'80s Metal History (February 6th)

Happy Birthday to Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose (February 6, 1962).

February 6, 1985: Traveling west, Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" Tour brought them to Minneapolis with W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint. "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang!"

February 6, 1986: Mötley Crüe had just shot the video for "Home Sweet Home" and were now in the UK for eight dates beginning at Manchester Apollo and concluding on the 14th at London's Hammersmith Odeon.

February 6, 1981: Krokus released their fifth studio album "Hardware" in the UK (March '81 in North America). The album didn't match the success of the previous year's "Metal Rendez-vous", but the band came roaring back in 1982 with "One Vice At A Time". Release information source: Record Mirror ad - February 7, 1981

February 1984: KISS released "All Hell's Breakin Loose" as the second single from the album "Lick It Up". The song is credited to all four members of the band, but Eric Carr was the primary writer coming up with the music and arrangement. Release information source: [US] Billboard Magazine ad - February 4, 1984.

February 1995: Megadeth released "À Tout le Monde" as the second single from the album "Youthanasia". "To the whole world, to all my friends, I love you, I have to go", which prompted controversy after accusations the song was pro-suicide.

February 1988: The live version of W.A.S.P.'s first single "Animal (F**k Like A Beast)" was in stores in the UK and the cover art generated a howl of protest to rock mag Kerrang! W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless also hated it... "How could they package such a beautiful and simple song in such a crass way? There's good bad taste and there's bad bad taste. And that 'F**k Like A Beast' cover is BAD bad taste..." Release information source: Kerrang! ad - February 6, 1988.

February 1981: Formed a year earlier, Blitzkrieg issued their debut single "Buried Alive" with the first version of the song "Blitzkrieg" on the B-side, later covered by Metallica as the B-side of the "Creeping Death" single.

Considered one of the big four of teutonic thrash metal, German band Tank released EP "Alien" in 1989. Unlike the politics and violence lyrics from Kreator, Destruction and Sodom, Tankard write about alcohol reverence... ie, "666 Packs" 😁

February 1988: The original team of Guitarist Fast Eddie Clark and singer Dave King was now Clark and ex-Ya Ya vocalist Lea Hart as Fastway released their fifth studio album "On Target" in the UK. Release information source: Kerrang! feature + review - February 6, 1988.

Remembering guitarist Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy), who died February 6, 2011 at age 58. R.I.P.

February 6, 1982: This ad shows Ozzy Osbourne bringing the "Diary Of A Madman" Tour to South Bend, Indiana, but the band actually played Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis that night. Not sure what happened, but Ozzy did return to the area in April '82 for a show at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That same day, an article appeared in the UK's Record Mirror about Ozzy biting the head off a live bat on-stage in Des Moines, Iowa two weeks earlier, noting that some fans claimed the bat was fake, but a spokesmen for Oz "maintains that he has been having anit - rabies jabs and this week Ozzy collapsed on stage in Illinois as a result of the after effects of the injections." 🤔.

February 6, 1986: With special guest Dokken, Twisted Sister brought the "Come Out And Play" Tour to Kemper Arena in Kansas City. "What they are is a good, hard, hard-working rock 'n' roll band!" -Kerrang!