'80s Metal History (April 8th)

April 1985: Metal Forces Magazine featured Megadeth. Asked if he was upset about his split with Metallica, Dave Mustaine said "Oh no... I wanted to start a solo project... anyway. In the past, we had tried to kick both Lars and James out of the band." Later in the interview, Mustaine said, "I really care about the (Metallica) guys a lot. They’re doing really well and I’m getting money out of this, so why should I put them down and hurt my bank roll?"

April 8, 1982: Mötley Crüe played a sold out show in Santa Monica, California. The band has posted on social media that during their set, they would "set fire to various instruments (and Nikki!), set off 32 red smoke bombs, and debuted a new song 'Knock 'Em Dead Kid'".

Happy Birthday to former Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin (April 8, 1962).

April 1985: Anthrax were featured in the latest issue of Kerrang! The EP "Armed And Dangerous" with new singer Joey Belladonna and new bassist Frank Bello was released in February that year, but only in the states; "sadly with no UK release anticipated".

April 8, 1983: Krokus released their seventh studio album "Headhunter" in the UK (Late March '83 in North America) featuring singles "Eat The Rich", BTO cover "Stayed Awake All Night" and their second biggest hit "Screaming In The Night". Release information source: Kerrang! ad - April 7, 1983; Debuted UK Official Album chart on April 16, 1983.

From the album "The Real Thing" released almost a year earlier, Faith No More issued single "Epic" in the spring of 1990, which took a little time to catch on, but eventually blew up on MTV and hit American rock radio in June.

Canadian metal band Thor released their second album "Only The Strong" in 1985. Stage performances involved Jon Mikl Thor breathing into hot water bottles until they burst, breaking bricks over his chest and head and bending microphone stands.

April 1985: Formed in Los Angeles two years earlier, Odin released their debut EP "Don't Take No For An Answer" featuring single and music video "Shining Love". Release information source: Kerrang! - April 18, 1985.

April 8, 1990: Alice Cooper with special guest Danger Danger played the Convention Center in Riverside, California. So many concerts to choose from back in the day, Ace Frehley and Lord Tracy arrived two days later for a show at Monopoly's.

April 8, 1986: "The Ultimate Sin" Tour with Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica arrived in Indianapolis.

Spring 1985: Atlantic Records had loaded up on hard rock and metal acts and did a little bragging.

April 8, 1986: KISS played Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto with special guest King Kobra, who were invited and appeared on stage to sing "Lick It Up", making King Kobra the first group to ever share the stage with KISS.

April 8, 1992: Van Halen brought the "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" Tour to Little Rock, Arkansas, where a 19-year-old fan was arrested for wearing a VH t-shirt in the street that featured the abbreviated title of the album, violating a local statute against "wearing smutty clothing" and punishable by up to one year in jail, along with a $1,000 fine. The band leapt to the fan's defense by promising to pay the fine if convicted. Van Halen even taped some radio announcements aimed at starting a petition to overturn the statute.

April 1984: Kerrang! reported that Megaforce had plans "well underway for a comic book series... aimed at providing information on the label and its bands... featured in superhero settings." Characters would be "Metal Man" and sidekick "Bangor" all drawn by Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. METAL SHOP was not able to find any examples from the '80s online, but Anthrax did release a graphic novel adaptation of their iconic 1987 LP, "Among The Living" in 2020.