Caspian
Banned
I wonder what this will do to the black metal movement, without such a misstep by one of the major progenitors.
In the Heart of Metal: Ozzy Osbourne Dies in 1982
- Thread starter Ace Venom
- Start date
I wonder what this will do to the black metal movement, without such a misstep by one of the major progenitors.
More bands I'm curious about. How are Chastain, Crimson Glory, Tank and Brocas Helm fairing in TTL? Also, Chastain vocalist Leather Leone released her only solo album, Shock Waves in '89.
This is a short update I'm posting. We're not going into 1989 just yet, but we're taking a look at everything else. Some things have changed, but not much. You can probably catch a few subtle changes if you look closely enough.
Chapter 6a: The Other Scenes
Power Metal
The beginning of power metal could be charted independently in the United States and Germany. A derivative of speed metal, power metal was one of the other major underground genres of metal. Early bands like Manowar helped pioneer the sound and image in North America while other North American bands like Jag Panzer, Virgin Steele, Liege Lord, Armored Saint, Riot, and Anvil were important. The thrash metal band Lääz Rockit began as a power metal band and Metal Church has crossover appeal between thrash metal fans and power metal fans. In Germany, power metal centered around the bands Helloween, Gamma Ray, Running Wild, and Blind Guardian.
“You had guys like Anvil and Metal Church who could play in front of huge crowds, but it was a challenge for the rest of us to get exposure in North America,” recalled Manowar frontman Eric Adams in the 2006 documentary The Power of Metal. “It wasn’t until about 1988 that things started changing for everyone.”
“The death of glam created a pretty big vacuum,” recalled David DeFeis of Virgin Steele in The Power of Metal. “Thrash stepped in because the movement was primed and ready to go. It wasn’t completely filled because people regained interest in bands like Anvil, Raven, and Saxon. They were looking at bands like us and some of the German bands.”
Liege Lord helped pioneer the sound despite only recording three albums: Freedom Rise (1985), Burn to My Touch (1987), and Master Control (1988). Jag Panzer only released one album in the 1980’s, which was the underground favorite Ample Destruction (1984). Virgin Steele had a string of releases in the 1980’s: Virgin Steele (1982), Guardians of the Flame (1983), Noble Savage (1986), and Age of Consent (1988).
Manowar was ultimately the most influential in the United States. For years, Manowar was an influential yet underground act in the United States. Some of their songs found their way onto MTV beginning in 1987. “Blow Your Speakers” from the album Fighting the World received semi-regular airplay on MTV Headbangers Ball the fact the song had a jab at MTV in the first verse. Likewise, the title track to the 1988 album Kings of Metal was also played on MTV Headbangers Ball.
Armored Saint and Anvil occasionally get classified with power metal bands, but critics often classify them as straight up heavy metal bands. Both bands still experienced a degree of popularity and were regularly appearing on major tours in the late 1980’s. Other minor acts such as Helstar and Chastain were not so lucky, but were regulars in the underground circuit. Another band called Iced Earth was still busy developing its sound in the Florida music scene.
In Germany, Helloween was considered the key band of the nascent power metal movement. Kai Hansen played guitar and sang on their 1985 debut Walls of Jericho and the 1986 EP Judas. Michael Kiske took over the lead vocal duties and the band released Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I (1987) and Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II (1988). The song “I Want Out” received heavy rotation on MTV Headbangers Ball, resulting in massive international popularity of the band.
Running Wild abandoned its Satanic imagery from its early albums Gates to Purgatory (1984) and Branded and Exiled (1985) before adopting the “pirate metal” niche. By 1988, they were enjoying some degree of popularity in North America with the releases Uncle Jolly Roger (1987) and Port Royal (1988).
Black Metal
While thrash metal was considered extreme metal, black metal as a genre was considered more extreme. Building further upon the image, sound, and lyrical content of the band Venom, black metal emerged around the same time as thrash metal. However, black metal as it was later known did not really coalesce as a movement until the 1990’s. Early black metal, along with thrash metal, were influential in the developing death metal genre. The important early black metal bands were Venom (who coined the term black metal on their album Black Metal), Bathory, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost. These bands could also be categorized as early death metal, speed metal, or even thrash metal.
Death Metal
Death metal evolved stylistically from thrash metal and early black metal. Early influences on the death metal sound came from the bands Venom, Slayer, Kreator, and Celtic Frost.
Possessed was one of the major influential death metal pioneer, releasing the albums Seven Churches (1985) and Beyond the Gates (1986) as well as the 1987 EP The Eyes of Horror. However, many of the significant early death metal pioneers emerged from Florida rather than the Bay Area scene. The early pioneer Carcass was from England rather than the United States.
Another major pioneer, and likely the most significant pioneer, was the band Death. The albums Scream Bloody Gore (1987) and Leprosy (1988) were underground favorites while thrash metal was emerging from the underground and into the mainstream. Other death metal pioneers who formed during this era were Obituary, Deicide, and Morbid Angel.
Progressive Metal
Often overlooked, but no less important, was progressive metal. Bands such as Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and Crimson Glory were considered the “flagship bands of progressive metal.” Queensrÿche often received regular airplay on MTV during the 1980’s with their videos for “Queen of the Reich,” “Take Hold of the Flame,” and “Gonna Get Close To You,” but it was not until the band released Operation: Mindcrime in 1988 when the band’s popularity exploded.
Around the same time, Crimson Glory’s popularity exploded with the single “Lonely” from the 1988 album Transcendence. Fates Warning had a much slower path to acceptance as their sound developed, but they were no less influential on the development of progressive metal than the other two bands.
Alternative Metal
The evolution of alternative metal could easily be called scattershot, but generally appealed to fans of alternative rock. Grunge was an early influence on this movement before it was absorbed into various thrash metal and into the alternative metal movement it helped influence. Soundgarden was considered part of the Seattle thrash scene, but evolved into one of the more successful alternative metal bands. Other major alternative metal groups were Faith No More, Living Colour, Corrosion of Conformity, Nine Inch Nails, and Helmet. There was no cohesive movement, but these bands were categorized as alternative metal due to their willingness to experiment.
Classic Metal
While this term is relatively modern, classic metal has been used to categorize the major bands from the 1970’s who were part of the heavy metal movement or were major influences on it. Occasionally, this classification overlaps into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, though many metal historians seek to avoid this overlap. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Blue Öyster Cult are often termed the “big five” of classic metal. Of these bands, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple received the most financial success during the 1980’s.
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
Bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement continued to meet mixed success during the 1980’s. A few such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Def Leppard were wildly successful during this time period. Others were not as lucky, though fortunes for bands such as Raven and Saxon improved in the late 1980’s.
The Others
Doom metal developed due to heavy influence from early Black Sabbath. Some important bands in this movement were Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Trouble, and Candlemass. Speed metal also continued to have a following, though many of these early bands had crossover appeal in different genres.
Chapter 6a: The Other Scenes
Power Metal
The beginning of power metal could be charted independently in the United States and Germany. A derivative of speed metal, power metal was one of the other major underground genres of metal. Early bands like Manowar helped pioneer the sound and image in North America while other North American bands like Jag Panzer, Virgin Steele, Liege Lord, Armored Saint, Riot, and Anvil were important. The thrash metal band Lääz Rockit began as a power metal band and Metal Church has crossover appeal between thrash metal fans and power metal fans. In Germany, power metal centered around the bands Helloween, Gamma Ray, Running Wild, and Blind Guardian.
“You had guys like Anvil and Metal Church who could play in front of huge crowds, but it was a challenge for the rest of us to get exposure in North America,” recalled Manowar frontman Eric Adams in the 2006 documentary The Power of Metal. “It wasn’t until about 1988 that things started changing for everyone.”
“The death of glam created a pretty big vacuum,” recalled David DeFeis of Virgin Steele in The Power of Metal. “Thrash stepped in because the movement was primed and ready to go. It wasn’t completely filled because people regained interest in bands like Anvil, Raven, and Saxon. They were looking at bands like us and some of the German bands.”
Liege Lord helped pioneer the sound despite only recording three albums: Freedom Rise (1985), Burn to My Touch (1987), and Master Control (1988). Jag Panzer only released one album in the 1980’s, which was the underground favorite Ample Destruction (1984). Virgin Steele had a string of releases in the 1980’s: Virgin Steele (1982), Guardians of the Flame (1983), Noble Savage (1986), and Age of Consent (1988).
Manowar was ultimately the most influential in the United States. For years, Manowar was an influential yet underground act in the United States. Some of their songs found their way onto MTV beginning in 1987. “Blow Your Speakers” from the album Fighting the World received semi-regular airplay on MTV Headbangers Ball the fact the song had a jab at MTV in the first verse. Likewise, the title track to the 1988 album Kings of Metal was also played on MTV Headbangers Ball.
Armored Saint and Anvil occasionally get classified with power metal bands, but critics often classify them as straight up heavy metal bands. Both bands still experienced a degree of popularity and were regularly appearing on major tours in the late 1980’s. Other minor acts such as Helstar and Chastain were not so lucky, but were regulars in the underground circuit. Another band called Iced Earth was still busy developing its sound in the Florida music scene.
In Germany, Helloween was considered the key band of the nascent power metal movement. Kai Hansen played guitar and sang on their 1985 debut Walls of Jericho and the 1986 EP Judas. Michael Kiske took over the lead vocal duties and the band released Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I (1987) and Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II (1988). The song “I Want Out” received heavy rotation on MTV Headbangers Ball, resulting in massive international popularity of the band.
Running Wild abandoned its Satanic imagery from its early albums Gates to Purgatory (1984) and Branded and Exiled (1985) before adopting the “pirate metal” niche. By 1988, they were enjoying some degree of popularity in North America with the releases Uncle Jolly Roger (1987) and Port Royal (1988).
Black Metal
While thrash metal was considered extreme metal, black metal as a genre was considered more extreme. Building further upon the image, sound, and lyrical content of the band Venom, black metal emerged around the same time as thrash metal. However, black metal as it was later known did not really coalesce as a movement until the 1990’s. Early black metal, along with thrash metal, were influential in the developing death metal genre. The important early black metal bands were Venom (who coined the term black metal on their album Black Metal), Bathory, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost. These bands could also be categorized as early death metal, speed metal, or even thrash metal.
Death Metal
Death metal evolved stylistically from thrash metal and early black metal. Early influences on the death metal sound came from the bands Venom, Slayer, Kreator, and Celtic Frost.
Possessed was one of the major influential death metal pioneer, releasing the albums Seven Churches (1985) and Beyond the Gates (1986) as well as the 1987 EP The Eyes of Horror. However, many of the significant early death metal pioneers emerged from Florida rather than the Bay Area scene. The early pioneer Carcass was from England rather than the United States.
Another major pioneer, and likely the most significant pioneer, was the band Death. The albums Scream Bloody Gore (1987) and Leprosy (1988) were underground favorites while thrash metal was emerging from the underground and into the mainstream. Other death metal pioneers who formed during this era were Obituary, Deicide, and Morbid Angel.
Progressive Metal
Often overlooked, but no less important, was progressive metal. Bands such as Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and Crimson Glory were considered the “flagship bands of progressive metal.” Queensrÿche often received regular airplay on MTV during the 1980’s with their videos for “Queen of the Reich,” “Take Hold of the Flame,” and “Gonna Get Close To You,” but it was not until the band released Operation: Mindcrime in 1988 when the band’s popularity exploded.
Around the same time, Crimson Glory’s popularity exploded with the single “Lonely” from the 1988 album Transcendence. Fates Warning had a much slower path to acceptance as their sound developed, but they were no less influential on the development of progressive metal than the other two bands.
Alternative Metal
The evolution of alternative metal could easily be called scattershot, but generally appealed to fans of alternative rock. Grunge was an early influence on this movement before it was absorbed into various thrash metal and into the alternative metal movement it helped influence. Soundgarden was considered part of the Seattle thrash scene, but evolved into one of the more successful alternative metal bands. Other major alternative metal groups were Faith No More, Living Colour, Corrosion of Conformity, Nine Inch Nails, and Helmet. There was no cohesive movement, but these bands were categorized as alternative metal due to their willingness to experiment.
Classic Metal
While this term is relatively modern, classic metal has been used to categorize the major bands from the 1970’s who were part of the heavy metal movement or were major influences on it. Occasionally, this classification overlaps into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, though many metal historians seek to avoid this overlap. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Blue Öyster Cult are often termed the “big five” of classic metal. Of these bands, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple received the most financial success during the 1980’s.
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
Bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement continued to meet mixed success during the 1980’s. A few such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Def Leppard were wildly successful during this time period. Others were not as lucky, though fortunes for bands such as Raven and Saxon improved in the late 1980’s.
The Others
Doom metal developed due to heavy influence from early Black Sabbath. Some important bands in this movement were Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Trouble, and Candlemass. Speed metal also continued to have a following, though many of these early bands had crossover appeal in different genres.
He'll be mentioned in the next update. Trash will be released on schedule.
Really interesting... With Cliff still about, Justice is going to be a very different album, and maybe (fingers crossed) a St Anger that is even vaguely listenable to? I think you're right on the NWOBHM being mostly unaffected, and will likely fall away in the 90s - but will be interesting to see whether there is a 'NWOBHM comeback' like there seems to have been over the past 10 years or so...
With Cliff around we won't even likely have a Black Album!
We already had one in this timeline. Hint: Spinal Tap.
I updated some of my previous posts a few days ago to include Rush and Triumph releases. Rush is still a popular band. Here's a long overdue update.
Chapter 7: A Fabulous Disaster
The metal revolution entered its third year in 1989, but it was far from a revolution by then. By 1989, the “big five of thrash metal,” Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Exodus, solidified their reputations in the mainstream. In 1989, however, it was known as the “big six of thrash metal,” though debates over whether or not Testament or Overkill should be the sixth band raged in the media.
The 31st Grammy Awards
A first was in store for the 31st Grammy Awards. It was the first time an award was being given for a hard rock/metal category. While hard rock and metal rose to great heights, it was still not on the same level as the general forces in pop music of the day. Despite that, the committee had a few albums to choose from 1988. Metallica received a nomination for …And Justice For All, Megadeth was nominated for So Far, So Good…So What!, Van Halen was nominated for OU182, Black Sabbath for The Eternal Idol, and Pantera for Power Metal.
“Seeing Metallica and Megadeth at the Grammy’s,” Bobby Blitz of Overkill recalled, “was nuts. We knew thrash metal arrived when that happened.”
“It was pretty strange we were even nominated,” recalled Dave Mustaine in 2001. “I had just fired Chuck Behler and Jeff Young from the band, so we were a band without a drummer and a lead guitarist, but we also had a Grammy nominated record. That’s probably why we didn’t win.”
“They didn’t even want to be in the same room as Dave,” recounted Sammy Hagar. “If Metallica wasn’t performing, you probably would have had an even bigger incident. I remember James and Lars being complete dicks about the whole issue and Cliff was trying to be peace maker between the Mustaine camp and the Hetfield-Ulrich camp. Dave was sober and being reasonable. James and Lars were not.”
One of the stories behind the 31st Grammy Awards was a backstage incident between Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Witnesses said Dave tried to make peace with the band in person, but James and Lars, who reportedly already had a bit to drink, began swearing at Dave and Cliff Burton was forced to step in the middle to prevent a fight between James and Dave.
“It was bullshit,” Cliff said of the incident in 1996. “This was supposed to be the big night, but instead that shit backstage is what was blown up on MTV. By the time James and Lars realized what had happened, it was too late.”
“James called me every name under the sun,” Dave recalled in 2000. “He was obviously a little drunk and I was sober that night. If it wasn’t for Cliff, more than a chair would have been thrown in my direction.”
Metallica took home the Grammy Award that night, solidifying their status in the music scene. However, the backstage incident also established some notoriety for the band.
Entertainment News
The film adaptation for Batman completed filming in January 1989. Often credited with spurring the comic book movie craze in the 1990’s, the film was true to the darker origins of the character rather than the camp 1960’s show. Cast as Batman was Michael Keaton. Debates over the main villain of the film persisted during script writing, but it was believed the Joker would be the appropriate choice. Cast as the Clown Prince of Crime was Robin Williams.
Though the script originally called for the death of the Joker, the film instead ended with Joker being brought to Arkham Asylum, leaving the door open for his potential return in a sequel. The script also originally indicated the Joker killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, but that was changed in order to keep with better continuity. Rather than show the origins of the Joker, Burton writer Sam Hamm opted show the emergence of the Joker and left his origins to mystery. The film opened in the summer of 1989 to overwhelmingly positive reviews.
The success of Batman prompted Warner Bros. to explore the possibility of pursuing film adaptations for Wonder Woman and The Flash.
1989 was also the year Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure was released. The movie was about a couple of well-meaning and good-natured slackers who were poor musicians, but wanted to start a band. Unfortunately, Ted Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill Preston (Alex Winter) were failing history. Ted’s father planned to send Ted to an Alaskan military school unless he somehow passed history. Help came from the future in the form of a man named Rufus (George Carlin), who provided them with a time machine so they could acquire help on their final oral history examination. The film was a hit and featured music from many up and coming bands like Blind Guardian, Savatage, and Extreme.
George Lucas completed his first draft of his Willow sequel, which was called The Shadow War. It was unfortunately too long for a single film and he decided to make it into a trilogy. He began working on another script using stories from the original draft. This script eventually became the first draft for the film Shadow Moon. He worked nearly nonstop on the Willow sequel while he was also involved with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
“George was really obsessed with the story,” recalled Ron Howard. “I had already agreed to direct because I had such a good experience working on Willow. I saw the first draft of The Shadow War script, which was the main manuscript for what would become the entire trilogy. It was very ambitious and definitely darker than Willow. I was impressed with what George was doing and felt it was going to be his best work.”
Filming began for Kull in 1989. The story for the film was based heavily on “The Shadow Kingdom,” but also took care to explain Kull’s origins with inspiration from “Exile of Atlantis.” Dolph Lundgren had been growing his hair out for the role and was forced to dye his hair black in order to look more authentic.
A Year in Metal
One of the most significant events in music in 1989 was the end of the Mark II Deep Purple lineup. Tensions were building in the band, namely the creative differences between Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Gillan. Gillan already threatened to leave the band, but the rest of the band believed they would have difficulty selling albums with a different vocalist other than Gillan. When Gillan was convinced to stay, Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple and announced he was going to reform Rainbow. Deep Purple recruited guitarist Steve Morse to replace Ritchie Blackmore.
“It was like a breath of fresh air when Ritchie left the band,” Ian Gillan recalled. “It freed us to continue to work while Ritchie was free to do his own thing in Rainbow. It worked out best for all parties concerned.”
Ritchie began to form a new Rainbow lineup almost immediately. He managed to talk David Coverdale into joining the band on vocals to reform Rainbow as a supergroup. Drummer Chuck Burgi agreed to rejoin the band as did keyboardist Don Airey. The implosion of Whitesnake freed bassist Neil Murray as well, who decided to follow Don Airey into Rainbow. Blackmore had no objections to Murray joining the band, so the new lineup was completed.
“It seemed only natural,” Coverdale said of his decision to break up Whitesnake. “Ritchie wanted out of Deep Purple and I was looking to take a break from Whitesnake. We talked and he decided to reform Rainbow and invited me to sing for the band.”
Both Cozy Powell and Ronnie James Dio declined to comment on the Rainbow reunion. Powell later admitted in a 1996 interview that Ritchie and David tried to convince him to take part in a Rainbow reunion.
“I might have done a one-off show with them for video if Ronnie was down for it, but both David and Ritchie were trying to do something for the long haul,” recalled Powell. "It wasn't time to do Rainbow and there wouldn't ever be a time to do Rainbow again."
Other metal bands released significant albums in 1989. Overkill released The Years of Decay, which proved to be their most commercially successful album. It was their first album to receive platinum certification. Exodus released their commercial breakthrough Fabulous Disaster and became one of the biggest bands in North America as their album climbed the charts and went platinum. Testament released Practice What You Preach to great reviews. Their album went gold, but would be platinum certified a few years later. Led Zeppelin released the album Now and Zen, which was an instant success and went platinum. Alice Cooper has his great comeback album with the release of Trash. The Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura also broke big in North America with the release of Beneath the Remains. In addition, Annihilator released its debut album Alice in Hell to glowing reviews.
Glam giants Mötley Crüe returned with the album Dr. Feelgood. Gone was their glam image and instead, they replaced it with more of a street look. Recorded after a stint in rehab, they were clean and sober. Dr. Feelgood was regarded as the band’s heaviest and most technical album to date. Guitarist Mick Mars incorporated some thrash metal influences without compromising much of the band’s core sound. Drummer Tommy Lee also stepped up his game and recorded some of his best drum work up to that point.
“We weren’t starting any mosh pits, but we were proving we could play metal just as good as the Anthrax’s and Metallica’s of the world,” said Tommy Lee in the Going Glam documentary. “And guess what? Glam wasn’t dead. It sold well. It was our great middle finger to the thrash metal movement. Thank you for pushing us so hard because we were better than ever.”
W.A.S.P. also returned with the album Headless Children. The album was a more mature album from the band and sold relatively well in an era when glam bands were having trouble getting media attention. Skid Row made its debut with their self-titled album. Their sound was the product of some glam and thrash fusion, following a formula similar to what Pantera did with their album Power Metal. Their album charted well and the singles “Youth Gone Wild” and “18 and Life” received generous airplay on MTV.
Nirvana released its debut album Bleach to overwhelmingly positive reviews. “Kurt Cobain is the Randy Rhoads of his generation,” said one reviewer. The band toured in support to Exodus in North America before touring Europe.
“I took a lot of influence from Randy Rhoads, so that was high praise,” Cobain admitted. “I also drew a lot of inspiration from Dan Spitz, Scott Ian, Dave Mustaine, and Kerry King.”
The Randy Rhoads Band released its third album Madness and Ecstasy. It was the final album made with the classic lineup. Carmine Appice left the band shortly before the tour and he was replaced by Tommy Aldridge. Former Alice Cooper keyboardist Paul Taylor also replaced Claude Schnell. The new lineup was called “3/5 Madman” by Randy Rhoads in reference to the band’s configuration possessing three out of the five members from the tour for Diary of a Madman.
A new Megadeth lineup formed. Dave Mustaine recruited drummer Nick Menza to replace Chuck Behler. They were unable to find a new guitarist in time to record “No More Mr. Nice Guy” for the Shocker soundtrack, so they recorded the song as a three piece band. Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman was eventually hired to join the band. With the new lineup solidified and with Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson finally sober for good, the band began work on their fourth album.
Kiss received a major shock in late 1989 when it was discovered that drummer Eric Carr had the early stages of heart cancer. They released the album Hot in the Shade and only toured with Eric Carr’s blessing. They invited drummer Eric Singer to perform in place of Carr on the tour.
“It was scary,” said Carr of the diagnosis. “I decided to get more serious about my health and then they discovered I had cancer. I gave Eric Singer my blessing to play in place of me on the tour. The rest of the band wanted me to get well.”
The underground death metal scene continued to grow in strength, seemingly feeding on those who didn’t find the mainstream thrash metal extreme enough for their tastes. Obituary released their debut album Slowly We Rot. Cannibal Corpse released a five-song demo simply titled Cannibal Corpse. Athiest released its debut album Piece of Time. Other death metal bands continued to release albums, further strengthening the underground scene.
“It was an exciting time to be part of the scene,” said Chuck Schuldiner of Death in a 1999 interview. “Bands were coming out all over the place. You had black metal bands cropping up along with death metal bands. For some people, thrash metal was too weak. They wanted to go even more extreme and that was fine with us. Those of us who were playing liked bands like Anthrax and Metallica. Some of our fans hated them because they were thought as sell outs.”
Parallel to the death metal movement in the underground was the power metal movement. Already possessing some moderate mainstream success, they were ahead of the death metal bands in terms of overall popularity.
Major Albums Released in 1989
Accept – Eat the Heat
Aerosmith – Pump
Alice Cooper – Trash
Annihilator – Alice in Hell
Atheist – Piece of Time
Autopsy – Severed Survival
Blind Guardian – Follow the Blind
Candlemass – Tales of Creation
Carcass – Symphonies of Sickness
Dark Angel – Leave Scars
Dream Theater – When Dream and Day Unite
D.R.I. – Thrash Zone
Exodus – Fabulous Disaster
Extreme – Extreme
Faith No More – The Real Thing
Fates Warning – Perfect Symmetry
Jeff Scott Soto – JSS
Joe Satriani – Flying in a Blue Dream
King Diamond – Conspiracy
Kiss – Hot in the Shade
Kreator – Extreme Aggression
Lääz Rockit – Annihilation Principle
Led Zeppelin – Now and Zen
Metal Church – Blessing in Disguise
Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
Mr. Big – Mr. Big
Mötley Crüe – Dr. Feelgood
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine
Nitro – “O.F.R.”
Nuclear Assault – Handle with Care
Obituary – Slowly We Rot
Overkill – The Years of Decay
Pestilence – Consuming Impulse
Randy Rhoads Band – Madness and Ecstasy
Running Wild – Death or Glory
Rush – Presto
Saint Vitus – V
Savatage – Gutter Ballet
Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Skid Row – Skid Row
Sodom – Agent Orange
Stratovarius – Fright Night
Suicidal Tendencies – Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit…Déjà Vu
Testament – Practice What You Preach
Voivod – Nothingface
W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children
White Zombie – Make Them Die Slowly
X Japan – Blue Blood
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad
Major Disbandments in 1989
Cacophony
Dokken
Whitesnake
Major Bands formed in 1989
Abruptum
Bal-Sagoth
Benediction
Bruce Dickinson (remained in Iron Maiden)
Cathedral
Crowbar
Dark Tranquility
Dissection
Dungeon
Edge of Sanity
Fear Factory
The Gathering
Immortal
Incantation
Marylin Manson
Rainbow (reformed after a five year hiatus)
Sentenced
Tourniquet
Thought Industry
Unanimated
Vital Remains
Von
Wizard
Chapter 7: A Fabulous Disaster
The metal revolution entered its third year in 1989, but it was far from a revolution by then. By 1989, the “big five of thrash metal,” Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Exodus, solidified their reputations in the mainstream. In 1989, however, it was known as the “big six of thrash metal,” though debates over whether or not Testament or Overkill should be the sixth band raged in the media.
The 31st Grammy Awards
A first was in store for the 31st Grammy Awards. It was the first time an award was being given for a hard rock/metal category. While hard rock and metal rose to great heights, it was still not on the same level as the general forces in pop music of the day. Despite that, the committee had a few albums to choose from 1988. Metallica received a nomination for …And Justice For All, Megadeth was nominated for So Far, So Good…So What!, Van Halen was nominated for OU182, Black Sabbath for The Eternal Idol, and Pantera for Power Metal.
“Seeing Metallica and Megadeth at the Grammy’s,” Bobby Blitz of Overkill recalled, “was nuts. We knew thrash metal arrived when that happened.”
“It was pretty strange we were even nominated,” recalled Dave Mustaine in 2001. “I had just fired Chuck Behler and Jeff Young from the band, so we were a band without a drummer and a lead guitarist, but we also had a Grammy nominated record. That’s probably why we didn’t win.”
“They didn’t even want to be in the same room as Dave,” recounted Sammy Hagar. “If Metallica wasn’t performing, you probably would have had an even bigger incident. I remember James and Lars being complete dicks about the whole issue and Cliff was trying to be peace maker between the Mustaine camp and the Hetfield-Ulrich camp. Dave was sober and being reasonable. James and Lars were not.”
One of the stories behind the 31st Grammy Awards was a backstage incident between Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Witnesses said Dave tried to make peace with the band in person, but James and Lars, who reportedly already had a bit to drink, began swearing at Dave and Cliff Burton was forced to step in the middle to prevent a fight between James and Dave.
“It was bullshit,” Cliff said of the incident in 1996. “This was supposed to be the big night, but instead that shit backstage is what was blown up on MTV. By the time James and Lars realized what had happened, it was too late.”
“James called me every name under the sun,” Dave recalled in 2000. “He was obviously a little drunk and I was sober that night. If it wasn’t for Cliff, more than a chair would have been thrown in my direction.”
Metallica took home the Grammy Award that night, solidifying their status in the music scene. However, the backstage incident also established some notoriety for the band.
Entertainment News
The film adaptation for Batman completed filming in January 1989. Often credited with spurring the comic book movie craze in the 1990’s, the film was true to the darker origins of the character rather than the camp 1960’s show. Cast as Batman was Michael Keaton. Debates over the main villain of the film persisted during script writing, but it was believed the Joker would be the appropriate choice. Cast as the Clown Prince of Crime was Robin Williams.
Though the script originally called for the death of the Joker, the film instead ended with Joker being brought to Arkham Asylum, leaving the door open for his potential return in a sequel. The script also originally indicated the Joker killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, but that was changed in order to keep with better continuity. Rather than show the origins of the Joker, Burton writer Sam Hamm opted show the emergence of the Joker and left his origins to mystery. The film opened in the summer of 1989 to overwhelmingly positive reviews.
The success of Batman prompted Warner Bros. to explore the possibility of pursuing film adaptations for Wonder Woman and The Flash.
1989 was also the year Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure was released. The movie was about a couple of well-meaning and good-natured slackers who were poor musicians, but wanted to start a band. Unfortunately, Ted Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill Preston (Alex Winter) were failing history. Ted’s father planned to send Ted to an Alaskan military school unless he somehow passed history. Help came from the future in the form of a man named Rufus (George Carlin), who provided them with a time machine so they could acquire help on their final oral history examination. The film was a hit and featured music from many up and coming bands like Blind Guardian, Savatage, and Extreme.
George Lucas completed his first draft of his Willow sequel, which was called The Shadow War. It was unfortunately too long for a single film and he decided to make it into a trilogy. He began working on another script using stories from the original draft. This script eventually became the first draft for the film Shadow Moon. He worked nearly nonstop on the Willow sequel while he was also involved with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
“George was really obsessed with the story,” recalled Ron Howard. “I had already agreed to direct because I had such a good experience working on Willow. I saw the first draft of The Shadow War script, which was the main manuscript for what would become the entire trilogy. It was very ambitious and definitely darker than Willow. I was impressed with what George was doing and felt it was going to be his best work.”
Filming began for Kull in 1989. The story for the film was based heavily on “The Shadow Kingdom,” but also took care to explain Kull’s origins with inspiration from “Exile of Atlantis.” Dolph Lundgren had been growing his hair out for the role and was forced to dye his hair black in order to look more authentic.
A Year in Metal
One of the most significant events in music in 1989 was the end of the Mark II Deep Purple lineup. Tensions were building in the band, namely the creative differences between Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Gillan. Gillan already threatened to leave the band, but the rest of the band believed they would have difficulty selling albums with a different vocalist other than Gillan. When Gillan was convinced to stay, Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple and announced he was going to reform Rainbow. Deep Purple recruited guitarist Steve Morse to replace Ritchie Blackmore.
“It was like a breath of fresh air when Ritchie left the band,” Ian Gillan recalled. “It freed us to continue to work while Ritchie was free to do his own thing in Rainbow. It worked out best for all parties concerned.”
Ritchie began to form a new Rainbow lineup almost immediately. He managed to talk David Coverdale into joining the band on vocals to reform Rainbow as a supergroup. Drummer Chuck Burgi agreed to rejoin the band as did keyboardist Don Airey. The implosion of Whitesnake freed bassist Neil Murray as well, who decided to follow Don Airey into Rainbow. Blackmore had no objections to Murray joining the band, so the new lineup was completed.
“It seemed only natural,” Coverdale said of his decision to break up Whitesnake. “Ritchie wanted out of Deep Purple and I was looking to take a break from Whitesnake. We talked and he decided to reform Rainbow and invited me to sing for the band.”
Both Cozy Powell and Ronnie James Dio declined to comment on the Rainbow reunion. Powell later admitted in a 1996 interview that Ritchie and David tried to convince him to take part in a Rainbow reunion.
“I might have done a one-off show with them for video if Ronnie was down for it, but both David and Ritchie were trying to do something for the long haul,” recalled Powell. "It wasn't time to do Rainbow and there wouldn't ever be a time to do Rainbow again."
Other metal bands released significant albums in 1989. Overkill released The Years of Decay, which proved to be their most commercially successful album. It was their first album to receive platinum certification. Exodus released their commercial breakthrough Fabulous Disaster and became one of the biggest bands in North America as their album climbed the charts and went platinum. Testament released Practice What You Preach to great reviews. Their album went gold, but would be platinum certified a few years later. Led Zeppelin released the album Now and Zen, which was an instant success and went platinum. Alice Cooper has his great comeback album with the release of Trash. The Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura also broke big in North America with the release of Beneath the Remains. In addition, Annihilator released its debut album Alice in Hell to glowing reviews.
Glam giants Mötley Crüe returned with the album Dr. Feelgood. Gone was their glam image and instead, they replaced it with more of a street look. Recorded after a stint in rehab, they were clean and sober. Dr. Feelgood was regarded as the band’s heaviest and most technical album to date. Guitarist Mick Mars incorporated some thrash metal influences without compromising much of the band’s core sound. Drummer Tommy Lee also stepped up his game and recorded some of his best drum work up to that point.
“We weren’t starting any mosh pits, but we were proving we could play metal just as good as the Anthrax’s and Metallica’s of the world,” said Tommy Lee in the Going Glam documentary. “And guess what? Glam wasn’t dead. It sold well. It was our great middle finger to the thrash metal movement. Thank you for pushing us so hard because we were better than ever.”
W.A.S.P. also returned with the album Headless Children. The album was a more mature album from the band and sold relatively well in an era when glam bands were having trouble getting media attention. Skid Row made its debut with their self-titled album. Their sound was the product of some glam and thrash fusion, following a formula similar to what Pantera did with their album Power Metal. Their album charted well and the singles “Youth Gone Wild” and “18 and Life” received generous airplay on MTV.
Nirvana released its debut album Bleach to overwhelmingly positive reviews. “Kurt Cobain is the Randy Rhoads of his generation,” said one reviewer. The band toured in support to Exodus in North America before touring Europe.
“I took a lot of influence from Randy Rhoads, so that was high praise,” Cobain admitted. “I also drew a lot of inspiration from Dan Spitz, Scott Ian, Dave Mustaine, and Kerry King.”
The Randy Rhoads Band released its third album Madness and Ecstasy. It was the final album made with the classic lineup. Carmine Appice left the band shortly before the tour and he was replaced by Tommy Aldridge. Former Alice Cooper keyboardist Paul Taylor also replaced Claude Schnell. The new lineup was called “3/5 Madman” by Randy Rhoads in reference to the band’s configuration possessing three out of the five members from the tour for Diary of a Madman.
A new Megadeth lineup formed. Dave Mustaine recruited drummer Nick Menza to replace Chuck Behler. They were unable to find a new guitarist in time to record “No More Mr. Nice Guy” for the Shocker soundtrack, so they recorded the song as a three piece band. Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman was eventually hired to join the band. With the new lineup solidified and with Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson finally sober for good, the band began work on their fourth album.
Kiss received a major shock in late 1989 when it was discovered that drummer Eric Carr had the early stages of heart cancer. They released the album Hot in the Shade and only toured with Eric Carr’s blessing. They invited drummer Eric Singer to perform in place of Carr on the tour.
“It was scary,” said Carr of the diagnosis. “I decided to get more serious about my health and then they discovered I had cancer. I gave Eric Singer my blessing to play in place of me on the tour. The rest of the band wanted me to get well.”
The underground death metal scene continued to grow in strength, seemingly feeding on those who didn’t find the mainstream thrash metal extreme enough for their tastes. Obituary released their debut album Slowly We Rot. Cannibal Corpse released a five-song demo simply titled Cannibal Corpse. Athiest released its debut album Piece of Time. Other death metal bands continued to release albums, further strengthening the underground scene.
“It was an exciting time to be part of the scene,” said Chuck Schuldiner of Death in a 1999 interview. “Bands were coming out all over the place. You had black metal bands cropping up along with death metal bands. For some people, thrash metal was too weak. They wanted to go even more extreme and that was fine with us. Those of us who were playing liked bands like Anthrax and Metallica. Some of our fans hated them because they were thought as sell outs.”
Parallel to the death metal movement in the underground was the power metal movement. Already possessing some moderate mainstream success, they were ahead of the death metal bands in terms of overall popularity.
Major Albums Released in 1989
Accept – Eat the Heat
Aerosmith – Pump
Alice Cooper – Trash
Annihilator – Alice in Hell
Atheist – Piece of Time
Autopsy – Severed Survival
Blind Guardian – Follow the Blind
Candlemass – Tales of Creation
Carcass – Symphonies of Sickness
Dark Angel – Leave Scars
Dream Theater – When Dream and Day Unite
D.R.I. – Thrash Zone
Exodus – Fabulous Disaster
Extreme – Extreme
Faith No More – The Real Thing
Fates Warning – Perfect Symmetry
Jeff Scott Soto – JSS
Joe Satriani – Flying in a Blue Dream
King Diamond – Conspiracy
Kiss – Hot in the Shade
Kreator – Extreme Aggression
Lääz Rockit – Annihilation Principle
Led Zeppelin – Now and Zen
Metal Church – Blessing in Disguise
Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
Mr. Big – Mr. Big
Mötley Crüe – Dr. Feelgood
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine
Nitro – “O.F.R.”
Nuclear Assault – Handle with Care
Obituary – Slowly We Rot
Overkill – The Years of Decay
Pestilence – Consuming Impulse
Randy Rhoads Band – Madness and Ecstasy
Running Wild – Death or Glory
Rush – Presto
Saint Vitus – V
Savatage – Gutter Ballet
Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Skid Row – Skid Row
Sodom – Agent Orange
Stratovarius – Fright Night
Suicidal Tendencies – Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit…Déjà Vu
Testament – Practice What You Preach
Voivod – Nothingface
W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children
White Zombie – Make Them Die Slowly
X Japan – Blue Blood
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad
Major Disbandments in 1989
Cacophony
Dokken
Whitesnake
Major Bands formed in 1989
Abruptum
Bal-Sagoth
Benediction
Bruce Dickinson (remained in Iron Maiden)
Cathedral
Crowbar
Dark Tranquility
Dissection
Dungeon
Edge of Sanity
Fear Factory
The Gathering
Immortal
Incantation
Marylin Manson
Rainbow (reformed after a five year hiatus)
Sentenced
Tourniquet
Thought Industry
Unanimated
Vital Remains
Von
Wizard
so if nirvana is a thrash band what happens to the Melvins, what about Earth, do they still found the Drone movement? also does Les Claypool go thrash as well (otl he tried out for metallica)
Im excited for what you do with black metal, will it still be as violent?
Can we have Nu Metal not exist, that would be nice!
Im excited for what you do with black metal, will it still be as violent?
Can we have Nu Metal not exist, that would be nice!
1) I've imagined the Melvins would remain grouped with the alternative metal movement. In this timeline, crossover thrash and alternative metal have become a bit blurred in Seattle.
2) Les Claypool auditioned for Metallica in OTL because he was encouraged to do so by his childhood friend Kirk Hammett. Claypool still founds Primus here.
3) Black metal will still be violent. Greater popularity of thrash metal is helping to push the underground death and black metal scenes to be even more extreme.
4) I'm not really sure how the butterflies will impact nu metal. Rap metal already exists because Anthrax still recorded "I'm the Man" in this timeline.
The absence of Hammett's contributions to the music impacted Justice. Certainly Wylde brings something to the table, so there is an impact on the sound with Wylde in the band. Also, Burton's contributions are also present and his bass would have been much more audible in the mix.
The butterflies have landed.
Chapter 8: Crazy World
Some music historians considered 1990 to be the zenith of thrash metal’s popularity worldwide. It saw the release of many classic albums from the genre and the first major thrash metal super tour, The Clash of the Titans. However, like all movements, it was beginning to run out of steam. Certain parent and religious groups were attacking the subject matter and intensity of the songs, blaming the music for riotous behavior and a decline of general morality.
However, it was also a time when many changes were occurring in the world. The Berlin Wall fell in the previous year and German unification became a reality. The Iron Curtain was collapsing. Perhaps no song described the times better than “Wind of Change” by Scorpions.
32nd Grammy Awards
The year after Metallica took home the first Grammy Award for hard rock and heavy metal, a separate heavy metal award existed. Nominated were Mötley Crüe’s “Dr. Feelgood,” Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild,” Fabulous Disaster by Exodus, The Years of Decay by Overkill, and Practice What You Preach by Testament. Mötley Crüe was invited to perform at the Grammy Awards, but their relapse into drug usage was obvious. They were not playing live, which was normal. However, they obviously made mistakes with their ability to mime playing and Vince Neil made grave mistakes with his lip synching. It gave many in the audience as well as those watching home some satisfaction when Mötley Crüe lost the Grammy Award to Overkill.
“Mötley Crüe was robbed,” Joe Elliot of Def Leppard commented in the documentary Going Glam. “Some of the thrash metal fans say Exodus was robbed, but that just isn’t true.”
“It could have gone either way,” admitted Scott Ian. “Both Exodus and Overkill put out fantastic albums in 1989.”
A Year in Metal
Def Leppard broke its long hiatus with the release of Adrenalize. It was less poppy than Hysteria and featured a sound similar to High N’ Dry and Pyromania. The album enjoyed moderate success in North America and helped revive their fortunes. Judas Priest released a new album with their new drummer Scott Travis entitled Painkiller. It was much heavier than their previous material and like Def Leppard, a new album helped revive their fortunes. Black Sabbath released the album Tyr, Deep Purple released Slaves and Masters, and Rainbow released Stranger in Us All. Interest in the albums was strong in the UK and North America. Each band launched massive tours to support their albums. Rainbow released a live concert video a year later.
“I remember going to a Rainbow show in Chicago and they played a lot of stuff from the Deep Purple albums Burn and Stormbringer as well as plenty of Rainbow classics,” recalled Billy Corgan. “David and Ritchie were really giving their best in that tour.”
1990 was also the year that a number of classic thrash metal albums were released. Megadeth fired strong with Rust in Peace, an album many critics and fans regard as their best effort. Slayer released Seasons in the Abyss. Both Slayer and Megadeth saw their albums reach platinum status. Testament released Souls of Black. Exodus released Impact is Imminent. Alice in Chains released their debut album Facelift, which quickly shot to gold by the end of the year. Queensrÿche released Empire, which became their most commercially successful album. Pantera released Cowboys From Hell, which solidified their shift from glam to thrash metal. Mark Slaughter of the Randy Rhoads Band released a solo album entitled Stick It to Ya while he was still a member of the Randy Rhoads Band.
Anthrax released Persistence of Time, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for sixteen weeks. They’d already released the EP Penikufesin in 1989 while the public waited for a new album. Critics regarded the album as more mature than Anthrax’s previous work. While the band’s “silly” side made them more accessible to the general public than some of the other thrash metal bands, Anthrax was seen as growing up with its audience. The singles “Got the Time,” “In My World,” “Belly of the Beast,” and “Time,” enjoyed generous airplay on the radio and on MTV through 1990 and 1991. The band even made an appearance on the hit sitcom Married with Children for the episode “My Dinner with Anthrax,” where they performed the song “In My World.” By the end of 1990, the album was already certified quadruple platinum in the United States. As of today, the album is certified diamond.
In addition to being #1 in the United States, Persistence of Time was #1 on the UK, German, Japanese, and many other international charts. This distinction led many music publications to declare Anthrax the “biggest band in the world.” Rolling Stone also declared Anthrax to be “the voice of the generation.” One could hardly go through a high school or college campus without seeing Anthrax t-shirts or hearing the band’s music playing in automobiles.
“We were all over the radio by then,” Joey Belladonna recalled. “We thought Among the Living was huge, but we clearly had no idea what that really was until Persistence of Time was released. We felt we had something good in the studio because the band was tighter than ever. We had such good chemistry going into the recording of the album that we didn’t have to say anything sometimes.”
“That was one of the best metal albums of all time,” said James Hetfield. “The media liked to paint Metallica vs. Anthrax as some big music rivalry, but that wasn’t true. We were all friends who just happened to be the subject of debates in the metal. Scott Ian claimed we helped Anthrax up their game in 1983, but Anthrax was always pushing us to up our game just like Anthrax said we helped push them to write better music.”
“Metallica and Anthrax were like the Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin of our generation,” said Chris Jericho of the band Fozzy in the documentary Get Thrashed. “There were quite a few great thrash metal bands, but I think Metallica and Anthrax were truly able to transcend the genre and deliver mass appeal without being too compromising with their sound. This isn’t a slight against bands like Megadeth and Slayer who were just as talented and some argue they were more talented than Metallica and Anthrax. It’s just the way it is.”
The biggest bands in thrash metal launched a major tour in Europe called Clash of the Titans in the summer. Anthrax headlined the tour while Megadeth, Slayer, Overkill, and Suicidal Tendencies toured in support. The US leg of the tour would not begin for another year as the bands toured the US in support of their albums.
Anthrax’s tour was arguably the biggest of the tours that followed Clash of the Titans. Anthrax toured North America with Alice in Chains. Anthrax concluded their North American tour with a packed house at Yankee Stadium. What followed was a short Japanese tour.
Megadeth and Slayer continued to tour together in the United States. There was strong mutual respect between the bands and they would regularly rotate who opened during the tour. Overkill returned to the studio to record their follow up effort to The Years of Decay after performing a handful of shows on the East Coast.
“The Slayer and Megadeth tour was the greatest tour ever,” recalled heavy metal icon Britney Spears, who then flashed the horns. “I was just a kid, so I couldn’t go in the pit. My brother and I went with some older kids and it was a religious experience. It was better than seeing Anthrax and Alice in Chains. I remember how many of my friends were so jealous that I saw those bands. They had the posters on their walls and I said, ‘Yeah. I saw those guys.’”
“Hell yeah that was a good time to be into metal,” said Lance Bass of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) band Peace Sells. “My parents hated the music, but they were fine with me taking the road trip to New Orleans with the older kids to see Megadeth. I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life after experiencing Megadeth and Slayer.”
“The Big Five inspired so many kids to pick up instruments and play music,” recalled Exodus guitarist Gary Holt. “I remember meeting 18 and 19 year old kids at Exodus shows in the 1990’s who told us that we were such a big inspiration to them.”
“I remember when we were touring for The World Needs a Hero and we took this Louisiana band called Denim and Leather on tour with us,” Dave Mustaine recalled. “Any band that named itself after a Saxon album had enough to live up to as it is. But I remember meeting their lead singer, this 20 year old kid named Britney Spears. She told me how much of a huge fan of ours she was when she was a kid. I keep hearing that same story over and over. You spent so many years when you were a kid idolizing bands and it’s a bit of a trip when some kids in a band tell you how much of an inspiration you were.”
Eric Carr released a statement to the media in the fall of 1990, revealing that his cancer was beaten. He was weakened by the chemotherapy and would be unable to return to performing in the near future. Both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons told Carr to take as long as he needed to recover. Eric returned to Kiss a year later.
“I just want to let everyone know my cancer is beaten,” Carr told MTV in 1990. “I just can’t perform right now and I’m taking it one day at a time. Paul and Gene told me to take as long as I needed to recover. Bruce and Eric (Singer) have been keeping in touch with me too. I’ve even gotten a few visits from Ace. The outpouring of support from all the Kiss fans throughout the world has been such a help. My family and I thank you all.”
Major Albums Released in 1990
AC/DC – The Razors Edge
Alice in Chains – Facelift
Annihilator – Never, Neverland
Anthrax – Persistence of Time
Atrophy – Violent by Nature
Bathory – Hammerheart
Black Sabbath – Tyr
Blind Guardian – Tales from the Twilight World
Bruce Dickinson - Tattooed Millionaire
Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back to Life
Celtic Frost – Vanity/Nemesis
Danzig – Danzig II: Lucifuge
Death – Spiritual Healing
Death Angel – Act III
Deep Purple – Slaves and Masters
Deicide – Deicide
Destruction – Cracked Brain
Exhorder – Slaughter in the Vatican
Exodus – Impact is Imminent
Forbidden – Twisted into Form
Iced Earth – Iced Earth
Iron Maiden – No Prayer for the Dying
King Diamond – The Eye
Kreator – Coma of Souls
Living Colour – Time’s Up
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Eclipse
Megadeth – Rust in Peace
Napalm Death – Harmony Corruption
Obituary – Cause of Death
Pantera – Cowboys from Hell
Primus – Frizzle Fry
Queensrÿche – Empire
Rainbow – Stranger In Us All
Ratt – Detonator
Sacred Reich – The American Way
Scorpions – Crazy World
Mark Slaughter – Stick It to Ya
Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
Sodom – Better Off Dead
Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare
Suicidal Tendencies – Lights…Camera…Revolution!
Testament – Souls of Black
U.D.O. – Faceless World
Vio-lence – Oppressing the Masses
Warrant – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Winger - In the Heart of the Young
Major Bands formed in 1990
Anathema
At the Gates
Body Count
Dark Tranquility
Fear Factory
In Flames
Infectious Grooves
Lamb of God
Opeth
Satyricon
Tool
Type O Negative
Major Disbandments in 1990
Atrophy
Bon Jovi
Poison
Quiet Riot
Chapter 8: Crazy World
Some music historians considered 1990 to be the zenith of thrash metal’s popularity worldwide. It saw the release of many classic albums from the genre and the first major thrash metal super tour, The Clash of the Titans. However, like all movements, it was beginning to run out of steam. Certain parent and religious groups were attacking the subject matter and intensity of the songs, blaming the music for riotous behavior and a decline of general morality.
However, it was also a time when many changes were occurring in the world. The Berlin Wall fell in the previous year and German unification became a reality. The Iron Curtain was collapsing. Perhaps no song described the times better than “Wind of Change” by Scorpions.
32nd Grammy Awards
The year after Metallica took home the first Grammy Award for hard rock and heavy metal, a separate heavy metal award existed. Nominated were Mötley Crüe’s “Dr. Feelgood,” Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild,” Fabulous Disaster by Exodus, The Years of Decay by Overkill, and Practice What You Preach by Testament. Mötley Crüe was invited to perform at the Grammy Awards, but their relapse into drug usage was obvious. They were not playing live, which was normal. However, they obviously made mistakes with their ability to mime playing and Vince Neil made grave mistakes with his lip synching. It gave many in the audience as well as those watching home some satisfaction when Mötley Crüe lost the Grammy Award to Overkill.
“Mötley Crüe was robbed,” Joe Elliot of Def Leppard commented in the documentary Going Glam. “Some of the thrash metal fans say Exodus was robbed, but that just isn’t true.”
“It could have gone either way,” admitted Scott Ian. “Both Exodus and Overkill put out fantastic albums in 1989.”
A Year in Metal
Def Leppard broke its long hiatus with the release of Adrenalize. It was less poppy than Hysteria and featured a sound similar to High N’ Dry and Pyromania. The album enjoyed moderate success in North America and helped revive their fortunes. Judas Priest released a new album with their new drummer Scott Travis entitled Painkiller. It was much heavier than their previous material and like Def Leppard, a new album helped revive their fortunes. Black Sabbath released the album Tyr, Deep Purple released Slaves and Masters, and Rainbow released Stranger in Us All. Interest in the albums was strong in the UK and North America. Each band launched massive tours to support their albums. Rainbow released a live concert video a year later.
“I remember going to a Rainbow show in Chicago and they played a lot of stuff from the Deep Purple albums Burn and Stormbringer as well as plenty of Rainbow classics,” recalled Billy Corgan. “David and Ritchie were really giving their best in that tour.”
1990 was also the year that a number of classic thrash metal albums were released. Megadeth fired strong with Rust in Peace, an album many critics and fans regard as their best effort. Slayer released Seasons in the Abyss. Both Slayer and Megadeth saw their albums reach platinum status. Testament released Souls of Black. Exodus released Impact is Imminent. Alice in Chains released their debut album Facelift, which quickly shot to gold by the end of the year. Queensrÿche released Empire, which became their most commercially successful album. Pantera released Cowboys From Hell, which solidified their shift from glam to thrash metal. Mark Slaughter of the Randy Rhoads Band released a solo album entitled Stick It to Ya while he was still a member of the Randy Rhoads Band.
Anthrax released Persistence of Time, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for sixteen weeks. They’d already released the EP Penikufesin in 1989 while the public waited for a new album. Critics regarded the album as more mature than Anthrax’s previous work. While the band’s “silly” side made them more accessible to the general public than some of the other thrash metal bands, Anthrax was seen as growing up with its audience. The singles “Got the Time,” “In My World,” “Belly of the Beast,” and “Time,” enjoyed generous airplay on the radio and on MTV through 1990 and 1991. The band even made an appearance on the hit sitcom Married with Children for the episode “My Dinner with Anthrax,” where they performed the song “In My World.” By the end of 1990, the album was already certified quadruple platinum in the United States. As of today, the album is certified diamond.
In addition to being #1 in the United States, Persistence of Time was #1 on the UK, German, Japanese, and many other international charts. This distinction led many music publications to declare Anthrax the “biggest band in the world.” Rolling Stone also declared Anthrax to be “the voice of the generation.” One could hardly go through a high school or college campus without seeing Anthrax t-shirts or hearing the band’s music playing in automobiles.
“We were all over the radio by then,” Joey Belladonna recalled. “We thought Among the Living was huge, but we clearly had no idea what that really was until Persistence of Time was released. We felt we had something good in the studio because the band was tighter than ever. We had such good chemistry going into the recording of the album that we didn’t have to say anything sometimes.”
“That was one of the best metal albums of all time,” said James Hetfield. “The media liked to paint Metallica vs. Anthrax as some big music rivalry, but that wasn’t true. We were all friends who just happened to be the subject of debates in the metal. Scott Ian claimed we helped Anthrax up their game in 1983, but Anthrax was always pushing us to up our game just like Anthrax said we helped push them to write better music.”
“Metallica and Anthrax were like the Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin of our generation,” said Chris Jericho of the band Fozzy in the documentary Get Thrashed. “There were quite a few great thrash metal bands, but I think Metallica and Anthrax were truly able to transcend the genre and deliver mass appeal without being too compromising with their sound. This isn’t a slight against bands like Megadeth and Slayer who were just as talented and some argue they were more talented than Metallica and Anthrax. It’s just the way it is.”
The biggest bands in thrash metal launched a major tour in Europe called Clash of the Titans in the summer. Anthrax headlined the tour while Megadeth, Slayer, Overkill, and Suicidal Tendencies toured in support. The US leg of the tour would not begin for another year as the bands toured the US in support of their albums.
Anthrax’s tour was arguably the biggest of the tours that followed Clash of the Titans. Anthrax toured North America with Alice in Chains. Anthrax concluded their North American tour with a packed house at Yankee Stadium. What followed was a short Japanese tour.
Megadeth and Slayer continued to tour together in the United States. There was strong mutual respect between the bands and they would regularly rotate who opened during the tour. Overkill returned to the studio to record their follow up effort to The Years of Decay after performing a handful of shows on the East Coast.
“The Slayer and Megadeth tour was the greatest tour ever,” recalled heavy metal icon Britney Spears, who then flashed the horns. “I was just a kid, so I couldn’t go in the pit. My brother and I went with some older kids and it was a religious experience. It was better than seeing Anthrax and Alice in Chains. I remember how many of my friends were so jealous that I saw those bands. They had the posters on their walls and I said, ‘Yeah. I saw those guys.’”
“Hell yeah that was a good time to be into metal,” said Lance Bass of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) band Peace Sells. “My parents hated the music, but they were fine with me taking the road trip to New Orleans with the older kids to see Megadeth. I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life after experiencing Megadeth and Slayer.”
“The Big Five inspired so many kids to pick up instruments and play music,” recalled Exodus guitarist Gary Holt. “I remember meeting 18 and 19 year old kids at Exodus shows in the 1990’s who told us that we were such a big inspiration to them.”
“I remember when we were touring for The World Needs a Hero and we took this Louisiana band called Denim and Leather on tour with us,” Dave Mustaine recalled. “Any band that named itself after a Saxon album had enough to live up to as it is. But I remember meeting their lead singer, this 20 year old kid named Britney Spears. She told me how much of a huge fan of ours she was when she was a kid. I keep hearing that same story over and over. You spent so many years when you were a kid idolizing bands and it’s a bit of a trip when some kids in a band tell you how much of an inspiration you were.”
Eric Carr released a statement to the media in the fall of 1990, revealing that his cancer was beaten. He was weakened by the chemotherapy and would be unable to return to performing in the near future. Both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons told Carr to take as long as he needed to recover. Eric returned to Kiss a year later.
“I just want to let everyone know my cancer is beaten,” Carr told MTV in 1990. “I just can’t perform right now and I’m taking it one day at a time. Paul and Gene told me to take as long as I needed to recover. Bruce and Eric (Singer) have been keeping in touch with me too. I’ve even gotten a few visits from Ace. The outpouring of support from all the Kiss fans throughout the world has been such a help. My family and I thank you all.”
Major Albums Released in 1990
AC/DC – The Razors Edge
Alice in Chains – Facelift
Annihilator – Never, Neverland
Anthrax – Persistence of Time
Atrophy – Violent by Nature
Bathory – Hammerheart
Black Sabbath – Tyr
Blind Guardian – Tales from the Twilight World
Bruce Dickinson - Tattooed Millionaire
Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back to Life
Celtic Frost – Vanity/Nemesis
Danzig – Danzig II: Lucifuge
Death – Spiritual Healing
Death Angel – Act III
Deep Purple – Slaves and Masters
Deicide – Deicide
Destruction – Cracked Brain
Exhorder – Slaughter in the Vatican
Exodus – Impact is Imminent
Forbidden – Twisted into Form
Iced Earth – Iced Earth
Iron Maiden – No Prayer for the Dying
King Diamond – The Eye
Kreator – Coma of Souls
Living Colour – Time’s Up
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Eclipse
Megadeth – Rust in Peace
Napalm Death – Harmony Corruption
Obituary – Cause of Death
Pantera – Cowboys from Hell
Primus – Frizzle Fry
Queensrÿche – Empire
Rainbow – Stranger In Us All
Ratt – Detonator
Sacred Reich – The American Way
Scorpions – Crazy World
Mark Slaughter – Stick It to Ya
Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
Sodom – Better Off Dead
Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare
Suicidal Tendencies – Lights…Camera…Revolution!
Testament – Souls of Black
U.D.O. – Faceless World
Vio-lence – Oppressing the Masses
Warrant – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Winger - In the Heart of the Young
Major Bands formed in 1990
Anathema
At the Gates
Body Count
Dark Tranquility
Fear Factory
In Flames
Infectious Grooves
Lamb of God
Opeth
Satyricon
Tool
Type O Negative
Major Disbandments in 1990
Atrophy
Bon Jovi
Poison
Quiet Riot
Last edited: