Quiz #137 - Steelheart "Everybody loves Eileen"

Hailing from Norwalk, CT, Steelheart was one of the very last hair metal bands to score a hit with a power ballad, just before Nirvana and their ilk exterminated the genre completely. Originally called Red Alert, the quartet (which included singer Michael Matijevic, guitarist Chris Risola, bassist James Ward, and drummer Frank Dicostanzo) spent most of the decade playing the tri-state area and honing their act.

After years of hard work, the band finally secured a record deal with MCA, and changed their name to Steelheart. 1991 saw the release of their self-titled debut, which spawned the hit power ballad, "Never Let You Go," which reached number 14 on the Billboard singles chart. The band quickly began work on their sophomore effort, "Tangled in Reins", which was released a year later. But tragedy was lurking just around the corner — at a Halloween show opening for Slaughter at McNichol's Arena in Denver, CO, Matijevic was struck in the head by a lighting truss, knocking him to the ground face first, and he sustained serious head injuries. Forced to take a break for their singer to recover, the musical climate had changed dramatically, resulting in the band calling it a day shortly thereafter. But by 2000, the group had reunited and issued a third album, titled "Wait".

[source]



STEELHEART "Everybody loves Eileen"
Album "Steelheart" - 1991

Quiz #136 - Kyuss "Demon cleaner"

Hailing from Palm Desert, CA, Kyuss (pronounced "kai-uss") has become something like a heavy metal equivalent to the Velvet Underground. Although they are widely acknowledged as pioneers of the booming stoner rock scene of the 1990s, the band enjoyed little commercial success during their brief existence, but their combination of sludgy, down-tuned guitars (often played through a bass amp for maximum, earth-shaking intensity), spacey jams, galloping thrash metal rhythms, and organic drums became a blueprint, often copied, but never quite replicated by countless underground metal bands.

[source]



KYUSS "Demon cleaner"
Album "Welcome to Sky Valley" - 1994

Quiz #135 - Joe Satriani "Summer song"

Joe Satriani is one of the most technically accomplished and widely respected guitarists to emerge in recent times. Born on July 15, 1956, in Westbury, NY, and raised in the nearby town of Carle Place, Satriani — inspired by guitar legend Jimi Hendrix — picked up the guitar at the age of 14 (although he was initially more interested in the drums). Quickly learning the instrument, Satriani began teaching guitar to others and found a kindred spirit in one of his students, Steve Vai.

In the early '80s, Satriani got a gig playing guitar with power popster Greg Kihn, doing some session work and touring with the group and issuing his own solo self-titled EP in 1984.But when Steve Vai hit the big time as the guitarist of David Lee Roth's solo band in 1986, he offered praise for his good friend and former teacher in several major guitar publications, leading to widespread interest in Satriani's playing. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for Satch, as he'd just issued his first full-length solo album, "Not of This Earth", which automatically made ripples in the rock guitar community.

[more about Satriani's bio]



JOE SATRIANI "Summer song"
Album "The Extremist" - 1992

Quiz #134 - Tristania "Equilibrium"

Regarded as one of the world's premiere goth metal bands, Norway's Tristania have earned their reputation through risk-taking creativity, unquestionable talent, and perhaps more than anything else, an impressive consistency from release to release. First coming together in 1996, Tristania took the uncommon step of showcasing three separate vocalists of wildly divergent styles to represent their lyrics, these being operatic soprano Vibeke Stene, clean-singing counter-tenor Østen Bergøy, and harsh, black metal-style shrieker Morten Veland.

Tristania's eponymous EP was released in 1997, and further albums such as Widow's Weeds (1998) and Beyond the Veil (1999), as well as the Angina EP followed in quick succession, and always through Austria's Napalm label. All fared incredibly well across Europe, with Beyond the Veil in particular earning rave reviews.

The band was dealt a potentially crippling blow, however, when Veland departed to form a new band called Sirenia. Yet, they surprised cynical observers by immediately hiring new vocalist Kjetil Ingebrigtsen and rebounding in style via 2001's World of Glass. A longer hiatus followed but, after indulging in numerous side projects, Tristania reconvened in 2004 to record a new album called simply "Ashes".

[source]



TRISTANIA "Equilibrium"
Album "Ashes" - 2005

Quiz #133 - Foo Fighters "Everlong"

While he was drumming with Nirvana, Dave Grohl was recording original songs at home that never received public release. Those tapes would become the foundation of Foo Fighters, the band he formed in 1995, after the death of Kurt Cobain. Like Nirvana, Foo Fighters melded loud, heavy guitars with pretty melodies and mixed punk sensibilities with a sharp sense of pop songwriting.

[source]

FOO FIGHTERS "Everlong"
Album "The Colour and the Shape" - 1997

Quiz #132 - White Zombie "Thunder Kiss '65"

White Zombie fused B-horror movie visuals and subject matter with heavy music and growled vocals. And while it was originally thought to be a full-fledged band, it would later become known that the group was almost entirely the vision of their larger-than-life singer, Rob Zombie.

Although he had long admired such theatrical metallists as Kiss and Alice Cooper (as well as such punk outfits as the Ramones), Rob wasn't quick to form a group. By 1985 however, Rob opted to pursue a career in music and united with then-girlfriend/bassist Sean Yseult and formed White Zombie (titled after the 1932 Bela Lugosi flick).

First considered a New York Underground band rather than a heavy metal band, White Zombie began incorporating industrial rock elements into their sound, which made them one of the few hard rock bands of the era that you could also dance to.

[source]

WHITE ZOMBIE "Thunder Kiss '65"
Album "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1" - 1992