Metal Thrashing Mad

So we'd got the first record bought, and the first gig gone to, now it was time to consolidate. The trouble with metal in those days was that it was segregated; if you liked thrash you couldn't like glam, if you liked glam you couldn't like hardcore. Perhaps I ought to explain these different areas:

• Straight metal - just ordinary heavy metal, stuff like Whitesnake, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Dio
• New Wave of British Heavy Metal - bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, Samson, Holocaust, Diamond Head and White Spirit who, in the late 70s, energised by the DIY attitude of punk, mixed that with the riffs of heavy metal, building up a live following in small venues around Britain. Strongholds were London, the Midlands and the North East. Short-lived. Not many made it past 1983.
• Thrash metal - combining the riffs and work ethic of the NWOBHM with the speed of hardcore/skater punk. Bands include the so-called 'big four' of Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Lesser known but popular bands were Testament, Kreator, Overkill, Nuclear Assault and Exodus. Strongholds were the Bay Area of California, New York and Germany. Songs usually about war, social issues or politics.
• Glam metal - taking cues off early punks like The New York Dolls, The Stooges and The Ramones it was a brand of metal that was very flamboyant. Songs usually about sex and/or drug-taking. Bands include Faster Pussycat!, Dogs D'Amour, LA Guns, Tigertailz and Poison. Popular with 'the ladies'. Involved men wearing make-up.
• Funk metal - Opened itself up to a wider range of influences, namely funk and soul. Inspired by early practitioners of funk and rock like Parliament, Funkadelic and Bad Brains. Popular with both indie rock and thrash fans, bands include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Primus, Mordred and *huge fanfare* the all black Living Color.

So, as you can see, I was too late for the NWOBHM, everyone likes a bit of straight metal, I didn't like dressing like a girl, so the only option left for me was thrash. Besides, Al was into thrash as was our expanding band of friends. Here, have a look at this fellow from the 1989 Arena documentary on heavy metal explain it in more detail, stick with it, I know one of the blokes in the Rock City scene (this documentary was roundly slagged off by metal fans when it was first shown). Take it away Mitch Hale and Penny Rushin:

I love watching that "You can't play Iron Maiden at 500 mile an hour" became an ironic catchphrase amongst our circle of friends. And dear old Penny is obviously struggling to find something to say. I'd love to see them today. Actually Mitch makes a valid point there: "The more the merrier...if you like it stand up for it"

So, first decent heavy metal record I owned was the 12" single to One by Metallica (being nine minutes long, I don't think a 7" was available). I first saw the song as part of the Top 40 Breakers on Top of the Pops and thought it sounded good. I then saw most of the video the following Saturday on the chart show and knew I must have it. So that afternoon I rushed down to R and K Records in Newark and got my hands on it. I couldn't wait to get it home and listen to it in all its glory. It was class. A nine minute story of a WW1 soldier dying in hospital (happy days!), based on a book called Johnny Got His Gun. The video to the song featured clips from the film adaptation. Then I flipped it over and found two live tracks on the b-side: For Whom the Bell Tolls and Welcome Home (Sanitarium). This was the music for me. They didn't sing about girls, of which I had very little experience at the time, and they encouraged the growing of facial hair. Fucking A! I was hooked.