(TheBRHM.com) There are some comments that I’d love to answer in a mailbag setting and I have a couple I’m working on that I feel should have a detailed answer. Plus, long answers in comments sections lead to this unholy wall of text. So, in our first “Into the Mailbag” we look at a comment from Angus B on our piece about metal bands that got lumped in with the glam metal pool.
Background of the Piece
Earlier that week, I’d listened to a couple of bands from the 1980s while scrolling Encyclopedia Metallum. I was cross-referencing for another album dive and began thinking “Honestly, these bands were harder and heavier than a lot of the other popular glam acts.” I tend to focus on bands that weren’t as successful as the headliners of the decade or dissolved—but they released a full length.
Angus gave a couple of other bands that definitely fit the bill and gave their take on the term “glam metal”:
This is pretty much my view on the bands included. They were merely using imagery to promote their stuff more. Some bands had the talent but probably didn’t have the charisma or PR to pop purely on talent. Remember this is the music industry and you’ve got to sale and be marketable to some degree. Their degree was looks.
Of course, other bands were pretty mid and got by with looks and charisma—it was very to professional wrestling. There were several bands that MTV simply lumped in because glam metal was the hot flavor at the time and the bands heavily promoted were obviously doing well.
As for the names dropped: it’s as he said revisionist history. Those bands mostly heavy and had a harder sound. Their three crimes were having buzz, being in the same touring tier as some the bands firmly in glam metal, and having a power ballad somewhere in their catalog.
I’d even add Vandenberg which I felt was more like a very heavy hard rock band. Heading for a Storm slammed from start to finish. I would add Mötley Crüe for it’s first three albums as a kind of unintentional King or Glam Metal but Skid Row seemed like a better addition to the list.
Glam Metal Ran So That Nu-Metal Could Fly
Now, I’m in my late 30s so I wasn’t around for when hair metal and glam metal ruled the world—as have been said in a VH1 docuseries or two. I was around for numeral, which we’ve gone into before. There are definite similarities between the two since the main culprit of pushing the two genre periods—MTV—was back to lumping bands into categories. Now, I’m big on genres. For research purposes and my own musical adventures, genres are a massive help.
However, when they’ve organized all willy-nilly and we have bands that maybe shouldn’t be lumped into that specific box—even if they’re both rock bands—that’s never good. I’ve listened to many a band from the late 90s-early 00s and thought “No, this is just aggressive hard rock.” Alternative rock is a dicey one as well because radio stations at the time played whatever MTV played. The harder and heavier stuff—your Marilyn Mansons and Slipknots of the world—came on after 9 PM usually but they’re all airing on this alternative rock format.
I’ve actually found more accurate answers from message boards, comments, podcasts, and blogs by passionate fans of the music. Anyway, thanks for your comment Angus! I’m still adding comments, so expect another trip Into the Mailbag soon!
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.d