Heavy metalll!!!!

Black Sabbath

Formed 1967, Birmingham, England

Mixing equal parts of bone-crushing volume, catatonic tempos, and ominous pronouncements of gloom and doom delivered in Ozzy Osbourne’s keening voice, Black Sabbath was the heavy-metal king of the Seventies. Despised by rock critics and ignored by radio programmers, the group sold over eight million albums before Osbourne departed for a solo career in 1979 [see entry].

The four original members, schoolmates from a working-class district of industrial Birmingham, first joined forces as Polka Tulk, a blues band. They quickly changed their name to Earth, then, in 1969, to Black Sabbath; the name came from the title of a song written by bassist Geezer Butler, a fan of occult novelist Dennis Wheatley. The quartet’s eponymously titled 1970 debut, recorded in two days, went to #8 in England and #23 in the U.S. A single, "Paranoid," released in advance of the album of the same name, reached #4 in the U.K. later that year, it was the group’s only Top Twenty hit.

The single didn’t make the US, Top Forty, but the Paranoid LP, issued in early 1971, eventually sold four million copies despite virtually no airplay. Beginning in December 1970 Sabbath toured the States relentlessly. The constant road work paid off, and by 1974 Black Sabbath was considered peerless among heavy-metal acts, its first five LPs all having sold at least a million copies apiece in America alone.

In spite of its name, the crosses erected onstage, and songs dealing with apocalypse, death, and destruction, the band members insisted their interest in the black arts was nothing more than innocuous curiosity (the sort that led Ozzy Osbourne to sit through eight showings of The Exorcist), and in time Black Sabbath’s princes-of-darkness image faded.

Eventually, so did its record sales. Aside from a platinum best-of, We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll (1976), not one of three LPs from 1975 to 1978 went gold. Osbourne, racked by drug use and excessive drinking, quit the band briefly in late 1977 (former Savoy Brown- Fleetwood Mac vocalist Dave Walker filled his shoes for some live dates). In January 1979 he left again, this time for good. Ronnie James Die, formerly of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, replaced Osbourne.

Although Dio could belt with the best of them, Sabbath would never be the same. Its first album with Dio, Heaven and Hell (1980), went platinum, its second, Mob Rules (1981), gold. But thereafter, the group’s LPs sold fewer and fewer copies, as Black Sabbath went through one personnel change after another. III health forced Bill Ward out of the band in 1981; Carmine Appice’s brother Vinnie took his place. Friction between Iommi and Dio led the singer to quit angrily in 1982, he took P with him to start his own band, Die. Vocalists over the years have included Dave Donato; Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan; Glenn Hughes, another ex-member of Purple; Tony Martin; and Dio again.

By 1986’s Seventh Star, only Iommi remained from the original lineup. He had to wince when Geezer Butler teamed up with the phenomenally successful Osboume in 1988, though the bassist did return to the fold three years later. Despite bitterness expressed in the press between Osbourne and Iommi, the original foursome reunited in 1985 at the Live-Aid concert in Philadelphia, and again in 1992, at the end of what was supposedly Osbourne’s last tour. Throughout 1993 word had it that Osbourne, Iommi, Butler, and Ward would tour, but by year’s end Osbourne had backed out, allegedly over money. The indefatigable Tony Iommi went right back to work with Butler, rehiring vocalist Tony Martin and adding former Rainbow drummer Rob Rondinelli..

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aIhh9nFYv4

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Iron Maiden

Formed in London, England, in 1976, Iron Maiden was from the start the brainchild of Steve Harris (b. 12 March 1957, Leytonstone, London, England; bass), formerly a member of pub rockers Smiler. Named after a medieval torture device, the music was suitably heavy and hard on the senses.

The heavy metal scene of the late 70s was widely regarded as stagnant, with only a handful of bands proving their ability to survive and produce music of quality. It was at this time that a new breed of young British bands began to emerge. This movement, which began to break cover in 1979 and 1980, was known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, or N.W.O.B.*.M.. Iron Maiden were one of the foremost bands in the genre, and many would say its definitive example. Younger and meaner, the N.W.O.B.*.M. bands dealt in faster, more energetic heavy metal than any of their forefathers (punk being an obvious influence).

There were several line-up changes in the Iron Maiden ranks in the very early days, and come the release of their debut EP, the band featured Harris, Dave Murray (b. 23 December 1958, London, England; guitar), Paul Di'Anno (b. 17 May 1959, Chingford, London, England; vocals) and Doug Sampson (drums).

The band made its live debut at the Cart & Horses Pub in Stratford, east London, in 1977, before honing its sound on the local pub circuit over the ensuing two years. Unable to solicit a response from record companies, the band sent a three-track tape, featuring Iron Maiden, Prowler and Strange World, to Neal Kay, DJ at north London's hard rock disco, the Kingsbury Bandwagon Soundhouse. Kay's patronage of Iron Maiden won them an instant welcome, which prompted the release of The Soundhouse Tapes on the band's own label .

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Judas Priest

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the '70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the gothic doom of Black Sabbath with the riffs and speed of Led Zeppelin, as well as adding a vicious two-lead guitar attack; in doing so, they set the pace for much popular heavy metal from 1975 until 1985, as well as laying the groundwork for the speed and death metal of the '80s. Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1970, the group's core members were guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill. Joined by Alan Atkins and drummer John Ellis, the band played their first concert in 1971. Atkins' previous band was called Judas Priest, yet the members decided it was the best name for the new group. The band played numerous shows throughout 1971; during the year, Ellis was replaced by Alan Moore; by the end of the year, Chris Campbell replaced Moore. After a solid year of touring the U.K., Atkins and Campbell left the band in 1973 and were replaced by vocalist Rob Halford and drummer John Hinch. They continued touring, including a visit to Germany and the Netherlands in 1974; by the time the tour was completed, they had secured a record contract with Gull, an independent U.K. label. Before recording their debut album, Rocka Rolla, Judas Priest added guitarist Glenn Tipton. They released the record in September of 1974 to almost no attention. The following year, they gave a well-received performance at the Reading Festival and Hinch departed the band; he was replaced by Alan Moore. Later that year, the group released Sad Wings of Destiny, which earned some positive reviews. However, the lack of sales was putting the band in a dire financial situation, which was remedied by an international contract with CBS Records. Sin After Sin (1977) was the first album released under that contract; it was recorded with Simon Phillips, who replaced Moore. The record received positive reviews and the band departed for their first American tour, with Les Binks on drums. When they returned to England, Judas Priest recorded 1978's Stained Class, the record that established them as an international force in metal. Along with 1979's Hell Bent for Leather (Killing Machine in the U.K.), Stained Class began the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. A significant number of bands adopted Priest's leather-clad image and hard, driving sound, making their music harder, faster, and louder. After releasing Hell Bent for Leather, the band recorded the live album Unleashed in the East (1979) in Japan; it became their first platinum album in America. Les Binks left the band in 1979; he was replaced by former Trapeze drummer Dave Holland. Their next album, 1980's British Steel, entered the British charts at number three, launched the hit singles "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight," and was their second American platinum record; Point of Entry, released the following year, was nearly as successful.
At the beginning of the '80s, Judas Priest was a top concert attraction around the world, in addition to being a best-selling recording artist. Featuring the hit single "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," Screaming for Vengeance (1982) marked the height of their popularity, peaking at number 17 in America and selling over a million copies. Two years later, Defenders of the Faith nearly matched its predecessor's performance, yet metal tastes were beginning to change, as Metallica and other speed/thrash metal groups started to grow in popularity. That shift was evident on 1986's Turbo, where Judas Priest seemed out of touch with current trends; nevertheless, the record sold over a million copies in America on the basis of name recognition alone. However, 1987's Priest...Live! was their first album since Stained Class not to go gold. Ram It Down (1988) was a return to raw metal and returned the group to gold status. Dave Holland left after this record and was replaced by Scott Travis for 1990's Painkiller. Like Ram It Down, Painkiller didn't make an impact outside the band's diehard fans, yet the group was still a popular concert act. In the early '90s, Rob Halford began his own thrash band, Fight, and soon left Judas Priest. In 1996, following a solo album by Glenn Tipton, the band rebounded with a new young singer, Tim "Ripper" Owens, (formerly a member of a Priest tribute band and of Winter's Bane). They spent the next year recording Jugulator amongst much self-perpetuated hype concerning Priest's return to their roots. The album debuted at number 82 on the Billboard album charts upon its release in late 1997. Halford had by then disbanded Fight following a decrease in interest and signed with Trent Reznor's Nothing label with a new project, Two. In the meantime, the remaining members of Judas Priest forged on with '98 Live Meltdown, a live set recorded during their inaugural tour with Ripper on the mic. Around the same time, a movie was readying production that was to be based on Ripper's rags-to-riches story of how he got to front his all-time favorite band. Although Priest was originally supposed to be involved with the film, they ultimately pulled out, but production went on anyway without the band's blessing (the movie, Rock Star, was eventually released in the summer of 2001, starring Mark Wahlberg in the lead role). Rob Halford in the meantime disbanded Two after just a single album, 1997's Voyeurs, and returned back to his metal roots with a quintet titled simply...Halford. The group issued their debut in 2000, Resurrection, following it with a worldwide tour that saw the new group open up Iron Maiden's Brave New World U.S. tour, and issuing a live set one year later (which included a healthy helping of Priest classics) -- Live Insurrection. In 2001 the Ripper-led Priest issued a new album, Demolition, and Priest's entire back catalog for Columbia was reissued with remastered sound and bonus tracks. In 2003 the band--including Halford--collaborated on the liner notes and song selections for their mammoth career-encompassing box Metalogy, a collaboration that brought Halford back into the fold. Owens split from the group amicably in 2003, allowing the newly reunited heavy metal legends to plan their global live concert tour in 2004, with their sixteenth studio album, Angel of Retribution, to be released the following year.
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Metallica

It's the sort of story that scriptwriters would get laughed out of conference rooms for entering. The sort of story that illustrates perfect synchronicity between hunger, passion and time. The sort of story that only happens every 30-odd years. And the sort of story that would approximately 500 pages to do it true justice.

Metallica. A household name. The 7th biggest selling act in American history.

Who'd have thought it when, on October 28th, 1981, drummer Lars Ulrich made guitar player/singer James Hetfield an offer he couldn't refuse: "I’ve got a track saved for my band on Brian Slagel's new Metal Blade label."

The truth is, Lars didn't have a band at that time, but he did that day when James joined him. The two recorded their first track on a cheap recorder with James performing singing duties, rhythm guitar duties and bass guitar duties. Lars dutifully pounded the drums, helped with musical arrangements and acted as manager. Hetfield's friend and housemate Ron McGovney was eventually talked into taking up bass and Dave Mustaine took lead guitar duties.

The band adopted the moniker Metallica after a suggestion from Bay Area friend Ron Quintana, and they quickly began gigging in the Los Angeles area opening for bands like Saxon. Eventually recording a fully-fledged demo called No Life Til Leather, Metallica quickly saw the tape whistle around the metal tape-trading underground and become a hot commodity, with San Francisco and New York particularly receptive.

Metallica performed 2 shows in San Francisco and found the crowds friendlier and more honest than LA's "there to be seen" mob. They also caught up-and-coming band Trauma, and most importantly their bass player, Cliff Burton. Cliff refused to move to Southern California: it was enough to convince Metallica to relocate to the Bay Area, and Cliff subsequently joined Metallica.

In New York, a copy of No Life Til Leather made its way to Jon Zazula's record shop, the aptly named Metal Heaven. Zazula quickly recruited Metallica to come out east to play some shows and record an album. The band made it to New York in a stolen U-Haul. Dave Mustaine, at that point the band's guitarist, was proving to be more problematic than even these loose young chaps could handle. Thus a few weeks after arrival, Mustaine was sent packing, roadie Mark Whitakker suggesting Kirk Hammett from Bay Area thrashers Exodus. Two phone calls and one flight later, on April 1, 1983 Kirk Hammett joined Metallica.

Metallica's first album, Kill 'Em All, was released in late 1983 and some ferocious touring which saw the band's reputation soar both in the US and Europe. In 1984 they went to work with producer Flemming Rassmussen in Copenhagen at Sweet Silence Studios on their second album. 'Ride The Lightning' proved that Metallica were not some thrash-in-the-pan one trick pony, the writing and sound illustrating a growth, maturity and intensity which saw them immediately targeted by major management in QPrime, and a major label in Elektra. Both deals were done by the fall of '84 and their reputation continued to grow worldwide.

Returning to the same studios in 1985, the group recorded 'Master Of Puppets', mixing in LA with Michael Wagner and releasing in early 1986. They quickly secured a tour with Ozzy Osbourne, and that stint (plus a top 30 album chart position) saw their fan base and name take a quantum leap. What had seemed so unlikely was nearer than ever to coming true; world domination.

Part 2:
On September 27th, 1986, that dream was given the most shattering of blows. Somewhere in Sweden on an overnight drive, the bands' tour bus skidded out of control and flipped, killing Cliff Burton. His influence on the musical growth of the band was enormous. Burton combined the DIY philosophies of jamming and experimenting with an acute knowledge of musical theory, and Hetfield in particular found a lot in his playing and personality. It was impossible to imagine Metallica without him. Yet Cliff would equally not have cared for people throwing in the towel because he wasn't around. And so it was that after a brief yet intense mourning period, Lars, James and Kirk decided to fight on. Jason Newsted was chosen from over 40 auditions to be the new bassist, the Michigan-born four-stringer leaving Arizona based Flotsam & Jetsam to take on the chance of a lifetime. The quartet immediately jumped into a tour, and then quickly recorded an EP of cover tunes titled Garage Days Re-Revisited (the band literally did the dirty work in Lars' garage!).

With Jason fully established, the band went back to record their fourth full-length album, ...And Justice For All, released in August 1988. The explosion that had been threatening for sometime finally happened. It reached #6 on the US charts, received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal/Hard Rock album, the band blew headliners Van Halen off-stage during the Monsters Of Rock tour and subsequently embarked upon an enormous worldwide tour. It was even the moment they finally delved into video territory, although the footage for 'One' was most certainly the most 'anti' video video of it's era.

The band took the show back out on the road and toured extensively to all parts of the world. ...And Justice For All produced two US singles and the band's very first venture into music video for the song One.

In 1991 Metallica released the self-titled 'Black' album, and saw their popularity soar to stratospheric heights. With new producer Bob Rock, this album was a subtle departure from the previous album with shorter songs, a fuller sound and simpler arrangements. It went straight to number one all over the world, stayed there for several weeks and ended up selling in excess of 15 million copies worldwide, spawned several legitimate singles as well as earning a Grammy and MTV/ American Music Awards. The band toured for close to three years, playing a solo arena tour in 'An Evening With Metallica', with Guns N' Roses on the duos' joint-headline stadium tour, and as headliner at many festivals. It meant that by the time the fall of 1993 rolled around, the four members were shattered both physically and mentally. Save for some Summer Shed action, there was little major activity as the band allowed their real lives to catch up with their rock lives.

Nearly four years would pass before the next Metallica album saw the light. Called Load, and recorded at The Plant in Sausalito California, it was the longest Metallica album to date with 14 songs, and signaled some significant changes for the band. Produced by Bob Rock, the material was loose, powerful and eclectic, the sound thick and punchy and the image one which screamed out change and freedom from enslavement to the Black album era. So many songs came from the sessions, that a second album titled ReLoad, followed in 1997. The Load tour was spectacular, encompassing cutting-edge technology, stuntmen, two-stages and an epic two-plus hours of performance. What ever doubts people might have had were swiftly blown away, and whilst Load could never match the heights of the Black album sales wise, it became a phenomenally successful album in it's own right.

In 1998, they re-packaged all the old B-sides, covers and the two previous Garage Days sessions and ran into The Plant to slam down 11 new covers. Electric, exciting and raw, the double-disc Garage Inc. was great reminder that for all the success, Metallica's heart still lay in the music. This point was further proven in 1999, when with conductor/composer Michael Kamen, Metallica embarked upon collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony to bring new dimension to classic material. Any potential skepticism of the project was blown away by two nights in April at the Berkeley Community Theater which proved to be epic milestones in the group's history. Far from their material being compromised, the arrangements of songs such as 'Master Of Puppets' gave symphonic instruments the chance to explode into the spaces and fill them with greater, heavier power than ever before. Having recorded and filmed the shows on the off-chance it might turn out alright on the night, Metallica released the S&M double-disc and DVD in late '99, marking yet another significant chapter in a Hall Of Fame - like history..

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw4g9EWRiHQ

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Van Halen

2004 - Van Halen's reunion with Sammy Hagar comes as no shock to the music world as it has been talked about for months. Split from the band back in 1996, Hagar has enjoyed success as a solo artist, while Van Halen has fallen abit from the elite. Now with the red rocker back at the helm, the band is set to return to the number 1 hit making machine that so-well defined the hagar era.

Brothers Alex and Edward Van Halen formed the band with bassist Michael Anthony, and former front man David Lee Roth in the mid-70's. Hailing from Holland, the boys came to the United states in 1962. Both of the brothers were very interested in playing musical instruments. However, those instruments that we have come to know them excelling in wer in fact not their first instrument of choice. Eddie began playing drums, which he paid for by delivering papers, and alex began on guitar. Well as we know this would not be their musical instrument of choice, as eddie turned to guitar, and alex on drums. During their days in Pasadena, California, the brothers played in several cover bands, with edward singing. After recruiting the original line-up to the band(D. Roth, M. Anthony, E. and A. Van Halen), they set out to conquer the world. Known then as mammoth, the boys quickly changed their name to Van Halen, after it was learned that another band had already taken that name. While playing the club scene in california, another famous band front man, Gene Simmons, had taken notice to the boys.

By 1978 Van Halen was released on the Warner Brothers Record label. From there, a string of multi-platinum hit albums ensued, including Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down (1982), and 1984 MCMLXXXIV (1984). 1984 would be the last album that would feature Roth on vocals as he set out to pursue a solo career. This left the brothers scrambling to find a new front man for the band. Enter Sammy Hagar. The Red Rocker, as he is known by many of his fans, was a successful solo artist from the group Montrose. In 1985, Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen as lead singer, and the band's next album, 5150, took them to the No. 1 spot on the charts, a first for the band. It didnt stop there as the band had hit after hit with Hagar in front. Their next 2 albums, OU812 (1988) and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), also were number 1's on the chart.

In 1996, Van Halen released Van Halen - Best of - Volume 1, yet another No.1 album - which included two new tracks, "Can't Get This Stuff No More" and "Me Wise Magic." Hagar was displeased with the group which had recorded the new tracks with former front man David Lee Roth. Although Roths return to the band wa short lived, the 11 year tenure for Hagar was over. Enter Gary Cherone. Cherone, former front man with the band Extreme, was very similar to Hagar and Roth. The group spent 1997 recording and writing what would be Van Halen III. Cherone's tenure with the band would be short lived as Halen fans could not bear with the new line-up.

Out of the spotlight for many years, the band laid dormant without a front man. Edward had divorced his wife of 20 years, battled Cancer, and had hip replacement surgery. During this time, anthony would join hagar on tours, birthday bashes, etc........ Warner brothers dropped Van halen from its label, and people thought they were done. Well as it turned out, Hagar and the boys have reunited to give the fans, media and everyone else something new to write about in this next chapter of the Van Halen Saga..

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0XLKcMoXRE

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Slayer

FORMED: 1982, Huntington Beach, CA

The Beginning...
Slayer came to life in the LA. Surburb of "the Huntington Beach Area". Soon they won the reputation of "the Huntington Hooligans". The band was started by Kerry King, a guitarist who was looking for other muscians to start a band. Prior to that, he had been in another band, with Tom Araya. Kerry discovered Jeff Hanneman, another guitarist, who was very interested in the punk movement that was going on at the time. Later the two teamed up with a very skilled drummer by the name of Dave Lombardo.

Slayer became a reality when singer and bassist Tom Araya joined the band after Jeff Hanneman talked to him about joing the band. By the time, Jeff asked Tom, Tom worked in a nearby hospital as a respiratory therapist.

Slayer first played in 1982, performing other artists songs. Artists such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. At first, Slayer started playing at small clubs, later they also played in weekends and so the snowball started rolling...

Action...
However, it was first in 1983 things really started to happen for the band. While performing in a local club called "Woodstock", a guy named Brian Slagel who owned Metal Blade records, watched them perform. After the show, Brian Slagel went backstage with an offer to Slayer about making a number for the upcoming compilation "Metal Massacre III". Tom & co. was hooked on the idea and they agreed to make a song but only if Brian would help them record a record. Slayer then did the number "Aggressive Perfector" for the compilation lp.

Brian Slagel then helped Slayer producing their own record, it was called Show No Mercy and it came out in December 1983. Show No Mercy was instantly hailed as a masterpiece by heavy freaks and magazines around the US. and Europe. Many critics laughed of it though. The cover shows a goat/satan type thing and it looks like some sort of a cartoon figure. But ok, back in '83 all that satan stuff was new and exiting.

In 1983, another classic album also came out - you guessed it, Metallica's "Kill 'Em All". Metallica started in 1981, just as Slayer did.

Show No Mercy consisted most of a lot of screams, guitar solos and fast drumming. One thing was clear for everyone; Tom, Jeff, Kerry and Dave was appreciated as fine muscians who could play their instruments very well. For example, in one magazine it said: "Dave Lombardo is a far better drummer than Lars Ulrich". No Shit!

While Show No Mercy came out in the US. late '83, it first came out in Europe in '84 due to unknown reasons. That same year, Slayer also recorded "Chemical Warfare", a song that was hailed as the fastest and heaviest song ever recorded. They also brought us "Captor Of Sin" - another Slayer classic.

Hell Awaits...
In 1985, Slayer moved on, and recorded the album Hell Awaits. That album was also produced by Brian Slagel and also came out on Metal Blade Records. Hell Awaits, which - as the title says - is more satanic and "dark" than its predessor. With a 100.000 copies sold in a very short order in the US. alone, major record companies began to take notice of Slayer. Hell Awaits is more mature and shows us a more mature band - a band which also can handle the slow-paced material. Classics such as "At dawn they Sleep", "Kill Again", "Necrophilliac" and "Hell Awaits" can be found on the album. What a treasure!!!!

To say it short: Hell Awaits is made out of broken glass and rusty razorblades and only the stupid were laughing anymore.

Because of all that success of Hell Awaits, Slayer was contacted by producer Rick Rubin, a producer who's been involved with such artists as "Run DMC" and "Beastie Boys". When Slayer joined Rick's label, Def Jam - it was Rick's first metal band.

The almighty Reign In Blood - the finest Thrash Album Ever!

The year 1986 brought something special to the world. What it was it needless to say really, but I'll say it anyway:
"REIGN IN BLOOD".

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUDWLp1yIWw

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Ozzy Osbourne

John Osbourne
BORN: December 3, 1948, Birmingham, England

1979

Ozzy spends about 6 months in a hotel room getting high and drunk non stop over the breakup of Sabbath. Finally sharon Arden (Don Arden's daughter) came to collect an old debt from Ozzy and saw the sad state he was in. Sharon gets Ozzy back on his feet and back into music.

1980

Don Arden stuck with Ozzy as management and let the old Sabbath go. He put together a band called "Law" which lasted for about 2 gigs and then was Changed to the "Blizzard of Ozz". The band consisted of Randy Rhoads (ex Quiet Riot), Bob Daisly (ex Uriah Heep), and Lee Kerslake (ex Uriah Heep).

Ozzy had been trying for weeks to get a label to sign him. Finally CBS signed him for $65,000 for his first album. CBS was having a big corporate meeting where Ozzy would meet all the top guys for the first time. CBS wasn't too interested in Ozzy because they believed they had better artists on their label. Ozzy's wife, Sharon, wanted him to make a big bang when he entered, so she suggested throwing three white doves in the air when he walked in, well, Ozzy had a little too much to drink that day (as usual), he walked in, sat down on a girl's lap, let 2 doves go, and bit the head off of the 3rd one. Let's just say everyone was in complete shock. When his wife Sharon saw this, she was laughing so hard that she urinated in her pants, and in her own words "It wasn't just a little bit, it was a puddle!" Ozzy was immediately kicked out of the meeting. On his way out he bit the head off of a second dove that was still in his pocket and threw the carcass at the receptionist. The press went wild with this, dubbing Oz

zy "insane" and "the mad man." The Humane Society of America would soon try to ban all performances in the states.

Now, take note that this all took place before Ozzy's first solo album was even released! Ozzy was banned from ever coming back into the CBS building but they decided to release his album anyway. The album entitled "Blizzard of
Ozz" went to #7 on U.K. charts and #21 in the U.S. it has since gone quadruple platinum.

1981

Ozzy gets a divorce from his wife Thelma and his second solo project is released - "Diary of a Madman". It reaches #14 in the U.K. and #16 in the U.S.

A few weeks after "Diary of a Madman" is released, Kerslake and Daisly are fired due to money problems and Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo take their spots.

Ozzy concerts were getting very involved with his audience. At the end of each show, he would catapult meat (and other leftovers from butcher shops such as stomachs and intestines) at his audience. Well, over time his audience began getting him back! Ozzy has said in a recent interview "we had to turn this guy away from our show because he was trying to get in with an ox's head, a full head!"

1982

January 20th, at a concert in Des Moines, Iowa someone throws a bat on stage. Stunned by the light, the bat lay motionless and Ozzy thinking it was plastic, (of course he had to be drinking, or high on something to think this thing was plastic!) picks it up and bites the head off of it. The bat then started to flap his wings and Ozzy soon realized it wasn't fake! After the show Ozzy was immediately rushed to the hospital for rabies shots. Ozzy describes it as "one of the most horrible, painful experiences of my life.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os3uNN9N5zM

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Guns N Roses

FORMED: 1985

At a time when pop was dominated by dance music and pop metal, Guns N' Roses brought raw, ugly rock & roll crashing back into the charts. They were not nice boys; nice boys don't play rock & roll. They were ugly, misogynist, violent; they were also funny, vulnerable, and occasionally sensitive, as their breakthrough hit "Sweet Child O' Mine" showed. While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously spit out dueling guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Stones, Axl Rose screeched out his tales of sex, drugs, and apathy in the big city; bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were a limber rhythm section that kept the music loose and powerful. Guns N' Roses' music was basic and gritty, with a solid hard, bluesy base; they were dark, sleazy, dirty, and honest -- everything that good hard rock and heavy metal should be.

Guns N' Roses released their first EP in in 1986, which led to a contract with Geffen; the following year, the band released their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. They started to build a following with their numerous live shows, but the album didn't start selling until almost a year later, when MTV started playing "Sweet Child o' Mine." Soon, the album shot to number one and Guns N' Roses became one of the biggest bands in the world. By the end of 1988, they released G N' R Lies, which paired four new, acoustic-based songs with their first EP.

Guns N' Roses began to work on the follow-up to Appetite at the end of 1990. In October of that year, the band fired Adler, claiming that his drug dependency caused him to play poorly; he was replaced by Matt Sorum from the Cult. During recording, the band added Dizzy Reed on keyboards. By the time the sessions were finished, the new album had become two new albums. After being delayed for nearly a year, the albums, Use Your Illusion I and II, were released in the fall of 1991. The Illusions showcased a more ambitious band; while there were still a fair number of full-throttle guitar rockers, there were stabs at Elton John-style balladry, acoustic blues, horn sections, female backup singers, ten-minute songs with several different sections, and a good number of introspective, soul-searching lyrics. In short, they were now making art; amazingly, they were successful at it.

While the albums sold very well initially, the band soon fell out of favor. Stradlin left the band by the end of 1991 and with his departure the band lost their best songwriter. Once Nirvana's Nevermind hit the top of the charts in early 1992, there was a distinct division between what was cool in hard rock and what wasn't; Guns N' Roses -- with all of their pretensions, impressionistic videos, models, and rock star excesses -- were very uncool. The band didn't fully grasp the change until 1993, when they released their album of punk songs, The Spaghetti Incident?; it received some good reviews, but the band failed to capture the reckless spirit of not only the original versions, but their own Appetite for Destruction. By the middle of 1994, there were rumors flying that the band was about to break up, since Rose wanted to pursue a new, more industrial direction and Slash wanted to stick with their blues-inflected hard rock.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobDQ0vdm8M

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmqRiBMr_hs

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvgV4P6Fzc

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpmAY059TTY

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcWTTs8QVRc

Queensryche

FORMED: 1981, Bellevue, WA

I stood mesmerised at Seattle's Moore Theatre, the full breath of Queensryche spiralling info focus before me as they performed their "Empire". In 1990 the song represented everything spectacular about one of hard rock's premier bands in a landscape of costumed imagery. The Seattle quintet refused to sacrifice their integrity for fashion. Thus commanding sold-out arenas by their own rules. "Empire" was a political statement from a band who weren't afraid to stretch their musical muscles beyond the traditional realms of sex, drugs and other assorted hard rock pleasantries. Geoff Tate unleashing a lyrical rhetoric deserving of the band's explosive highs and sentimental lows. Even so. Given the theatrical bombast of their tours through the 90's. It often went unnoticed that Queensryche were-albeit unknowingly-defining the parameters of progressive rock for mainstream America.

Stripped of full-blown spectacle that marked their arena runs. The Queensryche that graced the stage at the Moore Theatre put an exclamation point on the two decades of music. From the power metal pangs of their self-titled EP in '83, to the Jazz-driven rock that fuelled the '99's turn-of the millennium Q2k release. It was the band under blistering lights, no frilled attached, and fully-focused on the music at hand. That was when "Empire"-and in effect Queensryche-reached full potential. The lyrics to the song proving just as poignant in the year 2001 as they were when they were originally recorded. And the music being delivered with an urgency that rivalled any of today's chart-topping hard rock outfits.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrTykyHMtc

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LniY0pDQGaE

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4duZjxusGM

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSTct2FFamw

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhrp_h_BkPs

Dio

History
Right after Dio and Appice had quit Black Sabbath, they formed their own band, titled Dio already from the beginning. Despite the name, the band was not meant to be Ronnie James Dio's solo project, but a whole band.

They travelled together to England to search guitarist and bassist for the band. After three days of wandering around the clubs, Dio remembered Jimmy Bain from his Rainbow days, got in touch with him and asked him to join Dio. Bain agreed to join and the band kept on searching a guitar player. Dio wanted a British guitarist and Bain recommended two to Dio; namely John Sykes, ex Tygers Of Pan Tang and Vivian Campbell. Dio listened some tracks recorded by those guitarists and became interested in Campbell. They arranged a rehearsal room at a place called John Henry's and recorded Holy Diver and Don't Talk To Strangers with Campbell. Dio and Appice took the tape, listened it through, and invited Vivian Campbell the next day to the band.

The band started to work on their debut album. Before starting to work on the album, Ronnie James Dio supposedly spent a week in a small town called Plint in Cornwall, UK, and visited several times an old castle there inspirating himself to the athmosphere which Holy Diver eventually had.

The album was recorded at the Sound City studios in Los Angeles. Before touring for the album, the band wanted to get a keyboard player and started to search for one - on the album keyboards were played by both Ronnie James Dio and Jimmy Bain.

Of the songs on the Holy Diver, apparently the song Don't Talk To Strangers was originally made by Sweet Savage with a different name and different lyrics. The album was named as Holy Diver, and it sold platinum in the USA.

Part 2:
May 1983-March 1986
Members
Ronnie James Dio vocals
Vivian Campbell guitars
Jimmy Bain bass
Vinny Appice drums
Claude Schnell keyboards

History
Dio originally hired their keyboardist only for the Holy Diver tour, but in the end he stayed as a permanent member in the band. He played off-stage on both Holy Diver and The Last In Line tours, but was let to appear on stage on Sacred Heart tour.

After the Holy Diver tour was completed, Dio returned back to studios to record a new album. It was titled as The Last In Line and after its release in July 1984, it has sold platinum in the USA.

Dio's tours always featured big stage shows. On Holy Diver tour they had mountains from Holy Diver album cover on stage, as well as a tunnel in the middle. On The Last In Line tour they had Egyptian theme on the stage, as well as had pyrotechnics. Sacred Heart tour featured a huge castle and a 18-foot tall fire-breathing dragon called Denzil - he was first called Dean - as well as two 8-foot tall armored knights battling with laser swords. This stage set was one of the biggest tour stage sets ever, apparently only Pink Floyd had had a bigger stage set on their tour. The stage show costed supposedly US$250 000 to build and transfer around.

In March 1986, two months after completing the North American leg of the Sacred Heart tour and one month before the European leg started, Vivian Campbell left the band. He was fired because of the musical disagreements. In various interviews, various Dio members have also said Campbell assumed that Dio's popularity was only because of him, but this has not been confirmed.

Dio was invited to play again at the Top Of The Pops show in British TV - the previous time was with Black Sabbath in 1980 - because Rock 'N' Roll Children song did so well. However, Dio refused to play there because they didn't consider themselves as a Top Of The Pops type band.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkysjcs5vFU

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXSTY9AW-s

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwX8yF8k0ls

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmU7FshBwgg

Motorhead

The history of Motörhead.

1975
Fired from Hawkwind after a drugs bust going into Canada, Lemmy Kilmister returned to London. Determined to start his own band to avoid being fired again, he decided it would be called 'Bastard,' but management overuled and 'Motorhead,' a song Lemmy had written as a B-side for Hawkwind, was born. With drummer, Lucas Fox and Pink Fairies guitarist, Larry Wallis, and Lemmy on bass and vocals, Motorhead began gigging and recorded their first album, which their record company refused to release at the time, (it later emerged in 1980 as 'On Parole').

1976
Lucas didn't have the required 'attack' for the drumming required, so a Leeds punk, named Phil Taylor, whom Lemmy had come to know, was invited to a rehearsal. Lemmy and Larry were impressed, and erased Lucas' drumming on the album and replaced it with Phil's.Larry needed a rhythm guitarist to 'bolster the sound' whilst he was taking solos. Phil had met Eddie Clarke on a day-job, so Eddie went to a rehearsal with Lemmy and Phil to find they worked well together as a trio. Larry was late getting there, but when he did so, after playing one song, and considering Motorhead's bad press to date at the time, realised the Pink Fairies would be his best option; and left the band.With no record label and Tony Secunda, their manager now, trying to find them a record deal, Lemmy, Phil and Eddie just kept gigging and refining their sound. In the December, they recorded 'White Line Fever' and 'Leaving Here' as a proposed single for Stiff Records.

1977
Stiff released the two songs across two albums instead of giving Motorhead a break with the single. Disheartened, they decided to quit, but asked Chiswick Records boss, Ted Carroll, to record their final gig. Ted couldn't afford to, but instead gave them 2 days in the studio to record a single, but well-rehearsed as they were, they recorded their complete live set in the time, so Carroll agreed for extra time to make the sessions into a single and album release. The band toured as guests to Hawkwind, then, to co-incide with the Chiswick release of the 'Motorhead' / 'City Kids' single and the 'Motorhead' album, toured again with The Count Bishops, but 4 gigs in, Phil Taylor broke his wrist so their dates were cancelled. With the album to promote, the band continued gigging as soon as Phil's bones had repaired themselves.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e5cqe_JE0Q

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV6noHEd6XE

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4yHyHdJK5g

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwC2QljLn4

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VXy4Z6IkWQ

KISS

Following the demise of Wicked Lester, Kiss were formed in 1972 by Paul Stanley (b. Paul Eisen, 20 January 1950, Queens, New York, USA; rhythm guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (b. Chaim Witz, 25 August 1949, Haifa, Israel; bass, vocals), who went on to recruit Peter Criss (b. Peter Crisscoula, 27 December 1947, Brooklyn, New York, USA; drums, vocals) and Ace Frehley (b. Paul Frehley, 22 April 1951, Bronx, New York, USA; lead guitar, vocals). At their second show at the Hotel Diplomat, Manhattan, in 1973, Flipside producer Bill Aucoin offered the band a management contract, and within two weeks they were signed to Neil Bogart's recently established Casablanca Records. In just over a year, Kiss had released their first three albums with a modicum of success..

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNGNLo8K6Fk

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgkLhfiGIqY

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Env5iMrBjws

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZjevnnkA20

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hgz-q76KtQ

Rainbow

Right after the split-up of Elf, four members of Elf and ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore formed band called Rainbow. The name supposedly came from the Rainbow bar located in Los Angeles, where Elf and Ritchie Blackmore used to spend their free time.

This band is also known as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, as it appears under that name on their first album, but that name was used only to get people to notice the band. Generally, everyone except Blackmore himself felt bad about the name, so on the later albums the band was called simply Rainbow. The band moved from the East Coast of USA to California, USA.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ29pVhsdMs

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYtdW5bD-7Q

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkSHHK7WlAw

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFH36je9Hro

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKf7oYywdS8

Venom

This is by no means Venom's complete history.Just some facts.Few is known about Venom unfortunately.

Wind swept Newcastle,England 1979 was a bleak landscape and there dwelled one Conrad Lant,known as Cronos,singing and handling bass duties;one Jeff Dunn,known as Mantas,playing guitar,and one Tony Bray ,known as Abaddon on drums.

They were unsettled with the metal scene.The hardest bands around were Motorhead and Judaspriest but something more was needed.Who would take metal to its next (il)logical stage of development?They always say if noone is providing what you want get on with it yourself.This then,is precisely what the unholy alliance of Lant/Dunn/Bray proposed to do.