80s Metal History (June 3rd)

June 3, 1981: Iron Maiden performed their first American concert opening for Judas Priest at the Aladdin Theater in Las Vegas. The "Killer" World Tour continued for another two months in the US and Canada.

June 3, 1983: DIO's "Holy Diver" was in stores this week in the UK. The debut album from Ronnie James Dio and his new band would hit the Official Charts on June 11th. In North America, a front page ad appeared in the June 11th issue of Billboard Magazine. "Holy Diver" debuted on the US Billboard Top LP & Tape chart on June 25, 1983.

Happy Birthday to Slayer guitarist Kerry King (June 3, 1964).

Happy Birthday to Doro Pesch [Warlock, Doro] (June 3, 1964).

June 1983: Over two months after its release in the UK, Saxon's fifth studio album "Power & The Glory" was available in North America, their first with new drummer Nigel Glockler and one of their most successful (No. 1 in four countries and first to chart in America). Release information source: Debuted Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart on June 18, 1983.

Early-June 1991: Skid Row released "Monkey Business" as the lead single from their forthcoming album "Slave To The Grind". The biggest hit on the LP, the song reached No. 13 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It also went Top 20 in the UK. Release information source: Kerrang! ad - June 8, 1991.

June 3, 1992: Iron Maiden kept up the tradition of recent years by playing a warm up show under a different name, this time as "The Nodding Donkeys" in Norwich, England at the start of the "Fear Of The Dark" tour.

June 1987: Swiss thrash metal band Coroner released their debut album "R.I.P." featuring the song "Reborn Through Hate". Playing a complex style of progressive rock-infused thrash, they have been called "the Rush of thrash metal".

June 1981: Formed two years earlier as an occult-themed NWOBHM band, Demon released their debut album "Night Of The Demon". Emerging out of coffins at concerts, they drenched their bodies in ghoulish paint and pentagrams.

June 1978: Y&T released their second studio album "Struck Down". Formed in 1972, the band recorded their first two albums as Yesterday And Today (taken from a Beatles album title) before shortening it to Y&T. Release information source: Cashbox Magazine review - June 3, 1978.

Remembering Bathory co-founder and songwriter, Quorthon [Thomas Börje Forsberg], who died June 3, 2004 at age 38. R.I.P.

June 3, 1988: School's out for summer in Madison, Wisconsin 😎 Let's celebrate with AC/DC at Dane County Coliseum.

June 3, 1988: The rockumentary "The Decline Of The Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" premiered in Los Angeles (June 17th in NYC). Chronicling the late '80s L.A heavy metal scene, Lemmy, Ozzy, Megadeth, W.A.S.P. and more are featured. Release information source: IMDB.com

"The Decline Of The Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" soundtrack included a re-recording of Alice Cooper classic "Under My Wheels" by Alice Cooper and Guns N' Roses, with the vocals performed as a duet between Cooper and Axl Rose.