'80s Metal History (December 22nd)

December 1984: Raven was on the cover of Metal Forces magazine looking like Santa's security detail. The man with the bag is flipping you the bird... Whadda you gonna do about it, punk!?.. Kickin' ass for the holidays! 👊 🤘

December 1980: Circus was a popular metal mag in the '80s, but at the start of the decade they could've blown it with a list of "10 records to shun at any cost" that included Motörhead's "Ace Of Spades" 😠

K-Tel released an eclectic "Masters Of Metal" collection in New Zealand in 1986 that featured Ozzy's "Bark At The Moon" and Judas Priest's "The Green Manalishi", but also "Wings Of Steel" from local band Stonehenge.

New York metal band Virgin Steele released their debut album featuring single "Children Of The Storm" in 1982 ('83 in the UK). Two bands who were big fans of this record and even sent fan mail to Virgin Steele were Queensrÿche and Metallica. Release information source: [UK] Kerrang! review - January 27, 1983; Kerrang! ad - April 21, 1983.

Happy Birthday to Rage singer and bassist Peter "Peavy" Wagner (December 22, 1964).

Happy Birthday to Destruction founder, bassist and vocalist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer (December 22, 1966).

Remembering Rigor Mortiss co-founder and guitarist Mike Scaccia, who died December 22, 2012 at age 47. R.I.P.

December 22, 1988: "Merry Motörhead and Happy New Ear", Lemmy and the gang played the first of two nights at London's Hammersmith Odeon for their traditional Christmas bash with opener Death Angel.

After Skid Row were kicked off Bon Jovi's "Jersey Syndicate" Tour in 1989, there was no love lost between the frontmen of both bands and some dandy quotes from Skid Row's Sebastian Bach made Kerrang! Magazine's annual "They Said What?!?" list, including "I think he should decide what he wants to be. Is he in the mafia? Is he a cowboy? Is he an indian? Is he a f**king prizefighter?" (in response to Bach's angry rant against Jon Bon Jovi during his set that Bach has said led to Bon Jovi throwing an errant punch at him) 🍿 In 2006, Bach and Bon Jovi had a chance meeting in a London bar, where Bach has said the two hugged like old friends... "Jon took a chance on me and our band. I will always be indebted to him for that." -UCR

As we approach the holidays, we're reflecting on the past year... Actually, 1986 😊 and Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" album "was almost classical in its complexity, and yet it was wilder than even the wildest punk," read the review in the UK's Sounds Magazine... "Given a year or two, they'll be enormous." 🤘