'80s Metal History (March 29th)

Late March 1983: Krokus released their seventh studio album "Headhunter" in North America (April 8, 1983 in the UK) featuring "Eat The Rich", BTO cover "Stayed Awake All Night" and their second biggest hit "Screaming In The Night". Judas Priest's Rob Halford sings backup on the track "Ready To Burn".

Krokus "Headhunter" release information source: [US] Billboard Radio Rock Albums survey chart Top Adds + Recommended LPs - April 9, 1983; The album debuted on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart on April 16, 1983 and went on to reach No. 25; [UK] Kerrang! ad - April 7, 1983.

March 1980: At age 32, he felt he was past his sell-by date in the music business, but a financial offer to sing on a Hoover vacuum cleaner advertisement got Brian Johnson to London, where he also auditioned and eventually got the offer to sing for AC/DC. Bon Scott himself had spoken about Johnson to his bandmates when he saw him perform in England in the early '70s. News of the band's new frontman appeared in the UK's Record Mirror (12th, April 1980).

March 1979: Scorpions sixth studio album "Lovedrive" was now in UK record shops (February '79 in Germany; June '79 in North America), the first to feature Matthias Jabs on lead guitar. Michael Schenker also played on the album, but quit the band during the tour. Release information source: Music Week ad - March 24, 1979; Melody Maker Magazine ad - March 31, 1979; Debuted on the UK Official album chart on April 21, 1979.

March 29, 1982: Billed as "the loudest band in the Western Hemisphere", Saxon brought real UK metal to the Bay Area with a show at the Keystone in Palo Alto near San Francisco (Kerrang!). Opening for Saxon were local favorites Trauma who featured future Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.

March 29, 1982: Motörhead played the last of four shows at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The UK "Iron Fist" Tour ended two weeks later and guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke would leave the band, replaced by Brian Robertson (Thin Lizzy).

March 29, 1985: After 119 shows across Europe and North America, KISS ended the "Animalize" World Tour in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With the popularity of single "Heaven's On Fire", it turned out to be their most successful tour of the decade.

March 1988: Dokken released "Heaven Sent" as the third single from the album "Back For The Attack". In April, they were off to perform in Japan before joining the "Monsters Of Rock" Tour with Van Halen, Scorpions, Metallica and Kingdom Come. Release information source: [US] The Hard Report radio trade publication ad - March 25, 1988.

March 1983: Great White had issued their first single "Out Of The Night" in North America and it made its way to the UK, where Kerrang! proclaimed it the "best heavy rock to come from the US since Blue Oyster Cult's 'Agents of Fortune' album." Released independently, it sold more than 8,000 copies in less than three months and with the band supporting Dokken on the road, Great White were picked up by EMI.

March 1982: Nearly a year after it was released in the UK, Girlschool's second studio album "Hit And Run" was now available in North America. Featuring singles "C'mon Let's Go" and the title track, the LP debuted on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart in May that year. Release information source: Billboard Top Album Picks - April 3, 1982.

March 1988: Canadian speed/thrash metal pioneers Razor released their fifth studio album "Violent Restitution" dedicated to late actor Charles Bronson and featuring the song "Hypertension". Release information source: [Canada] Kerrang! - December 12, 1987.

Featuring guitarist Jonas Hansson, Swedish metal band Silver Mountain released their debut album "Shakin' Brains" in 1983. The Johansson brothers (keyboards, drums) went on to play with Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force until 1989.

You may see many posts on social media that Scorpions released their eighth studio album "Blackout" on March 29, 1982. This is NOT CORRECT. An Internet search shows that date, but that came originally from Wikipedia (not a good source for release dates). The correct release date is March 8, 1982 (Source: US radio trade magazine FMQB - February 26, 1982. More importantly, the LP debuted on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart on March 27, 1982. As that is a sales chart, it would be impossible for "Blackout" to come out after March 27th as an album needs at least 7-10 days of sales to register on the American charts).

March 29, 1982: Ozzy Osbourne was scheduled to play the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but with Randy Rhoads death on the 19th, immediate dates were canceled. The tour resumed on April 1st in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the band did play the April 5th date in the ad at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

'80s Metal Look-alikes? Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine and Ronnie James Dio. -Kerrang! 1983

March 1986: Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett was on the cover of the Dutch Metal Hammer Magazine.