Guns N' Roses

 Today in 1993 Guns N' Roses released the single Ain't It Fun

Los Angeles, California, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal

Status:Active

Years active:1985–present

At a time when pop was dominated by dance music and pop-metal, Guns N' Roses brought raw, ugly rock & roll crashing back into the charts. They were not nice boys: nice boys don't play rock & roll. They were ugly, misogynistic, and violent; they were also funny, vulnerable, and occasionally sensitive, as their breakthrough hit, "Sweet Child O' Mine," showed. While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously spit out dueling guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Stones, Axl Rose screeched out his tales of sex, drugs, and apathy in the big city. Meanwhile, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were a limber rhythm section who kept the music loose and powerful. Guns N' Roses' music was basic and gritty, with a solid, hard, bluesy base; they were dark, sleazy, dirty, and honest -- everything that good hard rock and heavy metal should be. There was something refreshing about a band that could provoke everything from devotion to hatred, especially since both sides were equally right. There hadn't been a hard rock band this raw or talented in years, and they were given added weight by Rose's primal rage, the sound of confused, frustrated white trash vying for a piece of the pie. As the '80s became the '90s, there simply wasn't a more interesting band around, but owing to intra-band friction and the emergence of alternative rock, Rose's supporting cast eventually left, and he spent over 15 years recording before the long-delayed Chinese Democracy appeared in 2008.

Geffen

W. Axl Rose – lead vocals

Slash – lead guitar

Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar

Matt Sorum – drums

Dizzy Reed – keyboards

Gilby Clarke – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Michael Monroe – co-lead vocals on "Ain't It Fun"

Mike Staggs – additional guitar on "Ain't It Fun"

A-Side 6."Ain't It Fun" (featuring Michael Monroe) Cheetah Chrome, Peter Laughner

B-side "Down on the Farm"

The song was covered by the American rock band Guns N' Roses for their 1993 cover album "The Spaghetti Incident?". It was also released as a single and was included on the Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits compilation in 2004.

Titan Force

 Today in 1991 Titan Force released the album Winner / Loser

Colorado Springs, Colorado Progressive/Power Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 1983-1987 (as Titan), 1987-1998, 2007, 2014-present

Titan Force is one of a few bands that featured Harry Conklin (known to all as "Tyrant") during his time away from Jag Panzer. Musically, this band was in the melodic semi-progressive category, with the closest reference points being early Queensryche, with perhaps a bit of mid-period Fates Warning thrown into the mix. Interestingly, Jag Panzer was also playing in this style at the time, though not before or since. As late as 2002 the band had played live, though there's probably little chance of a formal reunion anytime soon.

Shark Records

Stefan Flores Drums

Mario Flores Guitars

Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin Vocals

John Flores Bass

Bill Richardson (R.I.P. 1998) Guitars

1. Fields of Valor 05:41

2. Shadow of a Promise 05:03

3. Winner / Loser 05:04

4. Face to Face 04:57

5. Eyes of the Young 05:16

6. One and All 05:53

7. Small Price to Pay 05:30

8. Dreamscape 08:00

45:24

Reissued on August 4th, 2006 by Sonic Age Records with the following bonus tracks:

09. Winner / Loser (Demo '90) (05:20)

10. Shadow of a Promise (Demo '90) (05:15)

11. Face to Face (Demo '90) (05:22)

12. Small Price to Pay (Demo '90) (05:45)

13. Darkness (Demo '94) (04:53)

14. Only the Strong (Demo '94) (05:40)

Recording information:

Produced by Titan Force.

Recorded at Colorado Sound Denver, Colorado.

Paul Chain

 Today in 1989 Paul Chain released the album Violet Art of Improvisation

Ancona, Marche,Italy Doom Metal
Status:Changed name
Years active:1984-1987, 1987-2003 (as Paul Chain)
Paul Chain is simply an artist name (the translation into English of his real name, Paolo Catena) that stretches over 4 different bands, 3 of them which exists today.
- Paul Chain Violet Theatre; was the original name of all Paul Chains workings until the namechange in 1987. It could probably not be called a band of it's own as it in fact has counted 10 different bands and 50 musicians working together with Paul Chain.
- Paul Chain; is the name for Paul Chain's main band. Here he plays his primary style of traditional doom.
- Paul Chain - The Improvisor; is Paul Chains live act. It is done together with the poet Paolo Silvestri. It is here that he shows his skills in improvising songs.
- Paul Chain Experimental Information ; is not a doom act as such. Often it isn't even metal. This truly is Paul Chains experimental corner where he can do exactly what he wants to.
The container system: Some of Paul Chains albums have a circle with a number on it. The number states the albums number in Paul Chains container list. All numbers in his container list are ment to differ between the different experiences, styles and moments in Paul Chains life. A container is created when an album creates unclosed video or audio recordings.
Paul Chain was also guitarist and co-founder of the Italian "horror music" band Death SS.
Minotauro Records
Paul Chain Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Claud Galley Bass on Disc 1
Thomas Hand Chaste Drums on Disc 1
Guest/Session
Gilas Vocals (lead) on track 2.5
Disc 1
1. Tetri teschi in luce viola 31:09
2. Emarginante viaggio 05:08
3. X-Ray 22:53
59:10
Disc 2
1. Old Way 09:08
2. Hypnosis 07:01
3. Casual Two Your Mister 06:47
4. Celtic Rain 06:12
5. Dedicated to Jesus 05:57
6. End by End 06:23
41:28
Tracks 1.01 and 1.02 recorded on summer and autumn 1981
Track 1.03 recorded on winter 1984
Tracks 2.01 to 2.06 recorded on winter and spring 1986.

Paradox

 Today in 1990 Paradox released the album Heresy

Würzburg, Bavaria,Germany Power/Thrash/Speed Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 1986-1991, 1998-present

The German band Paradox formed in 1986 and released two capable thrash albums during the initial late-eighties boom, these being the strongly Metallica-inspired Product Of Imagination in 1987 and the more complex Heresy two years later. The band then disappeared for almost a decade, until guitarist Charly Steinhauer brought together a new lineup, releasing Collision Course in 2000. Since then the band has resembled a Steinhauer solo project, as the lineups have continued to mutate over the years, yet the band still churns out quality thrash metal albums, with the most recent album being Tales Of The Weird in 2012.

R/C Records

Charly Steinhauer - vocals, guitar

Markus Spyth - guitar

Matthias "K.ter" Fries (Schmitt) - bass guitar

Axel Blaha - drums

1. Heresy (6:55)

2. Serch for Perfection (4:54)

3. Killtime (4:30)

4. Crusaders Revenge (4:26)

5. The Burning (5:26)

6. Massacre of the Cathars (4:18)

7. Serenity (4:53)

8. 700 Years On (5:13)

9. Castle in the Wind (1:33)

Catalogue # RCD 9506

Recorded and mixed between Jan./July 89 at Music Lab Studio, W. Berlin.

All Vocal and Leadparts recorded at Gerryland Studio, Würzburg.

Lyrics by Peter and Nigel Vogt.

Track 9 by Karlheinz Herbert.

The album preaches a conceptual story about the Roman Catholic crusades of the 13th century.

Reissued by High Vaultage Records in 1999 with the bonus tracks:

10. The Burning (Demo) (05:57)

11. Massacre of the Cathars (Demo) (03:48)

Reissued by Metal Mind Productions on August 13th 2007 and digitally remastered using 24-bit process on a golden disc limited edition to 2000 numerated copies in a digipak with the same 2 bonus tracks as the 1999 reissue also a video:

Heresy (Video)

Heresy was the second album by Paradox, released in 1990. The album preaches a conceptual story about the Roman Catholic Crusades of the 13th century.

The album has been reissued by the German label High Vaultage Records in 1999. The reissue contains 2 bonus tracks.

Re-released on August 13, 2007 by Metal Mind Productions from Poland as a digipack on golden disc, featuring bonus tracks, digitally remastered using 24-Bit process and limited to 2000 copies.

Mötley Crüe

 Today in 1989 Mötley Crüe released the single Kickstart My Heart

Los Angeles, California Heavy/Glam Metal, Hard Rock

Status:Split-up

Years active: 1981-2015

Mötley Crüe were undeniably one of the most popular hard rock/pop-metal acts of the 1980s. Combining the theatrics and glam of Kiss with the hard power pop hooks of Cheap Trick, the Crüe out-partied, out-rocked, and outsold most of their competition. The band even managed to hit the pop chart with frequency with hits like "Dr. Feelgood" and "Without You." The combination of larger-than-life personalities that made up the L.A. band was too volatile to remain stable; singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee would drift in and out of the band from the '90s onward, but exposure from VH1's Behind the Music series and a tell-all autobiography kept the public's appetite for the Crüe whetted into the 21st century. In the new millennium the Crüe established themselves as a fashionable touring act (with Crüe Fest becoming the summer's highest-grossing festival in 2008) while continuing to release new material.

Elektra Records

Vince Neil Vocals (lead)

Mick Mars Guitars, Vocals (additional)

Nikki Sixx Bass, Vocals (backing)

Tommy Lee Drums, Vocals (backing)

Side A

1. Kickstart My Heart 04:48

Side B

2. She Goes Down 04:37

09:25

Dorsal Atlântica

 Today in 1989 Dorsal Atlântica releassed the album Searching for the Light

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,Brazil Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Hardcore/Crossover

Status:Active

Years active 1981 (as Ness), 1982-2001, 2012-present

When the subject of early Brazilian metal bands comes up, Sepultura usually is the first mentioned, as they are arguably the country's most well-known band as well as one of the first. But Dorsal Atlantica deserves mention as well, as they came into being around the same time (the two bands debuting the same year, 1985), and they have been remarkably popular in their home country for many years, though they are less well known in other countries. Style-wise, the band has always been rooted in thrash, in particular a faster, raw form with some punk overtones and lyrics usually based on political or socio-economic themes (for these reasons, they bear a slight similarity to another elder Brazilian band, Overdose). Predictably, the earlier material such as Dividir E Conquistar shows the rougher side of the band, while on later albums such as Musical Guide From Stellium (actually the middle album of a trilogy) the band had refined their style, though aggressive poltical thrash has always been the cornerstone of the group.

Heavy Discos

Carlos "Vândalo" Lopes Guitars, Vocals

Cláudio "Cro-Magnon" Lopes Bass

Toninho "Hardcore" Drums

Side A

1. Hierarchic Democracy 04:43

2. Fighting in Gangs 03:39

3. Misery Spreads 05:50

4. Not to Leave the Power 03:23

Side B

5. Only One of Them (Must Be Left) 03:56

6. Gathered Prisoners 00:34

7. Childish Boots and Steps 03:32

8. The Ones Left Scream 05:09

9. History Starts (To Take a Route) 06:00

36:46

The Krixhjälters

 Today in 1988 The Krixhjälters reeased the EP Hjälter Skelter

Stockholm,Sweden Thrash Metal/Crossover

Status:Changed name

Years active:1982-1990, 1990-1992 (as Omnitron)

A split-up thrash/crossover band from Stockholm, Sweden.

The known line-up is: Pelle Ström : Guitars, backing vocals (Agony (Swe), Comecon) Rasmus Ekman : Guitars, backing vocals (Comecon) Stefan Kälfors : Drums, backing vocals Pontus Lindqvist : Bass, vocals

They're split-up, and have changed their name to Omnitron.

CBR Records

Pontus Lindqvist Bass, Vocals

Stefan Kälfors Drums, Vocals (backing)

Rasmus Ekman Guitars, Vocals (backing)

Pelle Ström Guitars, Vocals (backing)

Guest/Session

Bo Lindenstrand Saxophone

Side A

1. Intro: Fleischcarousel 00:55

2. Who Am I to Judge? 03:14

Side B

3. Subwishion 03:54

4. Let Us Be Merry 04:13

5. The End Is Closing In 03:28

15:44

Recorded at Decibel Studios, Stockholm, 1986-1987.