'80s Metal History (March 30th)

March 1983: "Hell's Angeles", Kerrang! featured metal bands on the rise out of Los Angeles including Black N' Blue, Malice, Great White and more, plus Metallica, who were ready to make the move to San Francisco... "We're a bit too heavy and intense for the L.A. crowd...people are billing us as the heaviest US metal band."

March 30, 1986: The weekend was blowing up in Dortmund, Germany with "Easter Metal Blast" featuring local band Railway, plus imports Lȧȧz Rockit (US), Exciter (Canada), Motörhead (UK). Oh, and special guest Manowar!

March 30, 1984: See Saxon with Accept starting in Oklahoma City, the "Crusader/Balls To The Wall" Tour - the rock event of the year!

March 30, 1984: One year after guitarist Kirk Hammett left to join Metallica and still a year away from the release of their debut album "Bonded By Blood", Exodus played Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley, California with opener Vicious Rumors.

March 30, 1986: Playing a week of US shows, Venom brought "Black Metal" to the Metro in Chicago.

March 30, 1987: The new Whitesnake album "1987" featuring future hits "Still Of The Night", "Here I Go Again", "Is This Love" and "Give Me All Your Love" was issued in the UK. The LP would reach the Top 10 in multiple countries including No. 2 in the US. Release date source: Music Week - March 28, 1987.

March 1984: Scorpions released power ballad "Still Loving You" in the UK (June '84 in North America) as the second single from the album "Love At First Sting". The music video was filmed in Dallas and hit MTV in the US in July that year. Release information source: Sounds Magazine ad - March 30, 1985.

Nuclear Assault released their second EP "The Plague" in 1987, originally titled "Cross Of Iron" with a cross as the cover art, but the band's label Combat Records cited possible objections that may come from religious organizations. The song "Butt Fuck" (later retitled "You Figure It Out"), introduced Nuclear Assault's dark sense of humor with an "ode" to Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil's notorious '84 car crash that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle. Kerrang! UK ad - July 9, 1987

Finnish thrash metal band Stone released their debut album in 1988 featuring the song "Get Stoned" and a parody thrash cover of the Europe song "The Final Countdown" that was maybe mislabeled as "The Final Cuntdown" 😬 Kerrang! UK review - August 6, 1988

Swedish metal band Stormwind released their debut album "Taken By Storm" in 1985 featuring the song "Thunder & Lightning" that the band dedicated to Doro Pesch.

March 30, 1985: "MY NAME is Ron Keel...and I'm gonna kick your ass!", Keel opened for Raven at the Lyric Theatre in San Diego... "This quintet provided some of the sharpest, most fearsome and impressively co-ordinated destruction this side of the Thatcher Government's economic policy. There was an edge to this performance that truly did take one's breath away in gallon containers." -Kerrang!

Listen to METAL SHOP for "Diamonds: The Best Of DIO", but if that's just not enough for you, the band's greatest hits compilation released March 30, 1992, is a solid backup. At the time it was only available outside North America. Release date source: Kerrang! - March 14, 1992.