Jovi would be more regarded over the years.

The New Kings of Metal

Black Sabbath released their follow up album to The Last In Line entitled Sacred Heart in late February. The story behind the tour launched in the United States actually helped the fame of another American band. Metallica was tapped to tour with Black Sabbath and they were thus able to significantly raise their profile.

“They were a tough band to follow up on, but those guys from Metallica are great guys,” recounted Ronnie James Dio in VH1’s Behind the Music special on Metallica in 1997. “We had a great time touring with them.”

Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin released a new album entitled Outrider. Sales for the new Led Zeppelin album overshadowed the sales for the new Black Sabbath album. It would later be admitted in a retrospective look on the decade that Sacred Heart was the stronger album. Led Zeppelin tapped Anthrax to support them on their opening tour of the USA.

“I remember our agent told us we were going to tour with Led Zeppelin and we went nuts,” said Scott Ian in the VH1 Behind the Music special on Anthrax in 1996.

“I heard Anthrax and had the rest of the band listen to them,” said Cozy Powell in the same special. “They had the same reaction as me. We felt these guys were the future of heavy metal.”

What message did it send to the major players in music in 1986 when two of the biggest bands of all time were taking thrash metal bands on tour? Some believed these were twin shots that were early factors in the decline of glam metal. Both the new albums from Slayer and Megadeth performed moderately well on the Billboard 200 and accumulated many sales.

Touring with Led Zeppelin led to increased album sales for Anthrax. Airplay of the songs “Madhouse” and “Armed and Dangerous” were factors that helped Spreading the Disease reach gold certification in 1986. Metallica also earned its first gold record in 1986 with Master of Puppets.

Dealing with Loss

Following the end of the tour with Black Sabbath, Metallica began touring Europe. On the evening of September 26 while travelling in Sweden, Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett drew cards to settle who would receive bunks on the bus. Kirk Hammett drew the Ace of Spades, winning the choice of first bunk. Cliff later recalled telling Kirk, “I didn’t want that bunk anyway.”

The bus flipped shortly before 7 am while the band was sleeping. Kirk was thrown through the window of the bus and the vehicle fell on top of him. Kirk died from his injuries. He was only 23 years old. The death of Kirk Hammett forced Metallica to search for a new guitarist.

Dave Mustaine reached out to the band to send his condolences, but James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich simply said, “Fuck off. You talked so much shit about him while he was alive and now he’s dead. Are you happy?” Only Cliff Burton remained on cordial terms with Mustaine, but he admitted that Kirk’s death made the band’s relationship with Mustaine impossible to repair.

“I still talk to him,” Cliff Burton said in a 1998 interview. “I know he didn’t want Kirk to die. I can’t really blame him for being pissed off. We weren’t exactly angels ourselves and we did our share of drugs. We weren’t any better than Dave, but we gave him the boot anyway.”

“I hated Kirk Hammett because he took my job,” Dave Mustaine admitted in a 2001 interview. “I said what I did before the accident because I was still pretty pissed about how I was kicked out of Metallica. I never wanted him to die. I tried to tell James and Lars, but they wouldn’t listen. I know they’re still not talking to me for this reason, but I’m still leaving the door open. I certainly don’t hate Kirk now and I did a lot of soul searching after he died. I realized it was pretty pointless to feud with Metallica and I just focused on my music. The feud has been one-sided for the last fifteen years.”

“I don’t really give a damn what he says,” James Hetfield said in reference to the interview in 2002. “Dave Mustaine has always been about Dave Mustaine. He gets his royalty checks from Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning, but that’s all he deserves to get from us. He’s a conceited prick. His former band members don’t even like him. What does that say about him?”

“I don’t really know what it would take to get those guys to be civil again,” said Scott Ian in 2003, who is friends with Mustaine as well as Metallica. “I’m not getting in the middle of that one.”

After many auditions, the band eventually hired the relatively unknown Zakk Wylde to replace Kirk Hammett.

A Year in Metal

Randy Rhoads made his long awaited return to the album shelves with the self-titled release from the Randy Rhoads Band. The album debuted at 28 on the Billboard 200 and would be certified gold. The album showcased Rhoads’ evolution as a guitarist and a greater emphasis on neoclassical playing. What Rhoads became was the alternative to Yngwie Malmsteen, though Malmsteen would be regarded as more influential to later generations.

Exodus fired Paul Baloff due to substance abuse issues and a less than reliable voice for a lead vocalist. The band hired Legacy vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza to replace him.

Kreator released the album Pleasure to Kill. Like Slayer’s Reign in Blood, it would be regarded as one of the major influences on death metal and black metal. King Diamond released Fatal Portrait, the first album of a moderately successful solo career. Unlike future releases, Fatal Portrait was not a concept album. Queensrÿche released Rage for Order, which is a much more polished album than its predecessor. Sodom released its debut album Obsessed by Cruelty.

Van Halen released its first album without David Lee Roth. Titled 5150, it would become one of the biggest sellers of 1986. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 even though initial reviews were mixed. David Lee Roth’s solo album Eat ‘Em and Smile did not enjoy the same level of success, but it did reach #4 on the Billboard 200 and received more favorable reviews than 5150.

Iron Maiden and Judas Priest released more experimental albums. Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time and Judas Priest’s Turbo both experimented with more synthesizers than their previous albums. The albums sold well and are still regarded as classics from the band. Def Leppard outsold them all with the release of Hysteria, which continued to fly off the shelves even into 1987.

Europe released the album The Final Countdown. The title track went on to become an international hit. Stryper released their second album To Hell With The Devil, which was their most successful album. Cinderella released Night Songs. Ratt released the album Dancing Undercover.

1986 was a good year for glam, but many experts declared 1986 one of the best years for metal.

“At the time, there was plenty of focus on the deaths of Kirk Hammett and Phil Lynott, but there was so much innovation in 1986,” said a music critic in 2004. “The second wave of glam was hitting the airwaves and you were beginning to see Anthrax and Metallica have a friendly war over who would become the world’s most popular metal band. Then you had the emergence of death and black metal. Even with everything that happened in 1987, it still does not top 1986.”

Major bands formed in 1986:
Atrophy
Cacophony
Grave
Immolation
Pestilence
Primus
Prong
Vader
Vio-Lence

Major albums released in 1986:
Accept – Russian Roullette
Black Sabbath – Sacred Heart
Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
Cinderella – Night Songs
Dark Angel – Darkness Descends
David Lee Roth – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Def Leppard – Hysteria
Destruction – Eternal Devastation
Europe – The Final Countdown
Fates Warning – Awaken the Guardian
Iron Maiden – Somewhere in Time
Judas Priest – Turbo
King Diamond – Fatal Portrait
Kreator – Pleasure to Kill
Loudness – Lightning Strikes
Megadeth – Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?
Metal Church – The Dark
Metallica – Master of Puppets
Motörhead – Orgasmatron
Nuclear Assault – Game Over
Poison – Look What the Cat Dragged In
Possessed – Beyond the Gates
Queensrÿche – Rage for Order
Randy Rhoads Band – Randy Rhoads Band
Ratt – Dancing Undercover
Savatage – Fight for the Rock
Sepultura – Morbid Visions
Slayer – Reign in Blood
Sodom – Obsessed by Cruelty
Stryper – To Hell with the Devil
Tesla – Mechanical Resonance
Triumph - The Sport of Kings
Van Halen – 5150
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Trilogy

[1] Due to the fact that Rick Allen did not lose his arm in the automobile accident, Hysteria gets released a year early.
[2] Kirk Hammett’s death is one of the first major butterflies. In OTL, the reverse situation happened.
[3] Zakk Wylde makes his first appearance here.

Awesome update! A few things though. To me it would make more sense to name Sabbath's album Sacred Idols, but that's only a minor thing. About the musicians themselves, here are the people I'm curious about:

Graham Bonnet
Ray Gillen
John Sykes
Gary Moore
Glenn Hughes
Fast Eddie Clark
Michael Schenker
Axel Rudi Pell
Jeff Scott Soto
Jake E. Lee

If I think of more, I'll let you know.

EDIT: One more thing, around this time, Loudness was forced by their American label to get rid of their singer, Minoru Niihara, and replace him with American Mike Vescera. Would it be possible for you to keep Niihara in the band?

Life In Black said:

Awesome update! A few things though. To me it would make more sense to name Sabbath's album Sacred Idols, but that's only a minor thing.

Click to expand...

I figured Ronnie might have gotten his way here. It still sounds like it could be the title of a Black Sabbath album. You won't see a Black Sabbath album called Dream Evil.

About the musicians themselves, here are the people I'm curious about:

Graham Bonnet

Click to expand...

He's still in Alcatrazz, but that won't last much longer.

Ray Gillen

Click to expand...

He's likely bouncing from band to band.

John Sykes

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He's in Whitesnake and will get a mention in the next update.

Gary Moore

Click to expand...

No change from OTL.

Glenn Hughes

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He was never associated with Black Sabbath. He was in bad health due to drug use in the 1980's, so I would assume he's not doing much here.

Fast Eddie Clark
Michael Schenker
Axel Rudi Pell

Click to expand...

No change from OTL.

Jeff Scott Soto

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He's still with Yngwie Malmsteen here, but not for much longer. He's stuck around a bit longer than he did in OTL.

Jake E. Lee

Click to expand...

He's had a rather undistinguished career with the band Rough Cutt.

EDIT: One more thing, around this time, Loudness was forced by their American label to get rid of their singer, Minoru Niihara, and replace him with American Mike Vescera. Would it be possible for you to keep Niihara in the band?

Click to expand...

I haven't given it much thought.

Glenn Hughes appeared on Gary Moore's Run For Cover album from '85 OTL. Perhaps him and Gary Moore form a band together, like Grand Slam II?

EDIT: Michael Schenker's band, MSG, had Cozy Powell on drums at this time IIRC, so I'm wondering who is taking his place.